Page 40 of Dukes Are Forever
And then she was collapsing back onto the mattress in a sprawl of sweat-dazed limbs and trembling aftermath.
Mine,he thought, with a dark smile.
He rose to his knees, ignoring the insistent press of his erection as he wiped his mouth. The musky taste of her stirred the darkness within him. His heart pounded, and all the blood rushed through his veins.Take her, whispered his hunger. She was right there, spread open like a flower beneath him.
But he hadn't won yet.
And he wanted her to know he'd beaten her at this little game.
"Delicious," Malloryn whispered as he tugged her skirts back down. "You make the prettiest noises."
"You bastard," Adele breathed, but it wasn't in fury. No, she looked soft and rumpled and delightfully undone.
It was difficult to see her as a ruthless spy while she lay on the bed like this.
Difficult to see her as anything more than a breathless wife just experiencing her first taste of passion. He very much wanted to explore further.
"Tell me," he murmured, leaning over her and stroking his finger across her lower lip, "which kiss did you prefer? Yours? Or mine?"
Adele bit his finger, her eyes dangerous. "Tell me," she rasped, her voice low and smoky, "how much do you want me to ask for more? Since I control how far this goes?"
Malloryn held his breath.
And then he smiled.
"It would be too easy."
Leaning down, he painted a whisper of a kiss across her swollen mouth, his tongue licking hers, before he broke free and drew back.
"I believe that is check. And mate. Have a lovely afternoon, my sweet." Malloryn tugged his cravat free from the bedhead with a small smirk. "Give my regards to your modiste. This was my round."
Chapter 8
Modiste be damned.
Adele fumed as she paced the parlor of Lena's house, her skirts swishing around her ankles.
It was becoming quite apparent she was outclassed in every way that mattered when it came to seducing her husband. He had— And then she'd—
Her breath caught. Oh, God. She could still feel his hands and mouth on her skin. Still hear her soft gasps and desperate pleas.
How mortifying.
How frustrating.
How... insanely pleasurable it had all been.
"What on earth are you doing?" Lena's voice rang from the doorway. "Adele, what is it? You look beside yourself."
"I need help," she said, knotting her hands into small fists. "I couldn't think of anyone else I could turn to. Especially not with this small problem I am facing."
"Of course." Lena swept toward her, clasping her hands. "You know I will always help you. What is it you need?"
Oh, God. She hated even admitting this. "I am facing a slight marital issue I had not anticipated. I have started a war with my husband, and he's destroying me."
"What?" Lena's voice rose, her eyes flaring bronze as her protective instinct rose.
"Not like that. I need tactics. I need knowledge."
