Page 23 of The Duke’s Ultimatum (Unrelenting Lords #1)

CHAPTER 23

E leanor stood outside the study door. It is now or never.

She raised her hand, knocked, and waited for a response. She heard some rustling but no answer. She knocked again.

This time she heard a thud.

She pounded on the door. “Your Grace? Are you all right?”

Eleanor pressed her ear up to the door and could hear faint laughing.

“Yes, come in, Eleanor, I’m fine.” The Duke’s voice sounded strained.

She pushed open the door to find papers all over the floor, and the Duke sprawled out on the ground.

“Oh my heavens!” Eleanor rushed to him and kneeled by his side. “What happened? Are you all right?”

The Duke was still laughing at himself, but she noticed he was holding his side as he laughed. “I’m fine. I dropped some papers, and then like a dolt, I walked and slipped on them. I really am fine. More embarrassed than anything.”

Eleanor went to slip her hands around him to help him up, but he scooted away.

“No, it’s ok. I can get myself up.” His jovial spirit quickly changed to somber insistence. “I’m fine, really.”

He rolled to his side to push himself up and winced.

Eleanor sighed. “You are not fine. I think you may have really hurt yourself.”

She wrapped her arm around his waist. “Put some weight on me.”

“I fear I’ll crush you.”

Eleanor blew a loose curl out of her face. “I think you know I’m much more capable than people give me credit for.”

Derek stopped moving and looked into her eyes. “I do know that.”

Something in the way he said it sent chills throughout her body. His voice always had a way of evoking the most inappropriate responses from her body. Which was one of the reasons why she did her best to stay away from him these past few days. Unfortunately, they ultimately ended up in each other’s paths.

She dipped her head and with one big push with her legs, she got the Duke to standing position.

“There we go,” she said as he righted himself.

Eleanor noticed there was a slight wobble in the Duke’s steps as he gingerly walked back to his desk.

“Oh my. You’re completely doxed aren’t you?” she asked in disbelief.

Derek turned, and she saw the glassy look in his eyes. “I am not doxed.”

Eleanor smiled; she felt like she did when she caught her sisters stealing extra biscuits when they were young.

“The mighty and serious Duke of Graynor is lost in his cups.” She giggled at the ridiculousness of it all.

Derek stood taller. “I am not doxed or lost in my cups” He adjusted his shirt that became untucked in his fall. “Yes, I had a few drinks to move on, but I assure you I have full control of my faculties. That,” he said while pointing to the mess of papers on the floor, “was an accident.”

Eleanor cocked her head to the side. “To move on from what?”

“What?”

Eleanor took a step forward. “You said you had a few drinks to move on. Move on from what?”

Derek closed his eyes and let out a murmured curse.

Eleanor had an inkling as to why he was drinking because it was those same thoughts that brought her to his study.

“We need to talk.”

Derek sat in his chair, only wincing slightly. “No, we do not.”

Eleanor followed him, walking around his desk to lean on it.

“I think we do.”

When he tried to look forward, she pulled his chair, so he would face her. “I have an idea that can help us.”

Derek tried focusing on the wall behind her. “We don’t have a problem.” His voice was cold, but Eleanor ignored it. She knew he was struggling with whatever was between them. He had fooled her with how he reacted to her proposal to Simon, but when he reached out to touch her lip after lifting her chin earlier today, she knew.

She reached out and held his chin, just like he did earlier. “Look at me, Derek.”

Saying his name sent an electric shock through her system. She reveled in the way his name rolled off her tongue, and she cursed herself for not agreeing to use it when he offered it when they first met.

Hearing his name affected Derek as well. His eyes darkened. His tongue darted out and licked his lips which pulled a smile from her own.

“No problem, hmm?” She raised an eyebrow.

Derek said nothing.

Eleanor rehearsed what she was going to say before she came down the steps. She had hoped practicing the words so many times would remove the nerves as she said them in front of him, but it did not. Butterflies began to dance in her stomach, but she tampered them down. She needed to say what she came to say.

“You want to touch me. I want to touch you. I want you to touch me.” Her words came out as a whisper, but she knew he heard her.

Derek’s fingers twitched in his lap.

“We are fooling ourselves by denying this chemistry between us.” She was proud her voice was becoming stronger. If only she could keep it going through this next part, she may get what she came in here for.

“What if I said I have an idea of how to placate this growing need between us without disrupting the plans already in place.”

Derek pulled away from her grip.

“How?” He sounded skeptical.

Eleanor leaned forward, invading his space. “We need to get this,” she waved her finger in between the two of them, “out of our system.”

“And how do you propose we go about doing that?” Derek was very still, each word enunciated with care.

