Page 44 of Wedded to the Forbidden Duke
Once again, she felt herself nearing the peak. It was stronger, this time, now that she was so pent up from all of his teasing.
“Ian,” she said breathlessly between kisses. “I am—close.”
“Are you, now?” Even in the throes of passion, he was still able to conjure that smirk, that arrogance in his tone that both maddened her and drove her wild with lust. “I should hope so. I am close, as well. Come undone for me, Cecilia. Let yourself fall apart for me, as I have fallen for you.”
She clung to him more tightly still as her pleasure arrived at a climax. His moans crescendoed in time with hers; as she throbbed around him, she felt a rush within her as he, too, reached his peak.
They lay there for a moment, unmoving, letting their breathing return to normal. After a few beats, Ian pulled away, rolling over and pulling her into an embrace with her head resting on his chest.
“Is it always like that?” Cecilia asked, once her heart had finally settled down a bit.
Ian pressed a kiss to the top of her head and wound his arm more tightly around her. “In truth?”
Cecilia chuckled. “When have I ever wanted anything from you other than the truth, my lord?”
She felt him smile where his lips still rested against her head. “It was more wonderful than I could have possibly imagined.”
Another silence passed between them. “So,” she finally said. “The last time we…” She trailed off, blushing. “You were gone in the morning. It is not because of anything I did? I was not…inadequate?”
He leaned back, using his free hand to tilt her chin up so that he could look into her eyes. He kissed her. When he broke off the kiss, his eyes burned with the fiercest sincerity Cecilia had ever seen.
“You could never be inadequate,” he said. “You were—you are—remarkable.”
Cecilia smiled, before leaning in for another kiss.
Chapter Eighteen
Ian could not recall the last time he had slept so well.
The sunlight filtered in through the windows, waking him gently. He shifted slightly—then froze at the feeling of a light unfamiliar weight against him.
His wife, curled up against him with his arms around her waist and her head against his chest.
Ian was no stranger to waking up with a woman in his arms. Usually, of course, he would leave at once, or else the lady in question would leave to return discreetly to her own abode.
Now, though, he could not help but remain still, and look down at Cecilia as she curled into him.
In sleep, she was as peaceful as she was fiery when awake. The sunlight danced in her lashes, which fluttered slightly. Was she dreaming?
If so, what was she dreaming about?
Her naked shoulder blades rose and fell with each breath she took. His eyes traced along the lines of her body, at last bared before him. She was ravishingly tempting with every curve. The sheets draped over her hips only served to heighten his craving for her, to see what lay beneath in the light of day.
Perhaps feeling his initial shift beneath her, her eyes opened, looking up at him.
“Good morning,” she whispered. A small smile curled up her lips. Ian could not help but mirror it.
“Good morning, indeed,” he said, before leaning down to kiss her.
She melted into the kiss, pressing her bare chest against his, her nipples already beginning to grow stiff and sensitive. One of her legs was draped across his hip, and he lowered one hand to grab at her buttocks, pulling her closer into him. He could feel where she was already beginning to grow hot and wet at her core. She let out a low, languid moan into his mouth at the sudden touch.
“Well, wife,” he said, smiling against her mouth. “Shall we pick up where we left off last night?”
“I do not believe there is anything I should like more,” she agreed, pressing herself more entirely against him. “Although…”
He raised a brow. “Although?” he inquired.
She sat up. The sheet pooled around her waist, allowing him an excellent view of those perfect breasts. “Tonight is the night that Nancy and Zachary are coming to dinner,” she reminded him, swinging her legs off the side of the bed.
