Page 54 of The Scarlet Lady's Duke of Desire
Her heart raced. Though her instincts wanted her to immediately take him up on the topic, she couldn’t stop from snatching her hands from his. Half-turning, she averted her gaze and shook her head sadly, “Please, Your Grace, do not play with my emotions so.”
She shivered when his fingertips slowly stroked down her arm from her shoulder to her hand. When he gripped hold of her fingers and urged her back around to face him, she did not have the strength to offer any further protest. Heart still racing, she gazed back at him, unable to stop herself from feeling the overwhelming emotions that were boiling just behind his eyes.
“I truly do not wish to play any games with you, Miss Thornton.” the seriousness of his tone and the way he didn’t even blink told Melody that he was telling her the truth.
“Your Grace, you are already surrounded by scandal and there a hundred women in your aunt’s ballroom all vying for your hand,” Melody pointed out, biting the inside of her lip to stop from suggesting that she would like to be one of them. “You have no need to give me a second glance.”
“And yet,youare the one I cannot take my eye off,” the duke announced. He raised his hand to her face once more and stroked a curl back behind her ear. Cupping her cheek once more, he added, “It is you that I wish to dance with, and you that I would like to talk to, and you I would like to share all of my time with.”
Melody’s lips quivered with the urge to tell him to stop but she stopped herself. If she were to push him away any longer, she feared that she might never gain the chance to hear the truth again.
“What are you saying, Your Grace?”
She barely dared to ask the question. It clotted in her throat and threatened to choke her.
He gripped hold of her face in both of his hands then and looked down into her eyes with such intensity that it almost hurt. Gazing back at him, she felt as though her heart might explode right out of her chest.
“I am saying that no matter how many women are in that ballroom right now, I would spend the rest of the night right here with you,” the duke declared. You are my every waking thought and haunt me through my dreams. I see no one else.”
Melody knew well what she ought to do and yet she could not bring herself to do it. She could not bring herself to pretend that she did not feel the same way, that she did not want him to lean in and kiss her again.
“Then what would you do about it?” she whispered, her voice little more than a breath between her parted lips.
The duke’s gaze fluttered from hers to her lips and her breath caught in her throat, knowing what was coming next. Even before he started to lean down to her, her eyes fluttered closed, and she tilted her head up towards his once more.
This time, his kiss was sweet, his lips lingering upon hers long after the pressure eased away. And she breathed deeply the scent of him, longing to hold onto the moment for as long as utterly possible.
Anxiety clawed at her insides as she finally pulled back and with her eyes still closed, she said, “You ought not get yourself attached to someone like me.”
Pain lanced through her heart to say such words and though she feared he would take them on board, a part of her hoped that he would. Maybe then he would leave her alone and she could go back to pretending that nothing had ever happened between them.
“I know,” the duke stated, and his words hit her hard in the gut. She was surprised when he gripped hold of her hips and pulled her close. “And yet, I cannot help myself.”
Melody’s eyes darted open again and they caught his immediately. His usually dark hazel gaze had lightened with emotion, filled with passion and his voice was a growl as he added, “If I am to be part of a scandal, I would choose one worth being a part of.”
And with that, he kissed her again, much more passionately than ever before. A moan erupted in Melody’s throat and as the duke’s hands gripped her tighter around the waist, she flung her arms up, catching the back of his head in her hands once more.
Heart hammering in her chest, she pressed her body up against his. Feeling his fingers knotting in her skirts, pulling them up, she shivered when she felt the chill night air bite through her stockings.
“I cannot keep away from you, Miss Thornton,” the duke whispered against her lips breathlessly. He kissed her again and she felt the coolness of the night air caress her knees, her skirts growing higher and higher.
The way he pressed her back against the stone wall of the terrace made her feel as if he could not quite get close enough. The anticipation in her stomach grew hot and poured down to pool between her thighs. And suddenly she felt an intense and hot sensation that made her wish to be touched right where it pooled between her legs.
Dropping her hands to her own skirts, she began to yank at them desperately, inviting the duke to grab hold of her thighs and push her up onto the wall. Her lips remained on his always.
They consumed each other, melting into each other, mind, body, and soul, so close to being completely entwined when a noise on the edge of Melody’s hearing caused her to stiffen.
Footsteps clicking on the stone floor made Melody’s skin crawl. Instinctively, she slapped her palms on the duke’s upper arms, encouraging him to pull away. As he did so, she slipped off the stone wall, barely managing to catch herself on her feet.
Heat rose in her cheeks and rushed down into her chest, making her feel hot all over as they both came face to face with her mother.
The gobsmacked look upon her face was mirrored on Melody’s own. The duke looked between the two women as though he was unsure of what to do.
Bile rose in the back of Melody’s throat, and she tried to clear it before she said, “Mama, this is not…”
She didn’t get the chance to finish. Her mother raised her hand, palm out to cut her off. Shaking her head, she stated, “Do not say a word.”
Melody bit the inside of her lip, and her knees grew weak as she watched her mother turn a stern expression on the duke.
