Page 22 of A Duke for Hire (The Devil’s Masquerade #1)

CHAPTER TWENTY-TWO

“ S eraphina.” Hugo’s voice came out ragged, tortured.

Need pumped through his bloodstream like a lava, consuming him and burning him from the inside out. He’d been careful. Careful not go too far. Careful not to lose control of the monster lived and breathed inside him. He’d kept it shackled, locked up tight deep inside.

But this sweet, innocent, kind woman had strolled into his life, into his very being, and brushed her fingertips over that cage, disintegrating its heavy bars the most gentle touch.

“I want you,” Seraphina breathed, her lips hovering against his. “I want you so much it makes me ache.”

Control slid from Hugo’s tight grasp like water, and he lunged. Hungrily his lips met hers, pressing against her with such forced that he felt their teeth gnash together as his hands tunneled through her loose curls. She whimpered at the assault, but as he tried to pull away she pressed her hands to his cheeks and clung to him.

Sharp, quick teeth nipped at his lips in revenge, but she did not push him away. Did not run in fear. Instead she worked her lips against his, bewitching him until his lips parted further and gave her access to his tongue.

The moment he felt her tongue slide possessively over his own, Hugo moaned and moved forward, pushing her until she was braced against the wall. He cradled his hand to her head at the very last second, saving her from a harsh thud against the well as her trembling hands began to tug his shirt free from his trousers.

Pleasure raced through him as her nails sank into the naked flesh of his chest and abdomen, leaving hot, red traces behind. He loved that burn, reveled in it, and wanted more.

“Again,” he commanded into her lips, still unable to break away from their kiss. “Scratch me again. Hard.”

“But your scars-”

“Damn the scars,” he rasped, breaking his hold from her just enough to pull his shirt over his head and fling it to the floor. “I need you to touch me.”

Seraphina’s eyes were a blue haze of worry and need as they flashed up to him, and then she obeyed.

Brilliant white stars exploded in his eyes as he felt her grip onto him again, this time at his back, and she dragged her nails roughly down his flesh. A growl, loud and not at all human, erupted from his chest as rivulets of painful pleasure erupted over his flesh, and he sank his teeth deep into Seraphina’s neck.

“Mine.”

The word came from him, but it didn’t feel like his voice. It was the voice of the beast that she’d unleashed, and he was coming out to lay his claim.

“Yours,” Seraphina breathed.

Instead of trying to push him away, she dug her nails into his shoulders and arched her back. Into him, into the pain, and it drove him to a frenzy.

The gown Hugo had had made for her was one of the prettiest she’d ever worn, but she didn’t feel a single moment of remorse as he ripped the fabric into shreds and tore it from her body. She had expected this; had gathered enough from the small details he’d shared with her, and she was nothing but willing to meet the beast that supposedly lived within her husband. She was not afraid of him. This beast would not hurt her. This beast was hers.

Seraphina gasped as Hugo twirled her roughly around, slamming her palms against the wall as he ripped the ruined dress away from her. The moment the fabric as pushed away Hugo was on her again, his hands like vises around her wrists as he once more bit into her neck and pressed his full, half-naked body tightly up against her.

“Is this what you wanted?” He growled into her ear. “Is this what you wanted to see?”

“Yes,” She panted, pushing her backside into his hips. “Yes, I want you Hugo. All of you.”

She then moaned deeply as his grip moved from her right wrist to her hair, yanking it roughly so that her neck was more exposed. She expected another bite; another mark to claim his territory, but instead her body trembled as seductive kisses and long swipes of his tongue made their way from her neck to her shoulder blades, and then down the straight line of her spine.

She shivered, her legs trembling aggressively as he went to his knees, and roughly gripped both hands to her backside. Slick heat coated her inner thighs as he dug his short nails into her ample flesh and afflicted little shards of pleasured pain into them.

“Wait,” she gasped, blushing at the thought of what he was about to do, but her words turned into a gasp as she felt his teeth sink deeply into her left cheek.

Another burst of slickness spasmed from her sex at feeling the bite, and her knees threatened to buckle and give way under the taboo pleasure. He bit her right cheek next, this time suckling the tender flesh there until she felt her blood rush to the surface of the onslaught and begin to pulse.

He was marking her. Making her his. And she loved it.

