The duke didn’t answer in words. Instead, he plied her with kisses, each more gentle than the last, and her head swam with sensation. In a thrice he’d encouraged the silky clothing off her body, tossing it away in a rustle of fabric. As she lay naked and exposed for his perusal, he covered her body with his. All of his hard angles pressed into her softer curves, his weight atop her pleasing.
His attention seemed everywhere at the same time. He plied her lips, the side of her neck, her shoulders with fleeting kisses while he roved his hands along her body, leaving not one inch of her unexplored or untouched.
When he closed his lips on one pebbled nipple, her back arched involuntarily and she moaned with surprise. Donovan chuckled. He suckled the tip and then released it with a slight pop before he gave the other one the same attention. With each caress, each nip and nibble, her heart beat accelerated and her blood turned to fire in her veins. She could barely breathe from the wonderful things he did to her body. Returning the favor was beyond her at the moment, for all she could do was writhe beneath him and revel in this new world of heady pleasure.
Just as she thought she’d become accustomed to the play he taught her, the duke slipped a hand between her thighs. He furrowed his fingers through her feminine curls, and when he glanced one of those digits over the hidden bud, the swelling center of her desire, she uttered a cry that had him laughing with masculine smugness.
“Donovan, what are you—”
“Enjoy. This, my sweet country flower, is what makes life worth living,” he interrupted and began to tease that nub of flesh as he kissed her lips.
Alice feared she would dissolve into a puddle of hot, liquid need so great were the sensations he invoked within her. She clutched at his shoulders, digging her fingernails into his skin from the horrible pressure deep inside her lower belly increased and stacked. When would it end, and would she like it when it did? “I need…” She panted. Words wouldn’t come. Passion fogged her brain. “I need something…”
“This.” He circled that bud with his thumb and slid first one finger into her aching passage and then another.
“Oh, yes.” It felt wonderful. She canted her hips in an effort to better receive him, and then she shattered, her body going stiff. When he didn’t relent on the pressure, she went pliant as the most wondrous sensations swamped her being. Heat rushed through her veins from the roots of her hair to the tips of her toes and everywhere between. And between her thighs where he stroked his fingers in and out, her channel fluttered, contracting with the force of his attention. Alice collapsed against the pillows with a sigh. “I never knew it would be like that.”
“We aren’t finished yet.” He removed himself from her, and when she uttered a weak protest, he chuckled. “Patience. I must undress all the way.”
“Please hurry.” Was it wanton of her to wish for a repeat of what just happened? While she stretched with a languid grace she’d not known before, the whisper of a garment hitting the floor broke the silence. “Is this the part where you applied the blindfold to your mistresses?” She gasped. What was wrong with her that she’d utter such a thing now?
His chuckle smoothed her worries; he wasn’t offended. “Actually, I would blindfold those women the second I invited them into my rooms.” The mattress depressed, signaling his arrival upon the bed, and then he joined her once more, his body warm and strong over hers, his hips nestled in the cradle of hers.
“Why?” It was the only word she could utter, for the simple joy of having his strong form in her arms and between her legs.
He lightly nipped the side of her neck. “I didn’t want those women to see me during such an intimate moment as finding release.” Slowly, gently he spread her legs, and as he did so, the tip of his hardened member brushed her opening.
“Isn’t that one of the most important aspects of intercourse?” She wriggled her hips, but he didn’t move. “I want to see you, Donovan, watch the emotions shift through your eyes, see your face and know this is where you wish to be.” Her voice faltered. “With me.”
“Of that there is no doubt.” He captured her lips with his, and when a powerful flex of his hips, he slipped inside her, breaking past her virgin barrier, and didn’t stop until he was fully seated and they were pressed together as intimately as any two people could be.
Alice gasped from the sharp prick of pain. She dug her fingers into his shoulders, but as he began to move within her, the discomfort faded and in its place came showers of sensations so pleasurable she moaned from the sheer delight of what he did to her.
