Captive to the Kiss of a Wicked Duke: A Steamy Historical Regency Romance Novel

by Scarlett Osborne

  “It would be my honor,” she told him.

  They were still smiling foolishly at each other as he led her out amongst the other dancers. He pulled her close to his body, her breasts pressed against his hard chest. Her labored breathing had everything to do with the hand splayed on her lower back and their very close proximity.

  “Watch it, Meredith,” Heath murmured. “You are turning as red as a tomato. Others might think I have said something untoward to you.”

  “Since when have you cared about what others think of you?” she murmured back. She couldn’t help her blushing. Every time she felt his leg brush her, her mind was filled with tempting thoughts.

  “You’re right, I don’t,” he chuckled. “But I doubt they will care much about how red your face is considering you’ve decided to wear that dress.”

  Meredith peered up at him, despite knowing what it did to her sensibilities if she dared to bring her lips any closer to his. “Is there something wrong with my dress?”

  “On the contrary, it is quite perfect. So perfect, that I am resisting the urge to whisk you away to the gardens so I can gaze upon you alone. These men don’t deserve to see this sort of beauty.”

  Meredith laughed heartily, not caring who heard. She hoped her father was watching her. She hoped he would see how happy she was when she was in Heath’s arms. “Please watch what you say, Heath,” Meredith responded in a low tone. “It is already quite tempting.”

  “Tempting, you say?” She heard the intent in his voice, and it sparked something within her. Something that threatened to burn her alive if it wasn’t sated soon. “Then…after this dance?”

  “I would love to,” she agreed instantly.

  Heath chuckled, his chest vibrating with the force of it. “I must say, I quite enjoy how eager and blunt you can be. But there is something important I must do first.”

  “What’s that?”

  “After this dance, you will see.”

  “Why won’t you tell me now?”

  “It is a secret,” he said simply.

  “A secret?” she probed. “What kind?”

  Heath shook his head, hiding his smile. The song was already drawing to a close, much to Meredith’s disappointment. “It would not make much of a secret if I were to tell you, now would it?”

  She didn’t get the chance to answer before the song came to an end so she only rolled her eyes at him, making him release his grin. They stepped away from each other, Heath’s hand lingering on her own for a second longer. The other dancers were separating, some gentlemen returning their partner to their chaperon.

  Heath and Meredith just stood there, grinning at each other. The mysterious Duke and the lady who was rumored to have killed her mother. They made quite the pair.

  Finally, they left the spot, making their way back to the refreshments table. There, the Earl waited, his arms crossed, watching the two of them with a mixture of wariness and amazement.

  “My Lord,” Heath greeted politely. “Good evening.”

  “Your Grace,” her father greeted, looking him up and down. Though Heath was of a higher rank, it was clear the Earl didn’t care to treat him as such, no matter how he addressed him. He was still obviously upset about Heath’s role in all of this.

  Meredith understood his position, but she wished he would also be a little more understanding. Right now, the odd tension between the men was bearing down on her.

  “There is something I wish to speak with you and Meredith about,” Heath said. “Would you like for us to go out onto the balcony where we might be alone?”

  Her father narrowed his eyes, but nodded. Meredith tried to catch Heath’s eyes, to see what this was all about, but he avoided them.

  The Earl led the way out onto the balcony. Once the doors were shut, an odd silence fell over them. The noise from the ballroom could hardly be heard. Meredith went to stand between her father and Heath as they faced each other, the stars above them lighting the expression on each other their faces. Neither one of them was making her feel at ease.

  “I shall not waste your time,” Heath began. “During Meredith’s time with me, I have fallen in love with her. Now, I would like nothing more than to have her be my wife. I hope you can give us your blessing.”

  Meredith’s heart thudded madly in her chest. She couldn’t stop herself from smiling from ear to ear like a mad fool. She wished she could throw her arms around him and give him a long kiss.

  The Earl raised his chin. “After what you have done, what makes you think I will even consider the thought?”

  “Because my feelings for her have grown ever since we were youths” Heath answered quickly, as if his response had been right on the tip of his tongue. “Because no one had been able to cut to my core the way Meredith does, and because I know that I will make her as happy as she makes me.”

  An earnest response. Meredith thought she just might melt into the ground.

  But the Earl said nothing. Meredith decided that wouldn’t hinder her. “I’ll marry you,” she announced.

  “Meredith,” came her father’s shocked gasp.

  Meredith faced him. “I am certain you can see just how much I care for him as well, Father. I would prefer to have you give your blessings. But whether or not you do, I plan on marrying Heath.”

  Her father was speechless for a moment. Then he sighed. When he looked back at Heath, hoped sparked within her.

  “Very well,” he said. “You shall have her hand. I cannot deny that it has been a while since I’ve seen her like this, and so I can tell that having you by her side might be what is best.”

