Page 89 of Bound By the Duke

Percival tilted his head, his lips curving, but not into a smile this time. “And why not?” His voice was husky, every syllable hinting at danger.

“Because…” she hesitated.

She could hardly admit the truth, that his words shattered her composure. That they made her heart ache and her body burn.

“Because you see what it does to me.”

There. That was it, the shameless honesty.

Percival’s body tightened. His eyes darkened, and at that moment, he wanted nothing more than to prove to her exactly what she did to him.

The images flashing through his mind were indecent. Images of Aurelia spread beneath him, gasping his name, arching into his hands.

His cock swelled, straining against his trousers. It took every ounce of his discipline not to claim her right then and there.

His jaw clenched before he let out a breath. “And you think I am not affected?” he asked in a low growl as intimate as a confession.

Her breath caught, and her eyes searched his face, desperate for some hidden meaning.

“You look at me like I don’t burn too,” he murmured, but the tension in his tone betrayed him. “But I do, Aurelia. Every hour, every minute, I battle the fire inside me. And every time you smile at me…” He bit his lip.

He had more to say, but he held back because his thoughts were too dangerous to voice.

Nonetheless, his words were enough to make her knees tremble. She had never heard him confess that much before.

With her chest tight, she dared to whisper. “Then why stop yourself?”

Her question hung between them. It was too reckless for him.

He stared at her, unmoored, as if the entire world had disappeared. For a moment, it seemed like he might confess everything: his fears, his hunger, his hot need. Instead, his gaze dropped, his lips pressing together into a thin line.

“You should go,” he said thickly. “Freshen up. Rest. Eat. You must be exhausted from the journey.”

And yet his hand betrayed him again, rising slowly to brush her cheek with exquisite slowness, as if he meant to memorize the shape of her face. Her eyes fluttered shut at the caress, her lips parting on a trembling breath.

“You say such practical words,” she whispered, daring to lean into his touch. “And yet you touch me as though I belong to you.”

“You do,” he answered before he could stop himself.

Silence followed.

Stunned, Aurelia’s lips parted, but no reply came. Her heart was beating so fast that she feared he might hear it.

Then, as if the moment was too dangerous, Percival dropped his hand. “Rest, Aurelia,” he said, more tenderly now.

Aurelia swallowed, her throat tight. “Yes,” she breathed, her voice fragile.

“Percival,” her voice came out quietly.

But it was enough to make him pause.

“I hope… you know what you do to me,” she mumbled, her cheeks burning with shame.

For one long, tense second, Percival didn’t move. Then, his shoulders stiffened, and with a low, rough sound in the back of his throat, he left.

Aurelia stood there, her chest heaving, her knees weak. The space he left behind felt hollow and cold. She already ached for him, his touch, his heat, the hunger in his eyes.

She released a ragged breath before forcing herself toward her chambers. The moment the door shut behind her, her composure shattered. She pressed her back against the wood, breathing hard as though she had run a mile.