Page 53 of A Virgin for the Duke of Depravity
She had to know how desperately he wanted her—all of her.
“I did not think that you could feel this as much as I do.” She rocked her hips against him, letting him feel her.
He had to close his eyes and focus on the sensation, willing himself not to grind against her and spill into his pants.
He reached between her legs and circled her bud with his thumb. If she could not take any more of this, neither could he. He needed to get her off of him before they took things too far.
It was what a gentleman would do.
She closed her eyes and arched her back, pushing her breasts toward his face. He took one nipple in his mouth and swirled his tongue around it as he stroked her bud with his thumb. Her moan told him that she was close, so he stroked her harder and faster.
Finally, he felt her climax. Her weight pushed him deeper into the settee, and she collapsed on top of him. Her body had shaken when he pressed his mouth to her sex earlier, but this was a new level of physical exhaustion.
She was spent, and he knew that he had done this to her.
How could she possibly think that she was going to get away from him when he was the only one who could dothisto her?
He chuckled to himself and pressed her against him. He whispered in her ear, “Do you remember now who you belong to?”
Margaret pulled back from him and looked him in the eye. Then, she leaned in and pressed a kiss to his lips. His lips parted beneath hers, and she continued to kiss him until they shared one breath. He wanted more when she finally pulled away from him.
He took one look at her face and knew that she had already made her decision. Her warm brown eyes were soft and glassy, a telltale sign that a tear was about to trace its way down her cheeks.
Just a moment ago, she had smiled at the pleasure he brought her, and now…
Now, she looked as though she might never smile again.
“This was a lovely goodbye,” she said. She allowed her fingertips to trace the planes of his face, along his cheekbones and his jaw. “But you have made it clear that you do not want to marry me. I can hide no longer.”
“You mean to tell me that this was not enough to convince you that the Earl of Riley would never be able to satisfy you with the man he chooses?”
He was genuinely shocked that she would do this with him and still want to wander into the lion’s den.
“I contented myself with being a woman of the cloth. Perhaps the man my grandfather chooses for me would be an improvement over the discipline I received at the hands of Mother Superior.”
She reached for the dress she had thrown to the floor so eagerly just moments ago. Leo had no idea how long they had been in the library, but he knew it was not enough. Not if she still thought she had to marry the highest bidder.
Stepping into her dress, she pulled it up over her hips and slid her arms into the sleeves. She hid her body from him once more. The only difference was that he now knew what she looked like and what she tasted like.
He would never be able to forget this moment as long as he lived.
“Let’s return to Devishire Mansion,” she said.
She walked to the library door and unlocked it. Resigned, Leo rose from the settee and walked over to her.
He grabbed her by the wrist to keep her from walking out into the hall. He pulled her into him and kissed her passionately, hoping that his lips could convey the message that his words could not—that she belonged with him.
That she belongedtohim.
“Leo,” she breathed. “We must get back. Theresa and Aaron will wonder where we have gone. Last they knew, you were in my rooms and we were without a chaperone.”
“What our friends think is none of our business,” Leo told her, pressing one more kiss to her lips. “But if it would please you, we can return to the estate. This was, ultimately, about your pleasure.”
He could not help but smirk once more as the color rose in her cheeks. Her embarrassment over the depth of feeling she had for him would never fail to amaze him. She could come undone for him, but she would be embarrassed to hear him speak of it.
“We should return,” she finally said, sounding more resigned than confident. “I have much to pack before my departure.”
“Just remember that you are still under my protection. You could belong to me, and I would ensure that your grandfather does not do to you what he did to your mother. He does not have to have this power over you.”