“We have tonight. Just you and me. Together.”

Derek continued to stare at her.

Eleanor took a deep breath and repeated the words in her head that she said when she knocked on the door. It’s now or never.

“I want you to be my first, Derek. I want you to take me and make me yours if only for tonight.”

Derek expounded from his chair so quickly it startled Eleanor. He began to pace wildly in front of his desk, his hands raking through his hair.

“You do not know what you’re asking.”

Eleanor simply turned and watched him stalk the room like a caged animal. While her words incited frantic energy from the Duke, she felt oddly calm and satisfied with her decision. She was positive this would be the way for them to both break free from whatever ties were holding them together.

“I think I do.”

Derek ran his hand through his hair once more, causing it to stick up.

“Eleanor.” He stopped his pacing and placed his hands on his hips. “You are asking me to take you before you marry another man!” His voice was a harsh whisper.

She merely shrugged. “I know what I’m asking.”

His eyes widened at her cavalier attitude.

Eleanor stood and strode over to him. She ran her hands up his chest, over his shoulders, and found purchase in his hair.

“Why can’t I have agency over my body, Derek?” Another zing raced through her. “I’m about to give everything I was, am, and will be to a man. I have always abided by the rules of society, but for once, I want someone to bend to me. Please, Derek, give that to me. Allow me to set the rules for one night of my life.”

Derek closed his eyes before pulling away. “I cannot.” He moved back around his desk and sat in his chair.

Eleanor heaved out a sigh. She figured she’d have to convince him, but she didn’t think it would be this taxing. He wasn’t known for his propriety when it came to coupling with a woman.

She walked over to the chair and looked at him. Rolling her lips she pushed up her sleeves.

Derek raised an eyebrow. “What are you doing?”

Eleanor stepped towards him and placed one hand on his shoulders while the other lifted a side of her skirts, allowing her to move more freely. She shifted her weight and climbed on top of him to straddle him. Her one knee got stuck before she was able to be fully seated on top of him, and she didn’t make the most ladylike noise when she tried to dislodge it from between the chair and the Duke.

“Are you done?” Derek’s smile came through his voice.

Eleanor looked down into his eyes and saw a playful spirit she wasn’t used to seeing.

She thought she would feel self-conscious climbing onto his lap, but his eyes made the trouble worth it. She could get lost in his eyes if he let her.

“I think I am.” She managed to free her knee and sit comfortably on top of his lap.

Derek brought a hand up and brushed her fallen hair behind her ear. She nuzzled into the movement and sighed in contentment. This is what she wanted. No games, no words, just two people trying to control the fire between them before it consumed them.

His eyes searched hers before he slid his hand around to cup her neck, drawing her in for a kiss.

She moaned into his mouth as their tongues teased each other’s. Derek sat up, fully embracing her, holding her close to his body.

Still straddling him, Eleanor felt empowered by her position. She reached around and ran her hands through his hair, scratching his scalp with her nails. Derek groaned into their kiss.

Without warning, he pushed up to stand and laid her on top of his desk. He broke their kiss to leave a trail of hot kisses down her neck.

Eleanor arched her back in ecstasy, wanting to give him access to the entirety of her body. Heat pooled in her stomach, and her body twitched with the need to loosen her clothing.

She wriggled underneath him as his kisses trailed further down to her breasts. His eyes quickly looked up to meet hers. With a nod, she watched as he ripped away the buttons at the top of her dress, exposing her to him.

Derek looked at her in reverie as a pleased smile spread across his face. “I have never seen something so beautiful as a hot and bothered Eleanor laying on top random ledgers on my desk. I will never look at another ledger the same way again.”

Eleanor blushed at his words. “Should we move?”

A devilish grin darkened the Duke’s face. “Absolutely not. I’m thinking I’ll frame these papers when we’re done.

Nerves and excitement crashed through her system while scorching white hot heat blazed through her veins.

Derek’s hands reached down and pulled her dress fully down, leaving her in her corset and stockings. Eleanor couldn’t contain her full body blush as his eyes drank in her exposed body.

She moved to cover herself, but Derek’s hand enveloped her wrist and placed it above her head. “Never cover yourself in front of me. You are too beautiful to hide.”

The reverence in his voice stilled her motions more than his actions. He was looking at her like she was more than just a woman but as if she were the stars, the moon, the sun. He was looking at her as if she were his everything.

As she watched his eyes dance around her body, taking in every dip and curve, she raised her free hand and laid it over top of the wrist he was still holding above her head.

The pupils of his eyes blew, darkening his face to a wicked expression. “Eleanor,” his velvet voice cooed, “what are you doing?”

She looked up at him under her lashes. “Taking control.”

