Page 17 of The Duke’s Hellion (Duke Dare #3)

S am was beyond possessed. As Mimi was grinding against his thickening cock he knew he had never been so hard in his life.

Her breasts had been thrust before him and he desperately wanted them in his mouth.

One hand gruffly glided up her torso and cradled her breast, lifting it to his mouth.

He could see where her nipple would be and he was desperate.

He let go of her and with two hands wrenched open the layers hiding her breasts.

Her mewl spawned a bottomless desire within him.

He needed to hear that sound again, no matter what it took.

Taking both of her breasts he pressed them together and sucked one side and then the other into his mouth.

Her head was thrown back, lolling slowly from side to side.

Her body writhing atop him had evolved from grinding to bouncing lightly, her center pressing and releasing against his throbbing rod.

For a quick contented second, he sat back and watched her breasts dance before him. “God, you’re beautiful.” The words were out of his mouth before he could put more thought behind them.

“Take me,”—she puffed out the words before adding—“Sam.”

His name on her breath. Her hoarse cry. He couldn’t deny her. He gripped her hips tightly, following her lead, offering himself up to her for her pleasure. A mixture of groans clouded his thoughts, more so when her hands tunneled through his hair and gripped him hard.

She repeated her earlier plea, and this time he understood it for what it was.

A request for guidance, instruction. Perhaps even a request for him to take over her movements.

“Sam, take me.” It was urgent, her cheek was pressed against his and her mouth was against his ear this time.

He could feel her heartbeat pulsating through her chest.

There was nothing he liked more than being in control in the bedroom, but there was something about Mimi he wanted to know in a different way.

He would normally give in to her request in a trice, but this time he wanted her to lead this experience.

He wanted to see what she wanted. What she liked.

What she would do. How she would find her pleasure using him.

“No, Mimi. You do it. Take me and find your pleasure.” And the words were like the splitting of a dam.

Her hips ground into his. Her hands were all over his body, capturing the muscles in his stomach.

Pressing into his chest. Kneading his shoulders.

Cupping his jaw. Holding the back of his head like she would never let go.

He had been held by countless women in his life, many experienced women, but this was different.

This was passion and connection. An intimacy he had never felt before.

“There…ah…yes, Sam.” Her words were stilted, but her movements were fluid.

He could feel the tightening in his lower back.

The heaviness in his sack. The base of his cock solid as steel.

There was no skin to skin contact apart from their face and hands, yet still he was the most aroused he had ever been.

“Yes…uh…uh…yes, yes.” Just before she screamed his name, his hand flew up to cover her mouth and muffle the cry that would surely ruin her, “Sam!”

The spasm in her body threw him over the edge.

His legs went numb, his cock was like granite, and hot liquid gushed out of him into his breeches.

He hadn’t done that…possibly ever. His cock twitched as she squeezed once last ounce of pleasure from him.

Warmed in the fluid, his rod had never felt such satisfaction.

Slumped against his body, her head rested against his shoulder.

After taking a few minutes to steady his breathing and regain strength in his legs, he swept her in his arms and stood.

She was barely awake, so he laid her in her bed, brushed her hair from her forehead, and kissed her temple, tucking her in for the night.

*

It was the afternoon of the archery tournament, the most exciting part of this whole house party.

Save for last night with Mimi. Oh, and the wedding.

The reason they had all gathered. Of course, Sam should have a vested interest in the wedding…

and he did. Sort of. Jacob was a friend.

Sally was a nice lady. The two were in love.

And so on and so forth. Greatest day of their lives.

Yes. That’s what they believed. Sam wasn’t convinced.

Yes, he believed they were in love. But he knew only too well what an all-consuming love like theirs could lead to.

So, back to the point, he was more keen on the archery tournament than the wedding at this point.

And really, calling it a tournament was a bit of a stretch. It was an activity that had been postponed and now the competitive few had had too much time to build up the event in their minds. There was no prize for the winner except the knowledge that they had beat a few other archers.

Waiting for the event to begin, Sam took up a place near the barrel.

The same one upon which he had arm wrestled Mimi.

Had he really called her a child so recently?

Even when he had addressed her as such, he hadn’t really thought of her as a child.

She was a woman, but he had needed the distance between them.

Something about her was too electrifying to go near.

And now he knew firsthand exactly how electrifying she was.

Her passion. Her willingness. Her desire.

It stoked a fire in him that he needed to quell.

Yet there was no part of him that desired a future being married.

Lost in his thoughts, it took Mimi’s squeal (of all things) to bring him back to the present. Sally and Jacob were walking toward everyone with arms full of arrows.

“A special gift for our guests,” Sally announced while Jacob grinned next to her.

They placed the gifts directly in front of Sam and a few hands were quick to reach in and grab their favorite pieces.

When he reached his hand in to snag an arrow that caught his eye, his fingers brushed against another hand.

