Page 6 of A Duchess to Reclaim (The Devil’s Masquerade #2)

CHAPTER SIX

“D ominic,” Amelia breathed, her soft voice sliding like silk over his mind.

His eyes raked possessively over the woman standing before him; a stark contrast to the prim woman in purple he’d married almost a year ago. Her costume was… exquisite. A perfect, seductive look that immediately teased his mind and tightened his breeches. Those lips. The mask. That dress. God it made her looked ethereally perfect.

However Dominic pushed the sudden and carnal thoughts away, knowing there was a bigger issue at hand to contend with.

“Outside,” he growled out. “ Now.”

Even with a mask, Dominic recognized Theo’s frame, and watched as his best friend’s sister and his wife both jumped. For a moment a look of pure fury passed through Amelia’s kohl-rimmed eyes, but she pressed her lips together, grabbed Theo’s hand, and began to move.

He walked one pace behind them, allowing them to find their own way out, and stared down any man that attempted to come their way. He remained silent and composed until they reached the street and escorted them both into the carriage. Once the door was shut and they were on their way, however, he exploded.

“What in heaven’s name do you think you two are doing?” He roared. “Risking your reputations? Your families? Mine?”

“You have been gone almost a year,” Amelia answered with equal ferocity, startling him. Yes. She had changed quite a bit.

“You said I would have the freedom to do as I wished as long as I maintained my duties as a Duchess and I have!”

It took a moment for Dominic to quell the frustrating sense of pride he felt in his wife’s strong voice- a voice, not one year ago, that had been full of tears and fright.

“Yes,” he grit out, “As long as you handled yourself responsibly.”

Amelia’s red mouth opened as if to retort, but she snapped it shut, her rouged cheeks growing redder from the blush beneath.

“I am waiting,” he egged on, leaning forward toward them. “Come, do tell me how you have been so wise and mature with your new found freedom.”

It was Theo that spoke next.

“Do not blame her, Dominic,” she insisted. “It is I that have broken the rules. Amelia only came here tonight to gather me up and take me home. If you want to be mad at anyone, be mad at me.”

“Oh, I am,” he answered gravely, sliding off his mask. “Believe me, when I deposit you to your brother, trust that he will have words for you as well. This stops. Immediately.”

“You cannot just disappear from my life for a year and expect me to obey your commands,” Amelia shot back at him. “You did not even have the stones to say goodbye!”

A low growl rumbled in Dominic’s chest as anger shot through his bloodstream. He disliked being talked to with a tone- but he hated being called out by the truth even less. It happened so very rarely.

The carriage stopped then, and the driver announced that they had arrived at Tristan’s.

“I am escorting you inside,” Dominic told Theo, then pinned his eyes on Amelia. “And you had better still be in this carriage when I get back. I swear to God, Amelia, if I have to run through the streets to catch you, you will be punished.”

Both women stiffened, but neither said nothing as Dominic stepped out of the carriage and held his hand out for Theo. She and Amelia exchanged a long look, then embraced silently before she slid out of the carriage and accepted Dominic’s hand.

Tristan opened his front door just as Dominic and Theo made it through the gate, his face set in apparent anger.

“Get inside and go to my study,” Tristan ordered Theo. “And you better pray to high heaven Mother and Father don’t find out about this. Things for them are bad enough.”

Theo said nothing as she walked out of Dominic’s grasp, passed Tristan, and straight into the house.

“It was handled with discretion,” Dominic said to Tristan when she was gone. “You have nothing to worry about.”

Tristan gave him a nod.

“Thank you for taking care of this,” his friend replied. “I am quite certain that I would have handled it poorly.”

“As I have told you countless times before, I am here to help whenever I can,” Dominic replied.

Tristan then nodded toward the carriage.

“How are you going to handle that ride home?” He asked.

Dominic hissed out a breath as he flexed his hands and looked back at the carriage. He didn’t have the slightest idea.

“It depends,” he replied, “It seems my wife has changed quite a bit since I’ve left. Not the soft mouse I married. She seems to have transformed into something far more vicious.”

“Best of luck,” Tristan scoffed.

“And to you as well,” Dominic retorted.

The two of them shook hands, then Dominic strode back to the carriage. He held his breath as he opened the door again, expecting to see his wife gone, but relief flooded through him as he saw her still perched on the seat.

He couldn’t help but sweep his eyes down her form once again; a hunger roaring up inside as he took in Amelia’s new look. She was positively delicious.

“Are you going to get in?” She asked him, crossing her arms, “Or are you going to stand there with the door open, exposing me to the world like this?”

His temper immediately ate through his arousal, and Dominic grit his teeth as he hauled himself back into the carriage.

“So when did you get back?” She asked the moment the door was shut.

“Yesterday,” he ground out. “I didn’t have a full day before I heard of your transgressions.”

Amelia seemed unbothered by the slight he’d tossed at her and haughtily asked, “Where did you go? What did you do? It must have been gravely important to leave me alone and abandoned at your manor for almost a year!”

“It was important and my life does not stop just because I had to save you from the auction block!” He slung back.

Amelia flinched, her haughty demeanor slipping, and Dominic clamped his teeth together and exhaled sharply through his nostrils, struggling greatly to regain control.

He hadn’t expected this. Hadn’t expected to get hit with a deadly amount of primal hunger the moment he saw his wife again. She had always been beautiful, yes. Like many other women of the ton seemed to hold a certain amount of beauty. But now, she looked more than beautiful. More than seductive. She had a look that made a man’s mouth water and his cock swell and stir to the point of pain. And in that moment, he loathed her for it.

