My Secret Alpha Step SEAL

by Paula Mabbel

  “You must think very little of me to believe such a thing.”

  “I think very highly of you, but very little of myself. My secret is that of shame and I’m afraid I might shatter into a thousand pieces if you were to look at me with anything less than the same kindness you do now.”

  “You believe the way I look at you is in kindness?” the Duke asked as he chuckled slightly to himself. “You are mistaken,” he added, but did not elaborate.

  “Perhaps, I saw more friendliness in you than you desired, but nevertheless I saw it.”

  “You are mistaken again,” the Duke said with a casual shake of his head. “I do not look at you with kindness or friendless. I look at you through the eyes of the man who sees beauty before him and stands in awe. I look at you with eyes filled with admiration and despair that you do not trust me with your secrets, yet expect me to trust you.”

  Jessica didn’t know what to say. She could feel her cheeks glowing with a deep red and a smile tugging at her lips, but she knew it would be short lived. He was unrelenting in his search for the truth behind her secrets and she knew she had to reveal them to him before they revealed themselves. “I’m pregnant,” she said quietly.

  The Duke didn’t say anything for a moment. His face fell into a sort of thoughtful stance that almost looked peaceful. Jessica waited for him to process what she had just told him. She waited for him to look at her with the same disgusted eyes that her parents had shown her, but they didn’t come.

  “How did it happen?” the Duke asked with curious eyes that were focused on Jessica’s stomach.

  “I was working in the tavern in my village and one of the passing army men proposed to me. He had to leave for his service, but he promised he would return in a month and then we would marry and I would be able to travel with him. He asked me to spend the night before he left with him and I did because I truly believed that he was coming back, but of course he didn’t,” Jessica answered the Duke truthfully.

  “That must have been very hard for you,” the Duke said with a gentle voice, as he stood up and walked over to where Jessica was sitting.

  “I manage.”

  “Does Lady Beamount know about your condition?” The Duke asked as he reached out his hand and placed it softly over Jessica’s.

  Jessica shook her head but she didn’t speak. All of her focus seemed to be shooting down to her hand, which was underneath the Duke’s. She could feel his rough skin rub against hers as he stroked across her palm with his fingertips. Her arms were starting to show goose bumps as they marked the places that were feeling his touch, even though he hadn’t moved.

  “You know, you really are beautiful,” the Duke said with a soft smile.

  Jessica returned his smile and watched as his face slowly became closer to her. She could see his eyes starting to close as his breath hit the side of her cheek and then his lips crashed into her own and, for a moment, she was lost in her senses as the world paused around them.

  The Duke pulled his lips away, and Jessica felt suddenly cold. She could feel her chest heaving as she took in deep and jagged breaths. She had never thought in a million years the Duke would be interested in her. She had never thought that anybody who knew the truth about her secret would be interested in her again.

  The Duke’s hands traced their way off of her own and then down to her leg. She could feel the way his touch was making her muscles tremble as her mind wandered on to what he might do next. Her heart was hammering in her chest, as he tucked his hand underneath her skirt and started to glide up to where the tingling in her body had decided to congregate.

  She tried to hold her breath, but she couldn’t as her lungs demanded to be used. She could feel the Duke’s eyes burning into her own, as his fingers dipped past her panties and into the wetness his touch had created. A small groan escaped her lips. Her head fell back and her back arched as she found herself grinding against his fingers. It hadn’t felt like that the first time; she had never felt so high in her life.

  She pulled the Duke up by his collar and looked him deeply in the eyes. She needed him to take control. She needed him to know that she was ready and when the bright red tip of his tongue slid across his lips, she knew he had received the message. She could already feel his hardness pushing against her leg as their bodies pressed together against the table, but then she felt his hand starting to rearrange the system and suddenly he was thrusting into her, and all she could do was feel.

  *******

  Jessica woke up with a start when she opened her eyes and found that she wasn’t in her bedroom. It took her a moment and the aching reminder between her legs to figure out that she was still at the Duke’s house. She rolled over in the bed and pulled the sheets up high. They were softer than anything she had ever slept in, and she tried to refrain from stroking her face up against the cool cotton that was surrounding her.

  She looked out of the window and noticed that the light of dawn had already broken and that the morning was nearly in full swing. She sat up quickly and rubbed away the last of the sleep from her eyes, before she shot her legs out of bed and cringed as her feet hit the cold floor below them.

  She could feel herself getting more and more anxious with every moment that passed. She had ended the night before with very little in the way of answers. The Duke had slept with her and she had assumed that he would call off the wedding, but she had never asked. She had spent the night at his house without her mistress’ permission and that would be dire without the Duke’s protection, but would he give it to her after everything that had happened between them?

  She put on her clothes and flew across the landing and down the stairs. She could hear the scraping of chairs against the kitchen floor and she followed the noise to find the Duke standing in the kitchen as he prepared to leave. “I’m glad I caught you,” she said breathlessly, to catch his attention.

