Chapter 9

CHAPTER9

Jane didn’t know how long she had kept her eyes closed. It wasn’t enough to forget everything that had happened. It also wasn’t long enough to make her fall asleep.

When she heard a knock on the door, she couldn’t initially tell if it was real or if she imagined it. She stared at the door for a moment, incredulous that someone… well, someone would be knocking on her door twice in one night.

She gripped at the covers with the tips of her fingers. She imagined it. She must have… right?

Just as those thoughts threatened to flood her mind, there it was again. Softer but still audible enough to assure her that she didn’t imagine it all. He was knocking on her door again. She was certain it was him. Who else could it be?

She got up slowly, tiptoeing towards the door, half-hoping that by the time she got there, he would have turned around and went back to his chamber. At the same time, she was equally eager to see him standing there, demanding more explanations regarding her bruise, assuring her again and again that he would never let anyone hurt her like that. She had no idea why, but she believed him. Despite all her conscious effort, she grabbed at his words like a dying man grabbed at the only thing that could bring him back to the shore safely.

She opened the door, breathless, aware of the thin fabric of her nightgown which was the only thing separating his gaze from her searing hot flesh.

“Leo?” she called out his name in the most tender manner possible, the way she only pronounced it inside her mind to herself. Never to him. This was the first time he heard her call him thus, and yet, there was no surprise in his eyes. It was as if she had been referring to him in that manner for a long time, and they were both already used to it.

“Jane…” he whispered her own name back to her so melodiously that she almost forgot it was her name and imagined it instead as some song sung by a choir of mischievous little cherubs.

There it was again, that offer of protection, that assurance that as long as she was by his side, she was safe. She was shocked, and yet, she was mesmerized by this newfound knowledge. And he was here again. What did he want? The question echoed inside her heart, and she realized that she already knew the answer.

He leaned over to her, his hands taking her possessively by the waist, pulling her closer to him. She expected herself to protest, to push him away, but all she could do was melt in his arms.

“Give yourself to me, Jane,” she heard him say, and all she could do was moan softly in response. “And I will keep you safe and protected…”

Upon those words, his lips found hers. It was her first kiss. Her first everything, and her body instantly filled with a barbed tangle of apprehension and thrill. Her body melted into his as his commanding height encircled her, his arms embracing her, not allowing her to move a single inch away from him. She felt his lack of control contaminate her as well as his tongue sank inside of her, licking the velvety softness of her mouth, her lips. The sensation was unlike anything she had ever felt before.

She ought to have pushed him away right then and there. She should have felt shocked. Protested, at least. Who did he think he was, kissing her like that?

These thoughts were nothing but a blurry haze becoming less and less noticeable. Instead of pushing him away, she clutched at him, digging her fingers into his shoulder, pulling him closer, lessening the little distance that he left between them. How perfectly their bodies fitted together. That was undeniable. His commanding height enshrouding her petite form.

At first, she felt like she had no idea what to do. She merely allowed his tongue to explore the depths of her mouth as her fingers gripped at his neck, the perfect place to be. Then, instinct emerged. She thrust her own tongue back, retaliating as it their kiss was a battlefield, and both wanted to win.

Her locks fell to her back as he made her arch her back, kissing her even harder. She could taste liquor on his breath, and chocolate. Had he tried their wedding cake without her? He tasted heavenly as he sucked gently on her tongue. She wondered if he wished to eat her up like he did that piece of cake.

She never wanted to end this kiss although he did pull away only to bury his face into her neck and inhale deeply. His fingers tightened around her waist, drawing her nearer. Everything else but his lips on her neck faded away into oblivion. All that remained was a desire that threatened to undo them both.

No one had ever held her like this. No one had ever kissed her like this. With each kiss he bestowed upon her burning skin, she felt her need increase tenfold. It was impossible to stop him. Impossible to do anything else but enjoy this moment and hope it would never end.

His hands gently pushed her backwards, until she felt herself being pinned against the wall behind her. His lips found hers again, ravaging her, demanding more and more of her which she was more than willing to give. She had no idea what had taken over her. She had no idea, and she didn’t care.

Her hands pressed against his chest, clawing at him wildly while his hands cupped the tender mounds of her breasts as if in an effort to memorize the beautiful shape and size as they fitted perfectly into the palms of his hands. She knew where this might end if they continued. There were still a few reasonable brain cells left inside her mind to be fully aware of the repercussions. But… they were husband and wife, were they not? They were not doing anything wrong. In fact, nothing in the world had felt more right than this.

She expected him to lead her to the bed, to disrobe her, to take her, to claim her, but he did none of those things. Instead, he kept kissing her as if their lives depended on it. That was the way he laid his claim upon her this evening. Each subsequent kiss was more desperate than the previous one as he pressed his manhood against her lower belly. She gasped at the size of it. She had not even seen it yet, and she was already thrilled at the thought.

