He did so till she climaxed, and he followed right after.
“Percival,” she cried out as he spilled his hot seed in his hand.
He buried his face deeper between her thighs, his groans animalistic. Then, he collapsed on her trembling body, covering her with his warmth.
He kissed her again, softer this time, tasting her moans.
She was breathless. Her body was limp, and her eyes were glazed over. As she curled up against him, she wanted to whisper something. To ask him why he had refused to take her. Why he had held back.
But sleep quickly claimed her, her breathing evening out.
Percival stared at her. His heart was still racing, and his vow still echoed like a curse. And yet he wrapped his arms around her and pressed his lips to her forehead, despite his fear.
Fear that he could never let her go.
CHAPTER 30
The first thing Aurelia felt was his absence when she woke up.
Her eyes fluttered open, and she realized with a start that the bed she lay in wasn’t her own. It was Percival’s. The duke’s forbidden sanctuary.
Her eyes darted across the chamber, searching for his tall shadow, but he was nowhere in sight. All she had were warm sheets.
Where did he go?
Almost immediately, a wicked memory flooded back, stealing the air from her lungs. The previous night replayed in her mind. His lips on her throat, the grip of his hand as he spread her thighs, the sinful drag of his tongue against her sex.
“God…” she whispered, her core clenching at the memory. Heat crept up her chest, shameful and sweet.
Her lips curved despite herself. A silly, girlish smile. It made her so ashamed that she pressed her face into the pillow, hugging it close. The smell of him hit her instantly, that faint, masculine spice that lingered in his clothes.
It only made her ache more.
She remembered how he had stroked himself, how his hand had gripped his hard, thick length.
She squeezed her thighs under the sheets once again, feeling the wetness between her legs.
“Shameless,” she muttered under her breath, but that did not stop the smile that painted her lips.
Because it was impossible not to. Last night was different. He had shown that he wanted her, that heneededher.
A sharp knock sounded at the door, cutting her musings short. She sat upright in bed, her heart leaping. No one ever came into his chamber. Not the servants, not even her.
His room was sacred, locked with invisible rules, and yet here she was, seated on his sheets with the scent of him imprinted on her skin.
The door opened with a soft click, revealing him.
Percival stood in the doorway, the pale light catching his sharp cheekbones. Despite his stern expression, she could still remember the look in his eyes on the precious night. Undone,ravenous. It seared her skin.
It was ridiculous, but she wanted him to devour her again that instant.
He closed the door behind him and stepped closer. Not as the man who had unraveled her in the hallway and his chamber. Not as a composed duke either.
A dangerous emotion flickered in his eyes, a tension that hadn’t yet dissipated.
“How are you feeling this morning?” His voice was calm, and his eyes drifted to her bare collarbone.
“Lovely,” she replied softly, her blush betraying her. “It… It feels rather wonderful to wake up in your bed.”