Then suddenly in a flurry of movement, Hugo’s hands were on her hips and he was spinning her around again. She had no chance to clear the dizziness before Hugo pressed his face into her sex, and Seraphina clung to the wall as his tongue lapped long and greedy strokes from her petals to her taut bud of nerves.

Seraphina’s lashes fluttered as her eyes rolled back and her head lolled against the wall. A possessive, feral growl poured from Hugo’s chest as he gripped her left thigh and pushed it onto his shoulder, giving him more access. She moaned his name as his long tongue delved deep inside her, coaxing even more heated slickness from within.

Clutching tufts of his hair for support, Seraphina let her body lean fully against the wall as her husband feasted on her- and that was precisely what he was doing. Feasting. Eating. Drinking from her as if she were the very ambrosia of the God until the pleasure in her womb mounted into an irreversible wave and crashed down heavily onto her.

Her orgasm stole her strength, and unable to hold herself against the wall any longer, she sunk down, her entire body trembling from the intensity of it all. Her bottom never hit the floor, though, because somewhere between her knees buckling and the stars exploding behind her eyes Hugo had caught her up into his arms and carried her to the bed.

Sanity was no longer with either of them as Seraphina pushed herself up from her elbows and went to Hugo’s trousers with trembling hands. He had tasted her many times, but now she wanted to taste him. To pull his manhood into her mouth and drink right from the root of her pleasure.

“Wait,” Hugo growled, gripping her wrists just as she’d freed him. He was panting heavily, his chest rising and falling in deep breaths. He looked like a man fighting for control, and damn her if it didn’t arouse her further.

“Please, Hugo,” she whispered, her mouth watering as she glanced from his glowing green eyes to the rigid manhood just a breath away from her lips.

“I’m ruining you,” he rasped out, his entire body beginning to tremble. “We need to stop.”

Through her pleasure Seraphina felt an emotional ache form in her chest, and she rose up on her knees on the bed; taking one longing glance at his enlarged, swollen, red cock before she focused on his eyes. His pupils were dilated wide, eating away most of those glowing flecks of green she’d come to love staring into, and even through the thick layer of obvious arousal, she saw the fear hiding behind it.

My poor beast, she thought, framing his face with her hands.

“You’re not ruining me, my love,” she whispered, drawing tender kisses over his parted lips as she pressed her breasts tightly against his chest.

“I’m yours. And I want this. I want you.”

A groan slipped from Hugo’s chest as gripped her waist and kissed her back, flooding her with relief.

“What if I-”

“Shhh,” She soothed, beginning to pull him backward onto the bed.

“You are not going to hurt me, Hugo,” she coaxed, “I trust you.”

A tortured sound ripped from Hugo’s throat as they deepened their kiss, and relief and joy gushed through Seraphina’s veins as he gripped her closer and took them both down to the bed.

“Tell me,” he begged between kisses as he parted her thighs with his hips.

“Tell me if I need to stop.”

“I promise,” Seraphina breathed, feeling the tip of his cock line up perfectly at her entrance.

Despite the ferocity of the evening, Hugo sunk into her with a startling gentleness. At first, Seraphina clenched her teeth and hissed at the discomfort of his size. Even going slow, his rigid manhood made her walls stretch to discomfort and her sex spasm with pain. But she clung to him, whispering, begging him not to stop.

Hugo’s hips then began a hypnotizing undulation, thrusting inside of her as kept his eyes on hers and seemingly read every small convulsion and reaction. There was a battle raging inside of him; a clashing of monstrous need and the want to be gentle, which only fueled her own desire.

And then, as if magic settled between them, Seraphina’s pain stopped, and pleasure filled every part of her being. Her hips began to rock with his, her clinging fingers turned into gripping claws at his shoulder blades, and she moaned in ecstasy.

The carnal sound seemed to release something within Hugo, and he responded with his own guttural moan as he sank deeper. Seraphina’s lashes fluttered and closed as she felt the beginning of another orgasm swell within her.

“Don’t close your eyes,” Hugo moaned, capturing her throat. “Look at me. Only at me.”

Seraphina obeyed, fighting the heady urge to close her eyes to the deepening pleasure and locked her focus on him. Hugo’s thrusts grew faster, harder, and soon he was slamming his hips against hers, taking everything she was offering him.

“I can feel you clenching me, milking me,” he gritted out, his voice deep and thick with arousal.

“I can’t help it,” she breathed. “Hugo, I will—I’m about to–”\

“Fight it,” he commanded, his grip on her throat growing tighter. “I want you to release with me, together.”