  “Ah, Jessica,” the Duke said with bright eyes.

  “I need to ask you something.”

  “Ask away,” the Duke said cheerfully.

  “Are you going to cancel the wedding? I mean I know that what happened between us was probably a mistake for you and I understand that, but you are going to cancel the wedding right? You are going to make sure that you’re okay?” Jessica could feel her eyes pleading with his for the right answer to come out of his mouth.

  “I can’t cancel the wedding. It had already been agreed,” the Duke said as he shook his head and avoided her eyes. “But as for what happened between us, I shall never think that was a mistake. Jessica. I shouldn’t tell you this because there is nothing I can do, but if I had a choice, then I would pick you, even with your secret because, do you know what? That little secret of yours is half you and that makes him or her already half perfect, which is more than the rest of us can ever hope for.”

  Jessica looked into his eyes and tried to find the deception, but it wasn’t there. He really meant every word that he was saying, even though it was ridiculous. “I have to go back to my mistress,” Jessica said with a voice void of emotion, and then she turned and headed towards the front doors.

  She had done everything she could for him. She had fallen in love with him and she had tried to save his life. There was nothing more she could do, even if she wanted to. She could feel hot tears starting to prickle the corner of her eyes, as she walked out into the gray and damp air. She couldn’t stop to cry, though; she had to get back to the house and explain to her mistress where she had been all night.

  *******

  A week had passed since Jessica had spent the night with the Duke, and she hadn’t seen him since. That was all about to change, though, as she opened her eyes and found herself waking up on Lady Beamount’s wedding day. The house was full of noise from the moment her eyes started to creak open and, by the time she arrived downstairs, there was already a flurry of maids dancing around the lobby as they dressed it with flowers and pretty fabric trimmings.

  Jessica walked passed them and examined t
heir strained faces as she made her way to the kitchen. She took no enjoyment out of seeing them, though, as she knew that in a few short hours it would be her standing with the same look on her face as she tried to help her mistress into her wedding dress.

  A loud crash from the lobby bounced through the halls and into the kitchen. Jessica put down the thick slice of toast she had just pulled from the grill and walked back out to see what had happened. It was one of the younger maids, who had dropped one of the vases. The vase was smashed beyond repair and the girl had fallen in its pieces and was covered in cuts that were all the way up her arms.

  Jessica shook her head and pulled up the girl who was bleeding all over the floor. “Someone is going to need to clean this up,” Jessica instructed, before leading the girl away from the mess and back into the kitchen. She sat the girl down at the table and reached under it for a small first aid kit that she kept handy for knife-related injuries. “This is probably going to sting,” she warned as she poured alcohol onto a cloth and then wiped down the girl’s arm. The girl winced, but she didn’t cry out, and Jessica nodded with admiration.

  Jessica finished cleaning the girl’s arm and then went back to her toast, which had gone cold. She could hear the front door opening, and she assumed that the Duke had arrived from the fuss that the maids were making about the new visitor. She listened as footsteps approached the kitchen and frowned when a shadow hit the doorway.

  “I was hoping to see you,” the Duke said as he walked into the room and looked around to see whether they were alone, which they were.

  “Well, now all your dreams have come true,” Jessica said sarcastically.

  “Please don’t be like that.” The Duke walked forward and rested his hands on her shoulders, then tried to pull her into his body.

  “You can’t do this here,” Jessica hissed as footsteps rang down the hallway.

  “I need you to promise me that the marriage won’t change anything, Jessica. I need you to tell me that I can still be with you, even after I have walked out of here a married man today.” His eyes were full of desperation and despair.

  Jessica turned away from him. Her heart couldn’t take the tortured look in his eyes.

  “What the hell is going on in here?” Lady Beamount’s voice rang through the kitchen shrilly.

  The Duke dropped his hands quickly from Jessica’s shoulders and turned to face Lady Beamount. “You need to calm down. This isn’t the girl’s fault,” he said quickly as he stepped in front of Jessica.

  His words did not reach Lady Beamount’s ears though, and she flew across the kitchen, knocking the Duke out of the way. “You harlot. You filthy servant trying to seduce my future husband. I’ll see that you’re hanged for this,” she spat with fury burning in her eyes.

  Jessica didn’t say anything. She didn’t even know what to say. She just looked at her mistress and then at the Duke as she tried to work out how the situation would end.

  “You don’t put your filthy eyes on him,” her mistress said with a streak of red-hot anger that sent her hand flying across Jessica’s face.

  Jessica hadn’t been expecting it. She hadn’t even seen it until it had made contact. She felt her feet going from under her as she lost her balance and fell down on the floor. She could feel her hands shooting up to her stomach so that she could protect the only thing she had left, as her head cracked against the floor. For a moment there was nothing but black.

  Jessica ignored the thumping in her head and forced her eyes open. The light burned them as she tried to focus, but she was already ignoring so much pain that she hardly noticed. She could hear the Duke talking, but he sounded far away and distant. It took her a moment before she could work out what was being said in front of her.

