Page 43 of Dukes All Night Long
R etired Captain Nathaniel Nightingale, the newly minted Duke of Tremont, cradled the delicate young lady in his arms who had piqued his interest from the moment she’d walked into the club and he’d spotted her innocent costume.
She didn’t need opaque lace to enhance her allure.
He was shocked that men weren’t lining up to steal her from him.
Then again, some members of the club did know who he was even with his mask on.
It was unavoidable since he was the club’s creator and owner.
And of those who knew him, he didn’t believe any would go up against him.
Sometimes having his reputation from his years in the Navy follow him into civilian life proved beneficial. Except was it?
Truthfully, it wasn’t just his reputation as a fierce captain but the damage done to him that people shied away from.
Not that the damage was noticeable with his mask and shirt on.
Would this enthralling, mysterious lady let him hold her in his arms if she knew what a monster he truly was?
Before she found out anything about him, he had to taste her again.
Hold her and, with any luck, make love to her before she found him repulsive as they always did when they saw what the war had turned him into.
They left the dance floor, her hand in his, which shook.
He hoped she overlooked it as he led them up the staircase and down the hall to the last door on the right.
A door that no one else would dare enter, as it belonged to him and him alone.
Inside, they stood facing each other behind the locked door in the dark room—only a tiny bit of light filtered through the window from the street lanterns.
Even in the near darkness, he saw her shiver, her arms wrapped across her waist. “Are you chilly?”
Her head lifted, and her eyes, which he knew to be a startlingly clear blue, though he couldn’t make them out in the darkness, looked deep into his, making him tremble from head to toe.
This connection they felt from the beginning was a bit worrisome for him because he knew that, no matter how much she felt their bond now, she would run as soon as she glimpsed the left side of his face and body.
To his amazement, she stepped forward and removed his coat, waistcoat, and cravat.
His hand came up when she moved to untie his fine linen shirt.
“This stays on.” To his surprise, she didn’t bat an eyelash, pout, or say anything.
She just stood there waiting. It took him a moment to realize she was waiting for him.
One would think he had overindulged in port that evening instead of only having one glass.
To his utter shock, his hands were unsteady as he untied the sash from around her waist, unfastened the laces of her peasant blouse, and let them fall silently to the floor.
He loosened the skirt, and it joined the blouse around her feet.
He sucked in his breath at the sight of her in a thin chemise.
Her nipples pebbled against the fabric, begging to be touched by him.
But before they proceeded to give and receive pleasure, there was one thing he needed to ask.
“Is this what you want?”
“More than anything. It is why I came here tonight,” she whispered into the quiet room, and that was all he needed to know.
Because deep down inside his soul, he already knew they belonged together.
That she was his and he was hers. And until she knew it, too, he would give her pleasure, the likes of which she’d never known, so she would keep coming back to him.
To his den of iniquity so that he could prove to her they were destined for all time.
“Remove your chemise.”
Her long, delicate fingers untied the laces as her eyes stayed locked on his.
After they were loosened, showing nearly all of her creamy white breasts, she tugged it off her shoulders, it slithered down her stomach and over her hips until it pooled at her feet.
Nathaniel’s breath paused inside his lungs as he took in the vision of her body being exposed to him one inch at a time until she stood naked before him.
By the visible twitching of her hands, he knew she was nervous, modest, or both.
“Sit on the edge of the bed.”
She did without question. Before he joined her, he took in his fill.
She was slender, yet her breasts would fill his hands nicely.
He couldn’t see her face beneath the mask, but he knew she was beautiful with luxurious, wavy, golden-brown hair.
As he approached and dropped down to his knees, he inhaled deeply.
The earthy scent of her arousal caused his erection to strain against his breeches most uncomfortably—time enough for him later.
With his hands, he gently spread her legs, and he saw the proof of her arousal as wetness glistened around her sex. “I’m going to taste you. If you have any objections... now would be a good time to say...”
Her fingers fisted his hair and tugged his head between her legs.
Before he dove in, he said, “Ahh, a woman after my own heart.” He licked her folds, swirled his tongue around and around her nub, and her entire body shuddered.
He felt the bed shift as she fell backward on it while moans escaped her lips.
He teased her to the brink of release, then eased off over and over until he finally gave her what she craved.
He inserted one finger, then two, his mouth sucked her nub hard, and she shattered.
Her legs trembled on either side of his head, her hands fisted the coverlet, and continuous moans escaped her lips until she no longer moved, and silence descended on the room, except for her heavy breathing.
“Are you still with me?”
“Hmmm, yes,” she said in a dreamy voice.
It took him a moment to struggle off the floor.
His body wasn’t what it used to be before the war.
Once on his two feet, he undid his falls, letting his engorged member free.
He lay down on top of her and kissed her with all his pent-up desire as he pushed his cock inside her sweet channel with one quick thrust. She wrapped her arms around his neck and her legs around his waist, raising her hips to meet his with a fervor he could well understand.
He broke the kiss as her body tightened around his member.
Her breathy moans added fuel to the joining of their bodies.
His entire being tensed and then flooded with release, one which left him gasping for air and wondering if he would ever be the same again after taking a trip through heaven in this woman’s arms.
Nathaniel wanted nothing more than to curl up with her on the bed and sleep until dawn, holding this stranger who already owned a piece of his heart and soul, crazy as it seemed.
But brushing his lips across her shoulder, he murmured, “Thank you,” and he rose off the bed, tucking his member inside his breeches and doing up the buttons.
“I’ll leave you to clean up in private. There is a basin with water, soap, and fresh towels for your use.
I’ll be waiting right outside the door.”
Leaning his back against the wall outside the room, he breathed in and out, trying to settle his racing heart and raging erection that hadn’t eased with his release. Bloody hell, he’d never tasted paradise until tonight and was utterly bewildered.
One of his employees approached. “Mr. Knight, I’ve been looking for you. I’ve discovered the identity of the lady you were inquiring about. She is Mrs. Charlotte Beauchamp.”
“Thank you.” His insides clenched, and his heart fell.
The club had recently welcomed four new female members.
What were the odds he would have just bedded Mrs. Beauchamp?
Luck wasn’t on his side. Or was it? He always knew they would meet at some point, but he hadn’t expected it to be tonight. Or what had happened to occur.
His heart ached when he saw the change in her behavior and posture as she exited the room.
Gone was the confident yet shy, determined flower lady.
In her place stood a hesitant and self-conscious person.
It was the first time any awkwardness had existed between them, and he hoped it would disappear quickly.
He reached out and took her hand. “I’ll see you to your carriage. ”
“Do you know where my flower basket is?”
He couldn’t help himself; he laughed. “I gave it to the butler ages ago.”
She retrieved her basket at the door, and Nathaniel led her down the outside stairs to the street. “Which carriage is yours?”
She looked up and down the street. “There are so many. How will I ever recognize mine?”
“Easy. We’ll walk until you recognize yours.
” It wasn’t long before they stood beside a black, unmarked, well-appointed coach.
Nathaniel assisted her inside. Before shutting the door, he took her hand and brushed his lips across her fingers.
“Goodnight, Mrs. Beauchamp. Please don’t make me wait long before you return. ”
If it weren’t such a profound moment, he would have chuckled as her jaw opened and closed. “How?” she rasped.
“I know everyone and everything that goes on inside my club.” In tonight’s case, her identity was revealed too late. Though, even if he’d known who she was, would things have been different? Something for him to ponder.