Page 13 of Master of Games (The Duke Fraternity #4)

CHAPTER TWELVE

Several of her scars were incredibly sensitive and it turned out, her nipple was one of them.

His mouth, gently kissing the affected skin sent a wave of pleasure so intense coursing through her, all she could do was clutch his forearms and try to keep her knees locked so she didn’t sink to the floor.

He didn’t stop and he didn’t flinch. Instead, his mouth moved over the red and angry part of her skin, his kisses gently tracing the edges until she could barely stand the emotion that welled up in her chest.

This wasn’t just a seduction.

It was a balm to her very soul.

And in that moment, every fiber of her being bound to his. He wasn’t just making love to her. He was attempting to make her whole again.

“Caden,” she whispered as his lips moved down her chest and he dropped to his knees to kiss her belly. “I didn’t know.”

“It’s all right, my love. You needed proof I could give you what I promised. You were right to make me work for the right. It makes me a better man to do so.”

A breathless laugh tumbled from her lips even as a tear leaked down her cheek. “I think that I love you.”

“I love you too,” he answered, his tongue dancing lower to the crease of her belly and leg. “Whatever I have to give in this world, it belongs to you.”

She reached down, running her fingers through his hair until she grasped the strands to pull his head back so that she might look into his eyes. “Whatever you give me, I shall give back with interest.”

He cocked an eyebrow. “Are you trying to tease me?”

She looked at him, completely confused. “No. Why would you think—"

“You’ll have to calculate it. I’m shit with numbers, remember?”

She let out a small squeak from deep in her throat. Had she hurt him? “You can have my brain if you give me your body.” Her breath caught. “You could have any woman, but I…” She closed her eyes. “You are the only man that I will ever give myself to. You get all of me.”

He was quiet for so long that she opened her eyes again. His face was drawn in hard lines that softened as their eyes met. “I will do my best to deserve it.”

And then he kissed her stomach again before he lifted her in his arms, laying her on the bed.

He stood and she had a moment where she almost covered herself. From his position, he could see the totality of her scars and it made her wish to hide.

But she held still as he began to methodically strip off his clothes.

Some of the old voices whispered at the edges. He was pretending. As a rake it was his great skill.

Was she a fool to trust?

But he’d revealed parts of himself that told her he was all he promised. “Can I confess something to you?”

“What?” she asked, pushing up her on her elbows.

“I wish…” He grimaced, his eyes crinkling at the corners. “That I’d saved myself for marriage.”

She blinked up at him, confusion pulling at her brows. “What?”

“I wish I was a virgin too.”

She shook her head, her chest tightening with appreciation and worry. “Your experience might be the only thing that moved us forward.”

He reached down, cupping her cheek. “That makes me feel better. But in this moment, I know that I gave parts of myself away, of my value, of my worth, freely, and now, I don’t get them back. I am a lesser man for giving into such base desires, when I could have been building something beautiful.”

She couldn’t help it, she pulled him back to her body, wrapping her arms around his neck. “You get them back. By changing the way you live in the future, you get them back.”

He kissed her long and slow. “You’ll show me, won’t you Tabbie? How to be a better man?”

“Oh Caden. Don’t you know that you’re already a wonderful man? No one else could have convinced me to be in this moment. That’s all you.”

His lips came over hers again, the kiss filling her with desire and so much love. His compassion and strength was healing the gaping wound inside her and now, it was her turn to return the favor.

Not only did he feel inferior because of his struggles, but he regretted his actions. She couldn’t rewrite his past but she could help him understand that his future choices dictated his worth, not his past mistakes.

She pushed his breeches down his thighs, wanting to be joined together in every way a man and woman could be. The head of his masculinity pressed into the soft, slick folds of her apex.

She was ready. Ready to be thoroughly and completely committed. But it was Caden who hesitated, lifting up to look down at her. “Tabbie?”

“What’s wrong?”

“Nothing is wrong.” He slid his hands into her hair, cradling her head in his hands. “This moment was supposed to be soothing your fears, not for us to…”

“You don’t want to?” She felt the rejection, her body shrinking, her face turning away.

“I do. So much. But first, I need to know…” he paused, waited until her eyes came back to his. “Will you marry me?”

Her lips parted in surprise. “You want to secure…”

“If I’m to be a new man, then this is how I act. My love is only for you, but also of note…I won’t take your maidenhead outside of a future commitment.”

How had she ever doubted that he’d changed? Every action since he’d arrived had been the proof she needed.

