Page 70 of When the Duke Met His Match

Their panting and breathless moans mingled in the space around them, forgetting all about the inn and the other patrons. There was no space left for them to consider their sounds, nor did they care.

Hanging on as if her life depended on it, Odette gazed up at Theophilus through her heavy lashes, searching for the undeniable beauty she never wished to be without. The tension in his features and the veil of bliss that cloaked his eyes gave away how close he was to that release.

The very image of his faltering body, struggling to hold on, made her heart clench, and heat swam inside her belly. While that coiling inside her threatened to break, she felt the sudden urge to take him with her into that bliss and never look back. She wanted to take control and worship him as he deserved.

Pushing against his arms that held her into place, he gave in and followed suit as she rolled over, finding herself atop him in a vulnerable yet powerful position.

Theophilus looked up at her in disbelief, yet he seemingly couldn’t find it within himself to object. Rather, he seemed to enjoy the change of pace.

With her hands pressed against his chest, Odette rocked her hips into his, rewarded with immediate satisfaction. His jaw went slack as he dropped his head into the pillows, hands locked securely around her thighs.

He cursed under his breath, to which she allowed a wicked smile to cross her lips. With a fire ignited inside her from the liberation, she had no interest in stopping.

Finding leverage against his chest, she moved in perfect rhythm with him as he aided through the lazy bucking of his hips to meet her in an almost sinful way. Tossing her head back, she let her body take over, captivated by the pitiful sounds that tumbled from his lips.

When her eyes met his once more, she found his vulnerability and a silent surrender to her new influence over him. Unwilling to avert her gaze, she continued her lewd rocking and savored the feeling of his hands moving up her body.

The snapping of his hips and the shortening of his breath told her he was painfully close to that precipice, and she wanted nothing more than to tip him over it.

But the moment his hand dropped between her legs, stimulating her to the point where her eyes fought to stay open, she gave up any semblance of control that she had.

The coil snapped with a shockwave that had her quivering under his touch, letting a cry escape her lips. Black filled her vision, and Odette’s body filled with agonizingly delicious bliss.

Her hips slowed as Theophilus collided with her until he choked back a groan, fingers squeezing her milky skin while he, too, was thrust into that pleasured haze. He released a deep breath and slumped into the bed, catching Odette before she could fully collapse onto him.

Spent and out of breath, she tucked herself into his side while his arm wrapped around her, fingers carefully gliding up and down her back.

A peaceful silence lingered between them while their chests rose and fell, completely washed by ecstasy and too ignorant to care about anything else.

Theophilus ran his fingers through her hair and murmured quiet words of encouragement, to which she simply closed her eyes and let herself exist within their paradise.

Even if she knew the time to pull apart would inevitably arrive, Odette chose to ignore it. Instead, she basked in the familiar comfort he provided and got lost in daydreams consisting of happiness, desire, and every possible way they could show their love for one another.

Chapter Thirty-Eight

THEOPHILUS

The small room was quiet while Eric and Theophilus pulled on the costumes given to them by Odette’s parents, seemingly both lost in thought.

Eric had never been one to hold his tongue when he was feeling anxious. However, it seemed he knew this time would differ from their stint in the army together. They were preparing to face an entire rebel group on their own without the aid of their comrades.

It seemed the weight of that unfortunate reality weighed on both of their shoulders.

“Theophilus?”

Odette’s small voice carried from the next room over.

“Yes?”

“Could you assist me a moment?” she asked.

Adjusting the cuffs of his midnight-blue greatcoat, embellished with silver finishings and fine details, he approached the small room and found her there holding up the front of her dress.

At a loss for a moment, his eyes raked up and down her body. He was stunned into silence.

Her dress fanned away from her body with a full-bodied silhouette made of silver-white silk to match his attire. She had fixed her hair into an impressive array of braids around her head, with the rest loosely draped against her back, all done without the help of a lady’s maid. A light-colored rouge was pressed into the apples of her cheeks and a delectable red across her lips.

Seemingly bashful beneath his eyes, her cheeks were glowing as she tried to force her smile away. She turned around swiftly to reveal the back of her dress was undone. “Could you please lace me?”