“There is nothing to forgive. Nothing at all. The Duke, Alexander, has asked me to relay to you his most urgent need of you. His estate managers are robbing him blind and he wants to get his estates in order. Uncle George, I know that you do not care for his politics but your blessing would mean so much to me. You will always be more of a father to me than Ambrose ever could be,” Violet said.
“Well, I will take it with all the seriousness that a father should. I feel it only right that I discuss the matter with your Aunt. And that His Grace visits us at Ravendel Park to seek our consent. That would be respectful and would go a long way to proving his worth.”
“I’m sure he will be most happy to do so,” Violet smiled.
Chapter 38
Violet’s eyes opened in an instant and her body trembled as a familiar scent swept her bedroom. It was dark and far too quiet but she could hear a scraping sound against the window as she raised her head.
“Alexander?” she whispered.
Throwing the blanket off her body, her bare feet touched against the cold ground. Grabbing the candle on the bed stand, she followed the source of the noise. And then she saw him. Alexander was waiting for her just outside the window, on the sill. For a moment, she thought she was dreaming. She pulled open the window and was rewarded with a dazzling smile from him.
“I thought you would be asleep,” Alexander said. Not a moment later, he climbed inside her room.
“I was, until I heard you.”
“I needed to see you,” Alexander explained. “We ha’en’t had a moment alone since. All these bizarre rituals!”
Violet giggled and nodded, almost in guilt, and she set down her candle. Alexander moved closer to her and closed the spaced between them in one stride. He captured her mouth in his own and she didn’t stop him. She returned his advances, hugging her arms around his neck and pulling him ever so closer. The kiss was one of longing, passion, and the beastly desire he sometimes tried to withhold from her. But they would be married soon, they would be bound together and she did not want him to hold back anymore. She wanted all of him, so much so that her body shook and trembled whenever he was near her, so much that she was willing to give him everything.
“I need you,” she whispered. “I want to…I want to experience everything with you.”
Alexander pulled away and looked at her with dark eyes. “Lass, are ye sure?”
Violet could only nod. It had taken so much courage from her to admit it, but she meant every word of it. Once, she was the paragon of propriety; she would have chastised herself if she even as much knew that those words could be uttered from her. But now, it was different. It was always going to be with Alexander.
Alexander took her quiet consent in, and he wrapped his hands around her waist. The only thing that separated them was her thick gown that felt like a metal shield that had to be removed.He deepened the kiss once more, but then his hands roamed lower. Far lower. He cupped her buttocks securely and then lifted her off the ground. Violet gasped, but followed his lead and wrapped her legs around him as tightly as she could.
The weeks of yearning had grown into a nervous ache—an ache for so much more. Only Alexander could take this pain away, all it would take was one touch. She could feel his hardness touching against her and she moaned against his mouth as he led both of them to the bed.
Alexander was on top of her once more, possessing her and marking every inch of her body with his own. He focused on her neck the most, biting and sucking as she tried to contain the tiny whimpers and gasps that she couldn’t even recognize herself. Only Alexander could do this to her, no one else.
With one brave movement, Violet’s shaky hands landed on his chest. Slowly and almost with error, she tried to unbutton all of the openings of his shirt, but she was so consumed. Alexander realized and helped her, ripping the fabric off his body and pulling it over his head. His hair was untamed from the action and she couldn’t stop the urge to touch it.
“I’m trying,” he whispered. Violet was unsure exactly what he meant, but all she was focused on was removing her own gown at the moment. She unbuttoned the first few buttons, this time with success, but Alexander didn’t seem to be patient enough.
Following her movement, he pulled the nightgown downwards, causing a ripple that echoed through the room. He ripped it andremoved it from her body, leaving her exposed and waiting for his next move.
His hand drifted to her breasts and he mounded them in his grasp. His thumb traced over her nipple, and it hardened beneath his touch as sweat formed at the back of her neck. She couldn’t take any more of this, she needed his touch, she needed all of him. Alexander was the only man she loved, and the only man who would ever see her in this manner.
And then, he captured her lips with his own once more. The agonizingly slow kiss was followed by a thrusting and she could feel his hardness brushing against her over his clothes. It caused small ripples of whimpers to escape her, but he didn’t seem to care. Instead, his hands continued to knead both of her breasts possessively, before eventually he shifted back a little and touched the bulge pressing up against his pantaloons. Violet stared at him as if he was her own spectacle, her own personal show that she could admire. Alexander removed his pantaloons and let them drop to the ground and Violet gasped at his now bare hardness. She didn’t know what to do, she didn’t know truly how to pleasure him, but she wanted to try.
Moving forward, her hands touched him, but Alexander slowly stopped her.
“You don’t have to do that.”
Violet shook her head. “I know, but I want to.”
And then, she did it again. She touched him with both of her hands, exploring him as if he was a marble statue. Alexander hissed and breathed deeply as Violet continued to touch his length, and then she settled on the tip. Remembering the last time he had brought her pleasure, she moved her head down. She couldn’t see his face as his face was pulled back. And then, she kissed him. She kissed the tip of his length and he moaned loudly enough for her to hear.
“Is that all right?”
Alexander chuckled. “Oh, ye have no idea.”
Believing this meant something positive, she did it again. She kissed him once more, then watched for his reaction. His body tensed and his hands twitched as if he was fighting back something. She wanted more of his reaction, more of his desire and she wanted to prove to him that she could pleasure him as well.
Alexander pressed a hand against the back of her neck, then helped her fall back onto the bed as he captured her mouth once more, lowering himself on top of her. His hand moved to her womanhood and he touched her, so softly it felt like a feather. It wasn’t enough, it truly wasn’t and she needed more.