  “It is, Father!” Meredith threw her arms around his neck, hugging him tightly. “You do not know how happy this makes me.”

  “Oh, I can tell.” The Earl laughed before he embraced her as well. “And it makes me happy to see that you are learning to enjoy life again.”

  “It is all thanks to Heath.” Meredith pulled away, capturing Heath’s hand in hers.

  The Earl looked at their intertwined hands and back at Meredith before laughing to himself. “Then it seems I have made the right decision. Now, let us return to the ball now that we have something to celebrate.”

  He turned and began making his way to the door. Meredith caught Heath’s grin as they followed behind him. Right after the Earl slipped in, Heath tugged at her arm, keeping her from returning.

  He kissed her lightly on the lips, then again, then again. “I will finally have you as my wife,” he murmured.

  “And I will finally have you as my husband,” she whispered back.

  “It looks like we’ve struck quite the deal, haven’t we?” Heath chuckled. They couldn’t stay long alone out on the balcony. Her father would come looking for them soon enough, knowing that a lady and a gentleman could not be caught all alone together. It was hard to remind herself of that when those rules had not existed when she was with him.

  So, taking another second to themselves, Meredith stole another kiss before she said, “And now, you are stuck with me.”

  Epilogue

  One Month Later

  “Who gives this woman to be married to this man?”

  For so long, Meredith didn’t think she would hear such words. Resigning herself to the life of a recluse had become her reality—a world alone and without love. Pushing away those who cared for her and fearing anyone who might hope for a chance.

  Hearing those words brought tears to her eyes.

  She didn’t look away from Heath, fearing it all might be a dream. It truly felt like one, just like the past month. As she prepared for this wedding, she had to remind herself of all that had happened to lead up to this monumental point in her life. All the tears, the fear, the anger, the laughter, the secrets, and the happiness.

  All simply to hear, “Into this holy union, His Grace, Heath Fillion, and Lady Meredith Cluett, to be joined.”

  Sitting among the other guests, her father was near tears. He’d nearly given into it when he’d walked he
r down the aisle to the gentle hymn being sung by the choir in the corner of the chapel sitting on the Castlemore grounds. His voice had cracked when he’d declared that he would be giving her away. Jenny too sat among them, though a servant, because she was one of the dearest persons to Meredith’s heart.

  The priest went on and Meredith struggled to focus. With Heath standing before her like this, so devilishly handsome, she could only think of what awaited her when they returned to the manor. The wedding was small and so the few guests would return to Pebblebrook Manor for the wedding breakfast. Heath had already conjured up an excuse for why they could not attend, which would give them more time to be together as man and wife.

  To be alone with each other.

  Her body tingled in anticipation, goosebumps rising on her skin when the priest said, “Do you, His Grace, take Lady Meredith to be your wife? To love, to comfort her, to honor and keep her, in sickness and health?”

  Heath’s eyes held private words that were only meant for her. Without a doubt. “I do.”

  “And do you, Lady Meredith, take His Grace to be your husband? To love, to comfort him, to honor and keep him, in sickness and in health?”

  I will not cry. I will not cry. “I do.”

  She was crying. Heath huffed a laugh, reaching up to wipe her tears away.

  “I pronounce you,” the priest said, his voice booming with finality, “man and wife. Your Grace, you may kiss the bride.”

  “With pleasure.”

  Heath’s wicked grin disappeared as Meredith closed her eyes in anticipation, leaning her head up to meet his lips, heat spreading throughout her body at the gentle contact. It was the dawn of what was to come when they he finally got her alone. Meredith prayed she would be able to keep herself from being too obvious.

  Then there came the applause, the choir who began to sing again. It was not a dream, she knew now, but she still could not believe it. Though the registry was still to be signed, Meredith now considered herself the wife of the man she loved. And she couldn’t be happier.

  “Why are you looking at me like that?”

  Meredith kept her eyes on Heath, her back to the bed. She’d slept in that bed before, but with her clothes on. She knew that when next it came the time to sleep, there would be none.

  She tilted her head to the side. “Like what?”

  “You know exactly what you’re doing.”

  She did, even though she didn’t know how. It would be her first time but Meredith was relaxed, eager. She thought she would have been trembling with anxiety, but all she felt was that never-ending need to be with him.

  Heath had told the guests she was feeling dizzy. Meredith had played along by swooning a bit as they made their escape. Then they’d raced back to Castlemore Manor as quickly as they could. When Heath had carried her over the threshold of the manor, she’d felt lighter than air. When he’d carried her over the threshold of his bedchamber, her chest felt heavy with burning passion, pulling her toward the bed.

  Heath was standing a few feet away from her, his fingers reaching for his coat. She watched his slow movements as her mouth went dry. “Come here,” he murmured.

