Page 88 of To Ensnare a Duke

My heart pounds in my chest, causing my gut to clench and my head to ache. Where the devil can she be? Again, I look in every room including mine, but nothing. I go back to the base of the stairs and close my eyes. With a deep breath, I drink in the scents around me until I pick up on her unmistakable ginger and spice.

It's still rather heavy in the drawing room, but then it goes out into the hall. Every room has a touch of her scent in it, making my head swim with frustration. Eventually, I come to my study. I hadn't checked it earlier, because what need would she have in there?

As I step in, I know instantly that she was, in fact, in here. But she doesn't seem to be any longer. Anger gives way to terror as I pace about, thinking through all the nooks and crannies of my house. Where is she? Did the mysterious man take her?

My steps lead me around the room until I stop at the bookcase in the back. No. She couldn't be. But as I open it up, I latch onto her scent once more. She's down in my secret dungeon. Grabbing a nearby lamp, I close the door behind me and make my way down.

Lights bounce off the very back end, reassuring me she's in fact probably still there. When I step into the room, however, the visual is not one I expect. Augusta lounges on my spanking bench, her head pointed toward the fireplace so she cannot see me.

Her round bottom wags back and forth as she moves her feet about. Instantly, my cock hardens at the alluring scene. Besides, it's been far too long since I've enjoyed her flesh. And for what? Hang my pride. Nodding, I stride over to her, determined to put an end to this stalemate once and for all.

"Such a pretty picture you make, my willful wife." With a startled gasp, she jumps off and stands before me, as naked as the day she was born, save the necklace I gave her for our wedding. I do my best to tamp down the anger and hurt, knowing these emotions will not serve us well. "You had me very worried about you. I almost didn't think to look in this room. What was your plan if I never came?"

A light blush paints her cheeks as she looks down to the floor. "I'd simply redress and go back to my room until you were home."

"For what reason do you seek me out?" My words come out in a gasp as need courses through my veins.

"I- I needed to speak with you."

"There are far easier ways to seek an audience with me."

She scrunches up her adorable little nose. "When? You're never home anymore. And when you are… you're not here."

With a sigh, I step closer to her and pinch the bridge of my nose. "I know. I-"

"Please," she interrupts. "Let me say this. I need to get it all out." With a shaky breath, she reaches forward and loosens my cravat. "I've tried to tell you things, but they never come out right. Somehow, my words are wrong. My actions are wrong. I am wrong. I don't understand how things became so muddled between us."

Her fingers drift down my shirt, stroking my body through the fabric. Normally, I don't allow a woman to take charge over me, but I'm rather curious to see where this journey takes us. I can always make her stop if I want to. Besides, her hands feel so damned good touching me in that innocent way of hers.

"I don't mean to be naughty. I… I can't seem to stop it. I have needs in me. Needs that have no words or definition. It's as if I cannot grasp the language enough to coax coherency out of it. But I need you to hear me. Truly hear me."

With a hard yank, she tugs on my shirt and lifts it up as best as she can. A soft chuckle drifts from my lips as she struggles to pull it over my head, so I oblige and remove the offending article. Her moan goes straight to my cock, making it pulse as precum wells to my tip.

She burrows her head against my chest, planting kisses along my skin. I shiver under the onslaught of emotions running through me. Unable to keep them all at bay, I grab her shoulders and pull her away from me.

"Is this some trick to get me to bed you? Are those words so difficult to utter?"

"No," she wails, her voice thick. "I… See? We cannot even have a conversation without you jumping to the wrong conclusion. This isn't about my carnal needs. Though, I do hope you'll see reason and finally make me your wife in deed as well as name."

"I suppose that depends entirely on the direction this takes." Dropping my head to rest on hers, I sigh. "You're not the only one who feels so lost. Before you, I thought I knew how to get what I wanted from any woman. You've proven me wrong time and time again."

"Perhaps we can start over after this." She leans in and wraps her arms around me, holding me tight as she peppers me with kisses again.

I groan at the sensation of her lips running over me. How could I have stayed away so long?

"Please don't hate me."

Her words are the last thing that registers before her teeth dig into my skin. A primal roar rips from my throat as I thread my fingers through her hair and grip hard. I can't tell if I aim to pull her away or draw her even closer so she can find a better purchase.

Colors whirl behind my closed eyelids as our souls knit together as one. Her emotions are laid bare to me, showing me a side I couldn't access before. Sorrow, hurt, and pain bombard my brain as I do my best to make sense of what I'm hearing and seeing.

Underneath it all is the deepest yearning I've ever known. It's a bottomless well that seems to run dry, only to fill up when I have my way with her. Wrapping my arms around her tiny body, I clutch her to me. Tears prick my eyes as her fears of Bedlam rise to the surface.

As if I'll ever send her to that horrid place. What she needs is an outlet for her darker urges. Nothing more. And I, the cad that I am, have been denying her. Threads wind their way around us, knitting our hearts and souls together until even our breath, our very hearts, move as one.

Eventually, she pulls away, worry shining in the depths of her eyes. My blood stains her lips, turning them an erotic shade of crimson. With a soft smile, I reach out and slide my thumb across her bottom lip.

"I hear you, little wanton." I murmur, placing my hand over her heart. "I hear you."