Page 69 of Duke with a Deception
She made an incoherent noise of approval, which he translated as a yes, thrusting deep inside her and curling his fingers. Wetness sluiced down his hand, past his wrist, dampening the impeccable fabric of his coat. He didn’t give a damn. He would happily shred it and toss it into the streets to be trampled just to please Verity.
“I wish I could get on my knees and worship you as you deserve,” he murmured, lifting his head to study her.
She was beautiful always, but even more so with her creamy skin flushed with passion, her eyes glazed with desire. Her hat was charmingly askew, but otherwise, from the waist up, she was the picture of elegance. Below, she was the picture of debauchery.
He continued his pace, working her with his fingers as she made panting sounds of surrender and was gripping him tightly. With his thumb, he found her sensitive pearl, teasing it in time to his plunging fingers. Only then did he take her lips, capturingher moan just in time. He licked into her mouth as she quaked and shuddered beneath his determined hand. Her tongue mated with his, the taste of tea and sweetness invading his senses.
When he was satisfied that he had wrung the last of her release from her, he gently withdrew and allowed her skirts to fall over her legs. Breaking the kiss, he held her gaze as he brought his glistening fingers to his mouth and sucked them clean.
The essence of her flooded his tongue.
“Delicious,” he told her as the twin patches of red on her cheeks deepened.
“I hope I wasn’t too rude, angel,” he murmured, feeling wicked, his cock harder than marble.
“I do think that your manners could use some polishing,” she returned with a saucy smile. “Perhaps I could offer you some lessons.”
He nearly groaned aloud at the thought of more such sessions. Discreetly, he adjusted himself as the carriage rolled to a halt.
“You may teach me anything you like, wife,” he promised with a wink.
Life was good.
Perhaps too good. But he intended to enjoy every second of it, just the same.
She stareddown at the diamonds glinting up at her from an open tooled-leather case, in awe. The jeweler had excused himself to a back room, allowing King and Verity privacy toexamine the parure he had presented upon their arrival. Only the two of them were in the shop now, which was a good thing indeed, because she very much feared she would embarrass herself over the extravagance of the jewels nestled in their case.
She didn’t think she had ever seen so many beautiful pieces together at once. The necklace was set in a collar fashion, with large, faceted diamonds extending outward from delicate gold filaments. The brooch boasted a massive teardrop diamond suspended from a sun-like cluster of diamonds above. The earrings and tiara matched perfectly, with more round and pear-shaped diamonds glistening from the delicate gold filigree scrolls that ornamented them.
“What do you think, my love?” King asked.
“I think it is far too dear,” she told him honestly. “Those diamonds must be worth a king’s ransom.”
“But do you like the set?”
“Do I like it? I love it.” She shook her head. “But I already have a necklace from you, and I wear it with pride every day, close to my heart.” Her gloved fingers went instinctively to the golden locket that hung on her bodice. “It is priceless, because it’s from you.”
Something inscrutable shifted in his expression.
He frowned, his gaze dipping to the necklace at her throat. “Nonsense. You are a duchess now, and you cannot forever wear that plain gold locket. I want to see you in diamonds.” His voice lowered, his gaze searing hers. “In nothing but diamonds.”
A rush of yearning went through her. Verity’s awareness was yet heightened from their naughty carriage ride. But that didn’t mean she didn’t long for him again. If anything, it made her desire him more. King was intoxicating.
Still, such an extravagant surprise from him was beyond her ken. Everett was quite wealthy, and she had lived a comfortablelife, but she was not accustomed to ostentatious dresses and jewels.
“I thought you preferred me not to wear a necklace when we are making love,” she pointed out quietly, taking care to keep her voice from traveling to the jeweler in the back room.
She had taken to removing her locket each evening because of his repeated requests.
King’s jaw hardened. “In this instance, I shall make an exception.”
“But it is far too costly,” she protested.
The jeweler had refrained from sharing the price of the impressive parure, but she was sure it was a tremendous sum.
“Nothing is too costly when it comes to you, my beautiful wife,” King said fervently, taking her gloved hand in his and lifting it to his lips.
How she wished their hands were bare, that she might feel his skin on hers.
