Page 30 of A Spinster for the Rakish Duke
“Not well, I admit. Spending all of my time with Mr. Dole proves very taxing upon my person,” she confessed, “and Aunt Barbara offers no reassurance. The family members who might understand my reluctance can’t help me now. I feel so stuck.”
“Emma, I must admit that I don’t understand,” Donovan told her after a moment’s hesitation. “You can end the betrothal any time you want. Why are you still planning on marrying Mr. Dole? I thought... well you and I seem too…”
She frowned. “I understand but... with Benjamin missing, Mr. Dole could give a lot of help to my family, both in finding him and otherwise. Once we are married, I’ll be able to pay more people like you to find him.”
“But Emma-” Donovan was moments away from telling her the truth of his title, but instead their lips met. It wasn’t clear if she kissed him, or if he kissed her. What was clear was the kiss was needful, passionate, and shared between the two of them with equal intensity.
They kissed again and again, each shared moment igniting the embers that had been left to smolder in their absence from one another. It wasn’t long before their hands grasped at one another as they did before, needily and with abandon.
Unfortunately for Donovan, Emma was dressed for a ball, and the additional layers of full evening dress meant the more sensitive areas of her body were that much more difficult to get to. Donovan knew of one very risky route that would yield passage.
His hand slid up her leg and thigh unresisted. Most of Emma’s mind and willpower were going towards stopping herself from crying out for the guests on the other side of the garden to hear. Being caught here would be both of their ruin. Emma had to admit though, in some ways the risk made it all just a bit more exciting.
Donovan’s fingertips trailed over her stockings and past the garter belt until he met the smooth soft skin of her inner thigh. She was hot to the touch, and Donovan leaned in, his lips against her ear, and spoke to her.
“I’m going to do everything you want, even if you don’t know how to say it.” His voice was hot in her ear, a deep bestial need running a current through the words. Emma gasped and nodded eagerly, encouraging Donovan to make good on his word.
Donovan didn’t hesitate to fulfill his promise, his fingers dancing slowly along the inside of her thigh, moving higher and higher. The higher Donovan moved, the more sensitive Emma became to his touch until she eventually felt his fingers brush against the soft sensitive flesh where her thighs came together. Emma was forced to cover her mouth with her own hand; so powerful were the sensations that Donovan called forth that she was worried they would surely be caught.
Seeing her distress Donovan paused but did not pull his hand away. “You want me to keep going, don’t you?” he asked with a playful smile that Emma could only just see in the dark corner they were hidden in. Emma didn’t hesitate or think but simply nodded. She didn’t want him to stop. She never wanted him to stop.
His fingers traced over her again, driving the sensations that rippled through her to new heights. It was becoming very difficult to think, but, funnily enough, she couldn’t stop herself from talking.
“Oh my, oh my god, Donovan; that feels amazing; please don’t stop,” she whispered and begged at the same time. Now even Donovan looked a bit nervous that she would draw unwanted attention. It didn’t make him nervous enough to stop though.
Donovan used his fingers and thumb to gently spread her soft sensitive flesh, allowing himself to move deeper into Emma’s inviting warmth. He explored her slowly but thoroughly, making sure to go back and touch the areas that had elicited an especially excited response.
“Oh, my,” Emma gasped suddenly and dug her fingers harshly into Donovan’s coat and collar, so roughly that he heard the stitches strain as she put her full weight onto him. Her body squeezed him roughly, the pleasure flowing through her in waves after he brought her over the edge. His hand gently cupped her mouth for a moment to protect their secrecy. This didn’t startle Emma, though. In fact, it made her feel that much safer in that moment.
They both sat there, breathing heavily, and Emma let her weight rest on Donovan while she recovered. That was a wholly new experience for her, but she would gladly do it again if Donovan was the one to do it with her.
“Donovan!” a harsh voice whispered in the darkness. It was deep, insistent, and annoyed. Donovan recognized it instantly as the voice of his brother. Seeing the look of worry cross Emma’s face, he rested a hand on her shoulder to calm her and whispered, “It is just Alistair. Stay here, and I’ll see what he wants.”
Donovan placed a gentle kiss on Emma’s forehead and slipped away from their secluded hideaway. He almost ran straight into his brother around the corner of the house.
“There you are! What are you doing out there in the dark?” Alistair exclaimed. Donovan opened his mouth to dismiss the younger Connor, but Alistair interrupted him. “Actually, it matters not. Are we still pretending that I am the Duke, because I know several ladies here would be really impressed and a little looser with the etiquette and morals than their mothers would care to know?”
Donovan breathed in sharply through his teeth, pinching his nose between his fingers to stop himself from going off. “Alistair, I need you to leave right now,” he said.
“What?” Alistair seemed confused and only a moment away from protesting until he saw just how angry his brother was.Alistair slinked back towards the house, unsure of what was happening but not willing to risk his hide to find out.
Donovan returned to a sight that didn’t surprise him but destroyed him all the same: Emma’s completely heartbroken face.
“Donovan,” she began to ask, her voice cracking, “what did your brother mean when he said you were pretending that he was the Duke?”
Donovan returned to his seat on the stone bench and was silent for longer than he probably should have been.
“Donovan!” Emma hissed sharply, her anger and her sorrow clearly fighting for control of her voice which caused it to crack under the strain.
“I am the Duke of Lowe,” he told her softly, though he might of well have shouted it for the gap of silence it left between them.
“You are the Duke,” Emma repeated, “But...why? Why lie to me about being a Duke?” She tried to wrap her mind around it.
“The point of it was never to deceive you,” Donovan said definitely, though he didn’t blame Emma if she didn’t believe him.
“Then you managed to fail miserably. Pray, tell what the point of lying to me was then?” She was struggling not to raise her voicenow, her anger taking precedence over her other emotions. “My god, Donovan.” Emma was so angry and so hurt she didn’t know what to do. Her tears made it hard to see, let alone allow her to leave him there in the dark. “Did you even consider what would become of me? To... do what I did while betrothed is one thing. But the scandal of being involved with a Duke? Had you ever thought of that for one moment?”
Her anger and heartbreak left Donovan speechless. Before he could collect himself and try and offer an explanation, Emma stood up.
