Chapter 13
CHAPTER 13
“ I see you do not require further instruction on this aspect,” he said suddenly, breaking the tension.
It was as though someone had sliced a hot knife through butter. The feeling was thoroughly unpleasant and had him picking at his collar to ease the irritation crawling up his skin.
Her face reflected what he felt, but he tamped it down, remembering how she had almost made him forget where they were.
He had awakened her feminine power, and now that she was aware of it, it would not be safe for him to be around her as often, especially if they were alone.
“Excuse me?” she asked, blinking.
“You have exceeded my expectations so quickly,” Richard said with a smile. “I guess the student has become a master.”
Yet, she watched him with a confused look that had him smiling. He knew she hadn’t yet recovered from the abrupt way he stifled the desire that had been flaring between them.
He hadn’t recovered either, but if he hadn’t put a stop to it, he was sure he would have taken her right there and then, and from what he had seen, the damned woman would not have minded at all.
“That was a jest,” he told her. “You are supposed to laugh even if the joke isn’t funny.”
“Why?”
“Our egos are such fragile things that they need constant stroking to sustain them,” he explained.
“Oh!” she answered, scrunching up her nose before attempting to laugh. “Are they truly that small that they require constant stroking ? Couldn’t you find fulfillment in yourselves?”
He tried to ignore the desire that shot through him when her perfect lips formed the word ‘stroking.’ His mind was flooded with images of a different kind of ‘stroking’ involving her small hands and his hardening member.
He cleared his throat, pushing the images out of his mind. He really should not be thinking about her in such a way.
“I will say something again, and I expect you to laugh when I do,” he instructed.
She nodded and turned serious, a frown on her face.
She looked like a petulant child. He wondered if that was how she looked as a child when she was at her lessons. He imagined her small face and round green eyes and smiled. She must have been a very pretty child.
“I still do not think this is a venture I should undertake,” she said.
“Why not? Every other woman does it.”
“I am not every other woman.”
“And that’s why you are still unmarried.”
She glared at him.
“That was a jest, and you were supposed to laugh.”
Her laugh was forced and sounded nothing like before. The look on her face was so odd that he found himself unable to contain his laughter. She frowned, which only made him laugh harder.
“What exactly is so funny about this situation?” she asked, looking offended.
“You had such a strange expression on your face.” He laughed again, unable to help himself. “I hadn’t expected to see it.”
“I am glad you find my discomfort amusing,” she stated with a frown and folded her arms.
“I apologize for laughing.”
“Your words and your expression contradict each other,” she pointed out.
“I truly do mean what I say. It is just hard to quell my mirth when you are so upset.” He laughed again. “You should learn to laugh, Lady Selina,” he said with a smile. “People are not always kind, but you need to learn to take their insults in your stride and return them politely with a pretty smile.”
“I do laugh, but not at people.” She pouted. “And I do know how to take insults in my stride.”
“Do you think I’m laughing at you?” he asked, turning to her.
“Aren’t you?” she asked back. “I find it impossible to tell whether you’re not, since we’re the only ones here.”
“You have an odd sense of humor.”
“And you can be infuriating.”
He couldn’t help the smile that threatened to split his face. He hadn’t smiled as she had made him do with anyone for so long, and the thought made him smile even more.
Even though Selina was lacking in many ways, she had enough charms to win any man’s heart if he was patient enough to see them.
The thought of another man with her made him angry, his blood simmering, but he buried the feeling deep down in the pit where it belonged.
Selina watched him laugh, unable to look away. This wasn’t the first time she had seen him smile, but seeing it again made her heart flutter. He laughed with everything in him, not caring to maintain any poise, and she was thrilled that she had been the cause.
She liked the look he usually wore when he was holding court with his admirers. That bored look that made them scamper away as their pride was wounded. She also liked seeing that expression soften when he approached her.
She liked every one of his expressions, but there was one in particular that she much preferred—that proud look on his face when she did something he had encouraged her to do. That look made her chest swell with pride and made her want to please him more just to see it again.
“I like that look on your face,” she muttered, then clapped a hand over her mouth.
He turned to her, his eyes dark, but he smiled nonetheless.
“What look?” he asked, placing a finger under her chin to bring her eyes up to his. “I taught you to look a man in the eyes when you speak to him.”
“I thought it was only for men in whom I have interest?” she asked with a smirk, even though his nearness left her breathless.