She nodded weakly, doing her best to calm her raging body down as he brought her closer and closer to ecstasy. No matter how she fought it though, it grew. Hotter. Tighter. Until she was gripping his shoulders with all her strength and every taut tendon in her body trembled in agony.

“Hugo,” she begged, unable to fight it much longer.

“Now.” He commanded raggedly, pumping into her with abandon, “Come with me now.”

Seraphina’s scream of pleasure ripped from her throat as Hugo’s hips suddenly locked into her, and bestial growl roared from his chest. Her slick, tight walls clamped down possessively over his pulsating cock as his release swelled and tunneled through her and their trembling bodies froze together.

For a moment she could not breathe, could not think. Seraphina could nothing but feel as their hands and bodies locked tightly together. And then a kiss, tender and sweet, brushed across her lips, and she drew in a deep ragged breath as she came back to life.

“God in Heaven,” Hugo moaned, collapsing on top of her.

“Praise be to him,” Seraphina laughed softly, tunneling her fingers through his hair as he kissed and lapped at the sweat gathered on her neck. And then, before she could speak or think anything else, she passed out.

Hugo drew in a ragged breath as he bolted upright, his chest heaving as the bloody images still played in his mind. In his nightmare he could feel the fists of his father, knocking into his temple, his jaw. Could feel the burns of his cigars over his torso as he was forced to stand still and not make a sound.

Then the nightmare shifted. He wasn’t small anymore. And instead of being the victim he had become the beast. Beating and lashing until the person beneath him was a mess of bloody pulp, gasping for air and barely hanging on to the thread of life. Only it wasn’t a man this time. It was Seraphina.

Hugo jerked quickly, terrified of the possible reality, and searched the bed for her. His heart shuddered and nearly stopped when he found her lying peacefully not far from; her eyes closed, her soft, heavy breath escaping in small whimpers as she slept on her side; her long hair fanned out among the pillows.

For a moment he was overtaken with relief, but then the memory of their union- and the many others that came after her short rest- came rushing back, and so did his fear. Carefully, not wanting to wake her, he pulled the sheet away from her naked body, and in the dim light of the moon, began to inspect her.

His teeth had left small, red indentations on her neck. He found another mark, deep purple with similar red dips on her arse cheek. He traced the bruise with his fingertips, feeling as if he was going to be sick. Hugo then shifted his gaze, looking for more evidence of his assault, and grimaced as he saw her wrists. Bruised and red from the tightness of his grip.

This was what he had been afraid of. Why he’d pushed so hard against taking a wife. The same beast that lived within his father now lived within him, and it fed off pain. It was why he’d waited so long to take lovers. Why, even after he had, he’d never slept by their side. He’d nearly killed once when lost in his rage; his passion to keep Leah safe. What if he did it again.

Mine, a deep growl erupted from Hugo’s mind as he looked down at Seraphina, and then a sweeping currant of need passed over him again.

“No,” he muttered aloud, drawing away from her.

She wants me. Understands me. Mine.

But she didn’t. Not really. She understood what Leah had told her, but Leah didn’t know the entire truth. She didn’t know the details of the war that raged within him; only what had spilled onto the surface.

He had destroyed Charles. But he would not destroy Seraphina. Not the woman…the woman he loved.

Hugo’s heart wrenched and quivered in his chest as he accepted the truth. He loved her. Loved her for her kindness. For how she tried to break past his barriers and truly know him. He loved her. And he needed to protect her. Even from himself. Especially from himself.

Pain consumed him as he took another staggering step away, followed by self-hatred as he realized what he needed to do to protect the woman he loved. Hugo dressed slowly, each drag of the fabric over his skin like torture as his gaze remained fixed on his wife. He’d give her Merrivale. He knew she didn’t want to return to London and his home had become her safe haven away from her mother and the ton’s vicious tongues. He loathed the idea of living in the city, but he’d do it if it meant knowing that Seraphina was in her place of peace.

Once dressed Hugo tried to leave the room, but he stayed there for a long moment, unable to move, unable to look away from the person who had brought life back to him. Who he couldn’t bear to leave.

But he had to. He had to if he wanted to keep her safe. Every muscle, bone, and tendon screamed at him to stop as Hugo finally turned from her as the dim light of the night slowly brightened into dawn. Ignoring it all, he stoically opened the door, and went down to his study to wait.