Chapter 22

The late evening air blew about her face, causing the loose curls to tickle her cheeks. They had walked a good distance through the gardens before Dominic cleared his throat.

"I see you and Christopher seem to get along quite nicely." He seemed uncomfortable as he clenched his jaw.

"Yes, I do like his company. I don't have any family that I know of, but if I did, I imagine that any cousins would be like him. I often asked my parents for a baby brother, but they seemed content with just me." She let out a breath, hoping that her explanation would bring him some form of reassurance.

Dominic merely nodded as he placed his hands behind his back and strolled along at a leisurely pace. "I assume you have been wondering about my hesitance in answering your questions about family." His statement caught her off guard.

"I must admit that I have. It seems strange to me that someone who professes to want to pursue marriage as strongly as you do would not want to start a family." She felt her heart skittering as they neared a small bridge that crossed over a stream that seemed to run through the estate.

"It is only natural that you would wonder why I would say that, but if I may correct your statement, I am not pursuing marriage. If I was, then I would have accepted any one of the matches that you and my grandmother have thrown at my feet. It is you that has changed my mind." He spoke so openly in the dim light of the moon that Marie almost felt as if she had been transported to a different world.

What does that mean?

Her pulse raced when he paused in the middle of the bridge and turned to her.

"Spending the rest of my life with you by my side is far more tolerable than spending it alone, even if I do not believe in marriage or children." His eyes bore into her soul, making her fidget with the corners of her shawl.

"There's that wonderful word that you like to throw about again." She sighed heavily and shook her head, feeling lost in his presence.

"Which word?" He cocked his head to the side and searched her face.

"Tolerable—it doesn't exactly make me swoon at your feet, Your Grace." She allowed her lips to curl into a teasing smile in an attempt to lighten the mood.

Dominic took a step forward and brushed her cheek with the back of his fingers. "I didn't think that you wanted to be wooed. I can certainly make that happen for you if that is your wish." His smile made the pit of her stomach flutter again.

The wind picked up, causing the nearby trees to rustle.

"Your Grace… why do you do this? You flirt with me, but you never seem to be able to give me a serious answer," she spoke softly, fearing that the moment would end if she caused an argument.

The look on his face grew more serious as he used his thumb to gently caress her lower lip. "I think I'm just afraid that you won't see me the same way if I tell you the truth about who I am."

"Please tell me." Raising her hand, she curled her fingers over his and lowered his hand.

"My parents died in a carriage accident." The spell that had formed between them suddenly broke as he tore his gaze away from her and started walking again.

Following suit, Marie caught up and matched his pace, patiently waiting for him to continue.

"I was eight when I accompanied my parents to a ball that was to be held in one of the little villages on the outskirts of London. It wasn't unusual for us to travel such long distances, but it was storming that day, and the footman suggested we take a road that would cut our journey in half. Come to think of it, it was not his fault either. Nobody could have foreseen that the brewing storm would have grown so out of control."

Feeling as if she needed to comfort him, Marie tucked her hand into the crook of his arm, eliciting a look of surprise from the Duke. They had left the tiny bridge and walked into what looked like an overgrown orchard. The darkness that surrounded them along with the trees made her huddle a little closer to his side.

"To cut a long story short, there was an accident. A large tree had fallen across the road. I am assuming that the footman had not seen it until it was too late. There was no way to ask the man since his body was never found. There was a search party that lasted for close to a week, but everyone eventually gave up and assumed his body had been washed away in a nearby stream." The coolness in his voice sent a shiver down her spine.

Marie gasped and lifted a hand to her lips. "Your Grace, I am so sorry. Did your parents die in the accident?" she asked the question that she was almost certain she already knew the answer to.

What must it have been like for an eight-year-old boy to experience such tragedy?

"They did. I'm all but certain that they died upon impact. The only reason that I survived the impact was the fact that my mother had chosen to keep me closer to her side. Her embrace stopped the force of the impact from causing me any kind of bodily harm." His voice was stiffer now, making Marie wish that she could see his expression that was hidden by the shadows of the trees.

She reached up without thinking and touched his arm, hoping to offer whatever comfort she could.

"I tried to call for help, but the storm was just too strong. I stayed there, huddled in that broken carriage for two days. It was only luck that made a traveling salesman stop and come to my aid. He lifted me from the ruins of the carriage and took me to the nearest town for help before leading a search party back to the bodies." His breath was shaky now as he gripped her arm, stopping beneath a giant apple tree with low-hanging fruit.

"Your Grace, I didn't realize that you had gone through something as terrible as that. It must have been so traumatic for you." She shook her head in disbelief before meeting his gaze.

Seeing one's parents perish right before a person's eyes was bad enough, but having to stay with their bodies was something she could never imagine.

Dominic shook his head. "I can still recall the look of terror in her eyes as she held me close to her body. I tried to close her eyes after the accident, but they just wouldn't stay closed." He looked around, trying to hide the tears that had formed in his eyes.

Marie realized with shocking clarity that Dominic was a man who had been incredibly wounded in his past. His aloof expression was a way of keeping the world at bay. She followed his gaze and realized that they were in the ruins of what looked to have been an old cottage of sorts.

The outer walls still stood in place, yet the ceiling along with any discernible house-like features was missing.

