by Darcy Burke
“Mmm,” she moaned. After the constriction of her undergarments, the feel of the soft sheets against her breasts was shocking in the extreme, but more than anything, she wanted his hands and mouth on her. When she tried to turn, he placed a hand to her back.
“Patience.” He brushed her curls aside and just above the ropes of pearls he’d given her, he pressed a kiss to her neck
The ropes of jewels pressed in against her breasts and stomach as she stretched into him. Lord, it would be a crime if she broke them. She reached up to unfasten the clasp.
“Leave them,” he whispered against her skin as he raked his lips along her shoulder blades. “I want to see my duchess in all her glory.”
His duchess. Kate shivered. The words were as exciting as any touch. “Your pleasure is my pleasure.”
Ryder looked down at her, his eyes soft and hot. Gently, he lifted one of her thighs towards her waist so her core was exposed. He leaned down and whispered against her ear as he plunged two fingers into her wet heat, “I’m glad to hear it, love.”
Kate jerked against him and dug her fingers into the sheets. It was so cruel, the pleasure his fingers caused, because it wasn’t enough. All it did was make her long for his hard length.
As he probed her with his fingers, he leaned forward and turned her face to the side. Though the angle was difficult, he slipped his tongue into her mouth and let his velvet softness take her.
She moaned and pushed her bum back towards his hips.
But he was having none of it. He broke the kiss. “Little wanton, you must wait. On your back again.”
Kate blew out a frustrated breath and turned over.
It took her a moment to realize he was still clothed. She let out a little cry of protest and reached up to push at his coat. “Ryder.”
He laughed softly and yanked his coat and waistcoat off.
“More off,” she said huskily, and she reached up with her leg and teased his shirt with the tips of her toes. “I want to see all of you.”
His black eyes flared, and he took her foot and pressed a kiss to the arch and then to her astonishment, he opened his mouth and lightly bit down. She cried out at the intensity of it. For goodness sake, it was only her foot but it sent the most wonderful shocks up her legs.
Ryder released her foot and tugged at his clothes, his fingers no longer quite as skilled. Tormenting him, Kate raised herself up on her elbows and opened her thighs so every part of her was exposed to him. “Hurry, Your Grace,” she purred. “I’ve waited long enough.”
His breeches hit the floor, and Kate licked her lips at the sight of his hard, erect length. It was so large she hardly believed it could fit inside her. The head was swollen and bobbing in her direction as if it knew exactly where she was.
Kathryn drew in a slow breath, knowing exactly what she wanted to try. He was standing just beside the bed but that still left him too tall to do what she wanted. Before he could say anything, she swung her legs over the side of the bed and stood before him. Ever so slowly, she placed her hands on his muscled chest, loving the feel of the strength beneath her hands. She let them trail lower.
Glancing up at him through her lashes she asked his own question. “What do you want?”
A muscle twitched in his jaw, and his cock bobbed against her thigh. “What do you want, Kathryn?”
She raised her brows ever so slightly, half afraid to say it aloud, but emboldened by her experiences with him. “I want you in my mouth.”
His chest expanded as he drew in a sharp breath. And then his strong hands came up to her shoulders and very gently, he guided her down onto her knees.
She was barely tall enough, but from this angle, all she could focus on was his hard shaft. It was a bit intimidating actually, and suddenly she wondered at the wisdom of this course, but she wanted to taste him and feel him. Tentatively, she reached out and ran her nails along his thighs. He groaned, and his hands tightened on her shoulders.
A smile tilted her lips. There was something empowering about the pleasure she could give him. Ever so gently, she kissed his hipbone and to her shock, his cock twitched towards her. Bold now, Kate took his length in her hand, her fingers barely able to wrap around it. It was so hot, velvet and hard. She glanced down at the tip and the drop of dew in the little slit. Without thinking, she bent her head and licked it.
He jerked towards her, and his hands wove into her hair, pulling her face closer. Pleased she could make him feel so intensely, she drew as much of his length as she could into her mouth.
“Oh God, Kathryn,” he hissed. “Christ, yes.”
It took her a moment, but she began a rhythm, her hand on the lower part of his shaft and her mouth sliding up and down. She sucked at the tip, loving the feel of its velvety strength. He shuddered, his legs shaking as he clearly fought to keep control.
He began to thrust, shallow little thrusts into her mouth, and she had to keep her lips wide so she could take him. She matched his movements, licking his length and swirling her tongue around his head.
His head dropped back, and he cupped her cheeks, guiding her rhythm. When she gently tongued the slit at the head again, moist with his salty taste, he groaned and stopped her. He grabbed her arms and tugged her back up to him. He cupped her face in his palms then lowered his mouth over hers.
“On your knees, sweetheart.” And he easily guided her up onto the mattress.
Kate glanced back over her shoulder as he pulled her hips up towards him. He mounted the bed and parted her thighs with a knee. He rubbed the tip of his cock against her nub and she cried out. The movement spread her own moisture over her folds and she wiggled back, needing. “Please. Now.”
“Yes. Now.” He grabbed her hips and slammed his hard length inside her.
