Page 49 of Sincerely, the Duke
“No.” Annoyed. Frustrated, but not angry. Rick set his mouth in a grim line, plopped onto his back, and laid his head against the pillow, struggling to master his emotions. Damnation, he wanted her, but not this way. From the very first time he’d been with a woman they had welcomed him eagerly, seductively into their arms.
Edwina was innocent, trusting, and she had to come willingly to him. For her to do that, he had to take his time when all he wanted to do was rip the prison gown from her body and cover every inch of her with kisses and caresses. That wouldn’t happen tonight. She was too entranced from whatever rubbish her maid told her the wedding night would be like.
Instead, he took in gulping breaths and tried to stifle his rising impatience. He could go to any number of women and they would receive him. But the truth remained that he had no desire to see a paid woman. He only wanted his wife.
Passion was inside her. He had felt it. Desired it. But he was going to have to take his time wooing her to make her aware of it and enjoy it. He wanted their coming together to be as good for her as it would be for him. A strange calm came over him and he willed himself to be patient. To give her the time she needed to be comfortable with him beside her. In the end she would be worth the wait.
Yet, he couldn’t forget he needed an heir. The sooner the better. He’d have to be patient for that too and hope the fevers stayed away as they had today at the wedding. He couldn’t start thinking every headache would turn into something more serious.
When he rose on his arm, he looked at the soft, beautiful lines of her profile. She appeared a little more relaxed, and he smiled. “I want you to forget everything your maid told you. Put it out of your mind and don’t ask her any more questions.”
“But it is my dut—”
He pressed his finger to her lips, smiled again, and then caressed her cheek with his cupped hand as he saw her eyes were glistening again. He didn’t want her upset. Slowly, he removed his finger and lowered his lips to hers, lightly brushing across them with a kiss. At first, she remained still as if she didn’t know what to do other than lay there without moving.
Rick continued the tender, languid kissing until her lips relaxed a little beneath his. He felt her body soften. Moments later she opened her mouth a little as his lips continued to move seductively back and forth over hers.
When he raised his head, he narrowed his eyes as if to question her in good humor. “My touch is gentle, is it not?”
Her expression relaxed and she gave him a shy smile, but her hands still clutched her nightshift with all her strength.
Rick shook his head and chuckled lightly. She was so beautiful as she lay there with her hair shimmering against the pillow. Something about how he felt and whathe felt for her changed inside him. He didn’t know what it was or why it happened. Only that it had, and it made him want to understand her more than he did.
“Good. I’ll keep it that way.”
She nodded and smiled.
Instinctively, Rick kissed her the same way again. Unhurried, slow, soft. Sometimes letting his lips hover just above hers as he moistened his before kissing her again. Gradually, he let his hand slip down her chest to cover her breast. The firm swell of it excited him and he deepened the kiss. She opened her mouth and his tongue brushed the inner surface of her lips and tongue. Through the scratchy fabric beneath his hand, he could feel her trembling. The more he kissed her the more her body tensed and the longer she held her breath.
Soft sounds came from her throat. He answered by whispering her name against her lips. Eager to feel her skin, he skimmed his hand down to her waist to pull up the nightshift so he could feel her inner thigh, but her hand quickly caught hold of his. He stilled.
Rick raised his head and looked at her. Her eyes were closed tight and it didn’t look as if anything could have pried them open. Her lips were moving as if she were talking to someone but there was no sound. What was she doing?
“Are you praying?” he asked.
Her long lashes popped up in surprise. “Praying? Well… ah, no… no. Just whispering to myself.”
Rick knew he’d lost the battle for tonight. He was glad for her innocence and should have known she would be a challenge. What he hadn’t expected was that she would teach him something no one else had ever been able to teach him. Patience. It was going to be a hard lesson to learn. As a duke, one he never thought he’d have to learn, but he was determined to do it.
Her hair fell across her shoulders as he envisioned it would the first day they met. Only there was no bare ivory skin for him to see and she lay as still as a marble statue.
He wanted her to be his and not just a mother for his son. He needed that, but he wanted Edwina. As foreign as the idea was to him since she was already his wife, he would court her to make her willingly his.
“We aren’t going to consummate our marriage tonight, Edwina,” he said softly.
“What?” She rose to her side and propped up on her arm as she looked at him with confusion. “Did I do something wrong?”
“No, no.” He smiled softly and tilted her chin up so she couldn’t avoid his eyes. “We’re going to take this a little slower than I anticipated so you can get used to me. To us. Being together in bed. Kissing. Touching. Freely enjoying each other.”
She shook her head. “But I want to—”
Rick placed his finger against her lips again. “We will come together. I promise. When we do, I want you to have the same heated desire for me that I have for you. I don’t want you worried about what is going to happen between us. I am not a patient man by nature, but I’m willing to wait until you want me without fear, Edwina.” He kissed her lips softly, briefly. “I will woo you with soft words, kind things to make you happy. If it takes endurance to make that that happen, I will do it.”
Remembering the pounding headache he had earlier in the day, he hoped it would be soon. Every twinge and ache brought thoughts of the burning fever. He had a very desirable wife who pleased him. Now he neededan heir. Maybe it would happen soon for him as it had for his cousin. Rick picked up Edwina’s hand and kissed it before he turned and moved out of the bed. Pain shot through his injured toe as he hobbled back into his room.
CHAPTER 16
THE ART OF BEING A FINE GENTLEMAN
