Chapter 20 #2
“Do you understand your punishment now, Duchess?” he asked, his voice a husky growl that made more wetness pool between her thighs. “Do you understand that you’re mine to discipline, and mine to pleasure?”
“Y… yes—Ah!” She moaned loudly as he slapped her again.
“Say it. Tell me you crave this as much as I do.”
Her heart raced, her body aching for more, as realization crashed over her—she needed his touch.
I can’t let him stop. Not now, not when I’m burning for him.
“No, Your Grace. I don’t understand,” she said, her voice trembling with fear and courage. “Show me. Make me understand. I need to feel it all.”
His hand paused, and she felt his surprise. A low chuckle rumbled from him.
“Disobedient until the end,” he murmured, his soft lips brushing against her lower back, sending shivers up her spine. “You want more, don’t you?”
He slid his hands between her inner thighs and rubbed her sweet spot. Camelia let out a cry. She had never felt such pleasure before.
“You’re soaked for me already, little flower. Your body is begging without words. Beg for my hand, Camelia. Beg for the sting that makes you mine.”
Another slap landed, sharper, sending a wave of heat through her that made her knees weak.
This is my undoing.
“Oh God, yes, Raph, please!” she moaned, her voice raw with need. “I want it. I want you to mark me, to make me yours. Don’t stop… please, don’t stop.”
She bit her lip, stifling a scream as his fingers brushed higher, spreading her wetness around her throbbing core, a silent confession of her desire.
“You’re mine, Camelia.” His voice was thick with hunger as his fingers teased her slowly and deliberately. “You defy me because you crave this. You crave me owning you like this. Say it, my little flower. Tell me how badly you need me inside you.”
She whimpered, her hips rocking and arching instinctively towards his touch.
“Raph, I need you.” Her voice broke between her gasps. “I need you inside me! I need your hands on me. Make me yours.”
I’m begging, shamelessly, but I can’t stop.
Camelia’s hips moved uncontrollably as she rubbed herself against his fingers. Raph leaned closer to her, his lips brushing her ear, his fingers circling with maddening precision.
“Beg all you want, Duchess,” he whispered darkly. “But you’ll earn your release. Tell me you’ll obey me next time. Promise me you’ll follow my rules, or I’ll tease you until you’re sobbing for mercy.”
Her body was teetering on the edge. “I… I’ll try to obey you,” she managed, her voice a desperate plea.
I want to defy him again, to feel this fire.
Her pleasure rose dangerously high. “Please, Raph, I’ll do anything. Touch me deeper. I need more. I’m yours. I’m all yours.”
“Try?” he growled, his fingers slowing, teasing her to the brink of madness. “Not good enough.” He delivered another slap, this one to her opposite cheek. The sting pushed her closer to the edge. “Say it, Camelia. You’ll follow my rules. You’ll submit to me, body and soul. Beg for it.”
Her moans filled the kitchen, her body arching as waves of pleasure built under his touch.
“Yes! Oh God, yes! I’ll obey. I’ll submit,” she cried, her voice raw. “Please!”
Raph let out a dark, triumphant chuckle, and his fingers moved with purpose, stoking the fire within her.
“That’s it, my little flower,” he murmured, his voice a caress as he pushed her higher, his free hand gripping her hip possessively, controlling her movements. “Surrender to me. Tell me how good it feels.”
“It feels… incredible,” she gasped, her body moving naturally under his expert touch.
What is happening to me?
Release shattered through her like a violent storm. Her cries echoed off the walls as an overwhelming sensation ripped through her from the pit of her stomach to the tips of her toes.
Her body went limp against the table. Her breath came fast and ragged, and her skin burned where Raph had slapped her. His hands lingered, soothing her skin, and the gentle touch felt even more amazing than the discipline.
“Next time, Duchess, the punishment will be harder.”
Camelia could not fully comprehend what had passed between them, yet one truth burned clear: Raph’s words were not a warning. They were a promise. And heaven help her, she found herself longing to be punished again.
Raph’s lips brushed the heated skin where his hand had left its mark. His tender kiss was a searing contrast to the display of dominance that made her shudder against the kitchen table.
He slowly pulled down her skirt, and the fabric whispered against her raw skin. His fingers lingered and traced over her long legs with a gentleness that belied his earlier ferocity.
“Care for it gently, Camelia,” he instructed, his voice softened with a trace of concern. “Soak it in cold water tonight and apply a salve if it stings. Disobedience has consequences, but I won’t have you marred.”
Camelia’s heart pounded, and she struggled to steady herself when he helped her off the table. Her body was still alight with the aftershocks of his touch, but a sudden exhaustion took over her, and she fell into his waiting arms.
“You will need to rest and recover,” he added as he held her up.
Even exhausted, I feel a deep hunger for him.
