Page 66 of The Duke’s Unwilling Bride

Instead, many of them are in the center of the room, forming a circle. Each book is laid perfectly in a neat row with another book straddling two beneath it, just like a wooden lattice. I have to admire the precision even if I can see it for its foolhardiness. Just one nudge and part of the wall will collapse.

As I stalk forward, I watch as her small hands fuss about, laying down her books as carefully as any stonemason. But then, all movement stops. From out of the middle, she pokes her head up, like an adorable animal looking out from its burrow.

I can’t help the laugh that rumbles through my chest at the scene in front of me. Teresa stands there, her eyes drifting between me and her work of art, her eyes nearly black as the heat overtakes her. Even now, she smooths her hands over the books, fixing some imperceptible flaw in her design.

Though I don’t understand it, I can certainly appreciate the work she’s put into it. However, as a nest, it’s wholly unusable. Not only is there the concern for books toppling over, harming her, but the very idea of getting my cum on these books, some priceless, makes me feel uneasy.

“Such a pretty nest, my beautiful omega,” I purr, cajoling her.

It seems to work. The moment I start speaking, the lines of her body relax. Prowling forward, I keep my steps light and non-threatening. The main thing is to keep her feeling calm and safe. No doubt it’s the reason she chose the library in the first place.

“Can you show it to me?” Nodding, she dances around, her fingertips brushing the spines of the books.

Pure, unadulterated happiness seems to flow out of her. And for the first time, I see her for the lovely woman she is. There’s no guile, no malice, nothing in her expression except a hungry desire for me.

“Allow me inside.” Once more, she nods, but this time, her smile turns into a frown.

Somehow, she’s built it up around her with no way in or out without destroying all her progress. Tears fill her eyes as she looks up at me, distress making her quake. It tugs at my heart, spurring me to action.

“I don’t want to destroy your nest, little omega,” I murmur, looking down into her shelter. “But I cannot give you the satisfaction you need while on the outside. Come, let me take you out of here, and I will give you all your heart desires.”

“No.” That one word is filled with all the petulance I feel she’s able to muster.

Smothering a smile, I put on a serious frown, glaring down at her. “You will never tell me, no, omega. Is that clear? Now reach up so I can take you out of there and fuck you properly.”

“But… My nest…”

“Is a very good nest, but you don’t want to ruin the books, do you?” Eyes wide, she shakes her head at me, horror etched on her face. “Then allow me to take you out of there so you can build a different nest, one for both of us.”

Tossing the linens into a corner of the room, I turn back to her and stretch out my arms. With great reluctance, she takes my hands and allows me to pull her up and out. Once her feet are back on the floor, however, it’s as if the nest of books no longer exists in her mind.

She stares at the linens for a moment before narrowing her eyes, staring at the pile as if they have somehow offended her. I let her walk away from me, my gaze lingering on her arse as she bends over and starts fluffing and pulling, shaping the blankets into something far more suitable for the fucking I have in mind.

With slow, languid movements, I take off my cravat and toss it onto the pile, my cock jerking as she picks it up and scents it, rubbing her nose along the parts that hugged my skin. Soon, my shirt and breeches follow until I’m naked in my library, watching my omega as she makes a new nest.

Before too long, however, she’s done. Looking up at me, she seeks my approval, and though to me it’s nothing more than a mass of fabric, I praise her for the good work she put into it. It will never be as special to me as it will be to her, and so I indulge this need.

“Very well done, my little omega. It looks absolutely perfect.” At my words, she beams up at me, every inch of her soaking up my admiration. “Now, invite me in.” This time, I tinge my words with a growl, eliciting a shudder from her.

“Please, Your Grace. Please join me in my nest.”

Walking over to her, I watch as her gaze studies my body. Hunger blossoms in the depths of her eyes, sending a shiver of lust through me. As I get close, however, I curl my fingers around her neck, squeezing just a touch. It’s not enough to cut off her air, but enough to make her whine with need.

“I have asked you repeatedly to call me by my Christian name. And by God, while I’m defiling you in your nest, that is the name you will cry out. Understood?”

Her eyes are completely black as she looks up at me. “Yes, Joseph,” she whimpers, her need emblazoned on her face.

Just those two little words and I’m almost undone. Lowering my lips to hers, I devour her, forcing my tongue past her teeth. Her tongue darts out with tentative licks, causing my balls to draw up.

Wrenching the clothes from her body, I throw them to the side before pushing her into the nest, all thoughts of tormenting her fleeing my mind. I need her body, and I need it now. Spreading her legs, I stare down at her pussy, swollen and wet with arousal. She can take me. All of me. And by God, she will.

I slide in between her splayed thighs and lap at her entrance, teasing her with my tongue as I dart it in and out. Her muscles bunch as she tenses, her body writhing as nonsensical words pour out of her mouth. Moans and cries fill the space, bouncing off of the books in an erotic literary cacophony.

“Joseph,” she cries out. “Please.”

At that moment, all restraint flees as my rut overtakes me. I’m reduced to my biology—simply an Alpha fucking his omega. Nothing more. Nothing less.

CHAPTER 32