Page 22 of Her Rogue of a Duke
“You are,” he growled playfully, lightly nipping the tip of her nose with his teeth. “You are a bit of a vixen, I think.”
Francesca bit her lip. “I am far from a vixen, Your Grace. I barely know the first thing about kissing, much less seduction.”
He looked at her intently. “You are naturally seductive, you just do not know it,” he told her. “It is part of your allure, and you should use it to your advantage.”
Francesca furrowed her brow. She did not know what he meant by that, but the next moment, he pinched the tender peak of her nipples between his thumb and forefinger and she let out an involuntary moan.
“Your Grace,” she gasped. “I… I…”
“When we are like this, call me Joshua,” he ordered, his voice deepening its intimacy. “Francesca.”
Francesca felt a renewed sense of raw desire when he uttered her Christian name. “Jo… Joshua.”
He groaned low at the sound of his name on her lips. “You have such a sweet voice, my lady. Another tool to use in your quest for a husband.”
Francesca felt a strange twist in her stomach at the mention of her finding another suitor. She did not want to think about that at this moment. The thought of anyone else touching her like this but the Duke…Joshua, was suddenly unpalatable…
Feeling bold, she gently cupped the side of his sharp jaw and drew him down into another kiss. As their lips intertwined, his hand ventured lower, tracing a path down her chest. What was he doing? Where was he intending to touch her next?
“Part your legs,” he whispered against her lips, his voice a sultry command.
“What?” She looked up at him innocently.
“I saidpart your legs,” he emphasized more slowly this time with a reassuring grin.
With a deep, steadying breath, Francesca nodded and tentatively parted her legs. Just enough for his exploring fingers to roam lower and find their way. He chuckled.
“It is okay to be shy,” he whispered soothingly. “I promise, I will bring you only pleasure.”
His one muscular arm cradled her back, while his other hand drifted lower… and lower… before entangling his fingers in the blonde tuft of curls on the verge of her secret, feminine place. At the first touch, she felt as though lightning shot through her. She threw her head back with a startled cry.
“Oh, my…!” she gasped, her hand dashing out onto the steel muscles of his abdomen.
“Relax,” he cooed. “I’ve got you. I won’t let you fall.”
Gently, he began to pet her there. Francesca grew overwhelmed by the intense sensations flooding her being. It was unlike anything she had ever experienced before. It was overpowering and all-consuming. It felt as though her body was not her own… as though it were being controlled entirely by Joshua’s tender touch.
Desperate for something to ground her so she did not unravel utterly in this whirlwind of ecstasy, she reached up and threaded her fingers through his chestnut hair, drawing him closer, her other palm laying flat against his chiseled pectorals. Their lips met again, urgently this time, as if in this intimate union, she could anchor herself, prevent herself from being utterly swept away by the overwhelming sensations that Joshua’s touch was awakening in her.
And his touches only grew bolder… more insistent, as his rough fingers rubbed delicate circles against her pearl. With it, the sensations rushing through her grew all the more powerful. A thought crossed her mind, that she might not be able to endure this much longer…
As Joshua continued to pet her and coo sweet words in her ear, it was as though a spring began coiling tight in her lower belly. It wound tighter and tighter, and with each stroke, each whisper, it threatened to burst. And when it did, she did not know what would happen to her. She was certain it would tear her apart from the inside out. She would shatter into hundreds of pieces. How would she put herself back together? Would that even be possible?
Yet, as she worried about what would become of her in the aftermath, she found herself eager for that tightening spring to burst. She seemed to be dancing on the precipice of something awe-inspiring. Something mind-altering. Something soul-changing.
Francesca buried her face against his shoulder to muffle her cries against the fabric of his shirt. She writhed and squirmed as his touch grew harder and rougher. He growled and snarled in her ear, the sounds of his desire only adding to her stimulation and pleasure. She was rushing higher and higher, speeding toward a peak that she was going to go crashing over into an unknown abyss.
“Joshua,” she whimpered, her voice quivering with the intensity of it all. “Something… something is happening. I don’t know, but… but…”
“It is all right,” he soothed, stroking her hair, his voice a steady anchor. “Give in. Surrender to it. Embrace what your body is feeling.”
His words were the assurance she needed. As his fingers skillfully pressed against a particularly sensitive spot at the top of her tender flesh. That spring suddenly exploded and Francesca did, indeed, shatter, into countless shimmering pieces. It was only Joshua’s steadfast arm around her back that held her together, preventing her from completely unraveling.
Wave after wave of ecstasy washed over her, as her body convulsed, pulling her down and nearly drowning her. Yet, it was the most blissful experience of her life. She did not know how long her body trembled and shook, but when she finally floated back down to earth from the incredible heights she had soared to, Joshua was holding her tightly, cradling her protectively against his chest.
Exhausted yet profoundly content, Francesca laid her head on his shoulder, her limbs heavy but suffused with a deep, satisfying fulfillment. Her eyelids grew heavy, and without resistance, she allowed them to close, surrendering to the serene lull that followed her intense release.
“Rest now,” Joshua’s voice was a gentle whisper in her ear. “I will protect you. No one will find us here.”