Page 68 of Duke with a Desire

“Phee,” he groaned. “You undo me.”

In the next moment, he hastily withdrew from her and, grasping his glistening cock in his hand, spent all over her inner thigh. Her heart still pounding, she rolled to the mattress at his side.

They lay there, breaths ragged, the quiet of the night wrapped around them like a veil. There was no need for words. Holding each other and breathing in the same air was all they required.

She found herself wishing what was between them would never come to an end. For the freedom to spend every night in his arms. But that was not meant to be, and she knew it. These few, stolen moments were all she could ever have with him.

With a kiss to her temple, he rose from the bed and moved across the room, gathering up a cloth and basin before returning to her. Wordlessly, he cleaned her tenderly before tucking her into bed at his side. Ophelia burrowed into his warm, familiar strength and fell into a deep, contented sleep.

CHAPTER 15

Apollo woke at dawn with dread knotted in his gut and a rigid cock, three words taunting him.

One more day.

After today, that was all the time that remained of the house party. He could hardly believe their idyll had passed by with such haste. They had spent the past few days stealing away together to make love every chance they had, and by night, she slipped into his bedroom and they made love and then fell into a sated slumber until dawn. The thought of returning to London and pretending he had never held Phee in his arms or tasted her or been inside her left him distinctly cold.

The sun was already beginning its ascent, casting the world outside in a low glow that seeped through the curtains, bathing his bedroom in enough light that he could decipher the curves of the beautiful woman sleeping beside him. Her hair was spread over his pillow, and he knew he would sniff the linens like a fool after she had gone, like he did every morning, searching for the faintest traces of her.

He was not just obsessed with Phee. He was deliriously besotted in a way he had never experienced. Which was a problem indeed, because she had made it clear to him that their affair had a finite ending and that when they returned to London, it would be as friends once again. He didn’t think he could bear it.

She made a soft, sleepy sound and rolled onto her back. By the pale light, he could see the fullness of her breasts, the peaks of her nipples. He couldn’t resist leaning over her to take one in his mouth. She arched her back as she came fully awake, fingers gliding through his hair in the way he loved.

“Apollo,” she murmured.

“Good morning, beautiful.” He kissed her lips soundly, hoping he would get her into a comfortable, needy state before springing his plans for the day upon her.

She kissed him back, arms wrapping around his neck.

He wanted to wake up to her in his bed every morning. But he knew that wasn’t something she was ready for just yet. Perhaps not ever. Still, he would accept whatever she gave him. Even if it was only a moment.

Reluctantly, he ended the kiss, looking down at her in the soft, ever-rising light. “Come away with me today.”

“Come away with you?” she laughed, her voice husky with sleep. “I am already with you.”

“Not here,” he explained, kissing the tip of her nose. “I want to take you somewhere else for the day, to have you all to myself. We’ll go where we will be free to be ourselves, no masks, no interference from others. Just the two of us. Say you will go. Please?”

“I’m supposed to be leading the guests in wicked entertainments,” she protested.

He had known she would, of course. Phee was loyal to a fault, and she never failed in her duties and obligations. He admired her steadfastness, even if it was presently working against him.

“Yes, but they are fully capable of entertaining themselves, I assure you.” He kissed her again slowly, lingeringly, before lifting his head to further his cause. “Besides, would you not prefer to entertain me instead? Only think of the mischief I can get into without someone to watch over me.”

A smile pulled at the corners of her lips as she gave his hair a gentle tug. “You, sir, are a dreadful influence.”

He winked. “I pride myself upon it.”

“What will everyone think if I am to disappear?” she asked.

Which meant that she was considering his invitation. It was a step in the right direction. He palmed her breast, using his thumb to toy with her nipple. He wasn’t above using all the weapons of seduction in his arsenal to persuade her if he must.

“Perhaps they won’t notice,” he suggested. “They’ll be too busy peeling off each other’s clothes and finding empty corners and bedchambers and accommodating chaise longues.”

“But I have a duty to attend,” she protested. “I would notice. I promised Kingham I would be a good hostess in his stead. I owe it to him to keep that vow.”

Apollo didn’t like the name of another man on her lips when she was naked in his bed. A fierce surge of possession streaked through him. As far as he knew, the duke was now happily married, but Apollo and he didn’t travel in the same circles. It was possible he had misheard and Kingham wanted Ophelia for himself.

“What is your relationship with Kingham?” he asked.