Page 69 of Deviant Duchess
Deborah felt a stir in her core at the possibility, and finished pulling the pins out of her hair and letting her locks down quickly. As she went to the door that adjoined her rooms, she hoped that it was all right with Cedric that she’d changed into something more comfortable. After wearing the binding a few nights ago, she could barely stand corsets anymore.
He answered the door on her first knock, and she was relieved to see that not only had he changed into more comfortable attire, but that his dark eyes had swept instantly down her body in appreciation.
“I see we had the same thought,” he mused with a charming grin as he waved her inside.
“We did indeed,” she agreed, biting back her own grin as she let him lead her inside.
“Oh,” she said, her attention immediately drawn to the furnishings of his room.
“You do not like it?” Cedric asked, leading her to a forest green settee by the fireplace.
“Oh, quite the contrary,” Deborah replied, taking in the various shades of green in the room, as well as the dark wood furnishings, “I just presumed it would be much different.”
“Oh?” Cedric asked, pouring their wine, “How so?”
Deborah grinned as she accepted her glass.
“I thought it would be darker, much broodier. Or sensual.”
Cedric chuckled softly as he took a seat beside her and leaned into the back of the settee.
“Well, I hate to disappoint you, but my favorite color is green,” he replied.
Deborah’s brows rose in surprise. Given how he always dressed in black, she had assumed it was his favorite color. It was then she realized just how little she knew about him, and how little he knew about her, save for her want for revenge.
“Something the matter?” Cedric asked.
Deborah blinked, only then realizing that she had gone quiet, and gave him a small smile.
“Not at all,” she assured him, then took a sip of her wine. She hummed in contentment when she discovered it had a sweet taste and took another long sip before setting the glass down on the nearby table.
Sweet but strong,she noted as a delightful wave of dizziness tickled her mind.
“So, dear Deborah,” Cedric began in a theatrical tone that made her giggle and relax into the settee.
“Yes, dear Cedric?” She teasingly replied.
“What are your plans for after?” He asked, resting his hand on her knee.
Deborah’s brows furrowed.
“After what?” She asked.
Cedric was silent for a moment as he slowly traced his fingers up and down the length of her leg, immediately making her flesh tingle underneath her nightgown.
“After your revenge is extracted,” he explained. “After you have restored your sister and served justice to Sylvester.”
Deborah tensed. She had never thought about an ‘after’ before. Getting to Sylvester had been her only goal for so long. A goal that, for the last few days, she had allowed herself to let go of and simply just ‘be.’ Guilt tunneled through her as she realized this. She’d let herself get distracted. After everything she had done to get where she was in her plan, she’d let herself stop.
“Hey, now,” Cedric’s deep voice soothed as his hands came up to cup her cheeks, “Where are you going in that beautiful mind of yours?”
Deborah glanced up at him and found a look of concern, and the need to comfort had taken over his handsome face.
Does he…actually care about me?
“I never…I never thought of such things before,” she confessed.
Cedric was quiet for a moment, then nodded.
