Page 33 of A Duke's Lustful Portrait
It was an obvious ploy, but she fell for it anyway. How could she not? She walked over to the cupboard where the paints were kept.
“I’ve run out of burnt umber,” she said, opening the draw and revealing the row upon row of art supplies.
She kept an eye on him while selecting the colour she wanted, except she hadn’t run out of it. The truth was, she had seen him moving around the house and had followed him, curious about what he was doing—and hoping she would get him alone again.
With the paint in hand, she walked over to the desk as sultry as she could manage. She looked up at him through her lashes. “It’s quiet in here,” she said. “Nobody ever comes in here.”
He turned to face her, stepping forward, and before she knew it, she could feel his breath on her cheek, his hard body pressed against her arm. She had hoped it would happen, but she couldn’t have imagined how quickly he would move to be next to her. Her breath quickened, her chest rising and falling in time with her racing thoughts. His scent and warmth enveloped her, and she fell into it.
“I was drawn by your paintings, My Lady,” he said into her ear. “They are—”
“Scandalous?” she said, an eyebrow raised, looking at him over her shoulder. She arched her back, instinctively pushing her body closer to his, turning so that her back was against his front. She could feel the shape of him through the fabric of their clothes, the dips and swells, the way he pushed his crotch towards her.
“If that is the case,” he said, “then scandal suits you.”
She turned her head, twisting her body so that she faced him. “Kiss me,” she said, not caring for how bold she sounded.
Concern pinched at her. If her father caught wind of even the slightest feeling for Sebastian, he would be removed from their lives forever. And, more than that, Arabella had no desire whatsoever to be like her father. She wanted only to be a good, moral woman with a normal life.
And yet, here he was, this man in front of her, touching her, teasing her. At that moment, he was her entire world, filling her space and her soul, and she never wanted to give him up. She wanted him; she craved him. And if she’d been taught anything in life, it was that propriety got you nowhere.
“Kiss me,” she said again, pushing her worries aside.
The Dark Duke obeyed her words, ducking his head so that his lips met hers so gently, so tenderly. As flesh met flesh, Arabella felt like something had exploded within her, akin to the fireworks she had seen the previous year. She pushed herself yet still closer to him, so close now that no air was between them.
He put one hand around her waist, one into her thick mass of dark hair, and then the kiss was no longer gentle and tender. He kissed her hard, walking her forward until she was driven into the bookcase, her back pressed against it. He grabbed both her hands in one of his and pinned them above her head. With the other, he allowed himself to explore her body.
She let out a moan of delight, Sebastian in complete control of her every movement. When he pulled his lips away from hers, she whimpered, crying out for them once more. But he leaned back, his eyes heavy on her face as if examining every part of her. She remained still, trapped by his gaze and by his arms.
He looked from her eyes to her cheeks to her chin. Then he trailed her neck, the curve of her breasts heaving beneath her silk gown. Silently, she begged him to take her, to touch her, to do all the things she had dreamed of him doing. She watched as he looked at her, openly appraising her, his own chest rising and falling. She could feel his manhood growing against her hip, and her breath hitched in her throat.
“What are you going to do with me?” she asked, playing the innocent young maiden.
He met her eyes again, his own alight with desire. “I haven’t decided yet,” he replied, wickedly smiling. It was a smile she would remember forever, one to keep her company when she was alone. But for now, she had it in the flesh, had him in the flesh.
She arched her back, thrusting her chest towards his face. He took it as permission, dipping his head and kissing the mounds of her breasts along the curve. Her hands still above her head, he reached up and pulled at the fabric, tugging it until it tore, revealing her. She didn’t care or think about how she would explain it when she returned to the party. She only wanted Sebastian’s touch.
“Please,” she begged, though she wasn’t sure what she was begging for. More of the same?Or merely more.
His eyes flicked to hers and then back down to her chest. He dropped her hands, freeing his own to grope and caress. He ran his thumb over her nipple, making her whole body shudder.
“Please,” she repeated, her eyes closed. Her legs felt as if they would collapse beneath her, but he held her up with the pressure of his body against hers.
He roughly grabbed her breasts, squeezing them until she cried out, her mouth close to his ear. She took his earlobe between her teeth and bit down on it, growling at him, and he chuckled.
“You like that,” he said. It wasn’t a question, but she nodded all the same.
“I likeyou.”
He lowered his head until his mouth was at her nipple, too. His tongue flickered across it, and Arabella had to push her lips together to stop herself from crying out in pleasure. She pushed her fingers into his hair as his mouth explored her body, pulling him into her, silently praying for more, more.
“You have bewitched me, woman,” he muttered as his lips dragged along her flesh. “You have cast a spell on me, and I cannot escape.”
“I don’t want you to escape,” she said in a whisper. “I want more.”
He inched her skirt up, the sudden cool air on her moistness between her thighs making her shake. She opened her legs, inviting him in, just as she had so many times in her dreams. She knew her behaviour was wanton, no better than those at the party, but she didn’t care. She wanted it more than she had ever wanted anything.
He stared at her for a moment, his hand hovering over her sex. It felt like a lifetime of anticipation, craving, and desire. She gasped when the moment was over, and he pushed a finger inside, filling her.
