Chapter Sixteen – Rose
ROSE
A Tale of Two Fucks
“ I feel nothing,” I lied.
“Is that why you can’t look at me?”
I chose a book on the shelf to the left and fixed my attention on it. “I’m uncomfortable with your closeness.”
“I believe I’ve told you this before, but you’re a terrible liar.”
I really was. “Impressive, isn’t it? Given the amount of bullshit I spew, you’d think I’d be better at it,” I muttered.
He chuckled. “You’re not an idiot, Rose. You had to know what it would do to me if you came into my office wearing what you are.”
“And like I said, your horniness is not my responsibility.”
“You’re right. It’s not.” He turned his face slightly into mine, and his lips grazed my jaw, sending a tingle across my skin. “But I’ll take responsibility for yours .”
I gripped the edge of the desk. “I’m not horny.”
“Oh?” He nudged the robe to the side and slipped his hand under it, stroking his thumb across my thigh. “Then is there any other reason why you’re clenching your legs together like this?”
“Defense mechanism against a horny, handsy duke,” I ground out.
“A horny, handsy duke that you aren’t pushing away,” he said in a low voice and kissed my neck. “Admit it. You don’t want to push me away.”
Damn it .
“I hate you.”
“Mhmm. I know.” He hooked one finger through the belt of my dressing gown and untied it. “But you want me, too, don’t you?”
I jerked my face around and found my nose barely an inch away from his, and I flinched at just how close his face was to mine. “I…”
“Because I want you.” He slid his hand into my hair and cupped the back of my head, holding me firmly in place. “You’re the most infuriating woman I’ve ever met, yet every time I look at you, I remember that night, and all I want is to relive it.”
“You do remember that just a few hours ago, I was running through the centre of the village to protest against you and your actions, right? What’s wrong with you that you watched me do that and thought to yourself that hitting on me is a good idea?”
“I didn’t think it was a good idea until you pointed out what you’re wearing.” He dropped his gaze to my body where, thanks to him undoing the belt, his shirt was now visible. “I didn’t know I had a thing for a woman in my shirt, but perhaps it’s because you’re the one in it.”
“You’re insane.”
“Mhmm. But you still haven’t pushed me away.”
Bloody hell.
Yeah. I hadn’t. If I was completely honest with myself, I didn’t want to.
Sure, the current purpose of my existence was to make his life as difficult as possible and save the allotment in the process, but that didn’t mean I was immune to his seduction.
Even if I desperately tried to be, it wasn’t like he was the only one who remembered that night clearly.
“The way you keep bringing it up makes it seem as though you want me to push you away,” I said. “Yet you don’t seem to have any inclination to let me go.”
“I don’t.” He chuckled, his fingers twitching in my hair. “You’re haunting me, princess.”
“Good. I’ll check that off my bucket list.” I gripped his collar and pulled his face close to mine. “If I tell you no, will you let go of me?”
“What kind of rotten cur do you think I am? Of course, I will. Push me away, tell me to stop, or simply say ‘no,’ and I’ll do as you wish.”
He would, too.
I had many, many complicated feelings about this man, and I wasn’t sure I knew him all that well, either, but I knew enough to know that he’d never go against my wishes.
Well.
Not in this situation.
If only he were as respectful outside of his horniness.
“What if I don’t push you away and tell you to carry on?”
He met my gaze with a heated look. “I’ll fuck you so hard that you’ll hate me all over again.”
“Don’t threaten me with a good time.” I slid my hands down his body and, after parting my legs, tugged on his shirt so he could step between them. “You better keep your word, Oliver.”
“For what?” His lips hovered over mine.
“Fucking me hard.” I leant into him, fisting his shirt. “I’m not your lover, so don’t treat me like it.”
“Duly noted.” He slid his hand further up my thigh until his thumb brushed my underwear. “You don’t have to worry about that.” He lightly tugged on my hair, tilting my head back, and gently bit my lower lip. “I already know that’s not how you like it, anyway.”
“You—”
He cut me off with a kiss, and there was nothing gentle about it. The harshness of his touch sent a shiver down my spine in the best kind of way, and as I parted my lips so his tongue could find mine, the most infuriating burst of desire flooded my body.
The rougher his kiss was, the more I craved it. The more his fingers tightened in my hair, the harder I wanted him to pull. The more his hand moved along my thigh, the firmer I wished his grip was.
I didn’t want to want this man, and he didn’t want to want me.
