He kissed her palm. “There’s no need to rush. We have time.”
She searched his face. “Is it because I am not experienced? You can talk me through it.”
Austin took a deep breath. “Trust me, Dee. There’s nothing I want more. But?—”
Deena flinched as she felt the sharp pain of rejection seep into her. Austin must have realized because he grabbed her close to him and ran a hand gently down her back.
“But we still have time,” he repeated.
Deena was confused. Austin adored pleasure, especially sexual pleasure, so why did he stop her? She tried to figure out if he was jesting, but when she realized he was not, she decided not to ask further and curled into him, listening to the steady beat of his heart.
“If that is what you want,” she whispered.
Austin was silent for a minute.
“I want to take my time with you, Dee,” he confessed quietly against her damp forehead.
“The Velvet Duke would not take his time,” she mumbled, fighting the sleep that was quickly overtaking her.
Deena heard Austin laugh briefly.
“When are you going to realize that I can never be the Velvet Duke with you?”
She drifted into a dream, not sure if his question was real or not.
Twenty-Four
She belongs here.
The thought arrived and settled in his bones like truth. Austin peered down at Deena as she slept, curled against his chest, one leg draped over his thigh, and her hair spilling across his shoulder like lava. Their breakfast had arrived as he ordered, but he felt guilty about waking her up. She looked peaceful, and mesmerizingly beautiful.
He tightened his arm around her waist, drawing her closer. She sighed in her sleep, nuzzling into the hollow of his throat, and something in his chest cracked open.
“Dee,” he whispered softly in her ear, “it’s time to wake up. You need to eat and regain your energy.”
“Hmm,” she mumbled grumpily.
Austin smirked.
She’s not a morning person.
Their tea steamed beside him. The aroma of the warm rolls, butter, jam, sliced fruit, and a small pot of chocolate made his stomach rumble. And Austin had no intention of letting it go cold.
He brushed a kiss to Deena’s temple.
She stirred and her lashes fluttered until her green eyes finally opened. A flush climbed up her throat and Austin imagined that perhaps the enormity of what had just passed between them was settling in for her too.
“Good morning,” he murmured.
“Morning.” Her voice was husky from sleep and last night’s cries of jubilation. She started to shift away but he tightened his arm around her.
“Stay.”
She hesitated, then relaxed again. “You are too warm.”
Austin laughed. “And you must be hungry.”
She looked ready to say no, but the smell of the food was too heavy in her chamber.
