Page 33 of The Duke’s Second Bride (Regency Second Chances #4)

A va had been reading in bed for less than an hour when she heard the knock at the door.

Not the main door to her bedroom—the one that joined Christian’s and her chambers, almost like a secret passage.

She stood up in a hurry, carefully placing the book down on her nightstand, and running her hands down her nightgown.

As she crossed to unlock the door, she caught a glimpse of herself in the mirror. Ava had never been one to think herself particularly beautiful, but she could not deny that she found herself quite pretty in this moment, with the glow of happiness about her.

She didn’t know why she was nervous.

He is not repulsed by me , she reminded herself. If last night didn’t prove that, I don’t know what would.

With one last deep breath, she unlocked the door.

At the sight of Christian, any and all thoughts of insecurity, however large or small, flew from her mind and vanished entirely into thin air. There was no way to feel uncertain with the way he looked at her.

Moreover, her desire for him had grown so large that it filled up every nook and cranny of her, until it no longer left room for doubts. The top few buttons of his shirt were unbuttoned.

“Good evening, Duchess,” he said, his voice deep, velvety, warm.

His hair was still slightly ruffled from their kiss in the dining room, which stirred up a sensation of pleased possessiveness within Ava. She reached out to touch his hair, carding her hand back through it.

He let out a soft, pleasured sigh at the gentle touch. Then he captured her hand in his, bringing it to his mouth so that he could press a tender kiss against the sensitive skin at the inside of her wrist.

That done, he stepped forward, pressing into her.

She melted into his touch, greedy for more of his skin against hers than what the fabric of their night clothes allowed. Her hands moved hastily at his shirt, trying to undo the rest of the buttons and pressing back the fabric to reveal those strong, freckled shoulders.

They were just as delicious-looking as she had imagined. Every inch of him was corded with strong, full muscles, muscles which flexed and jumped beneath her every touch.

He growled, pleased by the sensation of her hands on his bare skin. The touch seemed to make him all the hungrier to have her bared before him. He reached down, his hands grasping her backside, and lifted her up so that she could wrap her legs around him.

He carried her like this to the bed, lowering her gently before crawling over her. His hands danced beneath the hem of her nightgown, lifting it over her head, and letting out a choked, hungry sound at the sight of her bare breasts.

“Ava,” he breathed.

Heavens, she would never tire of the way her name sounded on his lips. It was nothing short of heaven, the way he said it, and the way he always looked at her while he said it.

“Christian,” she whispered in response.

“You are exquisite,” he said, his honesty turning his voice raw and desperate.

“You are a fine one to speak,” she said, hearing out loud that her voice was just as ragged as his.

She allowed herself to run her hands across his chest, tracing down to where his waist disappeared into his pants.

It was as though her lust had transformed her into someone new entirely. Or, rather, that it had stripped away any and all pretense, so that she had no other choice than to be utterly vulnerable and utterly herself, unencumbered by any fears or inhibitions.

He took her hint and made quick work of his pants, ridding himself of them and any undergarments until he matched her in nakedness. Ava felt her mouth go dry at the sight of him. The length between his legs was such that she had never dared imagine.

“You are …” She cleared her throat before shyly looking back up at his eyes.

“What is it?” he urged her, his voice hoarse. It was clear he was both pleased and intrigued by her reaction.

“You are larger than I had grown to expect,” she admitted. “I am unsure if it will … fit.”

She blushed deeply as the words left her mouth. More heat flooded through her as he climbed atop her and bent down for a kiss.

At the press of his tongue inside her mouth, she went entirely liquid, remembering how that tongue had felt pressed against her core barely twenty-four hours prior.

Even more than that was the new sensation of his bare chest against hers. She thought she could feel her own frantic heartbeat mirrored in his own, so close were they without any meddlesome fabric to keep them apart from each other.

“Oh, I assure you,” he said, pulling back to press his forehead to hers. “I will make sure you are ready by the time that is even a question.”

And then, as if he had read her thoughts from a few moments ago, he pulled away to kneel again between her legs.

Though she longed to protest at the lack of warmth from his torso against hers, any possible protests quickly died in her throat at the now familiar strokes of his tongue up against her.

“Mmm, there it is. Mine to feast,” he whispered before bringing his mouth back to her center.

He brought her to the edge even more quickly this time. It was clear he had made a point of carefully studying her the night before, ensuring that he understood each and every one of her reactions.

