Page 77 of Distracting the Duke

But how valid were her reasons for rejecting the man she loved? How valid were her fears?

Her mind returned once more to their lovemaking in the study at Wroxham. What a revelation that had been! Marcus had made her feel like a virgin all over again…but this time her innocence had been taken with careful, intensely erotic determination. And he had managed it in such a way that she had felt she was in control.

Unlike Simon, Marcus had never pushed her further than she wanted to go, gradually stoking her desires with his mouth and expert fingers, until her longing to be one with him had reached an absolute crescendo.

Indeed, he’d managed to make her feel like the most beautiful, most desirable woman who had ever walked the earth. He’d treated her like a finely tuned musical instrument and played her body and emotions with total mastery. And he had that same mastery over his own body. He’d not allowed himself to lose control until he was buried deep inside her, when the rocking and thrusting of their bodies had already made her gasp and spiral out of her senses in absolute ecstasy.

That a man could make love with such selflessness had been a revelation to her.

And a very large part of her wanted him to do it again…

The sound of hooves upon gravel brought her up short. She went to the window and twitched aside the curtain.

Oh no, it was Marcus!

Almost tripping in her haste, she ran to the door and locked it, then clambered back into bed, her heart pounding and the blood singing in her ears.

Why was he here?

Would he want to see her?

Surely not, after the way she’d dealt with him. He wouldn’t want to speak to her at all.

Downstairs, someone was admitted to the house, and she heard the closing of the study door. Relief flooded through her…along with profound disappointment.

He’d come to see Philip, not her.

Perhaps they were discussing what might be done about Kate and Georgie, as the duke had taken an interest in them. Or…had he come to renew his addresses to Ellie?

Her heart squeezed so painfully she let out a sob.

She curled up on the bed in an agony of uncertainty, rocking backward and forward. What did he want? If she didn’t find out soon, she would surely die.

The creaking of the stairs was followed by the sound of masculine voices on the landing, then a rattle at her door.

She shot out of bed.

“Clara?” called Philip. “Ulvercombe is here to see you.”

She stared, horrified, at the moving doorknob. “I can’t see anyone. I’m not dressed!”

There was a muttered exchange outside the door, and she could hear Marcus’s voice. The hairs stood up on the back of her neck.

“Clara, have you locked this door?” he asked.

“I have.” She moved closer.

“Would you unlock it now, please?”

Panic surged through her. “I will not.”

“Do you wish me to break it down, like last time?” He sounded so reasonable, but she knew better.

“No, I want you to go away.”

She was right in front of the door now. After the wanton thoughts she’d just been experiencing, it was an agonizing temptation, knowing how close he was, his delectable body just the other side of the door, ready to exert brute strength just so he could reach her.

Her fingers gently stroked the wooden panels that kept them apart as tears filled her eyes. This marriage couldn’t be. She didn’t want to fail him, couldn’t bear to see the same look of disgust on his handsome face as she’d seen on Simon’s.