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“I didn’t know you played,” he replied.
“I don’t,” she admitted with an apologetic tone in her voice. “But Jane does. I think she would love it when she comes for a visit.”
This was the side of her personality that she still kept hidden from him. He had seen the bold and brazen Amelia Cooke. He was yet to see the softer side of her, the side she only gave him a glimpse of the previous night. He loved how obedient she was, how she completely let herself go, allowing him to pleasure her. He was overwhelmed with lust once more, and he knew that this evening, he would not be able to stay away from her. What was worse, he wasn’t certain he would even try to.
The rest of their dinner conversation went as usual. When they were finished, they bid each other good night although there was a certain anticipation in the way they both said it. He wanted to ask her something, anything, just to keep the conversation going, but he could not think of anything that might not be too transparent, too desperate. So, he merely did what he did every night. He bid her good night then retired to his own chamber. The knowledge that they were separated by only a couple of thin walls did little to satiate his need for her.
He would have to see how long he would last this time.
* * *
It had been exactly two hours since Arthur wished her good night. He hadn’t mentioned the events of the previous night, and neither had she. After all, what was there to say? She wondered as she stared at her reflection in the mirror.
She was dressed like the previous night– a thin nightgown and her hair unbound, flowing down the shoulders and back. With a trembling finger, she pushed some of it behind her ear, revealing anticipation in her eyes. A part of her was hoping that she would hear that knock on the door again, that he would come with any sort of an excuse to see her, to touch her, to taste her. But it had been two hours, and there was still no sign of him.
She tried to figure out if he seemed withdrawn this evening or perhaps aloof, but that was not the case. In fact, it was the opposite. They both seemed to be nervous but endearingly so at the same time, unwilling to let go of each other after dinner.
He had spent almost the entire day away from the house. Was he as nervous to discuss what happened as she was? She could not imagine a man feeling anxious to discuss something, even such intimate affairs. Especially not the Duke of Mosebridge. Yet, the more time she spent with him, the more apparent it became that he was not the man she thought him to be, nor was he the monsterthe tonalways portrayed him as.
Monster.It seemed like such a dreadful word, and in no way could she ever see it fit the man who brought her so much pleasure the previous night, the man who was so devoted to his family. As soon as she thought of his family, she remembered the tragic truth she read in his diary. Her heart ached for him. Her own memory of her mother haunted her with equal force – that pain of not having her was immeasurable. But to live knowing that it was one’s carelessness that caused such a tragedy… She could not even begin to imagine such anguish and torment. No one who felt such emotions could be a monster.
She glanced at herself in the mirror again, assuring herself that she had spent enough time waiting for him. She wanted him here, but perhaps, he thought otherwise. She swallowed heavily, taking a deep breath. What she was thinking of doing was outrageous. It was foolish. It was beyond comprehension, and yet, she was not only considering it, but she had already decided on doing it.
Still looking at her own reflection, she straightened her nightgown as if propriety mattered at a moment such as this one. The fabric was thin, almost transparent, so she wrapped a robe around herself, hiding her near nudity from plain sight. The softness of the fabric only seemed to make her anticipation of his touch even more palpable. The silky nightgown grazed against her skin, reminding her of the pleasures that were still attainable. All she had to do was reach out.
She blushed fervently at the thought. If only he would knock on her door. If only he would give her a reason to open the door and invite him in. However, it seemed that would not be the case. Not tonight. As always, if she wished to have something happen, she would need to be the catalyst for it.
Usually, she was unafraid. Unapologetic. She believed she had the right to take was she considered to be hers. But… was the Duke of Mosebridge hers? And what would constitute that possession? She could not tell. All she knew was that she wanted to be in his arms like the previous night. That was where she could forget about the rest of the world and simply be as she was.
She made sure that her robe was tied tightly around her waist, showing no excess skin in case she ended up stumbling onto one of the servants on the way to Arthur’s chamber. She hesitated for a moment, right by the door, but then pushed it open and ventured into the dark hallway, not even certain what she was doing. All she knew was that she could not go back.