Without looking up, he knew it was Mimi. A spark had fluttered between them.

When his eyes met hers, a flicker of uncertainty flashed in her eyes.

They hadn’t spoken since last night. He had nothing to say to her.

Well, that wasn’t true. He just didn’t know what the appropriate thing to say was to a virgin he had slightly debauched the night before.

He had told her there were no expectations, and as far as he could interpret her body language, she didn’t hold anything against him.

Only…he wasn’t sure if he wished she would or not.

“Is that what you like?” he asked her.

Her eyes darkened, and he knew she was envisioning the night before. That smallest of gestures of desire sent a pulse through to his cock. But this was neither the time nor the place.

“Do you want it?” Her bewilderment gave him reason to further the question. “The arrow…is that the one you want?” They were both still holding onto the arrow, his pinky slightly grazing over her thumb.

When she nodded, he lifted the arrow out of the basket. Her brows furrowed and it seemed almost as though she blinked back a look of loss.

“It’s yours.” He handed her the arrow.

“Really?”

“Of course. You think I would take it for myself knowing that you want it?”

“I–I–”

And he had his answer. An answer to a question he didn’t even realize he had been asking. She really did think the worst of him. For her to think he would be so selfish as to take an object of her affection for himself…he willed himself to hide his effrontery.

“Thank you.”

“No thanks is required. Really.” He turned and walked away. Now all he wanted to do was get this bloody tournament over with, despite his eagerness earlier to participate.

“Archers, take your places,” Sally called out.

Sam took a second to look around and his eye caught sight of James. A rare sighting indeed. The man must have just shown up. This should be fun.

Chris walked over, taking his place next to Sam. “Are we betting on this?”

“Of course we are.”

Chris laughed. “What’s your bet?”

“Mimi for five hundred pounds.”

At the name and number, Chris coughed. “Really?”

“Yes.”

“And you’re not going to throw it?”

Another insult. Sam could feel his insides churning as though the cook was making butter in there. He threw Chris a look. “Do you honestly think I would ever do such a thing?”

Chris shrugged. “For the right woman.”

“Ha! I would never do that.” He struck his finger through the air, oddly mimicking the theatrics of a particularly outspoken and irritating blonde woman he knew.

“Do you even know me?” He had no plans whatsoever in throwing the tournament, but he had witnessed Mimi’s abilities, and if he had to bet on anyone, it would be her.

Obviously the thought crossed his mind that he should place the wager on himself…

but for some reason it didn’t feel right.

And hadn’t he told Mimi that he only bet knowing he would win? Well, then…Mimi was the right bet.

Chris shook his head just before the next calls were made.

As they all stood at the ready, Sam took a glance down the line to take note of both Roger and Mimi. He could see the determination in her face. Her body was pulled tight as if it were stressed, but he could sense the calmness in her. She was…inspiring.

Sam released her from his gaze and exhaled, focusing on the target in front of him.

She was a worthy opponent, and he wanted to beat her.

That sounded terrible, didn’t it? A man wanting to beat a woman at a game that didn’t matter.

Yet he knew she was a competitor. In her heart, she was fierce.

She would always compete at her best, and she would expect that out of others.

At least those that she respected. She wouldn’t respect him if he didn’t do his best. And somehow, her good opinion of him, her respect for him mattered a great deal.

“Ready…aim…fire!”

Arrows soared. His was a bullseye, or appeared to be. He looked down the line and caught Mimi’s grin. Then his eyes shot back down to the targets to see where her arrow landed. He thought his arrow had hit dead center, but he could see now that he was wrong.

James’s and Roger’s arrows were close, his closer, but Mimi’s…yes, Sally was confirming it. This round went to Mimi.

Round two had all the archers quiet. They could see the competition for what it was now, and they all grew just a bit more eager to win.

The second arrows all flew a touch faster than the previous round, and each archer’s aim improved. Mimi struck dead center again. The small audience of house guests was murmuring now. Perhaps debunking any suggestions that Mimi’s first shot had been coincidence or luck.

Mimi and Sam both scored a point in the second round. She nodded graciously to him, and he returned one in kind.

It was the last round, there was only a chance that he could even the scores, so the other archers dropped out.

The final flight soared through the air as though floating. Light but intentional.

When his eyes finally focused on his target, he saw his arrow was slightly off center. But he didn’t need to see that to acknowledge his loss. The cheers around Mimi were instantaneous, boisterous, and joyous. They were celebrating her success, and she deserved it.

He couldn’t help the piercing jealousy that invaded his body.

Not because she won though. James had run up to her and was swinging her around in the air.

Sam chuffed a laugh. They were about to be family, but really, that seemed a bit much.

If anyone should be swinging her in the air, it should be him. Sam.

But he couldn’t do it. That expressiveness. That kind of impulsive behavior around women only led to destruction.