Page 127 of His Grace, the Duke
“We areyourdevils,” he hissed in her ear, smoothing his fingers over her sex and dipping one finger inside. He groaned, dropping his head to her shoulder. “Fuck, she’s so wet, Tom. Why are you always so wet for us? So needy, so desperate for our cocks.”
She opened her legs wider, silently begging for more, but he pulled away. She sucked in a breath as he swiped his wet finger over her bottom lip. Then he claimed that lip with his mouth, sucking the taste of her onto his tongue.
It was sinful. These men had ruined her. There would be no love, no lust, no passion outside of the heights they carried her to.
Burke shifted away, leaving her with Tom.
“I wish you could feel how hard my cock is for you,” Tom said in her ear. “Do you want me to untie you so you can put your hands on me?”
“Yes,” she whispered, tugging on the silk ties.
He grabbed her jaw tight, turning her face towards him. “That was a test,” he growled against her lips. “We’ve barely begun, and you want the pleasure to end? Can you not feelhow your body is responding without the use of your eyes, your hands? Can you not sense your heightened emotions, your ability to taste, to smell, to feel every little brush against your skin?” He grazed his fingers featherlight down her sternum, around her navel, and down. “You really want this to end, you say the word.”
“Don’t stop. Please, Tom. More—”
He claimed her lips in a kiss. She let him lead, tipping her head back and opening her mouth as he teased with his tongue. He was the most playful kisser of the three. Burke was all passion and fire, wanton lust. James kissed with a hunger. An aching need. He was driven, determined.
James.
Her heart ached. He was missing this. Missing them. God, she needed them all. She needed to feel complete. Tom was right—they were all meant to be together.
Tom pulled her back to the present when he dropped to his knees, pushing her legs wider apart. His mouth latched onto her desperate sex as his hands slid up her sides, cupping her breasts and tweaking her nipples. Her back arched off the settee as she pulled on the binds that kept her hands tied. Tom wrapped his hands around her thighs, tugging her hips to the edge of the settee. She lost herself to the feel of him moving with her, panting for more.
If this is how her men punished her, she made a vow to misbehave more often.
60
James
James twitched inhis chair, trying not to let his annoyance overtake him. Where the hell was everyone? He was told to meet the group at the opera house, yet here he sat, all alone, pretending to watchThe Magic Flute. Tom had been here for exactly two minutes, but then he disappeared, saying he needed to use the necessities. He’d yet to return.
James waited for the others to show and was just about to leave when he looked across the hall to see half the house party piling into the Marquess of Marlborough’s box. He didn’t see Burke or Rosalie amongst them. Surely that meant the rest of the party would find their way to this box.
But they didn’t.
The first act started, and James was stuck. It would be rude to leave now. People would notice. Curious faces from the crowd constantly glanced his way. He could practically feel the dozens of sets of eyes on him. Some were more deliberate, even giving him a little wave to catch his attention—gentlemen from the club, friends of his mother. Others usedbinoculars, measuring him as competition or a potential suitor for their daughters.
He was used to it. As the brother of a duke, everyone wanted to find a way to use him to get to George. That’s why he so loathed coming to the opera. He hated this feeling of being on display, sitting at a great height where the rest of thetoncould ogle him. And Burke knew this well. Why the hell had he suggested coming? And why wasn’t he here? Something was wrong.
Before he could stew any longer, the edge of the curtain shifted back and the man himself appeared. The look on his face immediately had James on edge. He sank down in a chair next to James, picking up a program and pretending to read it.
“You’re late,” James muttered, trying not to move his lips.
“No, I’m not.”
“Youare—”
“I was on time, I assure you. I just didn’t take my seat. I was... otherwise occupied.”
What the hell was he on about? Was he... did he forget to put on a cravat? James narrowed his eyes at his friend. “Where are the others?”
“They are... occupied,” Burke replied, the corner of his mouth curving into a grin.
“Speak sense,” James growled, quickly losing his already limited patience.
Burke lifted his program higher, lowering his dark brows as he pretended to read it. “I need you to come with me, but I need you to stay silent. Not a word, do you understand?”
A sense of foreboding sank into James’ gut. “Burke... what did you do?”
