Page 31 of The Iron Duke's Flaming Christmas
Selene glanced at the duke and Lenore, still unable to comprehend that he was helping his daughter decorate the room. When she had seen him standing in the doorway, she had tensed, knowing that this time she was going to be dismissed for defying him. She had gone too far… and she knew it.
But instead of yelling at her and tearing down the evergreens in a rage, he had inexplicably agreed to help. She had been so shocked she couldn’t move or speak. All she could do was stand there and watch the man and his daughter hang the ivy. Her mind was whirring.
How is this possible?
Eventually, she shook herself, resuming what she was doing, placing sprigs of holly on the mantelpiece. Her heart was pounding hard. Amazingly, they were talking and laughing together as they worked, just like any parent and their child hanging Christmas decorations.
She forced herself to keep working. After fifteen minutes, Selene looked around, sensing they were not alone. A few servants were clustered in the doorway, shaking their heads in wonder as they watched the duke and his daughter, their eyes flickering to the decorations.
One maid extracted herself from the group, walking into the room. It was Nellie, Lenore’s nursemaid. Selene realized, with a start, that she was here to take Lenore for her afternoon tea. Time had flown.
The duke kissed his daughter on the head. “I have enjoyed our time together, little one.”
“So have I,” said Lenore, smiling brightly, gazing around the room. “It looks good, does it not, Papa?”
“Very good,” he agreed, smiling at her. “But you must go and have your refreshment, now. I shall visit you in the nursery later.”
Lenore beamed at him, then turned to Selene. “Thank you, Miss Bomind.”
“You are very welcome, my lady,” replied Selene, smiling at the little girl, her heart flipping to see how happy she was.
Lenore skipped out of the room with her maid. The gawking servants scattered. They were alone together. A heavy silence descended. Selene took a deep breath, turning to him. Now he would scold her and probably dismiss her. He probably hadn’t wanted to do it in front of Lenore.
I knew the risk I was taking when I did this. But I took it anyway. My position here was less important than giving Lenore the gift of hanging the decorations and seeing her joy… a joy she has never experienced before and will probably never experience again.
She realized, with a start, as she gazed around the room, resplendent now with Christmas evergreens, that it had been worth it. She would leave knowing she had given joy to a little girl. What was better than that?
“We should keep working,” said the duke abruptly. “There are still a few evergreens left to hang.” He paused, gazing at her steadily. “When did you collect them?”
Stunned, Selene couldn’t speak for a moment. “We collected them on our morning walk,” she stuttered eventually. “When we went to visit the robin’s nest.”
He nodded, reaching for another sprig of holly, turning his back to her as he placed it on a table. Selene shook herself, grabbing a garland of twisted ivy and holly that she and Lenore had made earlier off the floor, filled with confusion. What was going on?
She walked to the door to hang it, but couldn’t quite reach the hook, jumping on the spot. Suddenly, she felt a presence behind her… and his arms encircling her, grabbing the garland out of her hands, and placing it on the hook.
Flushed, she turned around, facing him. He still had his arms around her… and she was rammed into his chest. She couldn’t step back as she was cornered against the door.
“Thank you,” she stammered, her eyes flickering to his face, trying not to meet his eye. “I… it seems I am not quite tall enough.”
“No,” he whispered, gazing down at her. “Lucky that I was here.”
She smiled hesitantly. He wasn’t letting her go, nor was he moving an inch. Her mouth suddenly went dry, and her heart started racing. Tiny sparks were flickering inside her like fireflies and a sweet, yearning desire swept through her, so strong that she almost slumped against him.
You must fight it. Push him away and leave the room.
She placed her hands on his chest, to push him away, but the desire was overwhelming her. Slowly, barely able to breathe, she faced him, looking him straight in the eye. She gasped, seeing the same hunger in his eyes. She realized, with a start, that he wanted her as much as she wanted him. Their desire was mutual… and it was fierce.
She tried to swallow, realizing, quite suddenly, that she was tired of fighting it. She wanted him to kiss her… and shewanted him to do more than that to her, as well. A vivid vision of her dream when he had touched her body flashed through her mind.
I want him to do what he did to me in the dream. I want him to take me… and show me how to be a woman. I want to surrender to it entirely.
“I know that you feel it too,” he said, in a fierce whisper. “I do not understand this hunger I have for you, only that I feel it and cannot deny it.”
“No,” she whispered, her heart racing harder. “I cannot deny it either. I have tried to fight it, to no avail.”
His eyes darkened. Slowly, he reached out a hand to her face, trailing his fingers over it in a searching way, as if he were seeking answers to the mystery of it. He reached her mouth, tracing the line of her lips. Her lips parted, taking one of his fingers into her mouth, sucking on it instinctively, feeling a bolt of desire strike like lightning through her body.
He moaned, as if in agony, closing his eyes. She realized that something hard and insistent was pressing against her where their hips met. With a shock, she realized what it was… and what it meant.
