Page 12 of A Bride for the Wicked Duke (Claimed by Regency Devils #2)

Chapter Twelve

"I am sorry that Lord Littlefield did not work out the way you hoped,” the duke said with what sounded like sincerity.

Unable to help herself, Aurelia scoffed. “Liar.”

He chuckled. “Well, maybe not too upset. But only because I do not think he was right for you. I know the man well, remember, and he is not at all what he seems.”

“Coming from you? That is rich.”

“Odd choice of words,” he teased. “For someone who does not know the meaning of them.”

Her face dropped. “Now you go too far.”

“My meaning is, he is very good at pretending to be what the ton expects of him. But he is a hopeless gambler, a coward, and worst of all, he is cruel – not in a way that suggests violence, but with his words. He likes to make others feel small so he can feel big.” He laughed. “Which is needed for someone as short as he is.”

She could not help but laugh. “It sounds like I escaped a most tormented marriage then. Lucky me.”

“It will be...” He looked at her in that way he always did, as if he could see right through her. As if he knew what was on her mind, even when she was not so sure. “Once you find someone worthy of you.”

Aurelia felt her cheeks flush and she looked away. “We can only hope.”

It was the night of their first lesson together and so far it wasn’t at all what Aurelia was expecting. Or maybe it is? The truth is, I didn’t know what to expect. As much as I think I know the true side of the duke, I find that I am still trying to figure him out.

She had sneaked to his office in the same way she had the last two times. And as before, he was sitting behind his desk waiting for her. She had wondered then if he would do as he had the last time, keeping his distance and being careful not to say or do anything which might be deemed inappropriate. Or rather, that might lead to their tempers peaking and words said which would only get them into trouble.

Aurelia half hoped he would, at least that way she would have her questions answered. Although they had kissed that one time, it had been an aberration and there was nothing to suggest he would do so again. Having said that...

He rose as soon as she entered. He walked to her, caring not for the space between them. Then he led her toward the desk, sitting on it as she stood before him. Arms folded, he was more comfortable than he had been the last time, more sure of himself. Where she had no idea what to expect, she felt as if the duke had come to terms with himself and was through playing games.

But what games? What does he want of me?

“I have been thinking quite a bit about this evening,” the duke said, his arms still folded. “And how we are to proceed.”

“And what conclusion have you come to?”

“I am not looking to remake you,” he said. “Nor to change you wholly. The simple fact is, there isn’t time.” He considered her. “More than that, I wouldn’t want to. You’re unique, Lady Hawkins – and I mean that as a compliment,” he hurried when he saw her about to react. “And that uniqueness is an asset that any lord should be happy to share in.”

“Oh...” Aurelia was blushing furiously under the weight of his compliment. She searched through it for the sarcasm, perhaps a joke. But when she met his eyes, quick to look away as it made her heart race, she realized that he was being truthful.

“Having said that...”

“Here it comes,” she snorted.

He laughed. “Your problem, as it stands, is your inability to hold that tongue of yours. You have a quick wit, paired with a sharp tongue, which is a dangerous combination.”

She grinned. “A fact which you can attest to personally, I think.”

He winked. “It is just lucky that I am so easy going.”

“Yes,” she snorted. “A true gentleman.”

It was clear that something had changed between them. Even more clear was that the duke was no longer trying to deny it. When this change had occurred in him, or how, was unknown to Aurelia. Nor did she care. There was tension between them, but it was not awkward. Rather, it felt strangely natural, as Aurelia was rarely able to speak with others in this manner.

I was wrong about the dark side, I think. Rather, it is a natural aversion that he holds to the proclivities of the peerage, as if he resents that he has to act a certain way.

This, she began to understand, was the real duke. And it was a duke which she very much liked. And she could tell he liked her.

“Now...” He pushed himself up suddenly, standing over her. But she did not back down, looking up at him and raising an eyebrow. “The question becomes, how are we going to train you to keep control of that tongue.”

