Page 33 of A Virgin for the Duke of Depravity
She was surprised when he kissed her back.
He parted his lips beneath hers and cupped the back of her head in his hand, pulling her deeper into the embrace. She gasped for air, but it was no longer from fear.
She could smell the scent of his soap on his skin, blotting out the night air. Despite the slight chill, his warmth seeped into her, not just her lips but also everywhere they touched.
Margaret tried to focus on the emotion she felt as he kissed her, but could not name it.
Kissing Leo made it hard for her to think of anything but him.
She did notwantto think of anything but him.
She relished the feel of his jacket underneath her hands, pulling him closer even as he pressed his lips fervently to hers. His mouth was hard but somehow still tender. She could taste the punch on his tongue, could feel herself becoming intoxicated by it.
When he pulled away, she leaned in until she almost fell forward.
“Please,” she breathed. “Make me feel something other than fear. I cannot tolerate this feeling. Not any longer.”
“What are you afraid of?”
Margaret bit her bottom lip. She desperately wanted to tell Leo everything: the way her grandfather had tried to force her hand years ago, how she had run from him, how he was now auctioning off her hand. But everything seemed distant now that she was in the carriage alone with him.
She could not bring herself to tell him the whole truth. Though she doubted it, a part of her worried that he would not be able to protect her fromthisfate.
No matter what he promised her.
“You know I can make anything go away. I can makeanyonego away. All you need to do is say the word.” Leo held her hand, his gaze never wavering from her face. He studied her in a way that made her blush.
“Why would you do that for me?”
“I do not know.”
Margaret appreciated his honesty. She could not pinpoint why she allowed him to get under her skin so much. However, there was very little time for her to contemplate what was going on between them, why he was willing to risk his safety for hers.
Leo’s lips were on hers again, as if trying to banish the thought that she might have something to fear. Unlike her tentative kiss, his was so hungry that it heated her from somewhere deep within her. She felt it not just on her lips but also between her legs.
She leaned into him, which only made the kiss more intense. He parted her lips with a deft flick of his tongue, and she welcomed him in. As his tongue ran along the length of her own, a moan tore from her throat. It was a sound she did not even know she was capable of making.
His lips trailed from her mouth to her cheek, then to her jawline. Margaret tilted her head back, offering up the sensitive skin of her neck to his caresses and touches. As his teeth nipped the side of her neck, she knew that she had to have more of him.
If this is what she would be missing out on as a nun, did she truly want to be a nun at all?
“If you do not like this—” Leo started to say, pulling his mouth from hers.
“That is not a problem,” she murmured, angling her head back so that he might continue his exploration of her neck. He traced a line with his lips to her collarbones.
Margaret wanted more from him, but she did not know what to ask for. Briefly, she pictured the scenarios in those books and wondered how it would feel to have a man touch her that way.
Didallthose ways bring pleasure the way Leo’s touches did?
She never thought that a simple kiss could feel so wonderful.
Leo reached beneath the hem of her skirt and put a hand on her knee. Margaret kissed him harder, her teeth nibbling on his lip. She bit him hard, and he gasped, but his reaction was not what she would have expected.
Instead of pulling back, he slid his hand further up her leg. Now, his hand was on her thigh, and she squirmed with anticipation of what might come next. She had never felt this slickness between her legs, the heat that pooled in her core.
“Shall I show you what was in those books?” Leo whispered, his warm breath tickling the shell of her ear.
She nodded, not trusting herself to speak.