“I truly did have important business for my people to sort out,” Dominic stated, straining to maintain composed. “Perhaps it was wrong of me to leave without an apology or an explanation, but I knew my staff would take good care of you and guide you properly. Am I wrong?”

Amelia’s gaze fell to the floor of the carriage.

“No,” she said softly. “They have been most helpful. Exemplary, really.”

Dominic let a long, cooling breath through his lips, feeling more in control now.

“I send missives to Mr. Morbate bi-weekly. I had assumed he had shared those with you, but I never demanded it from him.”

“I am aware of the missives,” Amelia replied, “But seeing as none of them were of concern over me, I stopped paying attention to their arrival after the first two months.”

Guilt slithered through his heart. It was true. He never once asked about her specifically. He never had to, knowing his faithful Mr. Morbate would report everything that was going on. Well- at least everything he was aware of. Amelia must have been using at least some discretion, if it meant her little adventures had slid by unnoticed by his staff. Either that…or she had won their favor more than he had. Whatever it was, he would get to the bottom of it.

Silence stretched between them for a long time as the carriage traversed on the long, dark rode back to Ellsworth. It wasn’t often that Dominic was left speechless, but with Amelia, with this matter, he suddenly and frustratingly found himself at odds. Finally, he spoke again.

“I understand that I gave you a promise of freedom before I left, Amelia,” he stated calmly, “And I meant it. Perhaps, if you had went on this little journey alone, it might have still remained a secret. But pulling Theo, Rose, and Ophelia into it was dangerous. It is much easier to disguise one person than it is four, that much, surely, must be plain to you.”

He paused, his mind whirling, then added, “That being said, I am glad you did not go into this alone.”

“So what was I supposed to do then?” Amelia remarked. “It was not as if you were here for me to ask for advice.”

She stared at him as if he had three heads and if he was honest with himself, he didn’t blame her. He’d clearly contradicted himself, essentially damning her no matter what she chose.

“You could have written to me,” Amelia decided to say. “Mr. Morbate always knows how to get word to me. You could have let me know what you wanted. Perhaps I could have taken a break from my work and come home to assist you.”

“And what was I supposed to write?” She asked, her anger clearly rising again.

“My estranged darling. Just a quick thing. I want to go to the Devil’s Masquerade. Even though you ran off on me on our wedding night, might you consider returning home—for the sole purpose of escorting me to a fleshly fête?"

Dominic’s own mood quickly shifted to anger again as that particular word slipped so easily from her lips. He remembered once how she’d blushed so deeply when he’d said that word, and now she spoke it as if she did so often. She was right. She had clearly learned much because the sobbing panicked woman he’d saved was nowhere to be seen.

And damn him if it didn’t arouse every sensation in his already equally hardened mind and body. He reached forward, moving so fast that Amelia had no chance to evade his touch, and grabbed her by the throat. She gasped at the force of it, but after a second of being caught off guard her eyes narrowed at him and she inclined her chin.

Her pulse thrummed into his palm excitedly, betraying the look of contempt she was giving him. Dominic smirked, tilting his head as he studied her.

“Such a mouth on you now,” he remarked, his deep voice low and raspy.

“I have grown in the solitude you pushed me into, husband,” she answered icily.

Her honey-brown suddenly blazed into pure gold as a sensually wicked smile spread across her painted red lips.

“I suppose I should thank you for that.”

Dominic let out a single deep chuckle.

“You haven’t shown an ounce of gratitude yet,” he replied. “Why start now?”

Again her golden eyes flashed with some exuberant feeling, but she said nothing.

Tension crackled between them like sparks of lightning as silence filled the carriage. Then, overcome with the thought of showing her exactly was in control, Dominic’s hand slipped from her throat to her chin. He slid his thumb to her plump, red lips, and slowly marred the carefully painted cosmetic.

He thought the silent insult would make him feel better, but instead it only heightened his arousal and flooded his brain with thoughts of leaping forward and further ruining the lipstick with his mouth.

“What’s the matter, Dominic?” Amelia whispered, her eyes ablaze with challenge as she stayed perfectly still.

“Didn’t like the color?”

A damning mixture of arousal, anger, and again, that unusual jealousy simmered across his skin. His manhood was hardened to the point of pain beneath the fabric of his trousers and he had a good mind to show her exactly what was wrong with him. Instead, he released her jaw with a slight push, and slid himself all the way back on the carriage seat.

“What do you do at those parties, Amelia?” He asked, staring at her with icy contempt.

Amelia’s spine straightened. She drew her gaze away from him to her nails, inspecting them; doing nothing to tidy her ruined lips.

“I don’t see how that is any of your business, Dominic,” she answered offhandedly. “You made it clear by leaving that you had no interest in taking care of my needs yourself.”

Dominic felt as if he’d suddenly been rammed into a brick wall by that response. How could he argue that? Even though he felt a strange and unwelcome sense of jealousy flare, he switched topics.

“You don’t want to talk about the parties? Fine. But you will tell me how you convinced my faithful servants to keep this from me.”

Amelia crossed her arms and shrugged, still not looking at him.

“Perhaps they like me better.”

“I doubt that.”

Amelia let out a haughty laugh.

“You’ve been gone, Dominic. Much has changed. It is their mistress they serve now. Not their master.”

Dominic grit his teeth and balled his fists as the carriage finally pulled up Ellsworth drive. Not once in his life had he been made a fool. And now here he was. Bested by his own wife.

The helpless little kitten he’d rescued had transformed into a vixen in his absence, and he’d led her right into his henhouse.