“If you make a joke about treats or training a puppy or anything like that, I will not hesitate to --”

“Nothing like that,” he chuckled. “Although you are not as far off as you think.” He grinned mischievously and she widened her eyes in warning. “What you need is a trigger. Or rather, a reason not to say the first thing that comes to your head.”

“You mean...” She swallowed and she felt her heart pound. “A punishment?”

It was subtle but she saw something pass behind the duke’s eyes. She had described it as hunger once, and that felt as apt as anything. Wicked thoughts, they looked like, enough that he licked his lips quickly, his eyes trailing down her.

Aurelia was dressed rather simply tonight. As she had been forced to travel to get here, she wore a full-dress, one which covered her completely and was not at all tight. In the back of her mind, she had done so as a precaution, almost a last-minute rebellion against her more amorous desires. As if it would make a difference . Now, she wished she had worn something a little tighter, showing a little more skin, perhaps giving her bosom room to breathe because she had noticed more than once how the duke enjoyed staring.

“A punishment...” He let the word drip from his tongue. “That is not a bad idea.”

She swallowed again. “Wh -- what sort of punishment?” The urge to take a step back, but she resisted it.

“Nothing painful,” he chuckled as he continued to look down at her. She could see his mind at work as the corner of his mouth curved into a smirk. “But it needs to be something that will repulse you. That the very idea of it will be enough to make you stop and reconsider what you are going to say. That way, in the future when you find yourself talking to a gentleman, you will remember the trigger... the punishment,” he growled. “And hopefully, it will cause you pause.”

Her heart was racing. Her body was flushed so hot she was starting to sweat. Alone in this room, the duke mere inches from her, she could not imagine anything he might do that would repulse her. On the contrary, she could imagine many things he might do that would cause the exact opposite reaction.

“What to do, what to do...” He clicked his tongue as his eyes roamed her. Somehow, she knew that he had an idea ready. Now, he was just teasing her. “It will have to be extreme, no doubt about that. Abhorrent, even.”

Her skin began to tingle and she forced herself to roll her eyes. “Oh, just say it already. I know you have something.”

He raised an eyebrow at her. “I do. But you must know, this is an extreme circumstance, so...” His eyes flashed and he licked his lips. “So please, do not read too much into what I am about to say.”

“I will do my best...” She squirmed just a little in anticipation.

The duke held her eyes. He let the silence build to a point of intense discomfort because he seemed to know what it was doing to her. And then, he spoke. “I’m going to kiss you.”

Of all the things Aurelia was picturing, that was perhaps the last thing she might have guessed. Her eyes widened. Her breath left her. She stammered, leaned back, half-laughed as if a joke was made, but caught it when she saw how serious the duke was.

“What?” she said. “I don’t -- you are joking...” She couldn’t bring herself to look at him.

“I told you it must be extreme, didn’t I,” he said with such a casual cadence it was as if he had asked her for the time. “And I cannot think of anything more extreme than that.”

“Yes, but...” She tried to meet his cool blue eyes, but the look he held her in was so intense that it was like staring into the sun. She could feel it on her skin, in her heart, piercing her as if he was reaching into her chest. “I --”

“I am doing this for you,” he said. “Do not think otherwise.”

She scoffed. “Are you sure you are not doing this for you?”

“Ah...” He raised an eyebrow. “And there it is. As expected...” He stepped forward and she leaned back.

“What are you doing?”

“As I said...” He reached down and took her right hand. Then, still looking into her eyes, he brought the back of her hand to his lips and placed a soft, wet kiss on it.

The sensation pulsed through her body. She shuddered. A moan nearly escaped her lips, but she caught it just in time. “What was --”

“A kiss,” he said, still holding her by the hand. “As I said I would.”

“Oh.” She blinked, disappointment crashing through her. When he said that he would kiss her, she had thought... or rather, I had hoped it might be a different sort of kiss. Of course it isn’t. And aren’t I the fool for thinking otherwise. “Right, I just... yes, I see. That is sure to convince me to keep my mouth shut.”