He was here to worship her, heal her. He was here to love her. “I accept.”

His mouth dropped to hers even as he plunged inside her.

Tabbie felt the pain. She was no stranger to the sensation. But unlike other pain, this one came with a deep and abiding commitment.

It came with a rightness that she’d never experienced before in her life.

She’d found her home and her heart. They were with Caden. And she’d endure any hurt to love this man.

* * *

Caden seated himself inside Tabbie and stopped, overwhelmed by the moment. Why had he wasted so much time with meaningless trysts?

This was a woman who saw the whole him. Accepted him. Was ready to build a life where they worked together for shared goals and healed hearts.

It was so much more in every way, and he wished he did not understand how meaningless the act of sex could be.

But perhaps, he could use that knowledge to help Tabbie understand that this was special. She was special. And a few marks on her body did nothing to change the fact that she brought more value to his life than all the women before her combined.

She sucked air through her teeth, tucking her head into his shoulder. “Are you all right, sweetheart?”

“I’m good,” she said, squeezing his shoulders in reassurance. The fact that she was comforting him made him ache.

“Tabbie. Tell me if this is too much.”

“It isn’t.” She softly shook her head, and he felt her relax. “It’s the most perfect moment and I refuse to let a bit of pain ruin it.”

He rubbed the tip of his nose against hers and then leaned in to kiss her, the tips of her eyelashes softly brushing his cheek. “I think it’s perfect too. I think you’re perfect.”

Her mouth found his. It was the permission he’d been waiting for to slowly withdraw and then sink back inside her.

Slowly, carefully, he proceeded, giving her time to adjust, gauging her reactions, until her hips tilted toward his in a clear signal that she’d moved past the pain. Then and only then did he move faster, giving into the building desire in his own body.

Tabbie met him, her arms winding around his neck, her mouth melding to his as their hips met over and over.

He felt the tightening of her body, his responding, until he was drawn so taut, he knew he’d break soon. But he held on, Tabbie’s breath gasping in his ear as her own finish grew close.

“That’s it, my love,” he groaned into her neck. “Let me give you all the pleasure.”

“Caden!” she cried out as her orgasm overtook her. Her fingers dug into his back as her legs locked about his waist.

It was the invitation he needed to let go. He thrust into her one last time, his entire body pushing forward, as his seed spilled deep inside her.

He could barely catch his breath as he collapsed on top of her, satiated in a way he’d never felt before.

Her hands stroked down his back as she placed a soft kiss on the spot just below his ear. “That was…”

“I know.”

She nuzzled deeper. “It is always like that?”

“It’s never like that.” He found the strength to push up on his one arm. “And even between us, it won’t always be this good, but I will always…” He drew in a breath. “I will always give you all that is mine to give.”

Tabbie smiled, soft and sweet. “I believe you.”

Those words might be as powerful as when she’d said I love you. Because he’d earned her trust and that meant all the world.

He kissed her again, long and slow and then slid to the side, pulling her body into his as he rolled.

She came easily, a sigh falling from her lips as her eyes fluttered closed. “No sleeping yet,” he rumbled.

“Why not?”

“Because you’ve not eaten,” he answered simply. His woman was not going to bed hungry.

Her eyes opened again. “Please. I am able-minded enough to know when I need to eat.”

“That’s not the point. I will not be the reason you go without.” He pushed himself from the bed, grabbing his breeches and pulling them back on before he crossed the room and picked up the abandoned tray, bringing it over to the bed.

His arm ached but he ignored the pain. His comfort was of far less importance…

“Stop,” she huffed, tossing back the covers to grab her chemise and pull it on. “You should not be carrying that.”

He ignored her, setting the food on the table next to the bed. A man used his body to protect his woman…it was a truth as old as time.

And fortunately, she did not argue again as she leaned over and grabbed a fig, popping it in her mouth.

He followed by ripping off a crust of bread and handing it to her. “The cheese looks delicious.”

“Have some, I had this made for two.”

He did, popping a piece of cheese in her mouth before he placed a bite in his own. And then he leaned down and kissed her again.

She snorted as she tried to swallow. He didn’t care. Watching her eat was both gratifying and somehow erotic.

Her body was too new to lovemaking to consider entering her again. But that didn’t mean he couldn’t kiss her. Show her just how much attention he intended to shower upon her.

But just as he was about to tell her so, a loud, quick knock sounded at the door.

“My lady,” a male servant called from the other side of the door. “Men approach with weapons drawn.”

Caden was on his feet in a moment crossing to the door.