Kate almost came at the hard intrusion, but her body was completely ready for him. And as he pounded against her, his strong grip keeping her in place, she glanced back at him. It was so thrilling the sight of him taking her body. His face was locked in concentration.
Bracing herself on her elbows, Kate lowered herself to the mattress so only her hips were up in the air. Instantly, she cried out. The angle sent his cock rubbing at her most sensitive spot. Her mouth opened as she gasped at each powerful thrust.
And then his finger circled and pressed against her nub. She let out a shocked moan, burying her face into the bed as she came over and over again, her body speeding towards unstoppable pleasure.
He jerked against her, his breath harsh and his voice rough as he called out her name. His thrust came faster and faster till she felt his hot seed spill inside her.
After a moment, he leaned forward, resting his broad chest against her back. To her shock, he was still hard inside her. Biting her lower lip, Kate tightened her muscles around his cock, and he shook.
“God woman, you’re amazing.”
She smiled, her body completely liquid under him. He slid his cock out of her, and she moaned in protest.
“Still, hungry?”
In truth, she wasn’t sure she could take anymore, but he felt so marvelous.
When he gently turned her, she eyed his hard cock, slick with their mixed pleasure. “You’re still. . .?”
Ryder smiled down at her, his body less tense. “I’ve been hard since I met you, and I don’t think that will change any time soon.”
Kate reached up and cupped the side of his face. Ryder kissed her palm then lowered her hand to his slick shaft. “You don’t think we’re done yet, do you?”
“We aren’t?”
“Oh no, darling. That was just the beginning.” As if to prove his point, Ryder laid down beside her and palmed her breasts.
She arched into his hand, her body awake and immediately heating for him.
“See, my love, you’re not ready to be done.”
Kate swallowed at the words my love. They were just a term of endearment, no different than darling, but they tugged at her heart nonetheless. She couldn’t let herself think anythin
g more of them, even if she ached to. She’d been down that road, and she was not going to go down it again.
“Kiss me,” she said, urgency deepening her voice.
Instead of taking her mouth, he bent his dark head and took her nipple into his mouth.
She grabbed his head, his hair sliding against her fingers. Her nipples tightened into hard, needy points. And in answer, her core throbbed.
He had just used her thoroughly, but she knew without a doubt, she could take him again. His mouth worked wonders over her sensitive breasts. He pressed them together and flicked his tongue over one nipple then the next. Then as if to torture the oversensitized flesh, he nibbled gently on the hard peaks and then applied slightly harder pressure until she cried out. She dug her hand into his hair, pulling him closer.
“I think it’s time for me to kiss other places.” And true to his word, he kissed his way down to the mound between her thighs.
Kate stared at him, trying not to let her heart take over. She could control herself. It didn’t matter that he made her feel like she was the most loved person in the entire world. She would remember he offered her the best thing he could, happiness free of complications. And she would seize every last little bit she could.
Chapter Twenty-two
Damn, but having sex with Kathryn set fire to his soul. And he knew why, though he didn’t want to admit it. He wasn’t just having sex with her. He was making love to her body.
He wanted to give her pleasure until she could take no more. Ryder kissed the soft curls just above her pussy and drank in the salty feminine scent. It was erotic, the scent of their love making. He gently parted her thighs and crawled back so he was resting on the steps leading up to the bed. Impatiently, he tugged her towards him so her hips were just on the edge.
With one hand, he hooked her legs around his shoulders. With the other, he pressed her hips down, keeping her in place. She was so beautiful. The silky folds of her sex were wet with hunger.
Hunger for him.
For a moment, he just stared down at her, savoring the knowledge that he gave her pleasure and that no other man was going to give her pleasure again.
Gently, his slicked his fingers over her folds, and she shimmied against him. Ryder smiled then bent his head. Ever so slightly, he lingered above her then flicked his tongue out over her nub. She gasped for breath and bucked against his face. A low laugh rumbled from his chest.
“That pleases you?”
She wove a hand in his hair and urged him down.
“I’ll take that as a yes.” And then he ran his lips back and forth over her, building the pressure and the friction. Her muscles tightened, and her hips lifted off the bed as she reached towards him.
He sucked her into his mouth, loving the salty taste of her. God, he loved the fact she was marked by their lovemaking. He could spend all day taking that in. Licking her like sweet summer ice, he pressed then retreated.
Her head tossed back and forth on the bed. Closing his eyes, he focused on the feel of her against his lips and tongue, hot and sweet, ready for him. He wanted her wet. Intensely wet.
He drove his tongue into her entry, and she shuddered, her thighs tightening about his head. God, he loved how passionate she was. Finally, he couldn’t take the thundering of his blood and the growing hardness of his cock, and he climbed up her body and pulled her back up the bed.
“Tell me what you want.” His voice was barely more than a rough whisper.
Pink stained her cheeks, and her mouth was half open. She slid her hands to his shoulders and down his back. “I want you.”
The words might have meant something else coming from a different woman, but he wouldn’t allow himself to think about that. Instead, he gave her exactly what she asked. Ryder slid his cock along the wet flesh and then he paused at her back entry and probed ever so slightly.
Her eyes widened, and her body tensed. “What are you—” She gasped and bit down on her lower lip.
