And so, in the space of one brief meeting, he found himself a married man, with his tempting duchess awaiting him in their chambers. A wife who would brighten his life, and share his burdens. He knew it was all right there for him to reach out and take.
But he also knew he could never relent and trust his wife completely.
Chapter Five
Jocelyn’s slender, graceful back was turned to Sebastian, and he could see the fine tremors that sifted along her frame at his entrance.
He closed the door with a soft snick, but she did not turn to face him from where she stood in front of the windows gazing into the bright starlit night.
He had thought she might be hiding under the covers, or at least pretending to be asleep. A pleased smile curved his lips as he observed her. He should have known she would confront things head on, despite her fears. Hadn’t she done that very thing this morning?
He did not have to wait long for the familiar rush of desire that hardened his cock. He paused in removing his dinner jacket, startled by how visceral the need to hold her was. She still did not stir. She had no clue that he was removing every stitch of his clothes. Or perhaps she did. With every rustle and noise he made undressing, her frame tensed and shook with even more tremors. Her hands, held at her sides, clasped and unclasped, moved to form a tight ball at her front.
Suddenly she spun around to face him, her glorious mane of hair that had been loosely pinned tumbling to her back and shoulders. He met her eyes and a shock of surprise pulsed through him.
His intrepid duchess was not trembling from nervousness or anxiety, after all. The storm clouds that had gathered in her eyes, threatening to break any second, were tempestuous ones. He expected to see a flash of lightening and hear the crash of thunder any moment now.
His beautiful duchess was enraged.
He smiled with satisfaction, and his cock swelled in anticipation.
This…should prove interesting.
…
Jocelyn’s rage was so intense she felt like a bowstring drawn to the verge of snapping.
“Do you realize you’ve had me waiting for almost two hours? With no consideration for the uncertainty I may be feeling?”
His head tilted insolently. “Have I?”
Her rage burned brighter at the complete lack of remorse reflected in his wintry blues.
She had been pampered and scented, her hair brushed for what felt like a thousand strokes, and then dressed in the peignoir he had gifted her. It was so sheer her heart still palpitated at the thought. All for his bloody pleasure. And the conceited cad had kept her waiting. Two miserable hours.
“Why, you conceited bas—”
The rest of the words strangled in her throat as he dropped the garment he had been holding loosely in front of him.
In a shocked daze, her eyes tracked its fall to the carpet and scanned the pieces of clothing strewn about haphazardly—his jacket, waistcoat, his pants, boots, and assorted unmentionables.
She gasped and snapped her head up, and her eyes popped as she beheld her husband standing there.
Gloriously naked.
My God. He was splendid.
She drank in the sight of him, from his slashing brows to his chiseled jaw and sensual lips, down his powerful body. He was tall and sleek with a broad chest, wide, athletic shoulders, and thighs and calves that were hard with muscle. Everything about him was hard, strong, and proud. She had never imagined the male body could be so…beautiful.
Her hands fluttered to her throat as she stared at the part of him that jutted out toward her, so hard and rigid. And huge.
Good heavens.
She snapped her gaze up and met his eyes. They smoldered with something primitive and predatory that took her breath away.
In two strides he was directly in front of her. Then he reached out, hauled her into his arms. And he took.
His fingers locked into the thick coils of her hair as he angled his head and crushed his lips over hers. He was not slow and seductive as he’d been earlier, instead he devoured. The intensity of his kiss shook her enough that fear once again slammed through her stuttering her heart.
She gasped into his mouth, and his tongue plundered, entwining with hers, lashing her with unexpected pleasure. She moaned as that same unfamiliar fire swept through her body. A strange buzzing whipped through her and she whimpered as he pressed her back into the icy cold wall. Need pulsed between her legs, melting her and creating sensations there that left her weak and stunned.
She felt as if everything was happening too fast. A sharp rip sounded, and her sheer nightgown parted down the middle. She let out a yelp as he hoisted her, and she instinctively wrapped her legs around his waist. She felt hot and restless, her skin painfully sensitive. His hands moved over her, caressing her buttocks, then cupping her breasts. He dragged his thumb across her nipple, and the rough caress slammed pleasure directly to her core. His kisses and nips stroked over her lips, her throat, her collar bone, and she arched in a stinging ache of pleasure as his mouth clamped over her nipple and sucked. She gripped his dark head tight as he pulled strongly with his mouth, destroying her with the electric sensations he sent flooding through her entire body.