Page 56 of A Bride for the Beastly Duke
She shivered. “I want you to do that too.”
Unable to help himself, he surged forward, kissing her desperately. His mouth pressed down against hers, tongue plunging between her lips and plundering the depths of her mouth. He wanted to lick the taste from her mouth and make it so she knew how it felt to have a tongue halfway down her throat.
She moaned into his mouth, clinging to him and then pulling at his jacket until he caught on to what she was trying to do and helped her take it off. He unbuttoned his shirt, lips still glued to hers, and threw it away from himself before gathering her back into his arms, holding her close and tight as he plundered her mouth.
She snaked her arms around his neck, clinging to him like a limpet. He loved it. Slowly, he eased her backward until they were lying flat on the pillows. He began to trail kisses along her jaw and down her neck. He kissed the rapidly beating pulse at the base of her neck, the hollow of her collarbone, and then across her cleavage, his hands kneading her breasts as he did so.
She squirmed beneath him, murmuring unintelligible things as he caressed her body. He enjoyed taking her apart even more than the pleasure he derived from her body. He pulled her gown down her legs, and off her body before rolling her stockings off of her. He bent down and kissed the hollow behind her knee before licking up her thighs as she squirmed and ineffectually tried to redirect his attention elsewhere.
He rubbed his hand up her thighs before pushing her legs apart and swooping down to lick, kiss, and rub at her sensitive, warm, dripping center. He breathed in her scent, enjoying the sticky-sweet fragrance of her juices before dipping his tongue at her swollen nub and licking diligently.
“Ah! Edward,” she drew his name out like a groan, and his manhood jerked in appreciation. He loved the sounds she made when she threw off her self-consciousness and simply allowed herself to revel in the pleasures, he was trying to give her.
She grabbed onto his hair and pulled. “Come,” she whispered, “Come up here.”
He smiled, crawling up her body like a cat. She grabbed his neck and pulled his head down, so she could kiss him with passion and an urgency that fed his own. He clung to her while letting their mouths and tongues speak for them.
His hands roamed all over her body, absently tracing her curves as he kissed her as deeply as possible. He felt her legs rise and then they were hooked around his waist, closing him into the cage of her body.
He smiled. “Nowhere I would much rather be,” he murmured, nipping little bites along her jaw before licking back into her mouth. “I love you.”
She smiled against his lips. “I love you too, Edward. So much. I don’t want to lose you.”
He tensed slightly, knowing she was referring to John and what he had said. “You will not,” he said firmly before pressing down upon her, his hardness twitching as it came in contact with her softness. She moaned in response, canting her hips upward and brushing against his erect member. Deciding to give her exactly what she wanted, he surged into her without further ado.
She gasped and cried out, her nails digging into his back, urging him onwards. Grabbing hold of her thighs, he used them as leverage to piston into her again and again. Their moans and grunts made music together, sounds of passion that fueled their desire for each other.
Ava’s back arched, and she convulsed, body shaking and shuddering, her insides tightening to a constricting degree around him. He cried out and gasped, pushing as far into her as he could, letting his spend flood her with his love as his hips canted and jerked.
“God.” He whispered, hands trembling, barely able to hold himself up. She collapsed back on the bed with a moan, fingers clinging to him, making him come down with her. He tried to support his weight on his hands so as not to suffocate her, but soon, he had to roll off her and slip out of her.
They both groaned in regret.
Reaching for her cheek, he cupped it, before kissing her again, frantically, wanting to say everything that he had no words for. She kissed him back just as passionately, and it was only when they absolutely had to let go or lose their breath that they broke apart, panting and staring into each other’s eyes.
“I never thought I could ever have this,” he whispered.
“Me neither. I did not know it couldbelike this,” Ava said with wonder.
His hand, still on her cheek, began to caress her face as he looked at her with such gratitude in his heart. “Stay with me.”
She smiled. “Always.”
Ava practically floated down to breakfast, a smile on her face. For the first time in a long time, she felt that everything would be all right. After what happened with Edward the night before, she was convinced that they had turned the corner. Yes, they might never apprehend the man who had killed Jonathan, but at least, they knew now who had done it.
Surely that will be enough.
She was surprised to walk into the dining hall and see that her sister was there along with her parents. Knowing that she had left Margaret still dancing when they went to bed, she had been sure that her sister would not be seen before noon at least.
“Oh, good morning. Fancy meeting you here,” she said with a grin.
Margaret gave her a happy smile. “Oh, I am so excited I could hardly sleep. The Marquess of Pemberton invited me to have tea with him and his aunt this afternoon!”
Ava raised both eyebrows. “Is that so?” Her brow furrowed as she tried to remember which one he was. “Was he the one with the overly grown mustache?”
Margaret giggled, “No silly. He was clean-shaven. Just returned from the continent. His father was recently elevated to a Duke.”
“Mmm,” Ava said noncommittally. She absolutely could not recall such a man.
