Page 43 of A Bride for the Beastly Duke
She had asked him to give her a few minutes before he went upstairs to his chambers, and so he sat in his study, smoking a cheroot and having a nightcap as he reminisced about his day and tried to tamp down the anticipation of his coming night.
He was glad that he had taken the time before dinner to have a bath and shave because he was more than a little sure that he and Ava were going to share his bed that night.
He couldn’t help himself; he was more than halfway aroused. After three nights of thinking about her in his lonely, cold bed at White’s, he was finally going to hold her in his arms again. Hecould not imagine anything better. Impatient and unable to wait a second longer, he drained his glass and got to his feet. “Ready or not, here I come.”
He marched out of the room, closing the door gently behind himself, and then strode toward the stairs, taking them two at a time and coming to his door just a few moments later. He knocked on his own door and only opened it after he was given permission.
Ava sat on his bed in her night rail, her hair falling down her back and her arms bare with a slight smile on her face. She patted the bed beside herself, and he walked slowly until he was standing in front of her. Picking up her hair, he flicked it back so that it was off her shoulders and then smoothed it with his hands. “You are so lovely,” he whispered in awe.
She smiled shyly, lashes fluttering, “Thank you.”
“It isIwho should be grateful that you continue to forgive a barbarian such as myself.”
Her brow furrowed in confusion. “What do you mean?”
“I mean that I simply left you without a word when I went to London. I cannot tell you how bitterly I have been regretting that ever since. It was ill-mannered, cruel, and unbecoming of me as a man of honor and a gentleman.”
Her lips twisted wryly, and she smiled. “You did not leave ‘without a word’ as I did find your note. And while I admit that I was slightly taken aback by the abruptness of your departure, you have adequately explained how it came about.” She snorted, “And itwasme who rather derailed your mission the night before. You came to tell me you were leaving.”
“I did, but it is no excuse.” He bowed to her. “So kindly accept my apologies.”
She grinned, “I will if you kiss me.”
More than willing to oblige, Edward dived for her, making her giggle as he buried his head in her neck, laving it with his tongue, before placing butterfly kisses all the way up her jaw to her mouth. He plundered her mouth deeply, saying without words how much he had been thinking about her, how much he wanted this. She put her arms around his shoulders, holding on tightly as they kissed frantically.
Three nights apart really felt like an eternity, and Edward was determined to make up for every single moment. She began to pull off his coat, and he sat up to take it off, begrudging the moments that his lips were away from hers. He tore off his shirt as well before diving back down and capturing her lips again. Her hands trailed all over his back caressing him, learning all the secret places of his body.
Suddenly she was pushing him away, and his heart sank.
“Do you not…?” He lifted an eyebrow in the inquiry, not really wanting to hear her answer.
“Lay down,” she said as she sat up and then pushed him down. He went along with it, wanting only to please her. “I want to learn you,” she whispered then he nodded his enthusiastic agreement.
She began by running her hands along his chest, paying special attention to the various scars he bore. While not as extensive as those on his face, the accident he had been in had also damaged other parts of his body. She kissed his scars, caressed his bruises, and licked at his skin with focused dedication while he did his best to lie still and not squirm too much.
It was an uphill battle.
A hand reached out for his, and she put it on her breast. He took that as permission to squeeze and caress it as she continued her exploration of his body. He’d never felt his shoulders were so broad as when she ran her hand along them, her mouth slightly open in wonder. His arms never felt as strong as when she squeezed his biceps and made a sound of wonder. When she reached down and bit one of them, he gasped and groaned in surprise. She looked up into his face and grinned. “Just so delicious,” she whispered and licked his arm.
He was torn between laughter and lust… and surprised that those two could ever go together. “What are you doing to me?”
“Nothing,” she said with faux innocence, her large doe eyes staring at him from beneath her lashes as she suckled on his nipple. He gave a shout, not having expected the jolt he felt go straight to his groan and make his hardness twitch in alarmed arousal.
“Oh, heavens, do that again,” he groaned, and she covered his nipple with her mouth, kissing it, sucking it into her mouth, and licking at it as if it were his lips. He no longer felt responsible for the sounds that were coming out of his mouth. His mind was a haze of desire, and yet, he tried his best to lie still, to give her the chance to explore to her heart’s content.
Her lips were getting closer and closer to his arousal, and he began to grow worried.
Would the size of him scare her?
He hoped not.
She gave a gasp as she came face to groin with him. Her hand reached out, running up and down his shaft as if to take the measure of him. “Don’t…worry,” he gasped, fists clenched in the sheets to avoid grabbing her and ramming himself deep inside of her. “It will fit. It… already… has.”
Her breath ghosted against his flesh as she opened her mouth. “I know.”
He closed his eyes, moaning in despair. He didn’t know how much more he could take. Suddenly, to his surprise, he felt her all around him, the warmth of her mouth mimicking that of her mound as she sucked in her cheeks as if he were an ice she was eating. He shouted, penis jerking in her mouth, and almost fell into release right there and then. Grabbing onto himself, he squeezed hard in alarm. “What are you doing?” he wheezed in shock.
She laughed. “I am… seeing what you like. It seems you like that very much.”
