Page 58 of The Runaway Duchess
Mind blank, body flooded with desire, Caroline rasped the word ‘yes’ without a moment’s thought.
Pleasure sparked in Damien’s eyes, making them practically glow before the black of his pupils ate away the brilliant color. He reached for her slowly, but instead of touching her, he grasped the edges of her skirts. He dragged them up her legs, up to her hips, and using them as handles, dragged her to the edge of the couch. A blush spread across her cheeks as he laid her sex bare, but she was helpless to stop him.
A low moan poured from his lips as he leaned forward.
“So pretty and pink,” he rasped, trailing his warm breath along her inner thigh. “So very perfect.”
Caroline whimpered at his praise and let her head fall back onto the headrest of the couch. She trembled as his lips laid soft, slow kisses along her inner thighs, first one then the other, as if he had all the time in the world. With each brush of his lips, her need grew higher, and she felt a warm dew begin to trickle from her sex at the anticipation of it all.
Then his lips found her center, and she arched her back and flicked her hips forward as she breathed his name. Damien moaned in response and clenched his fists tighter in her skirts as if fighting the urge to touch her with more than just his mouth.
She was not sure why he was doing this. She had never known that men would want to do such a thing, but as his tongue continued to amplify her growing pleasure, she realized she did not care.
“Do you know what happens to a woman when she receives too much pleasure here?” Damien huskily asked and swirled the tip of his tongue at her slick entrance.
Caroline shook her head. She did not know anything in that moment. Only that she did not want him to stop.
“Allow me to show you, wife. And know that I will be happy to show you again and again whenever you would like.”
Damien slowly thrust his tongue inside of her, sliding between her wet lips and into her tight passage. She gasped, shocked at first by the intrusion, but the sound quickly melted into a moan as he began a slow, rhythmic coaxing as moans of satisfaction poured from his lips.
She began to writhe as he drove her deeper into her pleasure. She grasped the cushions of the couch first, digging her nails into the red velvet as the coil in her core grew tighter. As it drove her further into frenzy, though, she found her hands moving from the couch to his hair. She slid her fingernails along his scalp, earning her a moan from him that sent a delicious vibration through her core.
“Damien,” she whimpered, trembling even harder as she felt her body approach an edge she did not understand.
“Shh. I have you, angel,” he whispered between the wicked licks of his tongue. “Let go for me. I will catch you.”
Then he leaned in again, but instead of sliding his tongue inside her like before, his lips suckled a taut bundle of nerves she never knew she had, and pleasure exploded throughout her nerves.
“Damien! I...”
“Yes,” he coaxed, moving his tongue and lips faster as she felt the couch beneath her grow damp, “Yes, angel, release for me.”
Then he drew that bud of nerves he had been flicking into his mouth and suckled hard, and she screamed. She had thought the first explosion had been intense, but it was nothing compared to the second one. It swept through her body like a harsh wind, causing her back to bow and her tendons to strain as shock wave after shock wave of pleasure coursed through every vein and muscle in her body.
When she opened her eyes, he was already on his feet, pulling his shirt over his head. He did not look at her. He did not say a word. He simply picked up his jacket and left.
She sat there for a long time after, skirts still bunched at her hips, staring at the empty doorway.
What just happened?
Chapter 21
“Shall I bring your breakfast to George’s room as usual, Your Grace?” Delia asked.
Her mind still on what had happened between her and Damien last night, Caroline simply stared ahead. She had to set the record straight with him today. What happened last night was a fluke... a temporary lapse of judgment or perhaps even a moment of insanity. Even if she had never felt such pleasure before in her entire life, it couldnothappen again.
While the act had been… indescribably wonderful, the aftereffects had not. Once she had felt that explosion of pleasure, Damien had gotten up without a word, leaving her still trembling and exposed as he left the parlor. It left her feeling ashamed and tricked, and she would not, under any circumstances, fall for it again.
It would only complicate things further.
“Your Grace?” Delia repeated.
“No, Delia,” Caroline replied, forcing herself out of her reverie. “I believe it would be good for George to start taking mealsin the dining room. Become more accustomed to such social situations. Please have our breakfast laid out on the table, and do please let Clara know to bring George down once he is awake and dressed.”
“Yes, Your Grace,” Delia answered, curtsying.
Once alone again, Caroline walked to her full-length mirror to examine herself. She touched her simple braided bun and smoothed her hands down the neat skirts of her dark blue dress. Her complexion looked as smooth as ever, and her lashes and brows framed her brown eyes perfectly, with not a hair out of place. She thought she looked the same, she guessed. Yet she felt utterly different. She examined herself a little longer, searching for any sign of the change she sensed inside.
