Loretta’s surprised gasp dissolved in her throat as the duke’s lips moved quickly and hungrily over hers, instantly feeding the longing she’d felt since their last kiss. Her lips parted. His tongue filled her mouth, thoroughly exploring its depths with swiftness. She swallowed his breaths, his moans, and he inhaled hers with an eagerness that thrilled her.
The wait for this moment had been long, and she needed no encouragement to join the kiss. She was as fervent as he. With his lips moving back and forth over hers with such intensity, Loretta felt as if his passion for her were seeping deep into her soul, branding her and forever making her his.
“Yes, I’ve wanted this,” he whispered against her lips as his wide hand slid down her neck and chest to cover herbreast and gently massage her. “I’ve needed this. To feel your lips on mine.” He kissed her swiftly and then lifted his head only enough to look into her eyes and whisper, “To touch you like this and know that you want me to even while you deny it,” before claiming her lips once again.
Yes, that was true, her mind whispered, but she couldn’t say the words aloud. She couldn’t admit to him that she wanted this, too. Loretta had no control over the thrilling sensations hurling through her but knew she had no desire to stop them. The duke’s lips were possessive, demanding, and thorough.
Just the way she’d remembered them in her dreams.
She slid her arms up and around his shoulders, letting her hands skim across his strong back. His body was firm, warm. Her body ached to feel him closer, for him to touch her with more strength, but she wasn’t exactly sure how to accomplish that without asking him to press her closer, tighter, and she was almost to the point of doing that.
The duke’s lips captured hers over and over again. Some kisses were light, so soft it was as if his lips were barely touching hers. Others were hard and passionate, and felt as if he were ravishing her. They kissed and kissed until Loretta was so languid with delicious pleasure she only wanted to lie down on the settee, let him cover her body with his, and then kiss her some more. But just as all good and glorious things come to an end, so did the duke’s powerful and passionate kisses.
He lifted his lips from hers, kissed his way down to the crook of her neck, letting his tongue moisten her skin there, before lifting his head and looking down into her eyes.
The duke’s lips were tempting and she wanted more. It felt as if his gaze were caressing her face, and she was almost persuaded to force him to kiss her again. Loretta’s chest heaved with indecision.
“I believe that settles your concern about whether or not there will be more kisses between us, Miss Quick. There will be.”
Yes, she believed that, too, now.
He released her neck and stepped a respectable distance from her. “But I do have other reasons for wanting you to come to Hawksthorn. I want to prove to you that my sister is worthy of your brother.”
Reminding her of the unkind things she’d said about Lady Adele was almost as embarrassing as her referring to their shared kisses when he indicated they weren’t even on his mind at the time, and then kissing her into delirium to prove to her that they were.
“You know I never should have said those things about your sister. I’m deeply ashamed of myself for that, and I’m sure they aren’t true. But all that aside, you are no gentleman for reminding me of it.”
He hid a smile by wiping the corner of his mouth with his thumb. “It’s not easy to get the best of you, Miss Quick, and I must take the opportunity to do so when you present it to me. I didn’t mind you expressing your doubts about Adele. And it’s quite noble for you to want your brother to marry avicar’s daughter. However, I—”
“Here it is,” Paxton said, striding into the room as if he were walking only on his toes.
Loretta hoped he would have no inkling she’d just been so thoroughly kissed.
He handed the package to the duke. “He finally found it. Took him a while but there’s not a rumple in the pretty yellow ribbon.”
“Thank you, Mr. Quick.” His Grace looked down at it and asked, “Did he give you just one?”
Paxton blinked rapidly. “Yes, only one. I thought—I mean, were there more?”
“Perhaps my driver misunderstood, but yes. There are two packages. This is the book I brought for Miss Quick, but there is another. A box of confections. Sweets from a new bakery in London.” He turned to Loretta. “I thought, perhaps, you might like some. There are plenty to share. I suppose I’ll have to go get it.”
“No, of course not,” Paxton said. “Nonsense. Don’t trouble yourself. I’ll do it for you.”
“Are you sure? Or perhaps you could have a servant to get it for me. I hate to see you take care of an errand for me.”
“Happy to, Your Grace. Not a problem at all. I’ll dash back out and get them right now.” His exuberance was infectious, and Loretta had to smile. “It is just one more box, correct? Small box or large?” Paxton made sizes with his hands.
“Yes, about that size,” the duke answered. “My driver will find it, I’m sure. Thank you, Mr. Quick.”
As soon as Paxton was out the door for the second time, the duke moved close to Loretta again and spoke in a low voice, saying, “You are looking well. I see you have had no ill effects from the encounter with the icy wind the night of the storm.”
“Nor you, and don’t try to change the subject.”
“I didn’t know I was.”
“You didn’t forget to tell Paxton or your driver about the second package. Did you?”
“Of course not. I didn’t forget the first by mistake, either. They were both by my design. I arranged everything with my driver before I came inside. I knew it would be the only way I could have a few minutes alone with you. Twice.”