Yet here we were. Relentlessly drawn to one another, shamelessly ignoring the voices in our heads telling us this was a terrible idea.
And just as I couldn’t stop, neither could he.
He was chalk and I was cheese, yet at the very same time, I was a moth, and he was a flame, inexplicably attracted to one another despite the inevitability of disaster.
I knew. I knew I needed to push him away. I needed to stop him kissing his way down my neck before I truly lost all sense of reason, but I couldn’t. Maybe I was already too far gone. Maybe I’d already lost my ability to think straight.
That was the only explanation for why he was pushing the robe off my shoulders, and why I was letting him.
Oliver’s eyes dropped to my body, swathed in his large shirt. “I should have known giving you my clothing to wear was a mistake.”
I reached forwards and cupped the bulge in his trousers. “I’m glad you’ve realised that. But I’m not here to talk, Oliver.”
He cupped my jaw and lowered his face to mine. “If you say my name like that while you’re touching my cock, I hope you’re willing to take responsibility for what you’re going to make me do.”
“Again, don’t threaten me with a good time.” I shook his hand off and leant up, brushing my lips across his neck. He breathed heavily when I gently squeezed his cock, and I said, “Didn’t you promise to fuck me so hard I’d hate you all over again?”
“I did,” he groaned.
“Then what’s taking you so long?”
“Fuck, you’re demanding.” He tugged my hips forwards slightly, then grabbed my wrists and flattened my hands on the desk behind me. “Don’t you dare move your hands.”
Tingles of delight danced over my skin, and I shivered as his lips brushed over my neck.
He kissed his way down to my collarbone, and I had to fight the urge to reach up and sink my fingers into his soft hair.
He continued his exploration down my body, undoing the buttons of my shirt one by one until I was completely exposed to him.
The way he touched me was as good as I remembered. The sensation of his tongue and teeth at my nipple was nothing but pleasure in both the gentle and the rough touches, and I tensed my fingers as if I could dig into the wooden desk with my fingertips.
A needy ache spread through my body. Oliver stopped me from wrapping my legs around his waist, grabbing the insides of my thighs so I couldn’t move. A moan escaped from between my lips when his thumb brushed over my underwear, just barely a glancing stroke of my clit through the material.
He smiled against my breast, flicking his tongue against my nipple, and slipped his fingers beneath my underwear.
I was already wet from his teasing, and it was all too easy for him to push one finger inside me.
A few strokes and he added another, and I dropped my chin forwards, closing my eyes as a sweet euphoria spread through my body.
He pulled back, and before I could open my eyes, he tugged the fabric to the side and sought my clit with his tongue. As if he knew exactly where it was, the tip of his tongue rolled against it, and he curved his fingers inside me ever so slightly.
“Ah—ahh!” I opened my eyes as if it would help, but it didn’t.
Because what I saw was Oliver’s face between my legs while he stared up at me with a hazy darkness in his gorgeous blue eyes.
So many emotions jolted through me as we made eye contact, and although I wanted to tell him to look away, the words wouldn’t leave my mouth.
Instead, I lifted my hand, desperate to sink it into his dark hair, desperate to hold his head where it was right now so he couldn’t move.
I didn’t want him to stop.
I didn’t want him to look away from me.
“Rose.” He kissed my clit, sucking on it gently. “Your hand, Rose. Put it back.”
As if hypnotised, I did exactly as he said.
“Good girl.” His eyes flickered as he said that. “Keep your eyes on me, and I’ll give you what you want.”
Yes.
I knew he would, too.
I kept my gaze fixed on his, and he did exactly as he said he would. He fucked me with his fingers while keeping his tongue fixed on my clit, and I clenched my hands into fists as my hips moved of their own accord, desperately seeking more of his teasing.
The look in his eyes as he sent an orgasm rolling through my body was pure smug elation, and it made me want to punch him, even as I twitched with pleasure.
This rotten bastard .
Oliver got his feet and undid the buttons of his shirt before quickly tossing it off. The clink of him undoing his belt drew my attention, and I blinked at him in my daze as he stripped.
Good God.
I’d forgotten that this man was a walking wet dream.
He stepped back between my legs and kissed me.
It was harsh yet again, but a different kind of rough from before—this was a greedy, almost hungry kind of roughness that came from desperation.
Like he’d suffocate if he didn’t kiss me, as if his entire world would come crashing down if he didn’t touch me right now.
I reached between us and took his cock in my hand to stroke it. He flinched, and his grip on me tightened. He pushed at me until my arm buckled, and I eased backwards.