He was so close to her now that she was sure she would die if he walked away without kissing her.
He smirked and stepped even closer. So close that she could feel his breath on her lips.
“You really do learn quickly,” he said, before capturing her lips in a kiss that she felt all the way down to her toes.
She really did like that proud look on him.
He pulled her closer to him, deepening their kiss, and she couldn’t help the sound that escaped her lips, which he swallowed. He made sounds of his own when she wrapped her arms around his shoulders, burying her fingers in the hair at the nape of his neck like she had wanted to for so long.
His hair was as soft and silky as she had imagined. She couldn’t help but tug at it, which he seemed to like, as he groaned into her mouth, his hands roaming over her body.
She itched to be rid of her clothes, as they felt hot, oppressive, and restricting all at once. He seemed to feel the same as his hands kept moving all over her body, one moving to cup her breast through her dress and the other moving to cup her buttocks.
She laughed, knowing that her aunt would scold her for wrinkling her dress and that she would have to make an excuse for why she returned looking so disheveled.
“What exactly about this do you find funny?” the Duke asked between kisses.
The frown on his face made her giggle again.
“I cannot help but worry about the scolding I’ll receive when we return with my dress rumpled.”
She gasped when his hands slipped under her skirts and ran along her thighs.
“Your Grace,” she whispered when he palmed her through her undergarments.
“You really do know how to bruise a man’s ego, don’t you, dear lady?” he asked, smirking as he pushed her against a stone wall.
The cold seeped into her bones, but she wasn’t worried she would catch a chill when his touch set her body on fire.
He kissed his way down her neck, nipping and easing the sting of his bites with his tongue, before stopping at the junction between her neck and shoulders that rendered her weak.
She ran her hands over his shoulders and up, wanting to touch him and feel him everywhere at once, but his damned clothes didn’t give her any access. He felt firm everywhere and much broader than her. The size difference between them should have scared her, but it only made her trust him more.
“I will give you something better to worry about, dear lady,” he said, going down on his knees and lifting her dress. “I have wanted to do this for so long, but I won’t have you bringing all of England to interrupt my fun. Put a hand over your mouth, and do try to stay quiet.”
He buried his head under her skirts before she could stop him.
“What are you—Oh God!” she nearly screamed, clapping a hand over her mouth.
Had he just licked her?
“Your Grace, I do not think—Oh!”
“I told you to stay quiet, Lady Selina.”
She whimpered as he licked her with one long stroke, and all too quickly, her knees struggled to support her weight as he wreaked havoc on her. If his hands hadn’t been supporting her, she was sure she would have fallen already.
He hadn’t even thought to ease her into it, not even sparing her a moment to feel vulnerable. She didn’t know whether to find his lack of concern worrying or attractive. Her body thought the latter as she felt a surge of liquid heat flood her sex and heard him groan as he tasted her.
His satisfaction with her had her squirming, her other hand moving to pull his head even closer to her. She felt him smile against her, and he resumed his feasting—an accurate word, considering the way he groaned his pleasure as he licked her.
She should have felt embarrassed because he saw her most private part, which she’d been taught to protect, but he didn’t give her room to. He made her feel powerful. She had brought a duke to his knees, after all, and was pleasuring him if the sounds he made and the way he gripped her were anything to go by.
She felt him nip a pulsating part of her sex, and a bolt of desire shot through her, almost knocking her off her feet. It was getting hard not to make a sound, but the fear of him stopping had her firmly keeping her mouth shut.
She felt as though she would die if he left her now. She had felt the same irritation when he had ended their flirtation so abruptly, and that sick, oily feeling was not an experience she ever wanted to repeat.
She felt him nip her sex again, but this time, she placed a hand on his shoulder for support, leaning back against the wall so she didn’t fall over. She did not want them to end up on the ground in such an unflattering mess. She didn’t think she would live past the embarrassment.
She felt a finger slide into her, and then another, and soon, she was riding his fingers as she discovered how skilled they were.
How many other women had he pleasured this way to get so proficient at what he did?
The surge of jealousy had her holding his head firmly, almost painfully, as if to punish him for experiencing this with other women, not caring that it was because of such experience that he was as skilled as he was.
His fingers moved at a quicker pace. She felt an unfamiliar tension pool low in her belly, and soon, she had no control over her hips as she pulsed and writhed until everything exploded in a burst of color.
Her body felt loose and languid, and all she wanted to do was get rid of her clothes and curl up in bed. Exhaustion wrecked her, but she also felt… blissful.
