Rose flushed, worried that she was causing them unneeded work. “If you tell me which direction, I can find him.”
The maid said, “It will be just one moment, Miss Calvert.”
Rose heard someone rushing down the hallway behind her and turned. It was the butler, Benson. He stopped and said, “Miss Calvert, I will escort you to His Grace’s study.”
She nodded, but a sense of foolishness filled her for causing so much trouble. Rose had assumed the maid would point hertoward where to find Augustus, but instead, she’d caused his staff to scramble.
The butler briskly moved down the hallway with Rose following behind him. He stopped at a polished wooden door and knocked softly.
“Enter,” Augustus said formally from inside the room.
The butler opened the door. “Your Grace, Miss Rose Calvert.”
She cringed, hating the pomp that she wasn’t accustomed to seeing Augustus surrounded by, but it was likely an everyday part of his life.
As she entered, Augustus rose. His eyes roamed over her, and her stomach dipped. This man, with one look, could make her body instantly come alive for him. The butler shut the door, leaving them alone. Rose wanted to run to him and press her mouth to his, but she hesitated. He stood dressed in tailored clothing made just for him, surrounded by wealth that most would never see in their lifetime.
Rose was by no means poor. In fact, she was quite wealthy, but it would never match this. He moved around the desk, striding towards her. Her concerning thoughts disappeared from her mind as he pulled them flush and kissed her. Her hips pushed involuntarily further into him. He pulled away from her mouth and dropped kisses along her jaw.
His large hands grasped her hips and pushed her up against his shaft. The ache in her core flared to life. A groan escaped him. “Rose, I need you.”
His words caused her own craving for him to intensify. They stumbled back, and he spun her around, placing her on the edge of his desk. This was madness. Someone could enter at any time, but her need for him seemed to overtake any rational thought.
His mouth trailed kisses down her throat before he playfully nibbled and palmed her bosom. She tilted her head back, herhips flexing upward. His warm hands slid up her petticoats and skirt, and she gasped when he touched her skin.
“I wanted you to rest, but all day, I’ve thought about this.”
She giggled. “Me on the desk?”
He grinned back at her wickedly. “Me between your thighs.”
His blunt words intensified the ache at her core. All thoughts about Augustus’s ducal life disappeared when he released himself from his pants. The slit in her drawers allowed him to slide his cock into her without the removal of any of her clothing. He grasped her hips, dragging her closer to the edge of the desk as their bodies pressed up against one another.
They both moaned and then, slowly and deeply, he pumped into her. The tight hold caused friction against her feminine, sensitive nub. She grasped onto his shoulders, pressing harder into him each time. Her body greedily took all that he was willing to give. She felt the throbbing crest, and when it exploded, she fell back, her arms bracing her on the desk.
Augustus grasped her hips more firmly. His fingers pressed into her skin desperately. She watched him, devouring the sight of his need for her. She met the pace of his thrust, urging him on. He whimpered when her legs tightened around him, grasping the desk and driving into her harder.
With one more thrust, he moaned and withdrew from her. His release landed on her thighs. He quietly whimpered, continuing to rock his hips. They pressed their heads together. Rose had no doubt that, no matter what happened between them, she would never quite be able to get over this man.
He stepped back and found a cloth to clean her up before pulling her from the desk. Augustus made his way to his chair and held out his hand. She allowed him to pull her onto his lap.
“Rose, I’m not sure I can let you go,” he warned, kissing the top of her head.
She looked up at him. “What are you saying?”
He brushed a kiss across her lips. “I’m asking how do we make this work? You and me.”
Her heart pounded because even though her life wasn’t in London, she was beginning to wonder that too. Augustus pulled her to him again, and before she could answer, he said, “Don’t answer now. Just think about if you could stay in London with me and become my duchess.”
She hugged him tighter and wanted to say yes immediately, but she was unsure if she could give everything up for him, even though she’d already given him her heart.
*
Augustus entered Hawley’soffice apprehensive about why the man wanted to meet with him alone. He’d already scheduled a meeting with him and the board members of the Historical Society for Female Curators.
The scholar’s assistant opened the door for him, and Hawley rose. He sported a bruise on the right side of his face. Augustus frowned. “That doesn’t look good.”
“We found the men, and, in the scuffle, I was knocked around a bit.”
