Page 1 of The Wicked Duke's Convenient Bride
Prologue
Lady Tabitha’s breath gave a small hitch, her pulse jumping as Cassius closed the door to the parlour. She reached behind and curled her fingers over the edge of an ornately carved rosewood table. Cassius, the Earl of Fatherton, strode towards her.
He cut a handsome figure framed only by the shadows and silvery moonlight streaming through the windows. She drank in the sight of him with her eyes—the golden curls that framed his handsome face, sly blue eyes, chiselled jaw …
Her face grew hot. She forced an easy smile, trying to feign nonchalance despite the maelstrom of heat and excitement stirring in her chest. His body was a work of art. He had broad shoulders that tapered to a trim waist that most men would envy, and Tabitha knew that no padding was involved to achieve his impressive physique—not with this man.
“At last,” Cassius said. “I feared we would never be able to sneak away unnoticed.”
Tabitha’s lips curved into a small smile. “So impatient. There have been only three dances thus far. The night is yet young.”
“Each song felt like an eternity to me,” Cassius replied.
“Really? So long?”
He placed a hand on each side of her and smiled. Cassius was near enough that she smelled his cologne. The soft, intoxicating scent of Bay Rum filled her senses with every breath.
“You look so lovely tonight,” he continued. “When I saw you across the room—your blonde hair threaded with those little blue flowers and your white gown—I was certain that I was gazing on the goddess Aphrodite.”
Tabitha’s toes curled in her shoes. “And are you Ares come to greet me?”
“If you like,” he murmured. “I will be whoever brings you the most pleasure, My Lady.”
Cassius raised a hand, the gesture nearly reverent. He caressed the base of her neck, the feather-light touch sending lightning curving down the path of Tabitha’s spine. Her fingers tightened around the edge of the table. She heard the faint rustling of fabric as his pants brushed against her gown.
“I should like to kiss you,” he murmured, his breath coming in a hot puff of air against her neck.
“Please.”
Their lips met, and Tabitha wrapped her arms around Cassius’s neck. With a strong arm, Cassius ensnared her waist and pulled her flush against him. Tabitha moaned into his mouth, savouring the scent and feeling of him. “I love you,” he whispered, trailing kisses from her jaw to her throat. “I love you so much. You are perfect.”
“I am not perfect,” she replied, her protestation coming in a nearly breathless rasp. “You praise me too highly.”
He chuckled, his lips a hairsbreadth above her clavicle. “No, my praise is well-deserved,” he whispered. “I can scarcely wait to spend the rest of my life with you.”
“I know,” Tabitha whispered, curling her fingers in his hair. “I feel the same way. I have wanted a love match my entire life and am so lucky to have found you.”
She gazed earnestly at him with her soft, grey eyes. He kissed her jaw. “We are going to be married soon, so it is no sin to have a more amorous congress.”
The muscles in Tabitha’s stomach tightened. She should not agree to that. Even appearing together unchaperoned and in a darkened parlour was enough to ruin a young lady’s reputation. Kissing was more scandalous, but Tabitha was willing to chance a few stolen kisses in the dark. She and Cassius had snuck away several times.
They had yet to be caught, but to Tabitha, it seemed inevitable that someone would catch them in a compromising position. She should not have let Cassius take her into the dark and empty parlour. It was unwise.
However, Tabitha could not deny the fissure of excitement that she felt all the way in her core when she and Cassius had their dalliances. His presence was intoxicating, and Tabitha found herself drawn to him despite the danger her reputation might suffer. His hands settled on her waist, then drifted lower.
“Wait!” she gasped against his mouth.
His lips pressed against her shoulder, and Tabitha’s whole body went rigid at the feeling of his lips on her bare skin. “Why wait?” he murmured. “It is apparent that you enjoy my affections. I can bring you pleasure greater than any that you have ever before experienced.”
A lump lodged in Tabitha’s throat. She uncurled her fingers from the edge of the table and tried to slip around it. Cassius moved with her, his hands roaming over her back, her waist, her shoulders—
The back of her knees struck something hard, and Tabitha fell backwards onto a settee, but Cassius did not cease his hot kisses even then. He straddled her waist and kissed her throat. His fingers fumbled with the sleeves of her gown, and Tabitha’s heart beat so fiercely that its echo reverberated inside her head. This was too much and too fast.
He pulled down the bodice of her gown, revealing her stays and chemise. Tabitha curled her fingers over his shoulders as he leaned over her. He was so large and strong, and his weight against her body felt right. But everything was muddled together, the war of whether to relent or resist waging violently in Tabitha’s mind. At last, something within her seemed to break. She planted her palms against Cassius’s chest and pushed him back.
“Wait!” she gasped. “We—we cannot do this. We will be married, but we are not wed yet.”
Her chest heaved, and her breasts strained against her stays. Cool air rushed over her bare skin, warring with the heat building in her core.
