Page 72 of An Unwanted Widow for the Duke
Wilhelmina’s breath caught, her heart hammering. She opened her mouth to speak, to protest, but he silenced her with a look—unyielding, commanding, impossible to disobey.
Then, he bent down and pressed his lips to hers with a fervor that brooked no denial.
The kiss was deliberate, powerful, claiming her with the authority of a man who knew exactly what he wanted. His hands tangled in her hair, pulled her closer, but never too forceful. Precisely enough to ignite every nerve, every pulse.
Wilhelmina froze, startled at first, then melted against him, giving in to the strength and dominance of his touch. Every instinct screamed, every sense was alight.
She had never been kissed like this—so thoroughly, so possessively.
His lips trailed down the soft curve of her neck, deliberate and unyielding. She shivered as his teeth grazed the tender skin near her pulse, and a sharp gasp escaped her lips. When his tongue teased the sensitive spot, heat pooled between her legs.
“Wilhelmina,” Gerard rasped against her skin, “do you know how long I’ve wanted this? How long I’ve waited to feel you so close?”
Her body responded before her mind could catch up. Instead of stepping back, she pressed closer, as if she could anchor herself to him.
A part of her wondered where this side of him—the raw, all-consuming side—had been all this time. Always so controlled, and yet now so undeniably alive in her presence.
His hand slid to her hip, pressing her against him with an intent that made her pulse race. She exhaled sharply at the contact, feeling the undeniable heat of his desire.
“Do you feel this, Wilhelmina?” he whispered, his lips grazing her ear. “Do you understand how impossible it is for me to stay away from you?”
She could only shiver in response, her hands moving instinctively, seeking him. He slowly backed her up against the sofa, and she let herself fall down, unable to resist. His other hand roamed over her body, teasing her curves with a tantalizing, deliberate touch.
“You are mine,” he murmured, his voice threaded with longing. “And I will not let a moment go by without proving it.”
Her lips parted, a soft breath escaping as her chest rose and fell in time with his. Every nerve sang with anticipation, tingling with desire, yet threaded with something more than physical—the magnetic pull between them, the impossible heat of their connection.
“Do you know”—he pressed closer—“how maddening it is to want you like this, to have to hold back?”
“I… I…” she stammered, caught between words and sensation, between self-restraint and the pull of his presence.
His dark eyes held hers, dark with both command and devotion. “You don’t need to say anything,” he said. “Just feel it.”
A shiver ran down her spine, her body quivering in anticipation, every sense alive, every thought consumed by him. Wilhelmina had never felt desire so completely entwined with the certainty of him, and it left her breathless, trembling.
“Do you trust me?” he breathed against her ear.
The need in his voice made her shiver all over, a thrilling tension rising within her. She tried to speak, but no words came out. So she nodded.
At that small gesture, his expression darkened, hunger replacing the softness of his smile.
He pressed his lips to hers again, harder this time, claiming her with a kiss that left her breathless. Her body responded instinctively, drawn to him with a force she had never known. Every stroke of his hands, every pull, every press, seemed to ignite a fire she could neither resist nor fully understand.
Wilhelmina began panting softly as his hand slid up her skirt, and his fingers slid further down and found her heated center. Even as she tried to muffle her moan, it managed to escape, betraying her pleasure. His touch stoked the fire inside her.
“Gerard,” she whispered, his name spilling out in a blend of desire and anxiety.
Gerard looked her in the eye. “If you tell me to stop, I will,” he promised, even though his voice had grown thick with lust.
“Don’t stop,” she begged, her body quivering.
They kissed again. This time, she met his fierceness with her lips and tongue. She gasped into his mouth when she felt his fingers brush against the seam of her nether lips. On instinct, her hands gripped his shoulders, and she arched into his touch.
He chuckled his approval, his breath mingling with hers, even as his fingers teased the part of her that needed him the most.
Wilhelmina cried out when one finger traced her slit and nudged her hidden nub. He parted her folds gently, his deliberate touch making her toes curl. Her breath caught as a long, thick finger slid into her.
It was an unfamiliar feeling, being stretched deliciously. The intimacy of the act made her chest feel like bursting. All her senses focused on this moment—this moment with him.