"This used to be my hideout when I was a child before everything went wrong. My father said that it used to be an old farmer's cottage, but to me, it was the castle I defended—the only place I could go and live out the stories of knights that I read in the novels my mother collected over the years."

"Your Grace…" Marie lifted her hand and caressed his cheek, wanting to take the pain from him that she felt in his voice.

"When will you start calling me Dominic?" He gripped her hand in his before she had a chance to move away.

Her breath caught in her throat when he turned his head and kissed the palm of her hand. "I… I…" Her voice trailed off when he kissed a path down her wrist, lingering for a moment as his lips dragged over her pulse.

"I need to hear you say my name, Marie. I won't stop until you say it." He continued to kiss a path down her arm, rendering her helpless as he reached her shoulder and began to kiss a section of her shoulder that peaked out beneath the dress.

Her skin suddenly began to tingle when he spun her around, catching her in his arms and pulling her against his chest. His lips sought her neck, caressing the delicate skin with gentle kisses as his hands worked their way up her hips, squeezing with every caress until he reached her breasts.

"Your Grace!" Marie gasped loudly as he cupped her breasts, massaging them through the fabric of her dress and setting her skin on fire.

"Say my name…" Dominic growled in her ear, doubling his efforts as he ravished her neck just below her ear.

Her gasps grew louder, mingling with the sound of the rustling leaves. Giving herself over to him completely, she spun around and flung her arms around his neck, drawing him in for a passionate kiss.

Their tongues jousted with one another, each seeking dominance until she yielded to his touch.

Dominic moved her back, pressing her body into a wall until all of her weight was supported by the stones.

She didn't have time to think as he reached behind her back and undid the ribbons holding her dress in place. The fabric gave way, revealing her corset right before Dominic released that too, causing her breasts to spring into view.

Dipping his head, the Duke took one of her nipples into his mouth, sampling the delicate flesh between his lips until Marie began to moan. She was caught off guard when he came up for a second kiss and stole her breath. His hand guided hers between his thighs until she could feel the extent of his arousal. His lust for her pulsed with every stroke of her fingers as she gave into the curiosity heating her core.

"Marie…" He growled her name so urgently that she couldn't resist when he removed her hand before dropping to his knees in front of her.

The visceral reaction that flooded her body when he lifted her skirts and disappeared beneath her dress made her gasp for more. The memory of how it felt in the carriage made her cry out with lust when he expertly undid all her undergarments and dropped them to her ankles. She felt the Duke's hands gently urging her knees apart before he buried his face between her thighs.

His tongue was hot and moist, creating a tingling sensation between her thighs as he started slow at first, flicking back and forth with delicate strokes.

Her legs trembled when he picked up the pace, causing her to place her hands on the wall behind her head and brace herself. The gentle breeze kissed her nipples, adding to her pleasure as they hardened against the change in temperature, her moans growing even louder.

Using his hands to caress her thighs, Dominic massaged her legs even further apart, taking his time with every stroke before focusing his attention on the apex of her folds.

Marie's breaths turned into desperate gasps of pleasure when he went even faster, alternating between his lips and tongue until her legs were shaking for more.

"Say my name," his deep growl emanated from somewhere beneath her dress as he paused and waited for her reply.

"I…" Marie's eyes rolled back as she shifted her weight, feeling the sharp flick of his tongue once more.

"Say it!" he commanded her more fiercely and tilted his head to the side, adding a whole new level of pleasure when he used only the tip of his tongue.

Urgent moans filled the air as she panted for breath, trying her best to say his name through the onslaught of pleasure that was coursing through her body. Her moans turned to screams when he buried his face again, doubling his efforts with a hot wave of ecstasy. Her legs trembled and shook, threatening to give way. She felt all of her resolve melting when he sucked her bud of pleasure into his mouth and caressed her with his tongue.

Her scream filled the air as she cried out at the height of her climax. "Dominic!"

Slowing his pace, Dominic licked her down with every tremble, holding her in place against the wall with his hands on her hips.

Sweat had begun to bead her skin when she laid the back of her head against the wall and allowed the waves of pleasure to engulf her.

Gentle kisses caressed her thighs before she could feel her undergarments being lifted back into place. It didn't take long for the Duke to make an appearance again. She didn't even care that her breasts were still exposed when he came up straight and met her gaze, leaning closer until his body was covering hers.

"I like the sound of my name on your lips." His voice was gruff as a wide grin spread over his face. "Say it again for me." He demanded and cupped her breast, sending a final wave of pleasure through her body.

Marie felt her breathing deepen when he met her gaze, gently massaging her breast in his palm.

"Dominic…" His name was barely audible as she struggled to regain control of her breathing.

"Good girl." His grin broadened to a wolfish grin as he leaned closer and pressed his lips against hers.

Her heart skittered in her chest as Marie realized that she was in far greater trouble than she had realized. She was powerless whenever they were alone. She knew then and there that all he needed to do was kiss her, and she would fall into his arms without so much as a single protest.

Dominic.

The name echoed in her mind with the same kind of metallic clink that signaled the arrival of someone in her shop.

She lay against his chest, feeling the warm embrace of his arms before he removed his coat and placed it around her shoulders, shielding her breasts from the darkness of the night. Looking up she noted the light of the moon dancing in his eyes.

How could I ever leave him now?