Was this what the books had described as being satiated?
Now that he had helped her see why she felt all those strange things around him, she could finally recognize the erratic beating of her heart and the sudden dryness of her mouth as desire.
He took his time kissing down her thigh and back up before emerging from beneath her skirts with that same proud look on his face. She couldn’t help but return his smile, even though it came weakly through tired eyes.
He rose to his feet, holding her while she regained her balance. His eyes were bright even though his expression looked haunted. She wondered what he was thinking, but she didn’t want to pry.
“I think I might need to…”
Before she could finish, she heard voices approaching from the distance and quickly attempted to fix her dress and her hair.
“Do I look composed?” she asked, looking up at him.
He had gone silent and was not looking at her. She frowned, wondering why, but could not press the matter further, as they had to resume their ‘casual’ walk around the garden. They spotted some gentlemen in the distance and strolled at a leisurely pace.
“Good day, Your Grace,” one of the men greeted. “Lady Selina.”
“Good day, Lord Frederick,” Richard responded.
“Good day,” Selina greeted with a smile. “It is a lovely day, isn’t it?”
“Indeed.” Lord Frederick smiled. “I see you are enjoying it as well.”
“Indeed,” the Duke answered.
“Might I interest you in some cigars later, Your Grace?” the other man, Lord Grainsbury, asked. “I have a new brand from Italy.”
“Alright. I shall join you after dinner.”
Lord Grainsbury preened and squared his shoulders, pleased that he had secured an appointment with the Duke.
Selina wondered if it was always like this with him—men vying for his attention. She watched him smile politely at them and couldn’t help but smile at how dignified he looked, unlike how he usually was with her.
She wondered if they knew that the ‘proper’ Duke liked to accost women in gardens or ‘help’ the said women find husbands.
She laughed to herself, drawing their attention.
“I am sorry, gentlemen,” she offered. “I just remembered something that amused me.”
“Do share it with us, My Lady,” Lord Grainsbury urged.
“Oh, it’s not something you should bother yourself with.” She smiled. “I should return to the house now. My aunt must be worried by my prolonged absence.”
“It will be a shame to have you go, Lady Selina,” Lord Frederick said, not looking in the least bit bothered.
She was sure his only concern was his conversation with the Duke, and if she chose to leave, he would be inclined to escort her.
“We can continue our discussion at dinner, Lord Frederick.” She smiled. “I find your conversation about your new gun riveting.”
The men coughed and stood straighter, feeling chided. They had excluded her from the conversation quite rudely, and now they at least had the decency to feel guilty for their mistake.
“I shall escort the lady to the house,” the Duke said to the men. “I did beg her company, and as such, I must see her safely returned.”
“We shall resume our conversation after dinner then,” Lord Grainsbury said.
The men bowed before they left.
Selina couldn’t contain her laughter, even though the Duke didn’t share her amusement.
“I am sorry to have dragged you away from your delightful conversation,” she joked. “I am sure you would much rather be there than escort me back to the house.”
He snorted, taking her arm. “Your wit hasn’t dulled just yet,” he said with a small smile.
“Why should it?” she asked. “I haven’t had any life-changing incidents.”
He snorted again and kept silent for the rest of their walk back to the house. She patted her hair and tugged at her dress when they neared the door, refraining from grimacing when they stepped into the drawing room.
“Why do you look so tired, dear?” Martha asked as soon as they stepped inside.
Two pairs of eyes swiveled to them but then quickly turned away. She knew their conversation would be anything but private, and she had to make a good excuse, or tongues would start wagging.
“The Duke exercised me more than I expected,” she said with a small smile. “He challenged me to a race with a very nice wager, and you know I can’t resist such a challenge.”
Laughter erupted around the room, proving that they were listening.
“Your Grace, you shouldn’t have,” her aunt scolded playfully. “My niece looks a fright. Go to your room at once, Selina.”
“And what was the wager?” Diana asked with a pointed smirk.
“That is between me and the Duke, and I have yet to decide,” Selina answered with a smile. “I will see you at dinner. Thank you for a wonderful afternoon, Your Grace.”
She curtsied and winked at the Duke, who still had a stoic expression on his face.
A frown crossed her face as she wondered whether he was already regretting what had happened between them. She pushed the thought out of her mind and returned to her chambers, deciding that they would discuss it after she had a much-needed nap.