Page 10 of A Duke Of Her Own
She touched his mouth with trembling fingers. “You feel wonderful.”
“By God, how is it I lasted so long without seducing you?” he asked raggedly, lowering his head.
She sighed his kiss, holding him close to her. He flexed his hips, pushing deeper into her body. Francie’s flesh burned as she adjusted to the thick invasion of his body into hers. Her lover started to move, and she moaned at the pressure. He reached between their bodies and rubbed his thumb over her clitoris. The pleasure was striking. Her body grew even more pliant, mortifyingly wetter, and accepting of his manhood within her body. His hips withdrew and thrust forward repeatedly. She rocked against him, breathless cries echoing from her lips.
Francie lifted her legs and wrapped them higher around his hips, unintentionally driving him even deeper. She moaned, her nails biting into his sweat-slicked shoulders as he moved deeper and faster within her. Sensuality hazed through her mind, and she kissed him with more passion, eager for the sweet delight whispering through every part of her. They moved to a beautiful carnal rhythm, his manhood drawing out, then plunging deep. Again. And again. And again, until she lost even the ability to moan.
Relentless waves of pleasure engulfed her entire body. Francie wrapped her hands tightly around his neck. Each deep thrust ignited a burst of fire deep down in her stomach until sweet, mind-shattering ecstasy crested, and she unraveled with a sharp cry. With a deep groan, Alexander pulled from her before releasing on her quivering stomach. Panting, he dropped his forehead to hers, pressing a kiss to the bridge of her nose.
Unknown emotions swelled within Francie’s heart.
So this is pleasure and lust and madness …
Never had she dreamed this was possible with two people coming together in intimacy. She lifted trembling fingers to touch the corner of his mouth. “Thank you, Alexander. This … it waswonderful.”
“You speak as if it is over,” he murmured tenderly.
Francie blinked. “It isn’t?”
“No.” Then he kissed her until her mouth felt bruised. “We are just starting.”
After several moments, he climbed off the bed, and the flickering fire cast dancing shadows over his naked form. He left the room and returned rather quickly with a damp washcloth and cleaned her gently. A fiery blush covered Francie’s entire body, and he smiled. Alexander left the room once more, and when he returned, he held the decanter of brandy. A harsh rumble of thunder sounded, and she jerked. He came down on the bed and assumed a sitting position with his back pressed against the headboard, tugging her into the curve of his arms. The emotions tearing through her were wholly unexpected. A part of her heart that had been closed felt as if it had been forcefully wrenched open, and complexed emotions battered her—tenderness for this man and such longing it felt painful.
“You are shaking,” he murmured. “What are you thinking about?”
How could she reveal the weight of her thoughts—that she was on the brink of marrying a man she felt no love for, merely to salvage her tarnished reputation and restore her mother's good opinion and support? The notion gnawed at her, especially in the wake of the intimacy they had just shared, a connection that had felt as genuine as it was electrifying.
I only want you, Alexander, with every emotion in my soul. It is you I want. How could it be possible to feel this intimacy and pleasure with another in this lifetime?
Feeling frustrated yet eager to be closer to Alexander, Francie shifted her position within the comforting yet confining embrace of his arms. She maneuvered herself so that she was sitting on his lap, her knees flanking his hips in a posture that felt simultaneously vulnerable and assertive. It was as if she wanted to physically hold on to the moment, to keep them both locked in this ephemeral bubble of closeness before reality shattered it.
She gently cupped his cheeks, her fingers lightly touching him as though she were holding something fragile.Why does it feel like I’m falling ... in love with you? The awareness reverberated in her heart, and a rush of confusion assailed her. Francie had been here before—she’d felt the stirrings of love in the past, the sense of being emotionally tethered to another. But this was different. The emotions coursing through her now seemed to possess a depth and intensity she’d never experienced before, and it was rather frightening.
She found herself doubting, questioning the authenticity of her own feelings. Could this really be love when it felt so vastly different from what she’d known before? The connection with Alexander felt as if it touched unexplored and unsounded depths of her heart. It was bewildering and exhilarating all at once.
This wasn’t just an emotional flutter, a temporary liking that would eventually wane and settle into something more mundane. No, this felt like something that had the power to upend her life and redefine her understanding of love itself. And that knowledge also petrified her.
“I can feel your heart beating faster and faster, Francie,” he murmured.
Her eyes met his, and she hesitated, seeking the courage to voice her own truths. Could she find the strength to be honest, not just with him but also with herself, in this critical moment?
“Alexander,” she began tremulously.
His thumb gently brushed against her mouth, which trembled.
“Yes?”
“I know you as well,” she said softly. Her lips met his in a tender kiss, and as she pulled back, her words brushed gently against his mouth. “You are a man filled with compassion, humor, and an extraordinary capacity to love. Yet, you also possess a steely resolve when the situation demands it.”
Another deep kiss before she continued, “I was there when you confronted that unpleasant lord who almost ran over Mr. Merton with his carriage. The viscount might have considered the butcher beneath him, but you defended him without hesitation. Not only did you admonish a lord, but you also helped Mr. Merton back into his shop.”
“So you’ve been watching me outside of the forest, hmm?”
She laughed lightly and kissed him deeply for several seconds. Breaking their embrace, she blushed when she felt the sudden hardness of his manhood brushing against her inner thigh. She continued, “And then there was the time Mr. Jackson fell ill and could not work his fields. You discreetly covered their rent for an entire year and made sure their larder was never empty. His eldest daughter couldn’t stop talking about your kindness. She adored you and made your kindness known to everyone who would listen. Whenever I ventured into the woods and wished for company, you would drop whatever you were doing and join me without a second thought. Your selflessness and attention have never been lost on me.”
A slight blush tinged her cheeks as she concluded, “And as a lover, you are simply sublime.”
He plunged his fingers into the silkiness of her hair, pulling her toward him with a blend of urgency and tenderness until their lips met in a fiery kiss. Francie’s heart pounded against her ribcage like a frenzied drum. A sense of vulnerability filled her, and it felt as though her heart had cracked open, spilling forth a torrent of pent-up longing for him.