To Desire a Wicked Duke (13 page)

“My friend Fanny told me what to expect tonight … how carnal relations are conducted.”

“Merely hearing a description of lovemaking is not the same as experiencing the real thing. You have to feel passion for yourself. I can give you great pleasure if you will allow me.”

“I don’t doubt it. Your reputation precedes you.”

He turned his head on the pillow to look at her. “Your friend Fanny cannot be your source. I have never been with her.”

“You have been with some of her colleagues.”

“What did Fanny say about me?”

“Just that you were a highly skilled lover. And that I should leave the seduction to you.”

“You should consider following her advice,” Rotham suggested. “You said you wanted to know about passion, remember? You may as well make use of this opportunity. As husband and wife, we can legitimately engage in carnal relations without inviting scandal.”

“I no longer fear scandal,” Tess replied. “That barn door is already wide open.”

Rolling onto his side, Rotham turned to face her. She could see his contemplative expression in the dim golden light. “True. So something else must be making you fret. Shall I guess? You worry that if you
enjoy my lovemaking too much, it will give me the upper hand.”

How had he known her concern? Tess wondered.

Her surprise must have shown on her face, for he smiled. “I promise not to hold your enjoyment against you.”

“How gallant of you.”

“It would be more gallant if I overlooked my scruples and consummated our marriage whether you were eager or not.”

“You have scruples?” she rejoined.

“A few.”

“Imagine that.”

That glint of humor entered his eyes again. “Did anyone ever tell you that you have an insolent mouth?”

“No, never.”

“Well, you do.”

“That is because you bring out the worst in me.”

“I didn’t say your insolence was a bad thing. In fact I rather admire your sharp tongue. But I think you are purposely using it just now to keep me awake.”

She couldn’t help but smile in return. “Why should I be the only one tossing all night long?”

Rotham’s long sigh held amusement and exasperation both. “If I show you there is nothing to fear, perhaps you can sleep.”

He reached out to touch the corner of Tess’s mouth then. When he shifted his body closer, her lips parted wordlessly.

Heaven help her, but she wanted him to kiss her again.

When she tilted her face up to his, though, he shook his head. “I won’t be kissing you, darling.”

“Then what do you mean to do?”

“Simply to arouse you. For you to experience passion, your body must be prepared for it.”

Propping himself up on his elbow, he drew down the covers to her waist. Then his hand moved upward again, sliding over the rise of her bosom to the high neckline of her nightdress. “Next time you will have to take the initiative, love, but for now you may leave everything to me.”

Tess automatically tensed, but Rotham kept his movements slow and unhurried as he worked the small buttons at the front of her gown, his deftness suggesting long practice at relieving women of their clothing. When he had unbuttoned her bodice, he slipped his hand inside. Tess’s breath faltered as his warm palm brushed across her nipples, which were suddenly tight and hard.

For a long moment he merely explored the contours of her breasts at his leisure, cupping the ripe swells, grazing the taut peaks with his thumb. Tess felt herself flushing when he parted the fabric to expose her naked breasts to his gaze.

His eyelids lowering, he stared down at her in the firelight, at the full mounds crested with rosy nipples.

“You are one of the loveliest women I have ever known.”

She found it hard to speak past the sudden hoarseness of her throat. “And you … are a master of flattery. No doubt your compliments are part of your repertoire.”

“You vastly underestimate your allure. Now hush,
love, and allow me to continue. Your sole task is to close your eyes and simply feel.”

It was difficult for Tess to trust Rotham enough to give herself over to him so completely, but she obeyed and shut her eyes.

Without the use of sight, her other senses came vibrantly alive. The sweep of his fingers was only a whisper across her skin, but the pressure affected her more keenly than before. The quickening thud of her heartbeat seemed louder as well, as did the husky note in his voice when he asked, “How does it feel when I tease your breasts like so …?”

He lightly traced each aureole before attending the peaks. When he plucked her tautly straining nipples, he dredged a soft gasp from Tess. The tips of her breasts were hard and aching under his curving fingers, and she stirred restlessly.

Her response only encouraged Rotham, for he lowered his mouth to one breast. “How does it feel … when I taste your nipples?” he queried, flicking his tongue lightly over one crest.

Tess gave another sharp inhalation as pleasure rushed in to flood her. Then Rotham began to stroke her with his tongue, laving gently. Heat flared inside her. She felt dazed by the sensation of his hand molding the soft flesh of her breasts while his mouth worked its magic. She arched her back helplessly, craving more of his touch.

“Just relax, love, and let me pleasure you.…”

How could she possibly relax? Tess wondered as he suckled each of her breasts in turn. She tried desperately to remember Fanny’s instructions.
Breathe
, was the first rule.
Think of something unpleasant such as
a visit to the toothdrawer or an unruly pupil in one of your classes at the Freemantle Academy. If all else fails, count to one hundred
.

She began counting but only reached “twelve” before Rotham shifted his attention from her bare breasts. Reaching beneath the covers, he skimmed his hand over her nightdress and down her stomach in a light, tantalizing massage. When he deliberately cupped her woman’s mound, Tess whimpered and clutched at his arm.

Rotham, however, easily freed his arm from her grasp and pushed the covers lower to expose the rest of her body. Surprisingly, she wasn’t chilled in the least. Instead, she was overheating rapidly.

She thought he planned to remove her nightdress, but he merely raised the hem to her hips. His warm palm came to rest on her inner thigh, then glided slowly upward.

