Chapter 27
Camelia sat at her vanity, gently brushing out her hair. The events at the ball still lingered.
Raph’s jealousy and the shock of his revelation weighed heavily on her. Her emotions were a mix of anger and sorrow. She felt betrayed by Raph, but grateful that he finally trusted her with the truth.
A knock at her door startled her out of her thoughts.
Who could it be at this hour?
She tightened her robe, her pulse quickening.
“Come in,” she called steadily, despite the anxious flutter in her chest.
Raph stepped inside, his broad frame filling the doorway, and his blue eyes landed on her instantly. There was a rare softness in his expression, and Camelia fought the need to reach out, wrap her arms around him, and kiss him deeply.
“Why are you here, in my chamber?”
Camelia’s heart skipped a beat as she recalled Raph’s warning that his chambers were forbidden. It was a velvet-edged decree that sent a shiver of deep longing through her.
“Camelia.” His voice cut through her spiraling thoughts. “I need to tell you about Pamela.”
Her desire was quickly replaced by concern.
“What has happened? Is she all right?”
“She’s all right. I bear good news.”
She let out a sigh of relief. “Well, do share this good news.”
Raph stepped further into her chamber with the confidence of a predator.
“We spent time in the stables today, and she… opened up.”
“What did she speak about?”
“She spoke about horses and her mother.”
Camelia stilled as she took this in. She wanted to know more, but her fear of rejection was greater than her curiosity, so she remained silent.
“You were right to push for it.”
“I haven’t done anything, Raph. This was all—”
“No, Camelia. This was all you. It would never have happened if you hadn’t pushed me to tell her the truth.”
She smiled softly at him. “And how has she reacted to the truth?”
“She’s progressing.”
Camelia’s lips curled into a playful smile, and she decided to tease him to lighten the air.
“Progress with Pamela? My, Raph, it seems a rigid schedule isn’t always the answer, is it? Who’d have thought a little rebellion could do so much good?”
Raph’s jaw ticked, but a reluctant smirk broke through, his voice gruff.
“Don’t gloat, Duchess. You have to agree that those schedules kept her safe and kept everything in order.
You don’t understand. Having the father I did, the one my sister and I endured, I learned early to predict outcomes, to control them.
It’s how I protect the people I love. It’s how I became… useful.”
There was a vulnerability in him that Camelia couldn’t help but admire. Even if he only offered her a glimpse of it.
“You must admit that I was right.” She stuck her nose in the air and eyed him with a raised eyebrow.
Raph shook his head and chuckled. “You are a strong-minded, difficult woman. But yes, you were right.”
Camelia’s heart softened. “Protection isn’t just keeping someone safe, Raph. It’s making them feel safe, heard, and seen. I believe that Pamela’s starting to feel that way because you listened to her.”
“I believe so, too.”
Camelia hesitated. The truth pressed against her ribs, fragile and unwelcome. She looked away for a moment, gathering the nerve she rarely allowed herself to show.
“And… what about me?”
“What do you mean, Camelia?”
“Do you see me?”
Raph’s eyes locked onto hers, dark with a mix of desire and vulnerability. He approached her with slow, steady steps.
“I see you, Camelia. I see every part of you when you’re nearby. And when you’re far, I still see you. You haunt my thoughts, my dreams, and my reality.” He cupped her face, and his lips claimed hers in a deep, passionate kiss.
Camelia melted into him, and her hands slid up his chest. The kiss deepened, their tongues dueling, entwining deliciously.
Camelia pulled back slightly to look up at him. “Raph, you’re here, in my chamber… What does it mean?”
The lessons Raph had vowed to deliver consumed Camelia’s thoughts. Each of his whispered promises ignited a heady mix of excitement and thrilling anticipation for what awaited her in the heated privacy of their next encounter.
And now we are alone.
Raph’s hands trailed to her waist, and he pulled her closer.
“There will be no lessons tonight, Duchess, if that’s what you’re referring to.” His lips found her neck, kissing it softly, causing her entire body to shiver. “You’ve turned my world upside down, Camelia. Tonight, I will do the same for you.”
His new promise made her breath hitch.
Her fingers tangled in his hair. “See me,” she whispered.
Raph growled and kissed her again, slower, deeper. His calloused hands slid under her robe, touching her bare skin and making her gasp against his lips. He slipped the robe off her shoulders, and the silk pooled at her feet.
“You’re asking for everything, aren’t you?” he murmured.
“Yes, I want everything you can offer.”
Raph’s member was thick and hard, pressing against her belly.
“I need all of you.”
He picked her up with ease and threw her over his good shoulder. At the edge of her bed, He laid her down and trailed his finger over her sensitive skin.
“I’ll give you everything tonight, Camelia. All of me.”
Camelia’s heart soared, and her back arched as his hands explored her curves with reverence.
“You promise?” She was trembling with need.
“I promise, little flower.” He kissed her neck, and she let out a soft moan.
“Show me, Raph. Show me that you see me.”
Raph swiftly took off his shirt and trousers. Camelia’s eyes roamed over his body, from the scar on his left shoulder to his chest, his waist, and finally—
“Oh!” she gasped, her eyes widening at the size of his pulsating shaft.
“Don’t be afraid, little flower. There will be no discipline or lessons tonight.”
“Will it hurt?” she asked softly, her eyes glued to his nakedness.
“It will at first,” he admitted. “But I will be gentle with you.”
“I’m ready.”
Her nipples pebbled against her nightgown. The material clung to her skin, and she reached down to pull it off, but Raph grabbed her wrist and held it above her head.
“I want to take my time with you, my Camelia,” he said huskily.
