Page 40 of When the Duke Met His Match

Knowing she had filled him with such visceral hunger and desire sparked a feeling of pride within her chest, and she couldn’t help the small smirk on her face.

“You’re a temptress,” he murmured, lowering his lips an inch from hers. A flirtatious smile gleamed back at her. “But I will not be outdone.”

Curious to know what he meant, the breath was pulled from her the moment he hiked up the modest skirt of her dress, never taking his eyes away from hers.

A blush crept across her cheeks, but she didn’t protest. Instead, she soaked up the sensation of his hands sliding up her thighs, resting in place only long enough for him to squeeze her soft skin before continuing.

His lips reconnected with hers hotly, sending a wave of bewilderment through her. So enraptured by the feeling of his mouth on hers that seemed to search every inch of her, she scarcely noticed as he brought a hand closer to her flower.

Odette gasped once more, shocked by the sudden rush that came from the mere touch of his finger. She pulled away enough to look up at him, eyes blown wide.

“Relax, Odette,” he whispered, breath warm against her lips. “Let me take care of you.”

Not willing to object, she took a deep breath and let her head drop into the pillows. Before long, his lips were on her neck beneath her ear. A shiver ran down her back, excited by the feeling. He slowly kissed down the sensitive skin while the pad of his finger carefully circled against her.

Each variation in pressure and speed helped the pleasure cloak her, ebbing and flowing. The breathy moans were impossible to control, and she became overwhelmed by his expert hands.

When Theophilus’ mouth reached the bottom of her throat, he pulled back up and placed a tender kiss on her lips. Simultaneously, he slid his hand down the length of her and carefully slid inside.

The arch of her back and the whimper that left her lips seemed to amuse him as if it were a signal that he had won and she was completely at his mercy. Even if she had never let herself be at the mercy of any man before, she could only see the good in doing so at that very moment.

Completely surrounded by him and the suffocating heat in the room, Odette tipped her head back and allowed that bliss to shower her as she’d never have the chance to feel it again.

He maintained a consistent pace as she let the moans tumble from her mouth, which he muffled from time to time as he kissed her, swallowing those sinful sounds. He occasionally hummed in response, seemingly pleased by her enthusiasm.

The constant motion of his hand was enough to have her weak in the knees and clutching the bedding beneath her. Completely breathless, she rocked her hips into him, searching for relief from the build-up of pleasure.

“Theophilus,” she sighed, eyes closed tightly at an exceptionally tasteful thrust of his fingers.

“There is no sweeter sound than my name on your lips,” he murmured, sliding his other arm beneath her to remain as close as possible. “I hope to hear it until the day I die.”

“This is no time to discuss death,” she muttered in between moans.

Theophilus added another finger and caused her back to arch even higher, interrupting her with another pleasured whine. He chuckled against her chest, where her dress had loosened, before pressing a kiss in the valley of her breasts.

Odette didn’t have the ability to argue with him then, not while her head filled with a pleasant fog caused by his incessant hand. She gripped the bedding tighter as her thighs constricted against his hand, so close to that intangible precipice.

“I told you to not underestimate me,” Theophilus cooed against her neck, leaving a kiss against her skin.

She wanted to put him in his place, but the pleasure was too good to ignore. She never wanted it to end, not while the end seemed so near. In that circumstance, she didn’t mind surrendering to his pestering.

When his lips collided with hers once again, a sincere longing sparked in her chest, desperate to take every drop of affection he had to offer. His thumb brushed against her most sensitive place, and dizziness consumed her.

Gripping his back was the only thing that kept her grounded, not too shy to dig her nails into his taut skin. While she expected him to protest, he growled with satisfaction and quickened the pace of his hand.

Odette couldn’t form the words that sat on the end of her tongue, wanting to spill them like a chant. She wanted to tell him how good it felt, how badly she didn’t want him to stop, and that she had never felt so completely understood by a man before then. And yet, all sounds beyond gasps and moans evaded her.

The coil within her snapped at once, unleashing every ravenous desire and longing inside her heart and mind. She clenched her thighs around Theophilus’ hand and tilted her head back as the pleasure surged through her, edging her vision with darkness.

Sent to a heavenly place of bliss and contentment, Odette struggled to catch her breath, her chest rising and falling rapidly.

His lips caressed hers warmly, surrounding her with every ounce of love and affection she could soak up.

Relieved and satisfied, she relaxed into the bed and looked up at the man who had no business stealing her heart and refusing to return it.

At the very least, she knew it was in good hands.

Chapter Twenty-Three