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He didn’t want to lose this opportunity, but something deep inside screamed at him that he needed more control than usual.
“This wasn’t what we’d previously discussed, Your Grace.”
He gently trailed his fingers down her spine. She shivered. “It has to be this way,” he whispered. He stepped forward, inches separating them. Her slow, shaky exhale filled the room. He dipped his head, hovering by her ear. “I promise I’ll take good care of you, Miss Dawson.”
“I…”
Nerves shook in that one small word, and a cloying panic wove vines around his lungs. He couldn’t lose this. Couldn’t lose her. Because he needed this to finally get some bloody sleep. Because he needed a brief respite from the memories that hadn’t lessened since he’d arrived. She was the solution.
And then he did something he’d never done with a woman before. Something the Iron Duke didn’t do.
He went soft.
He skated his palm over her torso until it rested over her stomach, thumb brushing her hipbone. Gentle. Light. Over and over. A reassurance.
He dropped his mouth to her neck, lips grazing featherlight against her soft skin. She barely moved, barely gave away that his touch affected her—except for the slightest stretch of her neck. The faintest beg for more.
He closed the distance between them, giving her his warmth, his presence, without demand, just barely there, open-mouthed kisses trailing down to her shoulder. He dusted his nose over her skin, inhaling her scent. Lavender, a hint of something else—grass, earth, wind? She smelled like a sun-warmed meadow. A wild woman. Untamed and free.
She released a breath, then sank against him. That small surrender jolted through his veins like victory.
“Can you trust me, Miss Dawson?” he murmured into her skin. He kissed his way back up her neck. “If I told you every single thing I’m going to do to you…” He tugged gently on her ear with his teeth, and her sharp inhale shot through the bedchamber. “Would that ease your mind?”
“Perhaps…you should tell me. And I’ll let you know if it does, Duke.”
His lips curved the barest amount against her skin. Minx.
“Oh, God,” she whispered.
“Not quite.” He grazed his teeth up and down the column of her throat. “But a Duke does come pretty close.”
He could practically hear her eye roll. He did feel her small headshake. Exasperation looked good on her.
“I expect Duke-worthy orgasms then, Your Grace. They must live up to your grandeur.”
He slid his hand lower, fingertips toying with the curls just above the heart of her. “I can deliver that, Miss Dawson. But you might regret that request.”
She was silent, her body fighting the quiver his touch elicited, fighting something else. Finally, it burst out of her. “Why?”
He pulled away slightly but didn’t move his hand. He brushed her plait aside and kissed the back of her neck. “I can give you the most incredible orgasm you’ve ever experienced, Miss Dawson. One you’ll feel aftershocks of long after it’s over.” He trailed a finger slowly down her nape. “Every time you think of me, that faint pleasure will resurface.” Down her spine. “You won’t ever recover from it.” She shivered. “But to do that…I can’t let you have it.” He let his hands fall away and stepped back until a foot of space separated them. “No matter how much you beg for relief, no matter how much you need, I won’t give it to you.”
Her body swayed ever so slightly toward him before she corrected herself. His pulse thrummed, heady, hot.
“Until I decide you can have it.”
They remained there in silence, just their soft breaths filling the space. And he waited. For her acquiescence.
“Tell me.” Her whisper was barely audible, a hint of apprehension traveling through it.
He fingered her wrist, slid the neck cloth around it, nothing more than a gentle skim. “I’ll bind your hands behind your back.” He trailed one fingertip over her lower back until he reached her spine. “I’ll explore every inch of your tempting skin.” His fingers flexed, pressing into her. “Find where you’re soft.” He grazed the pads of his fingers over her arse. Down to the outside of her thigh. “Where you’re strong.”
He moved his fingers side to side, each time dipping slightly further into the groove where her thigh met her hip. “I’ll hover just out of reach of where you need me.” He leaned forward. “I’ll trace around those pretty pink nipples but never touch them.” He let out a soft breath over her neck. “I’ll deny you until you’re trembling, the need a physical ache.”
His tongue flicked out, a fleeting taste, and she gasped. “Then I’ll move on to using my mouth. But it’ll be the same tease. You’ll feel me everywhere except where you need me most.” He swirled his tongue, and she squirmed. “You’ll be wet. You’ll be wanting. And that’s before I’ve even touched you.”
He hovered by her ear. “That demanding pulse will build between your legs. In your breasts,” he whispered. “Just a simple slide of my finger between your legs will have your body drawing up tight. But that’s all I’ll give you before I take it away.”
She shifted on her feet, and fuck him, he could smell it. Her arousal. She wasn’t alone. His cock was hard as iron, aching with need for her. Soon.