Tess tensed beneath his stroking hand, but made no protest when he tangled his fingers in her dark curls at the apex. But when they gently spread to probe the folds of her sex, her eyes flew open.

“You are wet and swollen for me. A good sign.”

He held her gaze as he rimmed the sleek cleft of her femininity with exquisite care, teasing the tiny bud hidden there. Tess shuddered at the fire rushing across her skin, pooling between her thighs. It was sweetly painful and only made her want more. Without volition, she raised her hips, straining against his touch, seeking more of the delicious pleasure his bewitching, brazen caresses were arousing in her.

Her longing grew as his tender ministrations continued. He caressed her with the skill of a man who
knew women, cupping her naked center with his palm, then sliding his middle finger over her cleft and penetrating inside a fraction of an inch. When his thumb rubbed the swollen bud there, the heavy ache at her core became sharp and focused, and Tess moaned.

“That’s it,” he murmured in approval. “Let me know how you feel.”

Rising slightly then, Rotham shifted his position and knelt between her legs. With his hands he spread her thighs farther apart and bared all her feminine secrets. Tess felt wide open and vulnerable as he bent down to her.

Rotham settled his mouth on her thigh and began moving upward, tracing the earlier path of his hand, trailing searing kisses on her skin. Her stomach clenched in a knot of sensation. Still it shocked her when she felt his warm breath against the heart of her.

Tess trembled violently as she realized his intention. At the tender flick of his tongue over her most sensitive flesh, she jerked, lifting her hips halfway off the mattress.

“Easy,” he whispered, his hands slipping beneath her bare buttocks to hold her steady.

He dipped his dark head again and pressed a kiss against her sex. Another tremor rocked her, and she slid her fingers into his thick hair.

His tongue continued to stroke her with infinite delicacy until her body surrendered with shameless wantonness. Her breath coming in hoarse pants, Tess shut her eyes, her head shifting desperately back and forth on the pillow. She was unbearably hot, yet longing
for some distant fulfillment that seemed to elude her. It was like being on the edge of a precipice, about to fall off.…

She held on to him blindly as his hot tongue dragged back and forth over her sweetly aching flesh, plying the bud of her sex in a soft, clever rhythm. With a whimpering cry, Tess arched upward against his mouth, seeking surcease.

However, it wasn’t until his lips closed over the taut nub and gently sucked that the first fierce jolt of ecstasy hit her.

Tess sobbed, her lungs laboring wildly. She had no control over her body’s responses any longer. Every part of her pulsed with a hot passion she had never before experienced.

One last relentless kiss from Rotham sent her completely over the edge. She cried out as she shattered and burst into flames, the fire burning her from the inside out.

When finally she stilled, the aftermath left her throbbing with hot pulsations. Her limbs felt weak, utterly limp, her body boneless with pleasure.

With one final, tender kiss on her thigh, Rotham stretched out beside her again and gathered her in his arms, her face tucked against his shoulder.

It seemed an eternity before Tess regained her senses enough to become aware of her position. Her hand rested on Rotham’s warm, hard chest, while below, the heated maleness of him pressed against her thigh.

When he eased away from her a moment later, Tess opened her eyes to find Rotham had closed his, as if he were in pain.

Her gaze slid downward toward his hips, to his naked loins. He wasn’t as indifferent as he pretended, she realized. He was fully, hugely aroused.

Her breath went shallow at the sight of his long shaft so large and swollen. Thick and darkly rigid, it jutted out from a sprinkling of crisp black hair at his groin, with heavy sacs beneath.

“Do you want …” Her voice came out as a husky croak so she stopped.

His eyes opened. “Do I want what, love?”

Tess swallowed and tried again. “To seek your release? Fanny said it can be painful for men to remain swollen like that.”

“I will survive.”

She wasn’t certain she could believe him. When she reached out tentatively to touch his male member, though, he caught her hand and held it away, as if he couldn’t bear to have any contact with her.

Tess felt her face flush with heat, this time from embarrassment instead of passion. Her shame only increased when Rotham’s low drawl broke the silence.

“Your blushes are charming, sweeting, but hardly necessary now that we are wed.”

When Tess stared at him mutely, Rotham sat up long enough to draw the covers over them both, then reclined on his back and shut his eyes again.

Tess bit her lower lip hard. How could he just act as if nothing had happened? Passion had been a stunning discovery for her, a raw awakening. Rotham’s incredible tenderness had only confirmed her suspicion that lovemaking could be wonderful with a considerate lover.

His consideration had completely disappeared now,
though, while she lay there shaken, trying her best to act as if she had not just felt the most earthmoving sensation of her life.

Worse, the stunning experience only left her yearning for more of his caresses. Far more.

Yet Rotham was completely ignoring her again.

She could play his game if she had to, Tess vowed to herself. Indeed, she would be better off if she could pretend the same disinterest he was showing her.

“Thank you,” she said, infusing blandness into her tone. “That was … an edifying experience.”

There was a long pause. “Merely edifying?”

He sounded almost disgruntled, which made Tess feel better.

“Actually, it was quite nice—but generally what I expected, given what Fanny has told me.” She let that sink in, then managed a smile. “You were right, Rotham. It did help to soothe my nerves. I find I am rather fatigued after all the strain of the past two days. Perhaps now I can sleep.”

She had the immense satisfaction of seeing a muscle in Rotham’s cheek flex as his jaw clamped shut.

Feeling more like herself for the first time since realizing she had to marry him, Tess rolled over onto her other side. She doubted she would sleep much, but at least Rotham’s slumber would not be very restful either.