Page 37 of Her Runaway Duke
“I am not sure there is a best version.”
Siena lifted her chin, unwavering in her conviction as she stared into his stormy face. "I beg to differ. I have seen glimpses of the man you truly are, Levi. Beneath the walls you have built around yourself using your scars and your burdens lies a kind-hearted, honorable man. You may not see it now, but I do."
Levi's gaze softened at her words, a flicker of something akin to hope dancing in his eyes. Siena took a step closer, her hand reaching out to grasp his tightly.
"Let me show you the man I see," she whispered, her voice unwavering with determination. "You don't have to face this alone anymore."
For a moment, silence hung heavy between them, the weight of their shared emotions palpable in the air. Then, Levi let out a shaky breath, and Siena nearly cried as she could see him beginning to peek out around the corner of his walls.
"I never expected to find someone like you," he admitted quietly. "Someone who sees beyond the darkness that haunts me. Who isn’t afraid to look at me."
Siena’s heart swelled with newfound courage as she stepped closer to him, their faces only inches apart. The warmth of his breath mingled with hers, the electric tension crackling between them as they stood on the precipice of something unknown yet all too tantalizing.
Levi's hand trembled slightly as he reached up to brush a stray strand of hair away from Siena's face, his touch gentle yet charged with an unspoken desire. His eye searched hers, a silent question hanging in the air - was she sure about this?
Without uttering a word, Siena closed the remaining distance between them, her lips meeting his in a tentative yet achingly sweet kiss. It was as if time stood still in that moment, the weight of their shared burdens lifting ever so slightly as their hearts found solace in each other's embrace.
Levi responded fervently, his arms encircling her waist as he deepened the kiss, and Siena could practically taste all of his pent-up longing pouring through his touch.
As they kissed, a flood of emotions rushed through Siena - relief, desire, and a newfound sense of connection that she had never expected to find with anyone, least of all this reclusive duke. Siena could feel Levi's hesitations melt away as he kissed her with a hunger that spoke volumes about the depth of his feelings.
When they finally broke apart, both were breathless, their gazes locked in a silent exchange of unspoken promises. Siena could see a mix of emotions swirling in Levi's face - gratitude, longing, and a hint of fear.
Levi's thumb gently traced her cheekbone as he whispered hoarsely, "I do not deserve you, Siena. I am broken and scarred, inside and out."
Siena placed a finger over his lips, silencing his doubts. "You are worthy of love, Levi. Your scars do not define you; they are a testament to the battles you've fought and survived. You deserve happiness as much as anyone.”
And she was about to show him exactly what she meant.
Levi's heartthundered in his chest as Siena’s words echoed in his mind, her touch a balm to his wounded soul. He closed his eyes, drowning in the scent of her hair, the warmth of her body so close to his. When she traced her fingers over the rough texture of his scars on his cheek and neck, a shiver ran down his spine.
He should stop her — to continue would be more than he should allow, for more reasons than one. She was a proper young lady, too beautiful, too tender, too innocent for a man like him.
But it was the first time in the longest time that he could remember feeling at peace, loved, as more than the scarred duke about whom rumors abounded. He would do anything to take care of her, to protect her.
And right now, maybe he would do so by just being in the moment.
With her.
With utmost tenderness, Siena began to undress him, each piece of fabric falling away like barriers between them.
Levi's breath caught in his throat as Siena’s hands moved with purpose, undoing the buttons of his shirt one by one. His heart raced with a heady mix of desire and vulnerability as she bared his chest, revealing the network of scars that crisscrossed his skin.
Siena’s touch was gentle yet sure as she traced each scar with her fingertips, her lips following in their wake to leave soft, reassuring kisses in their path. Levi closed his eyes, overwhelmed by the rush of emotions coursing through him - disbelief that someone could look at him with such tenderness, longing for the connection he had denied himself for fear of rejection, and a flicker of hope that maybe, just maybe, he could let himself be loved.
When she finally met his gaze, Levi saw nothing but acceptance, and, he realized, hunger, which only made his own need for her all the more encompassing.
As her hands moved lower, undoing his trousers with a confidence that both thrilled and terrified him, Levi's resolve wavered. He wanted her with a desperation that bordered on madness, but he also feared the depth of emotion she stirred within him. She was a beacon of light in his darkened world, a reminder of everything he had denied himself for far too long.
Yet Levi could no longer ignore the primal urge that pulsed through him and with a low growl, he pulled Siena close, their bodies melding together asif they were made to fit perfectly against one another.
Levi barely even registered the fire crackling in the hearth, which would normally have his every nerve on edge with fear.
Instead, he noticed how the flickering light cast a warm glow, accentuating the curves of Siena’s body above him.
Her hands roamed over Levi’s skin, and he captured her lips in a searing kiss, pouring all his longing and desire into it. Their breath mingled, hearts pounding in unison as they gave in to the pull between them.
“Time to be rid of this,” he said, reaching up and grasping the material of her ruined dress on either side of the buttons that ran up the back of it. Seeing no reason to take care of a garment that would have to be disposed of anyway, he ripped it down theback, the small buttons jumping away from their seams to dance over the bed and along the floor. Siena’s eyes glazed over at his show of force, and a surge of strength rushed through him that he could still cause such a reaction in a woman.
