Page 48 of Sincerely, the Duke
He’d always felt he knew women, their likes, and dislikes. Granted, it had taken him a long time to garner all the knowledge. Apparently, he had more to learn.
“Did Mrs. Castleton suggest you wear this particular gown tonight?”
“No. She wouldn’t tell me anything about the wedding night. She said it was a very private affair and couldn’t speak of it. My maid was helpful. She said it didn’t matter what I wore because I wouldn’t be needing it for very long.”
He smiled and kissed the tip of her nose, hoping the playful buss would further relax her. “That is usually the case.”
Her eyes glistened as she moistened her lips and swallowed hard. “I didn’t want to get cold while I waited for you.”
No chance of that.
He chuckled lightly. He wanted to get her out of thethingas fast as he could, but the trepidation he sensed inside her and the worried expression on her face stopped him. For all her confidence and boldness when she talked to him, she suddenly seemed fragile and much younger. Especially compared to all the women he’d been with before.
Tender emotions for what she must be feeling stirred inside him. Didn’t she know he would be gentle with her? In a soft tone, he said, “I’m not going to hurt you, Edwina.”
She stirred a little under the covers. “I’ve heard the marriage bed can be unpleasant and painful…” she began, but then broke off her words.
“No, it’s not.” What was he saying? He didn’t know anything about virgins.Nothing.He was used to a woman who knew exactly what to do, when and how to do it.
Edwina’s expression was suddenly completely unreadable as she regarded him with stony silence.
“I mean, maybe for some ladies,” he amended. “The first or second time might be uncomfortable, but that will go away. I will be gentle.”
“All right.” She inhaled deeply. “I’m ready to do my wifely duty.”
Hell’s teeth, he scoffed silently. Those words were like splashing ice-cold water in his face.Wifely duty.That wasn’t what he expected to hear, and he wanted no part in such an act. Ladies clearly needed better teachers than their maids when it came to the wedding night. But then he remembered she hadn’t had a mother to school her while growing up.
It wasn’t that he expected Edwina to be as receptive as his mistresses and welcome him into her bed with a come-hither smile and arms open wide. Though that would have been nice. He had hoped to see interest, if not eagerness, in what was happening between them. But for now, he would deny his primal desire to treat her as if she’d been through this many times before and was eager for all the pleasures that waited for her.
The shock on her face after he’d kissed her at his home flashed through his mind. Was she remembering that?He’d explained why he’d behaved so aggressively. She should know by now he could be a gentleman when the occasion warranted it, and this one definitely did. And too, she’d seemed responsive to him later at her home when she had to know he’d wanted to kiss her.
No doubt it was his own damned fault she was trussed up like an elderly spinster on the coldest night of the year. She’d wanted a longer betrothal to have time to get to know him. Maybe he should have waited. He could have slowly wooed her with kisses and tender caresses. If not for the fevers.
Truth be told, if not for the recurring fever he wouldn’t even be married to her.
All he needed to do was stir up her passion. For him. That should relax her, ease her fear, and take away the tension that was holding her so stiff she could hardly move. He had felt her desire for him when he was at her house and so close to kissing her. He’d seen it in her eyes and felt it in the way she’d looked at him as if she’d wanted to throw herself into his arms and kiss him. He could still remember how much he’d wanted her to do just that.
Rick lowered his head and let his lips graze softly across hers with the merest amount of pressure. To him, the contact was sweet, enticing, and undemanding. Gentle though it was, it sent a quick, hard throb of pulsating heat directly to his manhood, causing an unexpected rush of intense desire to shudder through him, no matter that she didn’t respond as he’d anticipated.
She kept her hands down by her sides and clutched tightly at her gown. A slight moan whispered past his ears. Her full lips parted slightly. They were beautifully shaped and made for kisses that satisfied all the way to a man’s soul.
He hadn’t expected the kiss to be so powerful, or to feel such satisfaction, particularly since she was doing nothing to participate. That small detail didn’t keep him from wanting to abandon his reserve and show her just how quickly she’d made him want her, but fearing he’d frighten her more, he refrained.
Doing his best to shut down his own desire to see and touch what was hidden beneath the hideous piece of clothing, he lifted his hand and skimmed the back of his fingers down her soft cheek again, brushing aside a wispy strand of hair that hadn’t been caught back. She didn’t flinch from his touch but made soft sounds in her throat; her legs stirred restlessly as her upper body tensed and tightened more.
Rick continued his seduction, slanting his lips temptingly over hers, seeking more of a response from her that didn’t come. Determined to succeed, he kissed her tenderly, slowly while the pads of his fingers traveled caressingly up and down her neck, along her shoulder, and across her chest until he realized her heart was racing faster than his, but not with desire.
Hellfire and damnation, he muttered to himself.
He’d never had to work so hard to get a woman interested in him. The way it was looking, he’d have better luck getting the queen to serve him tea. His body urged him to take her swiftly and just get the first time over with so she would know tomorrow morning everything would be all right. But he couldn’t be brutish. He wanted to introduce her to the unending delights of physical passion.
When he lifted his mouth an inch or two above hers, he asked, “Did you get all your information about tonight from your maid?”
“Yes,” she whispered and then took a long, heavy breath and closed her eyes for a moment before responding. “Shesaid I was to be still and let you do whatever you wanted to do, and you would tell me when you were finished.”
Rick grunted at the ill-chosen words from her maid. Why in the hell had the woman told her something like that? “What I wanted to do? WhenI’mfinished?” He pressed his hand to his chest in frustration. “It’s notme, Edwina. It’s supposed to beus. You and I are in this together.”
“Are you angry at me?”
