Page 44 of Her Wicked Duke
“I ought to require more from you,” he whispered, nipping her skin.
Anne’s face flushed with heat, and she let herself lean into him, feeling his arms around her. She ached to move against him, to find some friction or release, some sort of relief for how he made her burn with want.
He brushed her hair back over her shoulder and pushed down the capped sleeve of her dress, pressing soft kisses there. Annelet out a breathy moan, aching for him. She reached blindly, clinging onto the sleeves of his jacket.
“You are so responsive, even just to this,” Alexander said in a hushed voice. “I could have you do so many things. And I think you would like them, wouldn’t you, Anne?”
“Yes.” The admission slipped from her lips before she could stop it.
“It is only fair,” Alexander murmured, still kissing that spot between her shoulder and neck, lingering on the dark freckles. “After all, you have asked me to sit through such a heinous dinner. That requires a high price. And if I recall correctly, you agreed to payanyprice I set.”
Alexander’s mouth hastened, his kisses growing less soft, more demanding. And she wanted to feel his mouth on her again. His hand slid into her hair and tugged her head back to expose her neck as he pressed more kisses to her skin.
“I expect you to honor our deal so we are not discovered.” His tone left no room for argument.
Anne could feel his arousal poking her belly, and she yearned to reach for him, to feel the heat and hardness of his length, to imagine how it might feel against her skin. Her breaths turned into shallow pants as his fingers kept tugging on her hair as if she was his to toy with.
Anne found that she did not want to pull away and moaned softly when he tugged hard.
His kisses became open-mouthed and hungry, and the hand that he pressed to her front got firmer, keeping her steady. She didn’t know when she had begun to writhe against him, as if trying to seek more pleasure than they could have in the shadows of the corridor.
“Be still,” Alexander told her softly. “Be still, and I shall see to it that you are rewarded soon.”
“How soon?”
His dark laugh vibrated against her neck as his fingertips skimmed down her spine. She shuddered with pleasure.
“You are so eager to have my mouth back on yours, Anne,” he whispered. “Soon. That is all I will give you.”
It was as if he had heard something she hadn’t. A moment later, he pulled away from her, clearing his throat as he walked on. Seconds afterward, she heard footsteps behind her. She turned around to find Mary.
“Is everything well, Anne?” Mary asked, completely oblivious to what had happened mere seconds ago.
But Anne could still feel the Duke’s kisses on her skin, still ached for him, and she excused herself swiftly, assuring her sister that all was well enough.
Finally, she went after her mother.
After everybody had returned to the dining room, and dessert passed uneventfully, Alexander and the Dowager Duchess made to leave. Annette’s spirits had been lifted by the reminiscing, and now she was eager to know their next plans.
“What do you plan to do together next?” she asked, her smile bright and excited.
In Anne’s mind, Alexander’s promise of demanding a higher price was present. But it was his voice saying, “I would like to take Anne out to an art gallery.”
Anne blinked at him.
He gave her a charming smile as he fixed his sleeve cuffs, ever the image of indifference. “I do remember her mentioning a passion for the arts.”
I did?
Anne kept her expression placidly composed.
“I will come to pick you up tomorrow,” he added.
He had a plan, she was sure of it. There was something else going on, so she met his look with a satisfied, little smile of her own. “I shall wait for you.”
The art gallery was busy, and even though Anne’s hand was tucked in the crook of Alexander’s arm, she was almost nervous. Busy places were starting to do that to her, now aware that her stalker was a man who could access these sorts of places.
But Alexander led her through an exhibition of paintings depicting people at the opera, sailors on merchant boats, and various other scenes.
