Chapter 16
Waking up next to Darius was like a lovely dream, made even sweeter because it was real.
Meredith cuddled against his body and savored the warmth of him.
In the soft morning light, she had a chance to caress his body with a longing gaze.
With a soft smile, she brushed her hands over his chest. A faint patch of dark hair was framed by his pectoral muscles, and another faint trail of hair below his navel led to…
Oh heavens…
With a little smile, she slid her hand beneath the sheets and gasped when her hand touched his male hardness. Darius groaned, and his eyes opened. When he realized who was touching him, his lips curved into a sensual grin.
“Good morning,” she said. It should have been terribly embarrassing to be caught holding his cock, but she was too startled at having been caught to let go.
“It certainly will be if you keep touching me like that, love.” He slid a hand under the sheet to join hers, showing her how to grip him but covering her fingers with his own, and urging her to stroke him. “Like that.”
The roughness of his fingers over hers and touching the hot, hard part of him that had always been forbidden to her gaze was nothing short of erotic. But more than that, she loved that their hands were touching, that they were experiencing this moment of his pleasure together.
With a bit of practice, she learned how to squeeze him at a certain pressure as she moved her hand up and down.
“Yes, that’s right…”
Meredith glowed with pleasure as his eyes closed. He threw his head back with a gasp of her name, and then a sudden wetness coated the sheets, and her hands.
“Ahh, God, what you do to me!” He relaxed into the bed. After a moment, he turned toward her, a hint of red high on his aristocratic cheekbones.
“You must know by now that you own me, Meredith. With just the touch of your hand, I lose myself so easily with you.”
A rush of delight and joy swept through her at the thought that she had the power to bring this man, this god in bed, such pleasure. Even with his essence still coating her wrist, she felt as though she was his equal, a goddess of pleasure in her own right.
He leaned over to kiss her, the experience slow and seductive before he slipped out of bed. He returned with a wet cloth and he wiped her hand clean with tenderness. It humbled her to feel such affection and care in such a small thing.
Darius set the cloth aside and pulled her into his arms, kissing her senseless. That never-ending desire was stirred up inside her again, like embers coaxed into a healthy blaze once more. She let go of herself and fell into that kiss with everything she had.
A long, delicious time later, he rolled her onto her stomach, covering the backs of her shoulders with languid kisses.
God, she wanted him, wanted that wildness that building within her to be unleashed again.
Eager for more, she pushed herself up onto her hands and knees and looked over her shoulder at him.
Her body was hungry to feel that intimate connection to him.
“Trust me?” he asked.
“Always,” she replied without thought.
“You will enjoy this.” He knelt behind her as he said this.
He moved the blunt head of his cock against the waiting wetness of her sex, then pushed into her, filling her.
It felt so good, and she was so wet and ready for him.
His hips pressed against her bottom as he sank all the way inside of her.
They both shared a soft shudder of pleasure at the deepness.
There was no part of her that felt unfilled and untouched by him.
“That’s it. Take me all the way, love.” Darius encouraged as he held still. She could feel her body relax around him in this new angle of penetration. She experimentally moved away from him and pushed herself back, delighting in the sound of his moan as he slid in and out of her.
“Are you ready for me?” he asked with a husky chuckle.
She looked over her shoulder at him again. “Ready?”
“Yes.” He grasped her hips, his fingers tightening. He withdrew and slammed back into her hard. “Ready for that?”
She nodded frantically. “Please, yes please…” She was thrilled by how Darius pushed her to her limits and showed her just how wild she could be when she was with him.
He leaned forward, fisting his hand in her long hair and gently tugging it. A spiral of excitement swept through her. A second later he began to drive into her in earnest. Their bodies slapped together as he showed her a rough side to lovemaking that made her mad for more, mad for him.
She was so close… So close to that pinnacle of pleasure.
But before she peaked, Darius moved his hand underneath her to slide between her legs.
He caressed that sensitive pearl until it was too much to bear.
She wriggled her hips to escape his touch, but Darius was too strong and held her fast, continuing to tease that bud until she screamed in pleasure.
She collapsed onto her forearms on the pillows as exquisite sensations rolled through her.
