Page 19 of Her Duke to Seduce
Aiden exhaled harshly. "This is not some harmless flirtation. If I touch you now, I will not stop." He would have her in every way a man took a woman. He would make her his, and then… Well, then she would not have any choice. This was not as simple as she believed.
Felicity swallowed hard, but she did not retreat. Instead, she lifted her chin, determination gleaming in her eyes. "Then do not stop."
A muscle ticked in Aiden’s jaw. "You think you want this because it is forbidden," he said, voice raw. "But if I take you to bed, I will make you mine. And I do not share, Felicity. If you seek only ruination, you will not find it with me. What you will find…" He stepped forward, closing the remaining distance between them. His fingers skimmed the delicate curve of her jaw, tilting her face up to his. "What you will find is that I will never let you go."
A sharp breath escaped her lips, and for the first time, uncertainty flickered in her gaze. "Aiden…"
He shook his head. "Say the word, Felicity. Tell me to walk away, and I will."
She hesitated. One heartbeat. Two. Then, with a whisper of movement, she reached up, placed her hands on his chest, and whispered, "Stay. Make me yours…"
Aiden's restraint snapped. With a groan of surrender, he crushed his lips to hers, sweeping her into his arms and carrying her to the bed. If she wished to play with fire, he would gladly let them both burn. He tore that sheet away from her and then began to kiss her. He pressed his lips to hers, and then trailed his lips down to her luscious breasts. He drew one taut nipple into his mouth and sucked until she moaned.
When he lifted her, she did not resist, wrapping her arms around his neck as he carried her to the bed. He laid her down gently, his breath coming in harsh, uneven intervals ashe hovered over her. "This is madness," he rasped, his forehead pressing against hers.
"Then let us be mad together," she whispered.
He swallowed hard. There was no turning back.
He slid his hand down her belly and then at the juncture of her thighs. He stroked his finger over her sensitive flesh until she became slick from his ministrations. Then he slid his finger inside of her and stroked her there until she broke from her first climax. He would ensure she had several before the night was done.
He kissed her again, reverently this time, as if memorizing every curve, every sigh, every shiver. He trailed kisses down the elegant column of her throat, to the soft swell of her breasts, savoring the way she arched beneath him, the way her breath came in shallow gasps.
Her hands roamed over his shoulders, her touch hesitant and exploring. He guided her fingers lower, over the hard planes of his chest, reveling in the way she trembled against him.
"You are certain?" he asked one final time, his voice strained with restraint.
She nodded, her lips parting. "Yes."
He stood and stripped off his clothing. Once he was done he returned to the bed and spread her thighs. Not to press his hardened arousal into her—not yet. First he had to taste her. He trailed kisses over her thighs and then settled his mouth against her entrance and licked her. She gasped and tried to move away from him, but he held her firm. He ravished her with his mouth and tongue until she climaxed again and was limp from them. It was only then that he settled over her and started to press himself inside of her.
“After this there is not going back, darling,” he told her, his voice hoarse with need.
“Don’t stop,” she said huskily.
As if he would now… Aiden groaned, trailing his mouth down her body, tasting her, worshipping her with lips and hands. When she writhed beneath him, crying out in pleasure, he knew there would be no forgetting this—no forgetting her.
She wanted this. He wanted this—wanted her. He claimed her, slowly, reverently, losing himself in the feel of her, in the way she gasped his name, in the way she welcomed him without hesitation. He closed his eyes and leaned his head against hers as he reveled in the feel of being joined with her. When she moved he lost all ability to think. His need took over and he began to stroke in and out of her, until he forgot where she began and he ended. Nothing had ever felt like this before. This was all new as if he had never lain with a woman before, and when he found his own release, he knew he would never be the same again.
When they both had shattered together, Aiden had known in that moment—this was no mere night of passion. She had stolen his heart, his soul, and as much as he thought she would belong to him, he knew he was also hers. Forever…
Nine
Felicity woke up snuggled in Aiden’s arms. Her head rested on his warm chest and her arms and legs were curled around him as if he were the best pillow she had ever had. She sighed and leaned even farther against him. The night before—it had been far more wonderful than she could ever have imagined. The way he had made her feel… She sighed again. That was why so many women fell into a man’s arms. If being with him could make her forget everything…
She had agreed to his demands and declarations. It had given her what she wanted. She was completely and thoroughly ruined. No other man would want her now. But he did. He said he would not let her go. That the night would not end the way she had thought. Would he still believe that now? Could she convince him that she was not worth keeping?
Aiden woke and tightened his embrace, holding her firmly against his warm chest. “Good morning, darling,” he said in a sleep roughened tone.
She didn’t say a word. Felicity stared up at him and swallowed hard. It was then it hit her. In their short time she had fallen for him. Perhaps a small part of her had remembered the boy he had been and that was why she had been drawn to him.She may never know. But since that first night in the garden, she had wanted him. That was why she had felt the need to run immediately. She had recognized the danger he presented to her heart. If she stayed, then she would succumb to her feelings for him. She could not allow that because it went against all of her fears.
“Are you having regrets now?” he asked.
Was she? Felicity thought about that and shook her head. She could not regret what had happened last night. It was a memory she would cherish her entire life. “How could I possibly regret being with you?” she asked him.
“Because it changes everything,” he said.
Did he truly believe that? “I don’t think it has changed anything.” Not really. Not in any fundamental way. She thought she had wanted to seduce him so she would be ruined, and she supposed she was now. But that wasn’t why she had wanted to give herself to him. She had wanted him to take her innocence because he was the only man she could give it to. Because he held her heart.
