Page 59 of Duke with a Deception
She wound her arms around his neck, leaning into his strength, tipping her head back. “I wasn’t gone long.”
“One minute from your side is too long.” His gaze fell to her lips. “Is your brother still being a pigheaded arse?”
Her sisterly loyalty to Everett balked at King’s description, but she couldn’t disagree.
“Yes. I am so sorry for the way our marriage has affected your friendship.”
“I’m not.”
Her brows rose. “You’re not?”
“No.” He shook his head slowly, the sizzling heat in his eyes making her body come to life. “You are worth any price I have to pay.”
Her heart tightened with an emotion that felt almost unfamiliar. “I am?”
“Never doubt that you are the sun of my days.” He cupped her face with one hand. “I would lose every friend I’ve ever had and every last ha’penny to my name if it meant you were forever mine.”
There was something different about him that she couldn’t quite define. He possessed a searing intensity she’d never seen before.
“Iamforever yours,” she reminded him, turning to lay a kiss in the center of his palm.
For she was his wife. Nothing could change that. Nor could anyone or anything ever alter the immense love she had for him. It was bigger than she was, bigger than them both. Verity wasalso aware that the love she recalled felt…deeper now, in a way she did not quite understand.
They were husband and wife, after all—intimate, sharing laughter and conversation long into the night—so it stood to reason her feelings would deepen. And yet, a quiet unease stirred within her. The sensations growing inside her did not feel the same as those she remembered. Those had been comforting, familiar. This new depth felt altogether different—almost too profound.
“Promise me you’ll not forget that, angel.”
She searched his countenance, trying to understand the hint of desperation in his voice. Perhaps it was the loss he had suffered that made him wary. Mayhap he feared losing her as he had his daughter. Her heart ached at the thought.
“I won’t forget,” she vowed tenderly.
But even as she said the words, she knew it was a promise she couldn’t fully make. For she had already forgotten, those pieces of herself seemingly forever lost.
His mouth settled over hers at last, and the kiss was slow and lingering, thorough and carnal. She felt herself grow damp with wanting him, her nipples tightening into hardened buds.
Could they make love in his study?
They had already done so in the music room, the dining room, and the library, so she supposed they could. Always, there had been an obliging piece of furniture to facilitate them. She found herself wondering what they might use here. His desk? One of the chairs by the hearth?
His lips left hers to singe a path of sensual fire down her throat. “My sweet Verity, you make me lose control with such ease.”
“I’m not trying to,” she murmured, breathless.
“Liar.” He nipped at her skin lightly, making her arch into him. “You look at me with those soulful, pale eyes, and your lips part, and you bring me to my knees.”
“I like you on your knees,” she said, thinking of all the times he had worshiped her thus, on his knees, his face buried between her legs as he licked and sucked her to climax.
King groaned, his hands tightening on her waist. In the next moment, they were moving as one, him guiding her backward. The motion was so sudden that she let out a squeak of surprise and clung to him to keep from tripping over her voluminous skirts.
“I have you,” he promised, not stopping until they reached his desk.
She trusted him, allowing him to move her without thinking that she would fall. She wouldn’t. It was impossible. King would protect her always.
With quick, fluid movements, he lifted her onto the surface, her gown pooling around her, feet dangling above the floor. Like every other piece of furniture he owned, the desk was large and intimidating, crafted for his height. And although she was tall for a woman, she still somehow felt impossibly small.
He flipped her skirts up to her waist.
“What are you doing?” She was breathless with anticipation, with desire.
