Page 69 of Married to the Icy Duke
“Good God, man,” he’d have said, laughing. “That won’t do. I saidbedher. You need something for yourself.”
Isaac had walked out of that washroom aching hard, almost crippled with the weight of his desire. He’d wanted nothing more than to rush back into the room, tear away that damnable drying sheet, and scoop her into his arms. He would have carried her into the bedroom, laid her down on the bed, and consummated their relationship once and for all.
What was more, he was sure that she would have wanted it. Hadn’t she curved against him, pressing against his hand? He could still recall her soft, breathy moans, half-bitten off pleas for something she did not understand.
She wanted me,he thought dizzily.She wanted my touch. She wantedmore.
Hehad wanted more, too. He remembered sweeping his hand over the swell of her breast, feeling her nipple peak beneath the thin fabric. It would have been soeasyto peel away that sheet.
That was something she’d said, her voice rasping in his ear.
“More, Isaac, please.”
Well, he hadn’t given her more. He’d pleasured her then gotten control of himself, hurrying out of the washroom before things could go further.
What a fool I am,he thought wryly.Both of us wanted things to go further, and yet I fled.
Why?
That was the great question. Why had he cut their lovemaking short? In the past, Isaac had never been bashful or reticent about lovemaking, although the incidents were few and far between. How was it that he had been in the house with a woman hedesired so fiercely for several days, and yet he had managed to keep himself from her in such a decided way?
What am I afraid of?
Jumping to his feet, Isaac paced up and down the room, hoping to calm his thumping heart. He recalled the last time he had been intimate with a woman. She was a Parisian, a woman whose name and face he could not recall. She had been pleasant enough, and they had shared a few enjoyable hours together.
Never once did I feel as though my very skin was on fire. Not like I do with Charlotte. How can that be? That Parisian woman was experienced and enthusiastic, and told me very clearly that she wished to avoid complications. Charlotte is … Well. Charlotte iscomplicated, to say the least.
None of it made sense. And since Charlotte had told him so plainly that she did not wish to have children, the implication was quite clear that she did not wish to share his bed. He should have put her aside in his head by now.
Why can’t I put her aside? Why can I not get her out of my head?
On impulse, Isaac reached up and tore the eyepatch away. The band tended to grow tight after wearing it all day, digging into his temple. He glanced up, warily, knowing full well that a mirror hung on the wall just opposite him.
Devil by name, Devil by nature,he thought grimly. He was just about to toss the eyepatch across the room and try to massage the headache away when, without warning, the door opened.
Charlotte stepped into the room.
“Forgive me, Isaac, but Perling said you might be here … Oh, heavens,” Charlotte gasped, as Isaac threw himself across the room, one hand clamped to the side of his head.
He scrambled for the eyepatch, hauling it over his head. She noticed, of course.
“Oh, I am sorry,” Charlotte mumbled, averting her gaze. She had not seen his face without the eyepatch, and he had taken care that she should not, but it felt as though she’d barged in on him half-naked.
Again.
Isaac cleared his throat roughly and turned to face her. He felt more confident with the eyepatch back in place, sitting coolly over his eye, the scars running underneath.
“Think nothing of it,” he responded. “The band gives me a headache, that’s all.”
She stood there for a moment, wavering.
“Should I … Should I go? I did not mean to disturb you.”
He flashed her a tight smile. “Think nothing of it. What did you want?”
She cleared her throat. “Well, I was bringing my friend, Madeline, to meet you. She’s probably my closest friend, but she is so very shy. I think she rather lost her nerve on her way here. We saw you from the window, you know, and I think she was a little intimidated. She made an excuse and scurried off to her rooms. I’d already asked Perling where you were, so I thought I should come to find you.”
“I see,” he managed at last. A silence descended.
