Page 73 of How to Capture a Duke

Did he intend for it to be a one-time event? She hoped not. Now that she knew what pleasure could be found in his arms, she’d never stop wanting him. As for her other feelings, she bit her tongue rather than tell him she’d gifted him not only her virginity, but her heart.

…

Tristan held Olivia in arms, his heart rate slowing.

Olivia had shocked him when she’d pushed him aside to sink to the carpet at his knees. And when she’d taken him in her mouth… Heaven help him, he’d go to his grave reliving the pleasure of her hot, wet mouth on his cock. She was fearless and exuberant in bed, just as she was in everything.

How could any red-blooded male resist her?

He’d withdrawn to prevent pregnancy, but it had taken superhuman effort. He’d wanted nothing more than to thrust, balls deep, and come inside her.

She sighed and slipped a thigh between his. Her hair was a golden cloud, and her strawberry-tipped nipples peeked through the strands. He felt himself grow hard again. He used every trick he knew to control his lust. He balanced a row of numbers in one of his estate’s ledgers, thought of the most mundane political arguments, eased his breathing like he was preparing to speak publicly.

She’d been a virgin, not a common doxy. He’d taken her on a settee in his study, not a soft bed like she’d deserved. She’d be sore, and no matter how badly he wanted her, he couldn’t take her again tonight.

Her lips grazed his throat, and he clenched his jaw. His fingers trailed down her arm, the feminine curve of her hip. He may be resolved not to make love to her again, but he didn’t have the strength not to caress her smooth skin. What was he going to do with her?

Selfish bastard. You know exactly what you want to do to her.

She’d helped him refine his political arguments tonight, but he could never be what she truly wanted, what she needed.

That’s because you are a coward.

Perhaps he was. But he could allow nothing to change his future course of action. The fact that he’d needed a man of Higgins’s talents to help him do what others took for granted—to simply speak in public—enforced his position that he dare not father a child. Higgins had been honest and had admitted he’d treated children of stuttering fathers and that there was a strong likelihood any child Tristan fathered would have the same condition.

How could he put an innocent at risk?

His lips grazed Olivia’s one last time, then he gathered his resolve. “I shall escort you to your room.”

She lifted her head, her mouth curving in a sensuous smile. “I’d rather stay here with you for the rest of the evening.”

His cock jerked in approval, but by sheer force of will, he tamped down his lust. “You deserve a soft bed.”

A shadow crossed her lovely features, and he felt like a different type of blackguard—this time for refusing her affections and causing her distress. If she misinterpreted his request to see her to her room as rejection, he did not correct her. A different excuse came to mind, one she should understand. “I must focus on the bill.”

She lowered her lashes, but not before he noticed the flash of hurt in the depths of the green pools. “Help me dress,” she said. “I can find my own way.”

Chapter Twenty-Six

“You are looking lovely, my dear. Can I assume it is my grandson who has added that blush to your cheeks?” Antonia said as she joined Olivia in the terrace for afternoon tea.

Uncomfortable to meet the dowager’s knowing gaze, Olivia busied herself with the tea things. “Things have improved between us, but we still have our differences.”

“Meaning?”

“Meaning he still needs time,” Olivia said.

“Ah, you’ve had a bit of fun in the bedchamber at last.”

Olivia set down the teapot. “Antonia!”

The dowager waved a bejeweled hand. “Posh! I was young and married once. I’m not priggish.”

“We have, but he’s focused on his work in the House of Lords. Mr. Higgins comes to Keswick Hall four times a week to meet with Tristan, and we’ve practiced in his study. It’s been three weeks already.”

Three long weeks. Antonia knew about Horace Higgins and his meetings with the duke. With hard work and time, Tristan had mastered specific techniques, and Higgins was pleased with his progress.

Although Olivia helped Tristan with his “lessons,” she didn’t mention that they’d only made love once. Tristan appeared entirely focused with his upcoming speech in the House of Lords. Each day, she grew more in love with her husband and was frightened by her strong feelings. She longed to be with him, to experience his fullness inside her once more, but she also understood he needed time. Her husband was a complex man, and she hoped that once he delivered his speech in a month’s time, his unfounded fears would abate. She’d wait. But she wouldn’t wait forever and intended to confront him soon afterwards.