Page 23 of Wedded to the Duke of Seduction (Dukes of Passion #3)
CHAPTER 23
“ W as that… Is it always like that?” Marina asked breathlessly, leaning against the desk as she struggled to steady herself.
Her body still trembled from sensations she had never imagined possible, especially from a man’s touch.
Leo smiled as he stood up, eyes dark with satisfaction despite his own obvious discomfort.
“With me, yes,” he said gently, brushing a strand of hair away from her flushed cheek.
Marina watched quietly as Leo picked up her gloves from the floor.
She was still trying to understand how different this experience was compared to anything she’d known before. Her marriage to Henry had been uncomfortable and dutiful, something she endured rather than enjoyed.
Tonight had changed everything, making her realize how limited her imagination had been.
“We should go back before people notice we’re gone,” Leo said, helping her carefully slide off the desk onto shaky legs. “Here, let me fix this.”
He surprised her with his gentleness, smoothing the wrinkles in her gown, securing loose hairpins, and making sure she looked completely proper.
As he worked, Marina noticed his obvious discomfort pressing against his breeches, and somehow, her mouth watered.
“Aren’t you… frustrated?” she asked.
Leo gave her a playful smile. “Seeing you enjoy yourself was more than enough.” He moved closer, voice low and teasing. “Although, now that I’ve had you once, it’ll be hard not to want you again.”
Marina felt her face grow hot. “You’re impossible.”
“And you’re incredible,” Leo replied, gently brushing his lips against hers. “But we should go. Lady Clarkshire will start to worry.”
Marina allowed Leo to lead her back toward the ballroom, still stunned by the turn the evening had taken.
As they re-entered the crowded ballroom, Marina spotted Caroline and Harold scanning the crowd with worried faces. Leo’s hand rested reassuringly on her back as they moved toward them.
“There you are!” Caroline said, sounding relieved. “We were starting to panic. Harold was ready to organize a search party.”
“My apologies,” Leo said smoothly. “The Duchess was feeling overwhelmed by the heat, so we stepped away briefly for some air.”
Harold nodded sympathetically. “These ballrooms do become dreadfully stuffy. Are you recovered, Your Grace?”
Marina managed a composed smile though she feared her still-flushed cheeks might betray her. “Quite recovered, thank you. His Grace was most attentive.”
“I should hope so,” Caroline replied, her keen eyes moving between them with undisguised curiosity. “Though I must say, Marina, country air certainly agrees with you. You’re positively glowing.”
Marina felt Leo’s suppressed laughter in the slight shake of his shoulder against hers. “The fresh air was most invigorating,” she agreed, struggling to maintain her composure.
“Will you be staying much longer?” Leo asked, deftly changing the subject. “The Duchess and I were considering making an early departure.”
“We were?” Marina glanced at him in surprise.
“Unless you wish to stay?” Leo’s eyes held a challenge and promise that made her pulse quicken again.
Harold, oblivious to the undercurrents between them, checked his pocket watch. “It is growing late. Perhaps we should all leave. The Rutherford ball tomorrow night promises to be quite the affair, and Caroline will want to be well-rested.”
When they arrived at the townhouse, Leo helped Marina descend from the carriage. His hand lingered on hers a little longer than necessary. The brief contact sending another flutter of awareness through her body, a reaction she could no longer deny or ignore.
“Would you care to continue our earlier… discussion?” Leo murmured as they entered the dimly lit entrance hall. “I’m not at all tired.”
Marina hesitated. She was tempted to accept his invitation and discover what other pleasures he might show her. She wanted to explore this newfound aspect of herself further. However, she hesitated, a part of her was reluctant to give in so easily to a longing that remained unsettling and unfamiliar.
“I don’t think so,” she replied finally, gathering her composure. “It has been an eventful evening. I should rest.”
A flash of disappointment crossed Leo’s features before his usual confident smile returned.
“As you wish, Duchess.” He took her hand and pressed a kiss to her palm that sent sparks shooting up her arm. “But know that I’m going to relish the moment you beg for me.” His voice dropped to a husky whisper. “Because when that time comes, Marina, you will beg.”
Marina pulled her hand away and tried to ignore the traitorous heat his words ignited within her. “You seem very confident, Your Grace.”
“I am.” His smile was bold. “Sleep well, Marina. Dream of me.”
As she climbed the stairs to her chambers, Marina was uncomfortably aware of Leo’s gaze following her. She maintained a dignified pace despite the urge to dash up the steps and away from the confusing mix of emotions he stirred within her.
Once safely inside her bedchamber, Marina pressed her hands to her heated cheeks. What had happened tonight had changed everything between them. He had shown her pleasure she had never imagined possible. Had awakened desires she had thought she was incapable of feeling. Even worse, he had done so without taking anything for himself which undermined her belief that he was merely selfish and predatory.
As Betty helped her prepare for bed, Marina replayed every moment of their encounter.
The skillful touch of his hands, the heat of his mouth, the intensity in his eyes as he watched her come undone from his attention. She had written about passion many times and had imagined it in vivid detail, but the reality had surpassed her most daring fictional scenarios.
One thing was certain, their marriage could no longer remain the distant, practical arrangement she had envisioned.
Leo had altered their relationship, and Marina wasn’t entirely sure she regretted it.
Marina linked arms with Caroline as they strolled through Hyde Park, enjoying the warmth of the spring sunshine.