She passed by his study, glancing at the bottom of the door, but there was no light. He wasn’t there, so she continued on her night’s errand even though she did not know exactly what it consisted of. Finally, she reached the door to his chamber. Without thinking twice, she knocked. She feared that if she stopped to consider what she was doing, she might turn around and go back to where she came from. Blushingly, she was aware of the fact that this was the last thing she wanted to do.
She hoped that he would call out from inside, allowing her to open the door herself, but instead, he opened the door. They were standing face to face now, and neither of them knew who was the more stunned one: she for having come here or he for having just seen her in front of him. His dark gaze settled upon her, adamant to remain there until he received the answers he was searching for. There was something in his eyes which immediately sent thrills down her spine. Shamefully, her nipples hardened under the soft fabric of her nightgown. She could only hope that they would not be noticeable.
“Amelia?” he said her name so softly that she immediately went weak in the knees. “Is everything all right?” He sounded concerned as if he truly, deeply cared about her. For one precious moment, she could believe it to be true. Perhaps that one moment was enough.
All she needed to do was say yes or simply nod. That would suffice. However, she could not do either of those two things. Instead, she merely stood there, speechless and motionless, staring back at him as her entire body trembled in anticipation, flooded by memories of what he had done to her the previous night.
“I…” That was all she could say, all she could muster as heat flooded her. But nothing could have prepared her for what happened next.
CHAPTER18
Seeing her in such a delicious state of utter befuddlement, Arthur could not resist kissing her immediately. He always considered himself a gentleman, but his actions from this evening proved to be exactly the opposite. He was unable to wait a moment longer to have Amelia in his arms, so that was exactly what he did.
He wrapped his arms around her waist, pulling her closer to him as her head tipped back, allowing his lips to envelop her in their wetness and warmth. He had no idea how long the kiss lasted. It could have been only a second, and at the same time, it could have been an entire eternity. All he knew was that when he pulled away from her, she looked at him with those dazed eyes, her luscious lips reddened and swollen from the pressure of his own.
He knew why she had come. He knew the truth she could not bring herself to say. He knew it because he felt the same. He had been on the verge of leaving his chamber and knocking on her door under any preposterous pretext he could think of.
He expected her to say something, but her lips produced no words. She seemed hesitant somehow. He was not used to seeing her so docile, so obedient. He had to admit that he liked it. His fingers trembled at the memory of touching her wet folds and separating them. Tonight, he would do that and so much more. Mere thoughts of this made his cock feel engorged to the brim.
He took her by the hand and pulled her into the chamber, closing the door behind her. The loud thud exploded throughout the house, but he paid no heed to it. All he could see was here, this beautiful forest nymph he married. The more he looked at her, the more he wanted her. The more he wanted her, the less he could breathe. He needed her tonight like he needed air. And he knew she felt the same way.
“Come,” he whispered as he took her by the hand, intertwining their fingers together. The touch felt strangely intimate yet natural. He felt as if he had done it so many times before.
They quickly reached his bed which was still neatly made. He had no intentions of laying in it alone tonight. He glanced at it, already imagining her hair strewn on the pristine white sheets and him on top of her. The vision almost made him lose his mind. He helped her out of her robe then, gently, he lifted her arms up in the air above her head, not taking his eyes off of her. There was a coy smile on her lips, barely noticeable. Just like the previous time, he slid her nightgown over her head, throwing it behind him. Her hair fell down her neck in long waves, and she smelled like she had been bathing in lavender for days.
His lips dried up. She was the most beautiful creature he had ever seen. Somehow, she was even more captivating than the previous night, if such a thing was even possible. He stood right in front of her, softly putting his hands on her waist. She gasped silently when he lifted her up, placing her effortlessly on the edge of the bed as if she were nothing but a feather. He settled between her legs. He dared not look down at the soft mound of curls between her thighs. If he did, he felt he would dissolve into thin air right before her very eyes, so he kept his gaze focused on her beautiful, glowing face.
