Page 83 of It's All About the Duke
Marlena smiled. “What a nice thing to do, but why would you do that when—” She stopped.
“When I can’t see inside the walls anyway?”
She loved it when his gaze feathered down her face and sent chills of desire soaring through her. “That’s why you thought I might not be surprised to see you.”
He nodded. “I did it so I could wait for you to come here. I wanted to see you. Alone.”
Marlena’s breaths became more labored. The rhythm of her heartbeat changed to a slow hard thump. Yes, she wanted that, too.
Rath reached down and picked up her dog. “Come on, Tut. It’s time for you to leave, too.” He looked at Marlena with a determination in his features. “I’ll be right back.”
From the vestibule in front of the stairs she watched Rath walk down the corridor, open the back door, and shoo Tut outside. She then watched him turn toward her. He was tall, lean, and never more handsome than when he was looking at her with desperate desire for her in his expression. It stirred her longing to be in his strong embrace again, and in that moment she knew why she couldn’t get him off her mind, out of her thoughts or dreams. She loved him with all her heart. He was the man she wanted. She knew all the reasons why she shouldn’t love him. Most notably that she was Miss Truth and didn’t want him to ever know that.
Rath strode back down the corridor with long purposeful steps, straight toward her, and didn’t stop until he caught her up in his arms.
His lips came down on hers in a long hard, ravishing kiss that stunned her with the intensity of his passion. Her lips parted and his tongue swept inside her mouth, plundering its depth over and over again. With warm lips he kissed both corners of her mouth and then glided his lips across her cheek, over her chin, down to the neckline of her dress to kiss the swell of her breasts, and back up again. It was glorious to know he wanted her kisses as madly as she wanted his.
“I thought you’d never get here so I could take you in my arms,” he whispered between kisses.
“Why didn’t you tell me you’d be waiting?”
“I wanted to surprise you.”
Their ragged breaths flowed together easily, deeply, as they kissed. Rath’s tongue slipped back inside her mouth and she moaned her approval as his hands explored her back, and then fondled her breasts with soothing, titillating strokes. He cupped her buttocks, lifting her to his lower body. She welcomed the hard feel of him and eagerly pressed against him, too.
Rath kissed his way down to the neckline of her dress again. Gently pulling on it, he slid the sleeve of the bodice off one shoulder and kissed her chest, the crest of her breast. Marlena softly whispered, “Yes,” and tilted her head up and arched her back, giving him all the access he wanted. He ran the palm of his hand and tips of his fingers over her naked shoulder, around her neck, down her breast, and back up again as he kissed her, heating their passions even more until ever so slowly the depth of his kisses eased. His kisses softened, his caresses were so tender, all she wanted to do was lie with him and let him continue to touch her so gently.
Without letting his lips leave her skin, Rath found his way up to her forehead, kissed it, and then laid his own forehead against it. He held her tightly for a moment, calming his breathing before lifting his head.
He kissed her softly and whispered, “I must stop, Marlena. I can’t go with you where we are headed.”
She moistened her lips. “Why?”
One hand moved soothingly up and down her back. “Don’t pretend you don’t know the answer to that.”
Dipping his head, he covered her mouth with his in a long, sweet kiss as he covered her dress over her shoulder once again. He then stared down into her eyes while rubbing his hands up and down her arms. “I’ve told you, I don’t take innocents to my bed. And as much, as desperately, as I want to make you mine right now, I can’t.”
Marlena turned her head and looked at the staircase right behind them. It suddenly looked wide, beautiful, and glorious. Her bedchamber was only a few steps past the top of it.
Turning back to Rath, she said, “I agree. You can’t.”
He nodded. She lowered her lashes over her eyes, but he immediately lifted her chin with his fingers, bent his head, and slanted his lips over hers in a slow tender kiss. The longing and the passion inside her was intense and she felt it just as vibrant inside him. She leaned into him, wanting him to know the depth of her feelings for him. He deepened the kiss again for only a few seconds before backing away again.
“You know that I want to,” he insisted when his lips left hers.
“I do,” she answered. “And you won’t be taking me to your bed.” Her breath trembled in her throat, and anticipation filled her.
Did she had the nerve to finish what she really wanted to say?
If she was ever going to, this was the time. She smiled. “I’m going to take you to mine.”
“Ah, Marlena.” He shook his head and cupped each cheek with his hands and kissed her softly, sweetly several times. “You are mixing your words. No matter if it is said my way or yours, it means the same thing. I am trying to be a gentleman. You aren’t making it easy on me.”
“I don’t intend to.”
“I need your help. You are my ward, an innocent. I can’t do this to you.”
She rose on her toes and clasped her hands together at the back of his neck. He remained still and let her kiss his lips, his cheeks, and the warmth of his neck before dropping her arms to her side and resting on her feet again.