As he slid his cock in ever so slightly, he flicked his fingers over her pussy, and she grabbed hold of him. “It’s too much.” She moaned. “Too much.”
“You don’t like it?” Though he could tell from the color of her cheeks and the way she moaned she did.
“I don’t know,” she breathed.
“For later, then,” he said gently. He slid his cock with aching slowness back into her core.
She sighed and folded her legs and arms around him. Ryder’s heart slammed in his chest. It was as if she was wrapping her body around him and offering him safety
He gave himself blindly over to the feeling.
He propped himself on his elbows and took her in slow thrusts, until she was rising to meet him. He glanced down and managed to catch her gaze. Pure wonder lit her face.
“I-I didn’t know it could be like this,” she whispered.
Ryder wrapped her in his arms. “Oh, Kathryn. Neither did I.” And he meant it. Nothing had ever felt like this.
And then they were coming together their bodies liquid heat as they moved in one rhythm.
Her thighs tightened about his waist, pulling him even closer to her core. And he rested his head against the pillow, his face buried against her curling hair.
As her fingers dug into his back and her muscles tightened around him, he couldn’t hold back and he pulled out to the tip then thrust in deep one last time before he spilt his seed. Pleasure erupted inside him, hurtling through his body, and he held her tight, gasping for air.
The wave faded and he thrust as deep as he could, letting his head rest against her womb. He felt completely drained. Somehow Kathryn had taken him into her and made him feel something he never had. He felt as if maybe, just maybe, there was a place for him in this world and that Hell was a place he could turn his back on.
***
Kate nestled closer to Ryder, amazement leaving her completely at ease. In fact, the house could fall down around her and she probably wouldn’t notice. He tucked them into the covers. Now, she was pressed against his hard body, her cheek resting against his shoulder and one arm draped over his chest.
She traced her hand up and down his strong arm, avoiding the thought that he wasn’t wearing the pale ribbon. That he always removed it when they made love. The very idea of it seemed forbidden, and she had no wish to touch darkness tonight, not when so much happiness surrounded them.
In turn, he wrapped one arm about her, keeping her close to him. Kate glanced up, only getting a view of his black stubbled chin. “I do believe this is the first time we’ve succeeded in finding a bed.”
He paused for a moment then laughed. “We certainly haven’t done things by rule. Rule is rather boring, don’t you think?
“Rules are for people without imaginations or a sense of determination.”
He tapped his finger to the tip of her nose. “And you have quite the determination.”
She tilted her head back and kissed his fingers. “Thank you?” she asked, not entirely sure it was a compliment.
“Kathryn,” he said, cuddling her closer. “Your determination is one of your most winning traits. Without it you’d still be in Shropshire.” He paused. “In truth, how did you determine to come to London?”
“Truthfully?” She wasn’t sure how he’d react. Most people would think it rather pathetic, even if she had to be bold to achieve her desires.
“I long to hear the tale. After all, the ending though surprising, has turned out rather well.”
She kissed his chest, loving the feel of his warm skin. It wasn’t going to be easy to relay this, but it was probably best he understood her relationship with Percy and why she refused to let herself be weak. She drew in a long breath preparing for the story.
“You know,” he said gently, “if it causes you pain, I don’t need to hear it now.” He cupped her cheek. “I would never want to cause you pain.”
Kate blinked half afraid she was about to feel tears sting her eyes. “No. I’d like to tell you.” She shift
ed closer to him, if that was possible. “I was lonely, is all. Very. And I had no companions except for a very old and proper lady. And Percy came to call. My father hated Percy almost on sight and disapproved of the match. He made it clear I was being a fool. After all, I had a massive fortune and such a young, romantic man as Percy could never want me, someone rather plain, for anything but my money.”
“Kathryn, you are anything but plain,” Ryder said, his voice rough. “Your father should be shot. You are valuable in your own right.”
“No,” she whispered. “He was right. Percy, with his boyish good looks and charm, convinced me he loved me, quite thoroughly.” She smiled in the darkness, though she felt no amusement at her own stupidity. “I allowed myself to be carried away with thoughts of love. I married Percy. And let us just say he thought a wife should be pure and find no pleasure in the act.” She swallowed recalling his grunting over her and the blessed quickness of his pawing. Though she tried not to, she could recall a few rough squeezes and searing pain as he’d stuck himself unceremoniously into her tight body.
“I’d like to kill him.” Ryder’s voice cut through the air with surprising intensity.
Kate couldn’t help it. She laughed lightly against his chest. He was being so kind listening to her. “Luckily, he’s already dead.”
“Skewering wasn’t painful enough for him.”
Her heart warmed at Ryder’s obvious displeasure on her account. “True. In any case, after a week he made it clear he found my intelligence appalling, my face to be plain and that the only appealing thing about me was my fortune. Sadly, and luckily for me, Percy was not aware how savvy my father was.”
“He protected your money.”
“Mmmm. We were only allowed an allowance of ten thousand a year.”
“Still a substantial sum.”
“Percy was furious.” She could still feel the crack of his hand when he returned from his lawyers. “He went to London, and I never saw him again.”