After the intense events of the Pembroke ball three nights ago, she had barely seen Leo, who had retreated to his club or his study whenever they weren’t required to appear together in public. The distance had given her time to think, but her thoughts remained as confused as ever.
“I still can’t believe you convinced me to walk rather than take the carriage,” Caroline complained good-naturedly as she adjusted her bonnet against the light breeze. “My new slippers will be ruined.”
“Fresh air and exercise are good for you,” Marina replied.
She was grateful for her friend’s company and the distraction it provided from her troubled thoughts.
As they rounded a curve in the path, they walked behind two elegantly dressed ladies whose animated conversation carried through the still air.
“Have you read the latest?” the taller woman asked her companion. “The one with the nobleman and the widow in the conservatory during a dinner party?”
“Oh my goodness, yes!” her friend replied with an excited giggle. “I had to fan myself repeatedly. The way he described the bloom of the orchids while he was… well, you know!”
“And the plant mister! Who would have thought such a mundane gardening tool could be used so creatively?”
Marina nearly stumbled, heat flooding her cheeks. The story they described was indeed her latest work, published just yesterday—a tale inspired directly by her encounter with Leo though transplanted to a moonlit conservatory rather than a private study.
Caroline shot her a knowing glance, her lips twitching with barely suppressed amusement. The ladies ahead continued their enthusiastic review, unaware of their audience.
“The author must have personal experience,” the shorter woman declared. “No one could write such vivid descriptions without having lived them.”
“Matilda! What a scandalous suggestion.”
“Well, I’m merely saying what we’re all thinking. Whoever this anonymous writer is, she clearly knows what she’s writing about.”
Caroline’s shoulders shook with silent laughter as the ladies turned onto another path, their voices fading.
“It seems you have more admirers,” she whispered to Marina. “Still, a conservatory? That’s quite daring, even for fiction.”
Marina quickened her pace, hoping her friend wouldn’t notice her flaming cheeks. “It’s just a story, Caroline.”
“Is it?” Caroline raised an eyebrow, pulling Marina to a stop beside a secluded bench beneath a flowering cherry tree. “Because the way you described certain… reactions… seemed remarkably authentic. Almost as if you’d experienced them firsthand.”
“I have an active imagination,” Marina protested weakly.
Caroline sat on the bench, patting the space beside her. “Marina, I have known you for years. I was there when you confided that your marriage to Henry was ‘dutiful at best and unpleasant at worst.’ I’ve read every one of your stories. This one was different.”
Marina sank onto the bench, finding herself unable to maintain the pretense under her friend’s shrewd gaze. “Was it that obvious?”
“Only to someone who knows you well,” Caroline assured her. “But yes, absolutely obvious. The emotion in the writing was palpable.” She narrowed her eyes. “So, you and the Duke have…”
“Not exactly,” Marina confessed, her voice dropping to ensure no passing walkers would overhear. “We haven’t fully…” She trailed off, unsure how to explain what had transpired between them.
Understanding dawned in Caroline’s eyes. “He pleasured you without taking his own?”
“Caroline!”
At Marina’s shocked expression, she laughed. “I am a married woman, you know. These things happen.”
“It was… unexpected,” Marina admitted. “At the Pembroke ball when we disappeared…”
“I knew it!” Caroline clapped her hands in delight. “That ‘need for fresh air’ excuse was terribly thin. You both returned looking entirely too… satisfied. Well, you did at least.”
Marina couldn’t help but smile at her friend’s enthusiasm. “He was different than I expected. Generous in a way I hadn’t thought possible. Even so, I don’t know what it means. For us, for our marriage. It could have been just a moment of weakness on both our parts.”
“Either way, you have every right to take pleasure when it’s offered. After everything you’ve endured with Henry, you deserve this.”
“But Leo’s reputation?—”
“I know I cautioned you because of it too,” Caroline interrupted. “But… men change, especially when they find the right woman. And if he doesn’t change? Then you’ve still had the experience. You’re not a naive girl, Marina. You’re a grown woman with a husband who apparently knows how to please you. Enjoy it for what it is.”
Marina considered her friend’s words, finding comfort in their pragmatism. “And if it becomes too complicated?”
“Then you stop,” Caroline said simply. “But don’t deny yourself happiness out of fear. That’s no way to live.”
“Thank you,” Marina said softly. “For understanding. For not judging.”
“What are friends for?” Caroline bumped her shoulder playfully against Marina’s. “Besides, I completely understand the appeal. Harold is positively masterful in the bedroom. The things that man can do with just his?—”
“Caroline!” Marina interrupted, scandalized. “Please remember that Harold is my friend as well. I can’t possibly hear this.”
Caroline laughed, the sound bright and carefree. “Sorry, darling. But married life has its advantages, as you’re discovering.”
As they resumed their walk, Marina felt lighter than she had in days. Caroline’s practical perspective had helped clear some of the confusion clouding her thoughts. Perhaps she was overthinking the situation.
Perhaps, for once, she could simply allow herself to experience pleasure without analyzing every implication.
By the time they parted ways, Marina had decided. Tonight, she would seek out Leo rather than waiting for him to approach her again. She would take control of this new aspect of their relationship, setting her own terms rather than merely responding to his initiatives.
The prospect was both terrifying and exhilarating—rather like the man himself.