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All she could do was whimper against Richard’s palm as he held her captive with his unique form of persuasion. As she gripped his hair near his skull, Richard released her mouth, and Amelia gasped as the fresh air filled her lungs.

Had this been where it ended Amelia might have been able to move on with her night, taking to her solitary bed with the notion to finish things for herself.

But Richard was not done with her.

Snaking his hand down her body, he gripped her other breast in a rough squeeze, making Amelia whine as the pressure and pleasure mingled.

God, yes. What more will you give me?

She kept her thoughts to herself, but it was likely that her physical reaction was quite sufficient at delivering them to Richard without words. He toyed with her nipple, taking the hardened bud between his teeth. The pointed move sent tremors rolling through Amelia’s body, and she dug her nails into his scalp.

“You will heed my wishes, won’t you, Amelia?”

Richard gazed down at her, and she looked up at him with lust-drunk eyes as she smirked.

“Why shall I do such a thing when you cannot tell me your good cause or provide an answer to the consequences of disobedience?”

The tease was rough, and Amelia knew she was poking at her husband expertly when he narrowed his eyes on her, leaning back onto his knees. He took one of her legs, tossing it off to the side so that he could settle his weight between her thighs.

She fought against the tremble that was threatening to ripple across her spine. Amelia remained unwavering in the face of Richard’s dark stare; the blue of his eyes tinged a deep sapphire as his own arousal colored the irises.

“If you will not obey my commands, continuing to disregard a simple request from your husband…”

The sentence hung poised in the air like rain about to fall. Amelia’s pulse was furious against her ribcage. The flicker of it was felt even in her neck and…far lower as well. Richard’s size forced her legs wide to accommodate him, and she glanced at the way the fine fabric of his pantaloons was stretched around his muscular legs.

Even more, she could tell that he was genuinely aroused, and curiosity and nervousness coursed through her in equal parts. She’d never seen a man aroused like this. Why would she? It was a fascinating image, one that stirred something deep within her.

Amelia wished to know what her husband would reveal to her unclothed, memories of his bare chest filling her and making her clench in response. God, what might he truly look like beneath these flimsy layers of fabric that separated them?

The clue presented to her right now, that swelling ridge at his waist, was enough to cause Amelia’s body to heat all the more, slick coating her flesh beneath her chemise.

“I will be so inclined to leave my work unfinished.”

She couldn’t guess what Richard might mean, but then, he reached for her ankle, his fingers quickly freeing her foot from her sandal before tracing the intricate embroidery of the clocks decorating her stockings.

Amelia’s eyes rolled back as the almost-tickling sensations forced goosebumps to rise across her arms and legs. In no time at all, Richard had freed her of both her shoes and stockings, her bare legs surrounding Richard’s where he knelt on the bed.

It was so odd to be losing such simple yet powerful articles of clothing as Richard remained wholly buttoned up. He still wore his waistcoat, and the cool air against the bared skin of her breast elicited a shiver as her husband raked his eyes down her body.

“Damn, Amelia.” Her mouth dropped open at the curse. “You are magnificent.”

“I—”

But her words were cut off as Richard lowered toward her once more, his hand finding the fly-fringe at the hem of her gown only to push it away. The warmth of his skin melted into Amelia as he laid his hand against her calf a glided it up along the side of her leg.

He smoothed his palm across her flesh, dragging his touch higher and higher beneath the fabric of her skirts at a pace so agonizingly slow that Amelia thought she might lose her mind.

“You feel like silk,” Richard whispered in her ear, his lips trailing across the sensitive skin of her neck.

Amelia whimpered, clutching onto the lapels of Richard’s waistcoat. He reached the side of her hip and took a handful of her backside. She yelped quietly, imagining the sight of herself with her gown and chemise pushed up over her hips. It was torrid and licentious, a reality she’d never lived before.

“Oh, God, Richard. I…Oh…” The words tumbled from her as he wrapped her thigh with his hand, his fingertips reaching further between her legs.

He was breaths away from the core of her, and it ached for him, a powerful, relentless drive that made her hips rock all on their own.

“My, my, Amelia.” Richard nipped at the soft skin behind her ear. “You’re trembling. How does it feel to be touched like this?”

Finding an answer was like searching for an earring lost at a ball—fruitless and exhausting. All she could offer him was a strangled moan as she chewed on her lip.