Page 40 of Love, the Duke
He raised his head, and she lifted her lashes. The duke was smiling. Ophelia smiled too, wanting to savor and memorize having her first kiss.
“Do you think you know how to do it now?” he asked. “Or should I give you another kiss to make sure?”
The desirous feelings she’d had for him were suddenly flaming. Feeling flushed, Ophelia had no idea but wanted to try. She moistened her lips. “I can do it.”
“Go ahead then,” he answered, softly.
He remained still. Patient. Tentative, but curious, she reached up and lightly placed her lips on his.
“Perfect,” he whispered into her mouth as his hands slid down her shoulders and back, circled her waist, and caught her solidly up against his chest. His arms held her as if he didn’t intend to let her go.
There were times her brother had hugged her. Not often. He wasn’t good at showing affection, but she never felt unloved because of it. And Winston’s quick embraces had never felt like being in the duke’s arms. His strength, the way he held her so firmly against him, was exhilarating. It was as if she sensed, somehow, she belonged to him, and he would never allow anyone to take her from him.
He pressed a short kiss to her lips, and then to each side of her mouth, and then several more. “I’m going to show you another way to kiss, Ophelia.”
If there was more to learn, she wanted to know whatit was. Her first kisses had been so much more than she’d imagined, what more could there be?
The duke slanted his lips firmly over hers and moved back and forth. She braced her palms on his chest as he pressed her tightly against him.
A soft moan collected in her throat, and her lips relaxed and softened beneath his. Ophelia kissed him while he moved his hands up and down her back, gently in soft strokes that inadvertently tickled her sides as his thumbs moved against her rib cage.
Instinct took over and she followed his lead. Their kisses became harder, deeper, and longer. Without mindful effort, she lifted her arms and entwined them around his neck, clasping her hands together at his nape. She loved the feel of her fingers finding and then threading through his silky collar-length hair.
As if she’d done it many times before, she opened her mouth, and his tongue explored inside with light, caressing strokes, causing a tightening in her abdomen. This way of kissing, his lips moving seductively back and forth over hers while he held her tightly, sent pleasurable feelings swirling inside her. And though it might not be true because of her lack of knowledge, she sensed the duke was feeling everything she felt too.
His lips left hers and brushed along her jawline over to the shell of her ear, kissing the soft, sensitive skin behind it. She let out a moan, her skin prickling with tingles. She could have lost herself forever in such budding feelings, but to all things there is an end.
Too soon, the duke uttered a low sound and suddenly put an arm’s length between them. A gulp of chilly spring air slowly cleared Ophelia’s thoughts; her breathing started slowing down. It was the same for the dukeas she watched his expanding chest slow and return to normal.
“I didn’t intend to get so carried away,” he offered.
The duke may have spoken like a gentleman, but he didn’t present himself as one right now. His hair was ruffled out of place around his ears. Had she done that when she had her hands at his nape? His neckcloth was askew and his coat at an odd angle on his shoulder. Seemingly, the unwavering resolve he carried himself by had fled. Albeit temporarily, she was sure. Now she found she liked seeing him with his hair mussed out of place. If the wind were blowing in the opposite direction, she was sure she could have seen the scar he and her mother were talking about that day in the drawing room.
“Neither did I.”
“I heard someone or something moving around in the neighbor’s garden just beyond the hedge,” he spoke softly.
Ophelia hadn’t heard anything but their breath and sighs. “Perhaps a rabbit. No one lives next door. But I’m glad you heard it. I wouldn’t want anyone to see us kissing. Or to even know we had.”
Thank heavens the duke took control when she could not put propriety and privacy before passion. She had no doubt they had been kissing far longer than was respectable even for married people.
Maman had advised many times it was the lady’s responsibility to keep a man in line concerning romantic pursuits. Clearly, Ophelia hadn’t been able to. The experience had been too wonderful, and she wanted to continue enjoying everything she was feeling. She might never have another opportunity to be kissed again. There was no way of knowing. The duke was right. She couldend up in prison or worse for searching book rooms of private homes.
It suddenly occurred to her that it might be appropriate to let the duke know how much she enjoyed the kisses. Her mother had taught her a thank-you was never out of line. And other things about decorum and proper behavior. But she’d never been taught the appropriate way to react after a passionate embrace with a man. That was probably because there wasn’t supposed to be a long, passionate embrace between two unmarried people. But before she could decide what to say she noticed a serious expression on the duke’s face.
Had she done something wrong? Had it been her fault they had kissed so long?
“I shouldn’t have said what I did earlier, Ophelia. I don’t know what I was thinking.”
“I didn’t mind,” she answered, some of the afterglow of their embrace still with her. It would be a long time before she forgot this day, and, for a fleeting moment, she wondered if she would ever forget her first kiss. It was something worth remembering.
“I know it wasn’t ladylike of me, and I shouldn’t have been so eager, but I wanted to know what it was like to kiss and be kissed. I could have refused, but I didn’t want to. I simply got carried away because of your—your—”
“My desire to kiss you too?” His voice was low and husky. “My passion for you? Because I wanted to touch you and hold you in my arms?”
“Because of your generous gift,” she offered the correction, and didn’t want to even think about the possibility what he said might be true. Had he really wanted to kiss her that badly? “You have no reason to apologize for your forward behavior.”
He brushed a hand across his hair and then adjustedhis coat to correct his appearance. The threat of an attractive smile tweaked the corners of his mouth. Hers too.