Her cheeks immediately flushed a fervent red, but in the dim light of one single candle, he could barely see that. That was, at least, what she was hoping while they were still kissing, their hands exploring each other’s bodies without any restraint. She felt as if she had been waiting for this moment all day long without even being aware of it.

His hand was on her pebbled nipple. She could not deny the obvious fact that all of her hungered for him. He had awakened all of her senses with his kisses and his caresses. Feeling more liberated than ever, she took his tongue into her mouth and sucked on it with her lips. Her insides were on fire. It was a sensation unlike any other before. She had turned to a liquid state of existence, melting right in his hands.

Once again, those few conscious brain cells reminded her that he was the enemy. Just because he was now her husband did not change anything between them. Attachment to this man would go against everything she so firmly believed. She wanted to stop all this, but she had no strength to do so. The cataclysmic sensations that seemed to stem from the very bottom of her being refused to allow her to move even an inch away from him.

“I couldn’t stay away from you,” she heard him murmur the moment their lips pulled apart. She could not come up with a coherent response to this. The only sound she managed to make was a soft moan as his kisses trailed an invisible line down her throat. His hands lifted her arms above her head and held them there firmly then his teeth grazed against the silken skin of her neck. A million little goose bumps ran up and down her body, awakening the few leftover slumbering nerve endings in her body. She felt like she was about to explode.

“I could not take my eyes off of you the entire morning,” he continued whispering into her ear, his tongue licking the soft hollow right behind it. He was driving her mad with desire.

Then, suddenly, he pulled away. Their eyes locked. She could see the mirror image of her own desire in him. His wild hair, falling over his high forehead, his lips parted, hot and heavy.

“Tell me if I’m crossing the line,” he murmured gently, waiting. That delectable baritone of his voice sent shivers down her spine.

“No…” she dared to whisper back, hoping she would not need to show him the embarrassing extent of her own desire, her own need.

“I want you,” he said as if telling her a secret no one else could ever know. She swallowed heavily upon hearing those words, inhaling the scent that was him. Deep, musky, manly. Him.

The moment he told her those words, she knew what would follow. They would enter into an entirely new intimacy, something she never dared to think would happen with him, especially not after everything she went through. Then, his fingers started to curl the soft fabric of her nightgown, lifting it up to her thighs.

If she had even a modicum of honor, she would push him away. She would not give into him so easily. But she had no such concerns at the moment. All she wanted was for his fingers to touch her searing hot flesh, there, where it ached the most.

Their faces were close. His hot breath was spilling all over her. She could feel his fingers tracing gentle circles over her thighs. He was so close to her forbidden flesh, and just as he was about to touch her where she most wanted to be touched….

… she opened her eyes to see he was not there.

He was nowhere around. Her body was still engulfed in flames, her heart still beating wildly as if it were ready to jump out of her chest. It took her several moments to realize that it was all a dream. A wonderful, wicked, inexplicable, inescapable dream.

Breathing heavily, she got up, not trusting her mind to fall back asleep again and have the same dream. She could not have that. She had slept enough for one night. She would simply… go to the library. Yes. That sounded like the safest option—to hide herself between the pages of a harmless book when her mind could not be trusted to remain alone.

She put on a robe, tied it rightly around her waist, and then slowly slid out of her chamber. The entire house was silent, devoid of any sound. She was certain that everyone was asleep. Everyone but her. Cautiously, she tiptoed to the library, but the moment she got close to it, she saw the light coming from the door which was left ajar.

Bitten by the curiosity bug, she leaned closer. She should have simply tiptoed back to her chamber, but something was preventing her from doing so. She wanted to see who was in the library at such an ungodly hour. Was it the Duke’s mother or the Duke himself? Curiosity was eating her up alive.

Hiding behind the wall, she peered through the door. At first, she could not see anything. Her heart was now beating all the way up in her throat, making it increasingly more difficult to breathe.

Go back. Go back, her mind urged her, but her heart refused to obey that very reasonable piece of advice. She remained, taken over by inquisitiveness. At that moment, she saw him. It was the Duke, and he was shirtless, wearing only a pair of loose, silken trousers which resembled pajama bottoms.

She gasped at the sight of his chiseled muscles and sculpted torso. She even heard herself gasp. She quickly hid behind the wall, praying that he didn’t hear her. If she wanted to go back to her chamber now, she needed to pass by the door which would put her in plain sight of him if he were looking in her direction which he most certainly would be doing because he must have heard her. She was certain of that.

With her heart still in her throat, she tried to calm herself down when she heard his voice whisper from inside.

“Jane?”