He gathered her closer, gripped her hip with one hand and with the other encouraged her to wrap a leg about his waist while he increased the intensity of his thrusts. “Quickly, Alice. I won’t last, for I have been teased by wanting you for too many days.” His breath caressed her cheek, ruffled the baby-fine curls on her forehead.
What did he want her to do? She had no idea, but she moved her hips in time to his and soon they fell into a pleasing rhythm. With each stroke and undulation, the pressure inside her built and grew once more. Harder and harder he pushed, scooting her back deeper into the pillows. Faster his hips worked until all she felt was him, his turgid length inside her, his strong, solid body rubbing along hers, the crisp hair on his chest scraping over her sensitive nipples and adding another layer of awareness.
And then, quite simply, she broke, crying out, into a million pieces of light, fell into a world where there was no sound. Higher and higher she shot, her body drifting in clouds of sparkling white light, and as she floated back down, her body tingled and shuddered as spent desire pulsed through every nerve ending.
Donovan bit back his own shout of completion. He ground his hips into his while his member jerked, but he pulled out of her body seconds before the warmth of his seed jetted out and spattered over her thighs and belly. He collapsed against her and then pulled them both onto their sides.
As she returned to herself and her heart didn’t pound quite so fast, Alice frowned. Why did he feel the need to not complete the act? If he didn’t wish for her to get with child, why didn’t he first speak with her about that? As pleasant lethargy seeped through her limbs and she snuggled against his sweaty chest, she pushed the thoughts to the back of her mind. There was much to talk with him about, but the questions would keep.
This was her wedding night—afternoon—and she vowed to enjoy every second of it, for her first experience in love making had been everything wonderful.
CHAPTER TWELVE
Donovan woke from his doze as the three-quarter full moon began its rise in the sky. Its illumination filtered through the trees and made its way through the windows that had yet to have the curtains drawn. Alice, as sweet in slumber as she’d been when he’d finally claimed her body, lay with one hand tucked beneath her cheek on the pillow. The other lay haphazardly on his chest, the ring on her finger winking in the lunar glow.
Bloody hell, I’m truly married.
He’d said vows, gave her a ring—a piece that had belonged to his mother’s trousseau as part of her bridal jewelry—all because he wanted to lay with Alice… and have a chance at breaking the curse. Memories surfaced through his mind of exiting the church behind her and Elizabeth as he’d walked with Rogue. He’d caught the viscous whispers from the handful of people who’d come to witness the ceremony, or to gawk. If nothing else, he wished to prove every one of them wrong; Alice was indeed good enough for him.
I’m the one who doesn’t deserve her love.
The truth caused his chest to squeeze. Again he looked at his wife. Her hair, loose with jeweled combs holding the tresses back from her face, pooled around her head on the pillow like melted chocolate. It was glorious and he wanted to tangle his hands in it. They’d come together before the bedclothes had been turned down, and she reposed naked on her side, her mons hidden from view, strands of her hair obscuring her pale breasts.
Damnation, he wanted her again, if only to claim her in the moon’s light, the time of night he felt mo
st comfortable.
Perhaps soon, for there was nothing to hold him back; they were legally man and wife. The muscles of his stomach cramped from his deception. He stirred, carefully slipped from the bed so he wouldn’t disturb her, for the longer she slept, the more time he’d have to figure out how the deuce he was to reveal his damning secret to her. Already, the words danced on the tip of his tongue, for after every joining, no matter the woman or the reason for the bedding, the curse compelled him to confess all.
At least this time you had the sense to marry the female before bedding her. Now she’s legally bound to you with nowhere to go, his wolf was quick to remind him.
A bird in a gilt prison. Until she broke the curse. Not caring that the water from her earlier bath was cold, he sank into it and hurriedly scrubbed himself with the rose-scented soap still resting on a small round table.