He lowered himself on top of her. His skin was warm, his body deliciously heavy. He pressed his member against her core, his movements slow and deliberate. She moaned and arched her back. Her wrist was pinned above her head, but her free hand scratched and dug into his broad back.
“I see you, Camelia.” He dipped his head and brushed his lips against her collarbone.
When he let go of her wrist, she immediately grabbed onto him. Raph leaned down, nipping her breasts through the flimsy material, leaving it wet against her skin.
“Raph!” Camelia moaned, squirming beneath him, begging him for more.
But he continued to descend slowly, trailing hot kisses and touching her gently.
His gentleness is more torturous.
He kneeled before her, his nakedness stark against her clothed body.
“Spread your legs for me, my Duchess,” he commanded softly.
Camelia blushed but obeyed. She slowly lifted her knees and spread her legs, the nightgown pooling at her hips and revealing her most intimate parts.
Raph’s eyes glazed over with a hunger she had never seen before. He dipped his head and kissed her throbbing sex.
Camelia let out a loud moan. “Raph, what are you doing?”
She looked down at him, bewildered by his action and the sensation it stirred within her.
“Relax and enjoy the feeling, darling,” he whispered against her moist flesh, and she trembled.
He dipped his head again, his lips and tongue teasing her sensitive flesh, each lick a deliberate torment that made her thighs quiver uncontrollably. Her breath came in ragged gasps, and her fingers clutched the sheets as waves of pleasure coursed through her.
His mouth, his tongue, all of him is unravelling me.
He slid his hands beneath her thighs, gripping them firmly and tenderly, opening her wider and anchoring her as she trembled. Diving deeper, his tongue coaxed her with slow, skillful strokes. Each movement drew soft moans from her parted lips and made her back arch.
“Raph, please… It’s too much.” It was a breathless plea.
Her thighs shook harder, her body teetering on the edge of release, but she sensed a shift in his touch, a new intent in his darkening eyes.
He lifted his head, his voice a low, husky growl. “It’s not enough, Duchess. I want you. All of you.”
He moved up her body, brushing his lips over her stomach, her breasts, and her neck until he hovered over her. “You’re mine, Camelia.”
“Yes, yes! I’m all yours, Raph,” she said breathlessly.
“Tell me you want this.”
“I want it,” she pleaded.
“Tell me you want me.”
“I want you, Raph. I need you.”
His eyes softened, and he kissed her. Camelia tasted herself on his lips, and the intimacy made her whimper.
“I’m ready. I want you, Raph. All of you… please.”
The thrill of his closeness made her body ache for him despite the unknown.
Raph positioned himself, his hardness pressing against her entrance as he gently adjusted her hips beneath him.
“Hold on to me. I’ll go slow, love,” he murmured. “Take a deep breath for me, Camelia.”
She did as she was told, and Raph entered her slowly, inch by inch, his restraint evident in the tightness of his jaw. He let out a low groan as he filled her to the hilt.
Camelia gasped when a sharp sting sliced through her, her body stretching to accommodate him.
It hurts, and yet it feels heavenly.
Her fingernails dug into his back, and her breathing quickened as the pain flared, sharp and unfamiliar, mingling with the lingering heat of his earlier touch.
“Raph,” she whimpered, squeezing her eyes shut.
He stilled inside of her and kissed her forehead. “Do you want me to stop, little flower?”
“No,” she gasped when he slowly retreated and entered her again.
Raph held himself still, letting her adjust to his size. His hands stroked her sides, grounding her.
“Don’t stop. I trust you.”
She slowed her breathing, and her body gradually relaxed. The slow, gentle strokes began to feel good as the sharp sting dulled to a tender ache.
Raph’s warmth filled her and stirred a new kind of heat. He kissed her deeply, his tongue teasing hers as he continued to gently slide in and out of her.
“You’re doing so well, Duchess,” he groaned, his voice thick with desire. “Let me take you higher.”
He began to thrust faster, plunging deep inside her, and she felt a familiar pressure build up in her core. She moved with him, and their bodies entwined in a rhythm that felt like a vow.
“Every inch of you is mine, every fire in your soul.” Raph watched as she moaned in pleasure and pain.
Camelia felt free and cherished under his gaze.
I am his, and he is mine.
“Raph, don’t stop!” she cried out, her hands clutching his shoulders.
He listened and kept his rhythm.
Their lovemaking was tender and unhurried. Each touch was a promise, and each kiss was binding them closer to each other.
As they reached their peak, Camelia’s cries mingled with his, a shared release that left her trembling and weak in his arms, her heart full and her body sore yet satisfied.
She had never dreamt that such pleasure existed.
Raph rolled off her and pulled her close to him. They lay together, breathless, her head resting on his chest as she traced lazy patterns on his skin. She reached the scar on his shoulder and traced her finger around it, causing him to hiss.
“Did I hurt you?” Camelia pulled her hand away, but Raph grabbed it.
“No, little flower. It’s just an odd feeling. No one has ever touched it before.”
Camelia felt a tenderness towards him that she had never felt before. “Raph?”
“Yes?”
“Stay with me tonight. Sleep here, in my bed. Please.”
Raph tensed, then answered hesitantly, “I never stay, Camelia. You know that. It’s… a rule.”
She lifted her head, her eyes pleading. “Break this rule, just for me? I want you close to me.”
Not just for now, but always.
“Camelia, I—”
“I want to wake up with you and know you’re here,” she interrupted.
He looked at her, his resolve slowly crumbling under her gaze. “You’re impossible, Duchess.”
She beamed at him.
“But… all right. For you, I will stay tonight.”
Camelia nestled closer to him. “Thank you, Raph.”
She closed her eyes, listening to the rhythmic beat of his heart as he held her close, and she fell into a deep, restful sleep.