He chuckled and released her hand. “Do not sound so disappointed.”

“Disappointed? Relief, is what I feel.”

“Is that so?”

She looked at him flatly. “Thrilled, in fact. For the idea of you kissing me is not something that brings me particular joy. Revulsion is the word that comes to mind.”

“And there she is again...” The duke chuckled. “You cannot help yourself, can you?”

“What do you mean?”

He did not speak. Standing over her, looking down at her, he moved his right hand to her chin, his finger stroking down it gently before resting underneath. Then, just as gently, he raised her chin and turned her face to the side, exposing her neck. “You need to learn to control that tongue of yours, Lady Hawkins, for it will surely get you into trouble.” He leaned in and breathed against the skin of her neck, which had it breaking into gooseflesh. She shuddered and then gasped as he brought his lips to her neck, another soft, wet kiss placed right at the nape.

She moaned and her knees buckled. She shut her eyes and bit her lip. She almost moved to kiss him herself, taken completely by the sensation, the moment, the thoughts which besieged her like waves crashing on the shore.

“Now, I hope, you are starting to better understand,” the duke said as he released her chin and stood back up. “The consequences of your actions, Lady Hawkins.”

Aurelia understood well enough by now. Just as she understood that the duke hadn’t specified if the consequences were good or bad. If she wished to take his lessons seriously, then she could have very well tried to keep her mouth shut or not rise to the bait that he was laying. She was not a simpleton. She knew how to keep herself from saying the wrong thing.

On the other hand, Aurelia always had been a rather slower learner...

“Perhaps a little...” Aurelia made sure to be looking up at the duke as she spoke, her voice dropped to a whisper, the intent clear in her eyes. “But I have always been a slow learner.”

“Is that right?”

“Or perhaps you are just not a very good teacher,” she offered instead. “Why should I take all the blame myself?”

He clicked his tongue. “Again, you simply cannot help yourself can you?”

“What are you going to do about it?”

A knowing smirk crossed his lips, for he must have seen what she was doing. What was more, nothing about the way that he looked at her suggested he wished for her to stop. He reached up again, taking her under the chin, turning her face to the side as if he meant to kiss her neck once more.

She held her breath in anticipation. She closed her eyes, waiting for it. Only, it never came...

“Wh -- what are you doing?” she asked, opening her eyes to find the duke still studying her.

“I told you that I would kiss you, but I did not say where or how I would.” He cocked an eyebrow at her.

She frowned. “What does... I do not understand.”

“You are insolent,” he said. “Purposefully antagonistic. You...” He moaned and took a breath, and she could see his body shaking. All this time Aurelia had been so concerned with what the duke was doing to her, she hadn’t considered what she was doing to him.

I’ve never had to before. I’ve never considered that I might have any effect on a man’s self-control and amorous desires. Just the thought that I do... Her thighs began to tingle.

“A simple kiss won’t be enough,” he said.

“Are you sure about that?”

Still smirking, he took Aurelia by both hands as he stepped to the side, forcing her to turn around so that the desk was behind her. Then, quickly, he stepped into her, forcing her back. The desk hit the back of her knees and she stumbled, forced to sit down. And still, the duke came for her.

He was between her legs, his hands going for her thighs. He grabbed them and squeezed, and she gasped.

“What are you --”

“Teaching you a lesson you will not soon forget.” He raised his eyebrow at her once more. “That is unless you promise to start behaving.”

Aurelia’s entire body was shaking now. She could hardly breathe from the anticipation. Her mind searched for answers to what the duke intended. Her tongue salivated. Her heart grew inside her chest. What is he... surely he is not... there is no way...

“I think we both know the answer to that,” she said, swallowing the lump which rose in her throat.

“Just as I thought.”