  She didn’t hesitate to rise, to walk over to him. By the time she’d come to stand before him, he was only wearing his shirt, pulling his cravat free. Meredith’s loins coiled with yearning, her fingers itching to reach out and touch him. As he slowly brought his fingers to the hem of his shirt and pulled it over his head, revealing his broad chest, Meredith thought her legs would give way.

  Heath tossed the shirt aside and pulled her to him in one swift movement, making her gasp. “I’ve been waiting for this for far too long,” he whispered to her. His hot breath made her shiver with need.

  “As was I,” she whispered back. She splayed her fingers on his chest, running them through the dark curls. She wanted to kiss him there, but that was when the nervousness came in. She was not sure if it would be deemed odd.

  She’d expected Heath to be rough, to move with the urgency of a man who understood power. But, he was gentle instead. He cupped her chin, lifting her lips to his. He kissed her softly there, teasing her, as his hand trailed down her neck to the back of her dress.

  “Let us get this off.” His words were nothing but a rasp, his desperation stark. She was happy to know she wasn’t the only one eager to be touched.

  Meredith attempted to turn to have him undo her buttons, but he wrapped his arm around her instead, pulling her into him. His tongue descended onto her neck, brushing the healed wounds that laid there, licking her with tantalizing slowness as his fingers slowly undid button after button. Meredith held on to him, her knees buckling every time he grazed her with his teeth. The pleasure was intense, but even more so was the anticipation of having herself exposed to him.

  She’d done that before, she remembered. She’d seen how it had affected him and was hoping she would get the same reaction. As he undid the ribbons, exposing more and more of her underclothing, Meredith braced herself for the exposure.

  Finally, the wedding dress slid to the floor. She wore nothing but a pale chemise. Heath pulled away, running his hungry gaze down the length of her. Swift and precise, he tugged the chemise over her head and she stood there naked.

  Meredith didn’t shy away. She boldly allowed him to see her, to take in the swell of her breasts, the curves of her hips, the swatch of hair around her intimate area. His reaction was even better than she’d hoped and satisfaction and pride sprouted in her when she saw the lump bobbing in his throat.

  “Get on the bed,” he ordered lightly.

  Meredith did as he said. He followed her, reaching for the band of his trousers. He moved with ease, stepping out of them without breaking stride. Meredith gasped at the sight.

  He was…large. This time, her mouth watered, all sorts of ideas popping into her mind. She tried to resist writhing, the hot slickness between her thighs too much to endure.

  Heath seemed to have read her mind. He crawled atop the bed, forcing her onto her back. His dark gaze instantly fell to her peaked nipples and he bent his head to take one into his mouth, like a starved child.

  Meredith arched against the bed, her hand grabbing ahold of the sheets. It was hard to focus on her ideas when his tongue worked such wonders. And his hand…oh, his hand was slowly reaching down there. One finger slid between the lips, touching the sensitive nubbin. And then he began to rub.

  It was a glorious combination that had her gasping. Meredith could no longer see anything around her. All she knew was that pleasure, that unbelievable bliss that was enough to drive her insane.

  “Do you like that?” he asked.

  She bit her lip, nodding.

  “Tell me you like it.”

  “I like it. I love you.” She grabbed ahold of his head in alarm when his lips began to descend. But he kept going until his glorious tongue touched her in that indescribable manner.

  Meredith’s legs tensed. She felt his hands creep underneath her, gripping her buttocks. He was holding her down as she bent and twisted, unable to keep herself still. It was pure euphoria, that feeling, and as the tension grew, she began to recognize the feeling.

  In the next second, she was gone.

  Meredith gasped loudly, her head arching back, her hands gripping the sheet with all her might. And still, he continued, urging her through her release until she sagged back onto the bed, panting.

  “H-heath…”

  “I will die a happy man because I’ve gotten the chance to hear that sound.” He lifted his head, licking his lips.

  She wished she could say witty something in return, btu most her strength was depleted. “That was…”

  “Save your energy for later,” he said, resting his finger on her lips. He leaned over and kissed her gently on the forehead. “I promise, you will need it.”

  Meredith hadn’t a clue what he meant by that, but the beautiful intent in his voice was enough to heighten her longing. And so, she gave him a grin of wicked inten
t.

  Heath blinked at the sight of it, before he returned it with full force. Then, he positioned himself over her. She felt his member pressing against her. He was being gentle, allowing her to adjust. Meredith didn’t look away from him once as her body grew accustomed to the feel of him.

  This is…beautiful.

  It was the only way she could think to describe the feel of him, despite the burn of pain that dissipated a second later. It was pure, unfiltered beauty to be able to be here like this. To have him slide out of her and have the feel of that be as pleasurable as when he slid in. She dug her nails into his back, but he seemed to like it. It seemed to spur him on, and faster he went, her pants ricocheting between them.