Page 21 of The Duke of Pain

“No more misery tonight,” he whispered as he smoothed her golden hair. “There are horrid people in the world, and we have encountered our fair share. Perhaps more than our fair share. Let us partake in something more tangible. I want you to touch me. All over. Can you do that? Will you? I do not want you to do anything you feel uncomfortable with.”

Her hand rested above his heart, and it sped up at her caress. Without thinking, he laid his hand on top of hers, their fingers intertwined.

“I’d like to try. What do you mean?” Olivia whispered.

Gideon stood, then removed his shirt. Next, he unbuttoned his trousers and stepped out of them, kicking them aside until he was standing before her completely naked. His cock was as hard as an iron bar.

God, he was so aroused.

Her gaze fixed on his erection.

“I want you to touch me. Anywhere you like. Explore.” His voice sounded raw and husky to his own ears. “Please, Liv.”

“No one has ever called me by that name. I like it,” she said, her voice soft.

At that moment, Gideon felt his heart stutter to life. Although he stood with his feet firmly planted, the ground shifted perceptively under him. The unstable sensation caused his mind to reel and his heart to beat faster.

After all this time.

He knew, deep to the marrow of his bones, there was no going back to being that selfish, entitled rake. Why now? Was it his advancing age causing this monumental shift within him? Perhaps having a woman show concern and interest in him had unlocked those barriers. Perhaps they were both lonely and damaged and he recognized that they could help each other. To learn to feel. Maybe even—love.

In a mere forty-eight hours, Olivia had changed everything.

Chapter 6

Olivia had seen plenty of men naked. But not one so well put together. Of course, he was masculine perfection; how could he not be?

Truthfully, she ached to stroke his skin. A thoroughly strange sensation considering she avoided making any physical contact with most people.

Why him?

Curiosity won out; Olivia had to explore this conundrum.

She stood, then slowly circled around him, approving of his fine arse, muscular back and arms, and overall height.

Using the tips of her fingers, Olivia traced the veins running down his arm, across his collarbone, up to his full, sensual lips.

Then she traced his other arm, across his taut stomach, following the trail of dark hair to his erection. Dare she examine him here? Would she recoil, or could she grasp this very masculine part of him—and enjoy it?

Gideon inhaled, holding his breath as if anticipating what she would do next. Olivia gripped the thickness of him, and he exhaled on a moan.

“Yes. Touch me there.” His words were laced with a pleading agony.

She gave his cock a couple of swift strokes, then a few more. It took no time at all.

Growling low in his throat, he reached his peak.

Olivia’s eyes widened. To see Gideon with his head back and jaw clenched stirred the simmering embers deep inside her. His deep-throated, raspy moans caused liquid heat to pool between her legs.

Never in all her encounters did she have such a physical reaction to a man.

“Blast it,” he mumbled, staggering away. He headed toward the basin, then quickly cleaned up. When finished, he turned toward Olivia, hard once again.

Insatiable man.

But that is what she had heard about him. Seeing to this man’s needs on a steady basis would be exhausting for any singular woman.

But beyond all that, why had she made him—what was the word—come?