Darius continued to drive deep into her, his fingers still caressing her. Meredith wanted to weep at the overwhelming sensations that continued to roll over and over her. Meredith’s body twitched with pleasure, her sated limbs heavy with exhaustion, but he didn’t relent in his sensual assault.
She couldn’t do more than cry out with ecstasy as Darius continued to take her, his hands holding her down when she felt like she might float away.
When she was convinced she couldn’t take any more, that she was going to sink into her bed and never move again, Darius thrust in hard and bellowed her name before they both collapsed on the bed together.
Darius lay half on top of her, his cock still buried inside her. He panted hard as she struggled to catch her breath, her body still twitching around his cock.
“You feel like heaven.” Darius kissed her shoulder, then her cheek as he gazed at her. “I need to move, but I can’t find the will.”
She reached up behind her to catch his right buttock in her hand, holding her close to him.
“Then stay.” She replied, knowing she sounded far too seductive. The man had turned her completely wanton, but she didn’t care.
He closed his eyes and circled his hips as his cock moved inside her. They both shared a groan.
“If I don’t move all, I shall take you again and we might never leave this bed.”
“And is that a bad thing?” she asked with a contented yawn.
“No,” he laughed. “But you have a letter to write to Prince George, and I have a wedding to plan.”
My wedding. To Darius.
She was starting to believe that she was dreaming all of this, no matter how real everything had felt.
Darius eased out of her and then lay down beside her in the bed, sharing a pillow with her as he brushed his thumb over her cheek.
“Are you all right? I was rather rough.”
She closed her eyes and nodded. After a moment she said, “Tell me the truth. Do you want me as your wife? Or is this simply to protect me?”
“Yes, I want you as my wife,” Darius said without hesitation.
“If you want the truth, from the first moment I saw you, I wanted you in my life. But then I learned what my uncle expected of me, and I didn’t feel I was allowed to want you for myself.
The issues of society did not help matters.
But through it all, I still wanted you with me, and the thought of losing you to one of those damned suitors only made me realize I was a fool for not listening to my heart.
I never want to fail you, not in any way. ”
“You haven’t failed me. I was wrong to say that you hadn’t stood up for me with Lady Mary.”
“That will never happen again,” he promised, a vengeful gleam taking hold in his piercing blue eyes.
“You cannot promise that.”
“I certainly can. I intend to visit Lady Mary today and make it clear to her that anyone who comes after my wife will be dealing with me.”
My wife. Why did that sound so wonderful even uttered as part of a growling threat?
“You do not need to threaten her.”
“I’m afraid I do. The damned woman won’t take me seriously otherwise.” Darius sat up a little. “And believe me, I shall enjoy it. That woman has ruled London’s ballrooms with too much unchecked privilege.” He leaned down and kissed her again. “Now, rest if you wish, but I must rise.”
He slipped out of bed, delightfully naked, and she sat up to better see his backside and muscular thighs. His body was a work of art that would make any sculptor weep. Darius collected his clothes and dressed, then flashed her one more smile before he slipped out of her bedchamber.
Meredith covered her face with her hands to hide her giddy smile as she flopped back onto the bed. Being in love was quite wonderful.
* * *
Darius sent word to his friend to meet him at his townhouse for dinner, then called for his horse.
Once his groom had his horse ready, he rode to the Raikes’s townhouse and presented his card to their butler.
He had only to wait a few moments before he was ushered into the drawing room.
One did not leave a duke waiting after all.
Lady Mary smiled demurely as she and her mother greeted him at the entrance.
“Your Grace, we are delighted to have you pay a call, even if it is a bit early,” Lady Raikes said. “Dare I hope that means you are here out of an eagerness to see my daughter?”
Darius smiled coolly at Lady Mary and her mother. “Eagerness is not the word I would use. Determined would be a more appropriate choice.”
“Determined?” Lady Raikes glanced between her daughter and Darius in confusion.
“Yes, you see, your daughter has done something quite foolish.” Darius held Lady Mary’s gaze as he continued. “She chose to make an enemy of me.”
Lady Raikes tried to intervene. “Your Grace, I’m certain my daughter would never—” Darius held up a hand to silence the woman, eyes locked on his target.