Raph gently leaned her against the table and backed away slowly. Camelia watched as he adjusted his shirt, his movements deliberate as he prepared to leave. Her eyes lingered on the bulge in his trousers.
“Should I not return the favor and pleasure my husband, too?”
“Not today, little flower.”
“If only I knew how…”
“I will teach you.”
Camelia understood what the promise of a lesson meant now, and she was ready for one, but it was too late. He made his way to the locked door, which stood as a silent barrier between them and the real world. She couldn’t let him walk away, not yet.
“Raph, wait,” she gasped weakly, pushing herself upright against the table that would forever be seared in her memory. “You need to know that hiding won’t protect Pamela. She’s hurting, and your secrets are a weight she can’t carry.”
He froze, his back to her, his shoulders tensing. Slowly, he turned back, his eyes narrowed on her.
“This changes nothing. You do not know anything about Pamela or me, Camelia,” he said coldly. The words cut through the warm air. “Don’t presume to understand what’s best for her… or us.”
Camelia’s heart ached, but she stood taller, her gown still askew. Despite her vulnerable state, she had to speak about this.
“Exactly, I don’t know anything, Raph. As your wife, your Duchess, and Pamela’s stepmother, I believe I deserve to know everything. You cannot keep me in the dark forever and expect me to help your daughter.”
He stared at her, his gaze intense, searching, as if debating whether to trust her with the burden he carried.
He’s relentless.
The silence stretched, heavy with unspoken truths, until he finally spoke in a measured and deliberate tone, “Pamela’s intuition is correct.”
Camelia sucked in a sharp breath.
“What do you mean?” she probed gently.
“I am not her father, Camelia.”
She gasped and clapped a hand over her mouth. “Not her father? Then who…” She stepped closer to him. “Raph, what do you mean? Who is Pamela’s father?”
“I cannot disclose that information.”
Camelia looked down disappointedly.
“Yet,” he added.
Hope filled her, and she did not push him to speak more about Pamela’s real father, although she imagined that it would eat at her for days to come. She was happy that he trusted her enough to reveal that tidbit.
“Why did you let her believe that you are her father?”
He ran a hand through his hair and sighed frustratingly. “It doesn’t matter, Camelia. It won’t change the fact that Pamela is my priority and always will be.”
“Are you sure that will be good for her?”
“Yes, it’s better for her to believe that I’m her father than to know the truth.”
“Why?”
“Because… the truth would destroy her.”
Camelia shook her head, her heart pounding with pained empathy.
“You underestimate her, Raph. Pamela’s stronger than you think.
She feels the distance between you and senses the lies.
She understands more than you realize. And if you keep hiding this from her, you’ll lose her completely.
She’ll run from you, from Brentmere, and you’ll have no one to blame but yourself. ”
Raph’s eyes darkened, and Camelia understood the maelstrom of emotions that warred within him.
“You think you know her heart better than I do? I’ve raised her, protected her, built a world to keep her safe. You’ve been here mere days, Camelia, and you dare lecture me?”
Her hands trembled, but she held his gaze and spoke fiercely.
“I dare because I see her pain, Raph! No child should be shielded with lies. But she’s no longer a little child now.
She’s a young woman, desperate for the truth, and for your love.
You’re so busy protecting her that you’re pushing her away. ”
“Enlighten me, Camelia. Tell me how you plan to help her if she finds out the truth.”
“I will comfort her and help her through it in any way I can.”
Raph scoffed at her answer, and she flushed in anger.
“Tell me who her father is. Let me help you carry this burden, Raph.”
He stepped closer, his presence overwhelming her again and exciting her.
“Be careful what you ask for. Some secrets are heavier than you can bear.” He glared at her.
“Who could her father possibly be that you would hide his name for so ferociously?”
“The truth about Pamela’s father is unnecessary, Camelia. You need to concentrate on fixing the situation we’re in now.”
Camelia’s throat tightened, but she didn’t back down. “I can bear the truth, Raph. For Pamela, and for you. I’ll carry whatever you’re hiding. You can let me know in your time.”
“You’re bold, Camelia, but you’re treading dangerous ground.”
Her eyes glistened as she argued with conviction. “Dangerous or not, I’m here, Raph. I’m your wife, and I’m not running from you or your secrets. I’m grateful that you have spoken to me, but I truly believe that Pamela deserves the truth, too.”
His silence pressed on her like a heavy shroud, suffocating and cold.
“Camelia,” he uttered.
“Yes?” Her heart leapt as hope foolishly bloomed within her.
“Fix your gown… and get back to your duties. Your curiosity will get you nowhere. I suggest you drop it.”
Camelia’s fingers trembled as they brushed over the wrinkled fabric of her dress. The distance between them returned, vast and merciless, but she was getting closer to the truth.
Raph turned away from her, unlocked the door, and left without a second glance.