Chapter 23 #2
Not merely pretty or attractive. Beautiful in a way that felt dangerous to a man like him.
Her full figure filled his hands perfectly, her brown curls softened her face in a way that made her appear both warm and temptingly innocent, and her pale skin flushed so sweetly beneath his attention that Victor could not stop touching her even if he wished to.
And he absolutely did not wish to.
“You will bring me to release before the party,” Charlotte whispered weakly.
Victor’s hands tightened slightly upon her thighs. “I cannot help it.” His voice sounded rougher now, edged with something darker than teasing.
Charlotte swallowed visibly beneath his gaze. “Victor…” The way she whispered his name sent another violent rush of heat through him.
He pressed a slow kiss against her sweet center, licking and tasting her. He could not get enough of her honey.
Charlotte made the softest little sound in response, almost a moan, and Victor felt his control fray alarmingly.
He rested his forehead briefly against her thigh while trying to steady himself.
What the devil is she doing to me? I've never felt so consumed by another person before. Never felt this desperate merely to touch and hear and look.
Charlotte’s fingers brushed gently through his hair again. “Why do you stop?” she whispered teasingly.
Victor looked up sharply. “Do not mock me when I am at your mercy.”
Her eyes widened slightly with surprise. “At my mercy?”
He gave a humourless little laugh. “You truly do not realize the power you possess over me, do you?”
Then he licked her some more, with a deep hunger. He enjoyed feeling her wiggle beneath him. But it was when she spread her thighs wider that he groaned loudly. He wanted to please her. To make her shiver.
He flicked his tongue back and forth.
“Oh, Victor. It's happening again. I cannot stop. I will unleash myself,” she moaned.
That is precisely what I want, Duchess.
He did not relent. Instead, he moved his tongue faster until her juices flowed from her as she shivered violently on the seat.
The carriage finally began slowing.
Victor cursed softly under his breath while Charlotte quickly lowered her skirts back into place.
Both of them were flushed, dishevelled, and breathing far too unevenly for propriety.
Charlotte looked across at him with a shy little smile that somehow struck him harder than any flirtation ever could.
And then it hit him.
Not lust. Not simple desire. Something infinitely worse.
Victor stared at his wife as sunlight filtered through the carriage windows and realized with cold clarity that somewhere along the way, he had begun to care for her.
Truly care.
The knowledge settled heavily inside his chest, terrifying in its sincerity.
This was never supposed to happen.
He had intended marriage to be convenient. Controlled. Safe. Yet here he was kneeling at Charlotte’s feet like a man utterly bewitched by his own wife.
Charlotte tried unsuccessfully to compose herself. Her lips were still swollen from nervous biting, her cheeks pink with lingering heat. She looked devastatingly lovely.
The carriage slowed as they approached the gates of the Holmby estate hosting the party.
Victor immediately recognized the sprawling grounds overflowing with colourful flower beds, marble fountains, and elegantly dressed guests already wandering across the lawns.
Laughter and music drifted faintly through the open carriage window.
Normally, he would have welcomed arriving at any social event simply because it meant escaping this damned carriage.
Today, he wanted to escape more than ever.
This cannot be happening. It is a moment of carnal pleasure and nothing more. I forbid it to be anything else.
Charlotte glanced toward the window eagerly.
“It looks beautiful.” Victor followed her gaze. White marquees had been erected across the gardens while servants carried silver trays of champagne and little pastries between guests. Ladies wore bright gowns in shades of lavender, yellow, and blue, their ribbons fluttering in the breeze.
“You sound excited,” he observed.
“I am,” Charlotte admitted. “I have never attended so many grand events in such a short span of time.”
Her expression softened slightly as she looked back at him. “Sometimes I still feel as though this cannot possibly be real.”
Victor understood the feeling more than he cared to admit.
I do not want this to be real. I want to flee back to my old life.
A footman opened the carriage door at last.
Victor stepped out first and immediately turned to help Charlotte descend. His hand closed firmly around hers as she stepped onto the gravel path beside him. The moment she stood fully upright, several nearby guests glanced toward them with obvious curiosity and admiration.
Victor felt an entirely different sort of tension settle into him then.
Charlotte looked beautiful beneath the sunlight, her curls pinned elegantly beneath a little bonnet trimmed with cream ribbons.
The fitted bodice of her gown hugged her curves in a way that drew far too much attention from nearby gentlemen.
Victor noticed three men staring within the first ten seconds.
His jaw tightened immediately.
Fools, I'll throttle you all.
Charlotte looked up at him in confusion. “What is it?”
Victor forced a smooth expression onto his face. “Nothing.”
“You are glaring again.”
“I am merely observing our surroundings.” Charlotte followed his gaze toward a cluster of young gentlemen nearby and immediately hid a smile. “Ah,” she said softly.
Victor narrowed his eyes slightly. “What does ah mean?”
“Nothing at all, Your Grace.” She was absolutely teasing him now.
Victor leaned slightly closer as they began walking toward the gardens together. “Careful, Duchess.”
“Or what?” she asked innocently.
“Or I may decide this carriage experiment deserves a reward.”
Charlotte nearly stumbled on the gravel path at that. Victor caught her arm immediately, deeply pleased by the sudden color flooding her cheeks.
“You are insufferable,” she whispered.
“And yet you continue blushing whenever I speak.”
“Because you say outrageous things in public.”
Victor bent closer still, lowering his voice near her ear. “Would you rather I save them for private?”
Charlotte shot him a scandalized look while trying very hard not to smile. Victor chuckled quietly under his breath as he guided her further into the gardens.
The fear and tension from the carriage ride had not vanished entirely; he could still feel the old shadows lingering unpleasantly inside him.
But Charlotte’s hand rested warmly upon his arm now.
And somehow, for the first time in years, Victor felt as though perhaps the ghosts of his past no longer held quite as much power over him as they once had.
But then Victor realized he was no longer frightened merely of losing someone.
I'm frightened because I finally have someone… I'm scared of losing.