Finding release with Alice had been everything he’d hoped, and where she’d lacked experience or nuance, she made up for with enthusiasm and feeling. The woman loved him, of that he had no doubt, and he looked forward to teaching her the finer points of love making before the full moon arrived. He had just under a week to enjoy a honeymoon period, of sorts, before fate came into play. After that, he’d embrace his life as a full human and enjoy it to the hilt.
Without her? In his mind, his wolf glared at him.
I don’t know. The future had become murky, and he didn’t appreciate that.
His wolf snapped his jaws. But she’s soft and sweet and her eyes sparkle when she comes undone.
That they do. Donovan shoved those thoughts as well as his wolf’s commentary to the back of his mind as he dunked his head beneath the water and gave it a vigorous scrubbing. Then he did the same to his body. By the time he’d dried himself with the leftover towel draped across the back of the tub, his wolf waited.
You do not wish to impregnate her? Do your duty to the title?
Did he? Not at this time, for if the curse wasn’t lifted and Alice bore him a male child… He shook his head. I’d rather wait to see what happens. Damnation, but he was a coward of the first order, yet he refused to put a child through the hell he’d grown up with—the not knowing, the fear, the pain that came with shifting, the sense of being out of control and fighting with the beast. He snorted. All of which I still am subjected to.
There are worse things, his wolf countered.
Donovan glanced at the bed—his bed—where his new bride still slept. What have I done?
Inside his head, his wolf whined. Will we run tonight?
No. He rubbed a hand along his jaw where rough stubble had formed. If all went well when he told Alice everything, he intended to indulge in a different form of exercise, for her body truly was made for sin, and since they were married…
Perhaps he was beyond redemption after all.
He strode across the room to the basin in the corner, and after dipping a clean rag into the water, he returned to the bed. With gentle movements, he cleaned away the evidence of his lust from her belly and thighs. With each pass of the damp cloth over her skin, soft sounds loosed from her throat. She stretched and shifted, briefly splaying her legs and rolling onto her back, putting her breasts on full display. Dear God, she is perfect… just not for a lifetime with me. Still, his length twitched to life, bringing his own naked state into stark relief, and he tossed the soiled rag in the direction of the basin.
“Alice.” Donovan joined her on the bed, layered himself to her side and pulled her close. “Are you sufficiently awake?”
“That largely depends on why you wish it,” she said with a smile that spoke of deliciously wicked things in his immediate future. His wife stroked her fingers over his face and he grinned for her benefit even though anxiety clawed at his insides. When she explored and ran her digits through his wet hair, she frowned. “You bathed?”
“Yes.” He pressed his lips to hers in a series of gentle, teasing kisses designed to lull her into a warm cocoon before he shook the foundations of her life. “How did you sleep?” he whispered against her mouth as he reminded himself another bout of bed sport could come later once he’d told her his secret.
If she’ll still have me.
“Extremely well, and it’s so decadent to do so during the day.” Alice looped her arms about his neck while she snuggled closer. Each innocent movement created friction against various parts of his body that were already primed. With her nose to his, she stared into his eyes. Hers reflected wonder and a new feminine knowledge that sent heat curling through his blood. “Will there be a second session soon? I find I’m ready for another go.”
The fact she’d taken to coitus intrigued him. In other circumstances, if things had been different, perhaps they could have gotten on well together. Donovan forced a swallow into his suddenly tight throat. “If you so wish it, but first, there is something I must say.”
She went still in his arms. Concern clouded her gray eyes, the silver flecks fading. “This is what you and your sister have hidden from me.” It wasn’t a question.
“Yes.” The word came out in a strangled whisper. He relaxed his arms in anticipation for her flight. Urgency compelled him to not only tell her of his alter-ego but to also confess all, that perhaps if he conveyed the truth now, it would go better for him in the future. His wolf, pacing about the confines of his mind with a certain restlessness and need to claim her once more, didn’t help to promote calm. Donovan shoved everything he could from his consciousness in order to concentrate on the more immediate problem. “Long ago, my family line—as well as a handful of other titles within the ton—were cursed by a gypsy witch.”
