Page 39 of Snowed In with the Jilted Duke

“My father will be here soon.”

He reached out and took her hand in his, the gesture unreasonably soothing. “Yes.”

“What will we tell him?”

Oliver sighed. “I will speak to him. I will explain what has happened and… and ask him to release me from the agreement.”

“What if he says no?”

“I don’t know.”

His arm slipped around her waist, and she leaned against him, savoring the moment. She felt his lips brush her hair as he pulled her closer.

Her father loved her. She knew that. He would want her happiness… but perhaps not at the cost of Penny’s public humiliation at being thrown over for her own sister.

It was possible Papa might choose Penny’s reputation over Pippa’s happiness. Or decide to leave the whole Dalston family behind and find Pippa and Penny husbands elsewhere. They had dowries that would allow them to thumb their noses at Society and still find a good match.

There was only one way to ensure she would not be forced to marry someone else, even if Papa turned Oliver’s suit down.

She reached up to caress Oliver’s face, and he kissed her palm before turning to look at her, his eyes soft.

“Pippa, I⁠—”

Fiercely, she drew his head down and kissed him before he could say the words, her tongue tangling with his as he groaned against her mouth. He pulled her closer, and she hiked up the skirts of her nightdress so she could straddle him, pressing herself against him as she kissed him again, her hands moving to fumble with the fastenings of his banyan.

His hands caught hers, and she looked down at him. His expression was solemn, but she could feel something pressing against her through their layers of clothes that roused an ancient knowledge in her. Unable to help herself, she rubbed against him, and he groaned, but kept his grip on her hands.

“Are you sure, Pippa?”

She had never been more certain of anything in her life. “Yes.”

Fumbling a little, she untied her dressing gown and flung it to the ground. Taking a deep breath, she reached for the hem of her nightdress and pulled it over her head, leaving her naked before him.

“Christ almighty,” he whispered hoarsely, and crushed her to him, his mouth and hands roaming over her, supporting her as she leaned back to allow him to kiss and suckle her again as he had in the billiards room, her hands clutching as his shoulders as she bit back her cries of pleasure.

She pushed the banyan off his arms and tugged his shirt over his head, running her hands over his shoulders and chest, exploring rough hair and satin skin.

His hand slid down between her legs and she opened them even wider, urging him on as he stroked her, finding her wetness with a groan.

She was spread out, overwhelmed with pleasure, surprised by its sudden peak almost before he began. She crushed his mouth with hers as she shuddered against him.

Pulling her mouth a fraction of an inch away from his, she said, “More.”

Her hands went to the waistband of his breeches, fumbling for the buttons of his fall. He watched her hands, his chest heaving, as she exposed his erection.

For a moment, she quailed. She had only seen drawings and statues, but this was… different. Tentatively, she stroked his length with one finger, and he groaned again.

“If you don’t want… we don’t have to. There are other things we can do.”

She cupped his face in her hands. “I need you, Oliver.”

His hands shaking, he lifted her up, helping her position herself over him, the broad head of him seeking her opening. She felt a sting, a slight tearing, and he was a little ways inside, her inner muscles painfully tight around the intruder.

She rested her head against his shoulder, breathing in deeply, and then out again. He stayed still against her, seeming to expect her to change her mind.

But her body began to ease, the untried muscles relaxing, and she shifted her weight down, feeling him slide in deeper as she moved.

“God, Pippa.” Hands trembling, he guided her into a rhythm that made them both gasp, then pant, his hand moving to stroke the sensitive peak at the juncture of her thighs. The waves of pleasure began to build again as she moved harder and faster, bringing him deeper with each downstroke until he was fully seated in her. She was stretched, filled, and it hurt, but it was delicious and she never wanted to stop.