Page 84 of Wedded to the Duke of Seduction

A tingle started in her toes and traveled upward as his mouth trailed down her belly. Her thighs trembled as he licked loweruntil he reached the nest of curls. Without warning, he stood and scooped her up.

“Leo—” she protested but stopped when he laid her gently down on the velvet settee.

He pulled his shirt over his head and tossed it aside. Marina reached up and laid her palm on his chest. His body was hard and his skin warm beneath her fingers.

She arched up, her body begging for him. Her fingers slid down to his trousers and with one yank, the button popped off and skittered across the room. Without hesitation, he hooked his thumbs around them and stepped out of them.

Marina sucked in her breath. She felt overheated and dizzy at the sight of him hard and eager. When she reached for him, he shook his head and covered her body with his, denying her access.

He kissed her everywhere, and Marina, emboldened, followed his lead. She nipped his shoulder and tasted the salty sweetness of him. Leo stroked downward over her belly and between her legs. She parted her thighs to him and his fingers slipped between her folds. She arched against him at the newfound pleasure his fingers brought. She wanted him. No. She needed him. Inside of her.

“Please, Leo. Don’t stop.” Her voice was husky.

He continued to stroke between her legs. When his fingers left her, she almost cried out in protest, but he thrust into her. Her body felt on fire as she lifted her hips to meet his next thrust.

Pleasure surged through her. Blood pounded in her veins. Her hands clenched his naked bottom and guided him into her deeper still.

“Marina,” he groaned. “I cannot hold on much longer.”

Marina remembered him giving without taking as his mouth had pleasured her. She wanted to bring him to release. She increased the movement of her hips, pushing him to drive into her faster and harder. Her own pleasure increased, and a primal hunger grew inside of her.

Wave after wave of sensation pulsed through her until she reached the edge and toppled over.

Leo gave a last thrust as her insides clenched with joy, and he let out a roar as he released inside of her.

Leo collapsed gently against Marina, his breathing heavy and warm against her neck. Marina closed her eyes, savoring the comforting weight of him, feeling pleasantly exhausted and a bit amazed at what had just happened.

“Are you all right?” Leo murmured, pressing a soft kiss to her collarbone.

Marina smiled, her fingers tracing lazy patterns across his back. “Better than all right. I didn’t know it could be quite so…”

“Intense?” he finished for her, lifting his head to meet her eyes, his expression tender.

She nodded, her cheeks warming. “Exactly.”

Leo smiled softly, brushing a loose curl from her face. “I admit, you surprised me.”

“In a good way, I hope,” she whispered, suddenly shy under his gaze.

“The best way,” Leo assured her, kissing her forehead gently.

Marina hesitated, biting her lip. “Do you think the servants heard us?”

Leo chuckled softly. “I do not care if they did, darling.”

Marina relaxed against him. “I don’t think I could face Henderson at breakfast if he knew.”

Leo laughed softly again, shifting slightly to draw her closer. “Trust me, Marina. Tonight was just for us.”

Marina closed her eyes again, comforted by his reassurance and the steady beat of his heart.

CHAPTER 30

“You never learned to play chess?” Leo asked. His eyebrows raised in genuine surprise as he set up the carved pieces on the board between them. “I thought it was required education for young ladies along with embroidery, watercolors, and the pianoforte.”

Marina laughed and settled more comfortably on the sofa in Leo’s study where they now liked to spend their evenings. “My governess considered games of strategy unsuitable for the feminine mind. She claimed they would lead to ‘unfeminine boldness and a tendency to argue.’”

“Heaven forbid,” Leo replied with mock seriousness as he placed the final pawn into position. “But I must say, you developed those qualities even without learning chess.”