Page 24 of Tantalizing the Duke
“And miss the chance to marry the most extraordinary woman in London?” he returned, his lips claiming hers in a kiss that sealed their fate and left them breathless for the future to come.
She took his hand, leading him to her bedchamber with an eagerness that matched the reckless pounding of their hearts. By the time they reached the bedroom, desire was no longer a polite murmur but a symphony that filled the air, urgent and wild.
He pulled her into an embrace that banished all distance, his lips meeting hers with a fervor that had been years in the making. They barely paused to breathe as they stripped away every barrier between them, clothes falling like whispered promises until skin met skin, burning and alive.
Her day dress slipped from her shoulders, the fabric tumbling in soft whispers to the floor. Dainsfield’s breath caught as he drank in the sight of her, and his own garments joined hers in a tangle of haste and hunger. There was an almost desperate urgency in the way he held her, lifting her effortlessly to the bed and cradling her as though she might vanish with the next heartbeat.
The first touch of her skin against his was electric, a release that shattered the careful restraint he’d worn for so long. He pressed her into the softness beneath them, fingers trailing over her with a reverence that made her gasp and cling to him. Where once he had been the picture of self-control, now he worshipped her with an abandon that defied years of practiced decorum. His lips followed the path of his hands, marking every inch of her with a heat that threatened to consume them both.
Milly’s fingers tangled in his dark hair, pulling him closer as if to assure herself that this was real, that the years of waiting and wanting had finally brought them here. Her voice was breathless and trembling, half-laughter, half-moan, urging him on. She responded with a fervor that matched his own, exploring the contours of his body, marveling at the strength and power that seemed to pulse beneath her touch.
His kisses moved lower, across the delicate curve of her collarbone, the hollow of her throat. Her reactions spurred him further, the way she arched against him, the soft cries that punctuated the air. Every gasp was a testament to their desire, every sigh a declaration of the love that had grown between them, unfettered by the shackles of doubt or propriety.
The joining of their bodies was both tender and fierce, a symphony of movements that ranged from languid and sensual to almost frenzied in their intensity. They whispered endearments, words long kept silent, as they rode the crest of their passion, giving voice to the yearning that had been too long denied.
He paused only to gaze at her, the look in his eyes one of pure adoration. His large hands moved with both urgency and tenderness, finding the places that made her shiver, focusing intently on the sensitive spots until she was trembling beneath him. Her own touch grew bolder, more assured, drawing from him the groans and gasps that betrayed how deeply he was affected.
They lost themselves in each other, surrendering entirely to the moment, to the shared connection that bound them as surely as the promises they’d made downstairs. The crescendo built inexorably, leaving them both breathless as they finally tumbled into a release that left them clinging to each other, limbs entwined, pulses slowly calming from a wild symphony to a shared, contented rhythm.
In the quiet aftermath, the world beyond the bedroom felt like a distant memory. His hand lay possessively across her bare stomach, a silent promise of more to come, while her head rested against his chest, the warmth of their shared skin sealing the bond they had created.
Dainsfield marveled at how their friendship had transformed, how years of restraint and longing had culminated in this perfect moment. Milly’s breath was a soft lullaby against his skin, her contentment as palpable as his own. He had never imagined that love could feel so complete, so freeing, as if every other part of his life had merely been a prelude to this.
Her fingers traced idle patterns across his chest, and he tightened his hold on her, unwilling to let even an inch of distance grow between them. “Are you certain you want this?” he asked, though the question was filled more with wonder than doubt.
“More certain than I’ve ever been of anything,” she replied, her voice a sweet echo of their shared fulfillment.
They lay in silence, each lost in the enormity of what they’d discovered in one another. It was a silence filled not with hesitation, but with a deep, unspoken certainty that the future was theirs, that the past had led them exactly where they were meant to be.
The enormity of it left them both breathless, clinging together as if they might otherwise drift apart. They spent the entire day together, never fully dressing, finding what they could to eat enough to fuel their lovemaking.
As they drifted toward sleep, still wrapped in each other’s arms, they knew that this was only the beginning, that the promises they’d whispered in passion would carry them into a lifetime of shared joys and laughter, and the reckless, boundless love that had finally set them free.
CHAPTER THIRTEEN
Morning found them tangled in rumpled sheets, bodies like marble sculptures softened by the glow that seeped through the curtains. Milly’s cheek pressed against his chest, savoring the strong, steady rhythm beneath. Her own heart skipped when he touched her, tracing her nakedness with a languid possession. Desire sparked in the contact. She shifted, straddling him, the unbound grace of her figure as provocative as the promise of her nearness. Her mouth met his, fierce with the familiar, insatiable demand for more. Heat flared between them. His fingers found their way along her thighs, teasing at her clitoris with wicked precision. She gasped, wrapping her hand around his thickening cock, feeling it pulse and grow hard. The world around them melted, leaving only the rushing of blood, the mingling of breath, the way her hand moved on him and his on her, until urgency bloomed into need.
A languorous sigh escaped her as she nestled closer, the muscled expanse of his chest a satisfying counterpoint to her softness. His hands moved idly at first, exploring the curves he had mapped the night before with hunger. “And good morning to you, sir,” she murmured, smiling against his skin.
“Is it?” His voice, deep and resonant, held the gravel of early hours. He lifted a brow as his fingers continued their leisurely investigation. “It seems morning has come, and we are still here.”
“It is quite scandalous,” she said, feigning propriety, though the laughter in her eyes betrayed her. She stretched, the movement languid and feline, arching into his touch.
“Would you like me to leave?” His hand trailed over her back with a proprietary ease, unwilling to release her.
Milly caught his gaze, her expression both bold and tender. “I might allow you to stay,” she said, a sweet warmth coloring her words. “If you promise not to behave.”
His smile was slow, deliberate. “That is one promise I can make.”
Her laughter dissolved into a breathy moan as he rolled her beneath him, a cascade of hair spreading around her like a dark halo. He took a moment to savor the view—the graceful line of her neck, the elegant curve of her shoulder—before his mouth met hers in a kiss that smoldered with intention.
She met his gaze, unabashed and full of longing, her skin alive with the promise of his touch. She pulled him down, letting the delicious weight of him settle against her, the contact reigniting a spark that had merely slumbered. His hands, once idle, grew more intent, claiming every inch of her as if to commit her again to memory.
His mouth brushed against the shell of her ear. “You do not appear scandalized, Miss Nichols.”
Milly grinned, her eyes dark with mischief and desire. “Perhaps you are not trying hard enough.”
The challenge danced between them, and with a fluid motion, she pushed him back and straddled him. He marveled at her, at the way her skin seemed to glow with an inner light, her breasts swaying tantalizingly as she leaned to capture his mouth. His hands moved to her hips, gripping her firmly, her flesh yielding beneath his fingers. Her kiss was searing, her lips possessing his with a fervor that matched the restless energy coiling in his gut.