The duke took command of the moment without another word spoken. Still between her legs, he dropped to his knees suddenly, his hands squeezing her thighs tighter. On instinct, she attempted to scramble back, but he held her in place as he shuffled in as close as he could.

“You must promise me something...” Slowly, his hands moved down her legs to the bottom of her skirt. His fingers traced her ankles gently as he began to lift her skirt above her claves and toward her thighs. “The next time you even think of speaking out of turn or....” He moaned as he raised the skirt of the dress to her knees. She held her breath, spreading her legs because she saw now what he meant to do. The kiss he planned on giving her. “You are to remember this moment, and what it will mean if you do so again.”

“I thought...” She took a breath to try and calm herself. “I thought this was supposed to keep me from speaking out.”

He chuckled deeply as his fingers began to trace inside her thighs. “It will do,” he said. “As I expect the next time you think of this moment, you are going to have more than a little difficulty speaking at all.”

“Is that right?”

“Make sure you let me know, won’t you?” And with that, the duke spread her legs apart, lifted her skirt the rest of the way, and dove his head between her thighs.

It was a kiss unlike anything Aurelia had experienced.

She caught her breath as she felt his lips press against her womanhood. And then she held it as she felt his tongue spread her lips as he began to lick her. It was soft and tender and wet. Careful and gentle. He massaged her lips apart as he licked up and down, his tongue not entering her but teasing around the edges so that her legs began to shake.

“Oh... Your Grace... that is... oh...” Her hands gripped the edge of the table, and her body turned stiff.

That was when she felt his tongue inside of her. She could feel it exploring her. She could feel it licking at her walls as if he was devouring her. As if he could not get enough of her taste. Aurelia leaned back and opened her legs further, caught between shutting her eyes tight and giving herself over to the pleasure which began to roll up her body, or keeping them open because the surprise and shock of it all had her in a stare of apoplexy.

How this had happened, she had no idea. What the duke meant by doing it, she was at a loss. But she tried not to think of that right now, for what did it matter why it was happening? Only that it was.

The duke’s lips suddenly wrapped around her pleasure center. She gasped and cried out as he began to suck. Slowly at first, he increased his speed to the rhythm of her breathing, the way her body shook, and the noises which escaped her mouth.

“Oh... yes... that is... do not... please do not stop... Your Grace!”

Pleasure erupted across her entire body. It spread like a fire through her. It started right where the duke’s lips were, building and cascading over her until she felt that she might explode. Her legs clamped shut around his head. One of her hands grabbed a hold of his crown. She was breathing and panting as his lips worked her continuously, and her entire body vibrated.

“Right there...” she commanded, not even knowing what she was saying. Only that I know I do not want it to stop. “Yes... like that... oh...!”

Aurelia was aware of the concept of sex and love making. She knew of the pleasure it was said to bring. But she had never experienced it herself, just as she had never experienced the explosion that came when she reached breaking point.

It was like a flower opening to the sun. It was like a powder keg catching light. It was the sun chasing away the moon. It was... it was... it was... “Oh, God!” she screamed as the explosion took her entire body. Her legs clamped tighter. She lurched forward and screamed loudly. She began to spasm, caught between pushing the duke’s head away and keeping it right where it was. “Yes! Yes! Your Grace! That! That! Oh!”

The duke pulled his lips away suddenly and she collapsed backwards onto the desk. Her head spun. Her vision was blurred. Her body ebbed from warm to cold, covered in sweat, she had never felt this way before.

“There...” The duke stood up and wiped his lips; on which he wore a knowing smirk. “Now, what do you have to say?”

She said nothing, for she could not speak. Still shaking. Still lost in the moment and the pleasure as it seeped from her body, Aurelia’s mind was blank and all she could do was stare at the ceiling, smiling to herself because this night had turned out unlike anything she had imagined to be possible.

“Just as I thought,” he chuckled. “Rendered speechless. Who knows, Lady Hawkins, there might be a chance for you yet.”