  “How could you do that to her? She’s carrying a baby. You are a heartless woman and I want nothing to do with you. Do you understand? I care not about the agreement that was arranged for us. I care not about the honor I might be losing in the process of backing out, because it doesn’t compare to the honor I would lose calling you my wife,” the Duke spat hatefully at Lady Beamount.

  “I didn’t want to marry you anyway,” Lady Beamount said spitefully.

  “Oh, I know. I know all about your plan and so do the police officers I told to ensure that you wouldn’t get away with it. I’m sure you will hear from them soon,” the Duke said smugly.

  Jessica tried to turn her head, but she couldn’t. She felt a movement underneath her and it took her a moment to realize that the Duke had lifted her up into his arms.

  “You’re going to be okay,” he said gently as he walked out of the house. “I did the right thing. I made sure that I saved in return, and now, even though I face countless choices I can only see one in front of me. Jessica, I love you and I have from the moment I laid my eyes on you that night in the lobby. I want to spend the rest of my life making you see what I see when I look at you. Will you marry me?”

  Jessica could feel the grogginess of sleep taking a hold of her brain as she tried to focus on the Duke’s words. She nodded her head at his request and then let her head loll. She was safe now, with the man she loved, and that was all that mattered.

  *****

  THE END

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  Here is a FREE bonus 8000 word romance story “The Duke Of London’s Baby” by Cassandra Michaels.

  The Duke of London’s Baby

  Peter walked down the wet stone sidewalk quickly. The wind was sharp as it slapped against his cheeks and the rain was icy in its touch. Peter shivered. He missed the warm weather of the South and drier skies it so often shared. He walked a little further and then stopped. The street he'd been walking down looked the same as the one before and he was starting to lose his bearings.

  “Are you new to London?” A woman in a thick, black shawl asked.

  Peter watched her warily as she walked out from the shadows she had been hiding from. She looked aged beyond her years with beady eyes and a slight hook to her nose.

  “It’s been quite some time since I’ve been here.” Peter said stiffly, as he peered down the street to see whether that should be the way to go or not.

  “You don’t sound like you’re from around here.” The old woman crooned as she stepped closer to Peter.

  “As I said, it’s been some time.” Peter replied. “Do you know the way to the travelers’ inn?”

  “I sure do, sweetheart.” The woman said quickly.

  “Would you mind sharing that knowledge with me?” Peter asked a little irritably when it became apparent that she needed some prompting. “It is quite cold.” He added in the hopes that she might quicken her wits.

  “I’d only be too happy to share it with you.” The woman said with a broad and almost toothless grin. “It’ll cost you though.”

  “That’s ridiculous.” Peter said outraged by the woman’s cheek.

  “Then you keep looking dear.” The woman said and she quickly turned around. “It makes no difference to me.”

  “Fine.” Peter said quickly because the wind had seemed to pick up in the time they had spent talking.

  “It’s at the bottom of this street and to your left.” The woman said and then she held her hand out.

  Peter put his own hand in his pocket and felt around with numb fingers. The sound of rattling change alerted him to his finding and he pulled his hand back out.

  “Here.” He said without thanking the woman.

  “That’s very generous.” The woman said with a small nod and then she walked back into the shadows from which she had come.

  Peter wasted no time in setting back off and found himself approaching the inn quickly. He stopped at the door and checked the sign that hung overhead. It was lit by a small candle that had a shade of glass protecting it from t
he harsh weather. He smiled when he realized that he was in the right place. He pushed open the door quickly and scurried in.

  His arrival was met by a round of cheers from those who were already inside. Peter smiled at no-one in particular as he made his way over to the bar.

  “Here you are.” His friend George said loudly. “You’re late.”

  “All these streets look the same.” Peter said with a shrug, and then he caught the barmaid’s eye.

  He watched as her tenacious red hair bounced with every footstep she took towards him. She had a curvy frame that was being outlined by the dark brown, leather corset that she wore around her waist and over the dirty cotton blouse she was wearing.

  “What can I get you?” She asked when she stopped in front of Peter.

  “What do you have?” Peter asked as he peered over her and onto the shelves of liquor.

  “Whatever it is you’re wanting.” The girl said with a seductive smile.

  Peter took a moment to really look at her. She had the potential to be pretty. He could see that in her fair skin and small ski jump nose, but she was too rough. She had frizz to her hair and dirt under her nails and there was nothing that turned Peter off more.

  “Oh, I’m sure.” Peter said with a snide twist.

  He noticed her eyes open a little wider at the insult. and the leaf green color of her eyes caught his attention. He regretted his comment, but he knew that it was too late to try and save face now.

  “Should I give you a minute?” The girl asked and then looked at the other people who were waiting to be served.

  “I’ll just have a whisky.” Peter said and then he turned back to George.

  “Do these girls not bathe?” He asked as he leaned in so that George could hear him.

  “Perhaps they do and this is just what poverty looks like.” George said.