Alice frowned as she pushed up from him, a hand lingering on his chest. “What does that mean?”
“For the insensitive and uncaring actions of a distant relative, each male relative in the line must pay penance until such time as the curse is lifted.” He cleared his throat. Never had this conversation been so difficult, for Alice looked at him with trust in her eyes and empathy in her expression. It was almost as if she understood. “My portion of the witch’s curse is shifting into wolf form at night—every night—running as the beast, going where he goes. I… I have no choice.”
A smile curved her lips. “You are having me on, you naughty duke. Why would you tell me a tale like this?”
“Alice, I’m dead serious.” He removed her hand from his chest and pressed it to his face. “Look into my eyes.” His body tensed as she explored his face with lighter-than-air touches. “In fact, you have met me while I occupied my beastly form.” How much would saying the words cost him? For if she didn’t believe and her tremulous feelings for him hardened…
She held his gaze with hers, and while she did so, he loosed a bit of his control in order for his eyes to turn amber like his wolf’s. “It is you.” Alice reared backward so quickly she toppled into the bedding. Then she scrambled away from him, pulling at the counterpane, using it to shield her nakedness from him. “You are the wolf from our first meeting. I knew there was a canine of some kind there that day.”
Donovan remained where he was for fear any movement on his part would startle her from the room. “Yes. I’d been hunting as the animal that morning when I saw you in peril. I had no time to act; I just ran toward you and shoved you out of harm’s way.”
“There was another time.” She shook her head as the truth finally sank in. Horror clouded her eyes. The hand holding the bedclothes to her breasts shook. “You attacked Joe, nearly killed him the day of our engagement.”
He moved into a seated position as anger swirled through his chest at the remembrance. “Because you were mine.” The explanation came out louder and more forceful than he would have liked. Damn wolf.
You might as well tell her that too, human.
Alice’s eyes went round as saucers, whether from his tone of voice or the sentiment, he couldn’t say. “You assume I belong to you, that I’m your… property… and that I’ll do everything you command because you’re a duk
e.” She slipped from the bed trailing the sheet and counterpane behind her.
“No. Perhaps a bit, but…” He was mucking this up beyond repair. “Please listen to the rest of it before you decide you hate me. It is an affliction, and I hinted about it to you before. Just like your sight challenges, I have no choice except to live with this.”
A bark of bitter laughter escaped her, which was so foreign that he gawked at her. “No, my lord. Your affliction and mine are not the same for one reason alone: I never hid mine.”
“I did so to protect you.” Protect me.
“In the event that you haven’t been paying attention, I am capable of taking care of myself. I’d done well until you came along, and you made me feel…” She stifled a sob. “You made me believe that I…”
“Alice, please.” What should I say to calm her?
Ironically, his wolf declined to comment.
“This marriage, it was a mistake.” She turned her horrified gaze to him once more. “You went along with it to bed me, and then what? Kill me in my sleep when you become the beast? To what purpose?” Her voice rose with every question she put to him.
Donovan cringed. With a tight chest, he left the bed but kept that piece of furniture between them. “I will not kill you.”
“How can I know that? You nearly killed Joe, and if I hadn’t intervened…” Her mouth worked but no words poured forth. “You lied to me, married me for reasons that are still only known to you.”
“No, I withheld a truth. There’s a difference.” But was there, really? Wasn’t the sin the same no matter how one looked at it? He stared at her, wondering, hoping. In a quiet voice, he asked, “Do you regret saying vows to me?”
“Yes.” She shook her head. “No.” The delicate tendons in her neck worked with a hard swallow. “I am not certain.” Alice looked across the bed at him, her unseeing gaze holding his. “I believe you are a good man, Donovan. Or so I hope, but you lied about your wolf. What else are you not telling me?” She dropped her voice. “What is the real reason you married me?”
Devil Take the Duke (Lords of the Night Book 1) Page 14