Her frustration rose at his obvious teasing—she wanted to feel him more. She wanted him to touch every inch of her as much as she wanted to feel every inch of him.
Her hand reached for his chest, her heart racing, feeling nervous at the slightest touch. However, she was new at this, and she was unsure how to respond. She wanted to reciprocate, but she remained unsure if it was appropriate or if she was allowed.
Suddenly, she felt him freeze. Or did he stop?
“Peter.” She uttered his name with desperation.
“Mmm,” he moaned.
Her mind flashed to places she hadn’t explored before at the sound.
She wanted to ask him to carry on, but there was something in her conservative nature that forcefully stopped her from asking for more.
“Tell me what you want,” he demanded.
But Lavinia only remained silent.
He moved his lips away from her neck. She felt her frustration grow, and there was only one thing she could do to feel him once more. She knew she needed to ask.
“Please,” she begged.
She stared into his eyes. His hands began to feel her again. She shivered as they pressed into the small of her back.
“Please what?” he prompted.
Lavinia knew that she had to swallow her pride and say what she wanted.
“Please, do not stop.”
The Duke smirked, then he leaned forward and devoured her lips. Lavinia kissed him back, wondering if she was doing it right. But she was not hearing any complaints from him, so she was increasingly confident that he was feeling what she was feeling as well.
Their lips moved in sync, as if they were separate pieces of a puzzle that found each other once again. She felt sweat drip down her back, soaking her dress. Everything had become warm. There was a spot between her legs, near her core, that felt moist, and her lower abdomen pulsed with a dull, throbbing need.
Lavinia had known about kissing for so long, but she had never known that it could be so magical. She never knew that someone’s touch could send her to places. She had never imagined that she would be able to feel it herself.
She could never put into words how bewildering the press of someone’s lips against her own could be. The fear of making a mistake, and the pleasure that came and churned into bliss.
How could one’s lips ever make someone so happy?
She broke the kiss and stared at the Duke. When she saw the way his pupils dilated, she felt as if icy water was being poured over her.
What am I doing here? What have I done?
She panicked at the thought of being caught in the Duke’s room. She suddenly remembered the conversation she had with Lady St. Vincent, Mrs. Caulfield, and her mother regarding the Duke. She felt the jitters in her stomach.
“I must leave at once, Your Grace.” Lavinia turned away from him and flung the door open.
Her heart pounded hard in her chest. She did not know what to make of her predicament.
She wanted to experience passion and romance, but she was sure the Duke did not have the same things on his mind. He meant to seduce her, to kiss her senseless, to?—
A sigh escaped her lips. Then, she pushed herself away from the Duke’s room and ran to her bedchambers.
CHAPTER 10
“Come and sit by me.”
Peter had just entered the drawing room, looking for Lavinia, when he spotted his mother. Since it was the middle of the afternoon, she was all alone in the empty space, and he could not even attempt to ignore her.