He continued to fine-tune his technique, learning even more details about what she liked, how to touch her, when to stop, and when to keep going to have her begging for him not to stop.

She reached that blessed edge even more quickly than she had the first time. When she fell apart, it was as though she were a shooting star, and the bedroom a galaxy, the only points of importance being the two of them.

He brought her to completion once more. The last time, the pleasure was so intense, she nearly felt as though she might faint.

She came back to the present moment, to him, kissing his way back up her body, worshipping her waist and her breasts and neck.

When he reached her mouth, capturing her lips with his, he simultaneously reached down with one hand to touch between her legs.

“You see, Ava,” he murmured against her lips, slipping two fingers easily into her center, “how warm and wet you are for me now? How relaxed? How ready?”

“Yes,” she said, kissing him again and again. She moaned into his mouth as he curled his fingers deep within her. “Yes, Christian, please.”

“Please what?” he asked.

“I want to feel you inside me,” she said.

Her desperation was such that she could not possibly bring herself to say anything but the unfiltered truth. There was no room left in her for shame.

“But I am inside you,” he said, curling his fingers once more.

She would never have guessed that her stoic, serious, not-at-all rakish husband would have it in him to be such a tease.

“All of you,” she said breathlessly. “I want all of you, Christian. Please.”

“Mmm, so eager already. I promise you’ll beg for more,” he beamed, then immediately gave in to her request.

She felt him press the full length of his body against hers, hiking her legs up around his hips.

He pressed into her slowly, giving her time to grow accustomed to the way he fit inside her.

Despite how well he had prepared her, he was so large that it still took a moment to adjust. She let out a shaky breath, pressing her face to his shoulder.

“Is that good, darling?” he murmured against her hair.

After a moment, she nodded. “Yes,” she whispered. “Yes, keep going.”

Having received her permission to continue, he pulled out, then pressed back in gently. He continued at this pace for several strokes until, filled with impatience, Ava clawed at his hips and rocked her hips into his to signal that he could go faster.

“Please,” she whispered. “Please.”

“Such a good girl,” he murmured as he thrust into her at a quickened pace, giving her pleasure in long, hard strokes.

The quickened rhythm sent a delicious tension spiraling through her, every nerve alight with sensation.

She pressed closer, clutching at his shoulder as though holding herself together, teetering on the edge, aware only of the heat of him beneath her hands and the way he drew her higher with every movement.

At one particular thrust, he hit a spot which had her crying aloud. Immediately taking notice, he continued to aim for that angle, drawing out moan after pleasured moan around her.

As she teetered on the edge again, her body finally tipped over, shuddering with release.

She clenched down instinctively, trembling and gasping as waves of pleasure washed through her.

He responded with a low, guttural moan of his own, yet never faltered, pressing into her with steady, insistent precision.

He moved with a single purpose: to drive her higher, to hold her on the knife’s edge of ecstasy again and again.

“Are you spent?” he muttered. “Or shall I stop?”

Every touch was exquisite torture, her skin alive and hypersensitive from the repeated waves of ecstasy, and still, she hungered for more. She nodded, pressing closer, hands running along the heat of him, memorizing every curve, every line of his body.

“Do not stop,” she said fiercely, before pressing her lips back to his.

Kissing him as he was inside her was a new kind of delirium, so intoxicating, so consuming. Their bodies moved together in seamless rhythm, each moan, each shiver feeding the other, every movement a shared surrender.

Her final climax struck her with a breathtaking force, catching her completely off guard. She had not imagined she could reach such heights again so soon, yet the combination of heat, touch, and devotion carried her there. She clung to him, gasping, trembling, lost in pure sensation.

And that, at last, proved too much for him. With one last deep, shuddering moan, Christian gave himself over completely, his body moving in time with her lingering aftershocks, a final release that left them both breathless and trembling together.

They clung to each other, both dazed by the sheer force of overwhelming pleasure. Their skin was slick and damp, and their breathing staggered, uneven.

Christian rolled over to lie next to her. Ava could have cried at the loss of him inside her. It felt like going from being whole to being incomplete.

Still, she comforted herself with the heat and bulk of him next to her. She rolled over and lay her head upon his chest. He matched the movement by wrapping an arm around her, pulling her in closer.

“Are you all right?” he asked, voice low and rough.

She nuzzled into him. “Better than I ever thought possible,” she whispered.