For the first time in her life, Eleanor truly felt like she was in control. Even though to a bystander it would look like she was submitting to him, it was she that had the control in this scene.

It was her choice to proposition him. It was her choice to climb into his lap. And it was her choice to give her body freely to him. And she had never felt more alive and in control than right in this moment.

“You humble me, Eleanor.” Derek’s voice was hushed and full of wonder.

“Then show me your gratitude.” Her words set off a flurry of movement from Derek. He lifted off of her and grabbed her legs. With one quick yank he had pulled her to the edge of his desk where he then kneeled down. She propped herself up on her elbows to see what he was going to do when she felt the softest of kisses in between her legs.

She arched her back and gasped. “Derek!” she cried as her hands grabbed his head in between her thighs.

“What are you doing?” The words came out in between gasps.

“I will show you my gratitude by honoring each and every part of you.”

Eleanor’s body responded to his words and his tongue. She writhed underneath him as the heat she felt turned into a raging fire that made her skin sweat with need.

Her nails raked over his scalp and pulled him closer to her. His entire mouth sucked her in as his tongue flicked her center, eliciting whimpers and cries from her.

Derek clamped his arms around her thighs, keeping her in place as he drove her higher and higher. Without warning, Eleanor’s vision went white as her body erupted in wave after wave of pleasure. She felt the pressure of Derek’s body release. Eleanor felt as if her body had completely shattered in the most delicious of ways. She rolled to her side and pulled her knees up to her chest to gather her senses.

Derek clucked his tongue. “What did I say about hiding yourself from me.”

He rolled her back onto her back and once again held her wrists above her head with one of his hands. “Don’t make me tie you up like this.”

Eleanor’s eyes widened at that thought.

“You wouldn’t.”

“I absolutely would.”

Instead of scaring her, the threat forged another fire within her belly. “In that case…” Eleanor began to tug her hands against his.

Derek’s free hand darted out to strengthen his hold on her. “My, my, my, Eleanor… You are definitely more than I bargained for.”

Eleanor looked into his eyes. “I’m more than more anyone has bargained for.”

Derek leaned down and captured her mouth in a passionate kiss. “Of that, my love, I have no doubt.”

His words startled her. My love.

Surely, he did not mean that he actually loved her, right? Little bubbles of hope and intrigue mixed with the heat that began to build again. She tried to shake the errant thought from her head, but she couldn’t help but wonder what it would be like to be loved by a man such as the Duke.

She felt his one hand leave hers and fumble with something at his waist. With one movement he pushed his pants down, and she could feel his hardened length against her.

Eleanor moaned into their kiss. If this was what love could feel like, she understood why Sarah and others chased it. This closeness, this vulnerability, the act of two people fully giving each other to someone else was intoxicating.

She felt the cool air of the study before she felt pressure.

“Eleanor, look at me.” Derek’s words were gentle as he placed soft kisses around her face. Both of his hands were back to holding hers above her head.

Eleanor opened her eyes she didn’t realize were closed.

“Are you ready?”

The tenderness in his eyes shifted something within her. She nodded her head yes, her words stuck in her throat.

He gently pushed into her. The movement stretched and burned, but it wasn’t as bad as others made it seem. In fact, she wanted to feel more of it.

She looked up into his eyes. “More.”

Derek looked down, once again in awe of her response. “Happy to.”

His hips moved forward, hitting the sweet spot that had Eleanor crying out in ecstasy.

“Yes, Derek! More, please, more!” Her hips began to move against his, meeting his thrusts.

Her hands pulled against his, wanting to reach out and touch him. His hold tightened against her and his hips moved faster. Eleanor screams were captured by Derek’s kiss.

His own groans filled her mouth.

As his body pushed into hers, she lifted her legs to wrap around his hips which only seemed to drive him further into her. Once again, heat began to build low in her belly. Her hands were in tight little balls under his grip, and her legs began to shake with how tightly she clenched around Derek.

Derek’s movement turned frantic as Eleanor’s orgasm began to peak. With one thrust he sent her over the edge. Her scream echoed off the walls of the study. Derek thrusted into her one more time before pulling out. Eleanor felt warm liquid pool on her stomach.

Derek stood, panting. “Stay there, let me get a towel.”

Eleanor couldn’t move if the house were on fire. She gladly rested there, slowly catching her breath. Her body felt warm and relaxed and deliciously used.

Derek reentered her vision. She watched with curious eyes as he cleaned her up. He put the towel beside them and helped her sit up.

Eleanor looked around at the state of his study. “Oh my. We’ve made quite the mess.”

Derek laughed quietly. “Yes, we have.”

They look at each other. It was then Eleanor realized that her words took on more meaning than just the state of his study.