“You… you truly believe that?”
“I do,” she said. “And do not dare try and tell me differently.”
Again, the Duke’s reaction was entirely unexpected. Always, the Duke leaned toward anger as a defense mechanism. He was dismissive. He was closed off. And most of all, he was stubborn. Octavia fully expected him to revert to his old ways, rather than accepting her words.
But as their eyes met, as she held them and forced her truth upon his weakened defenses, he furrowed his brow, he considered her closely, and then he smiled.
It was a weak smile. There was no confidence behind it. But it rose up the side of his face, it told her that he believed her, and that he wanted to do better by Aaron… by himself, also. It was an admittance of defeat, as well as an acceptance of who he might be, should he dare to try.
There were so many things that Octavia wanted to say. However, she felt that the time for words had passed.
As Octavia looked into the Duke’s eyes, as she held his hand, as her other lifted his head so that he was forced to look at her, she felt that same energy rising between them that had come on two occasions before.
It was indescribable. The pull of this energy. The air sparked around them. The room darkened, even the world, so that they were the only two who lived within it. For so long, she had questioned the Duke’s feelings, if their last kiss was done to test her, to prove something… that the Duke felt nothing for her.
He is not emotionless. He is not empty. He feels. He cares. He wants like any other man.
Slowly, they shifted closer. Slowly, their heads tilted. And just as slowly, both cautious as if not sure of what they were doing, they leaned in, and their lips met.
The kiss consumed them both. It wrapped them, it held them together, it dismissed all concerns and questions about if this was right. Words were one thing, but actions spoke so much louder, and this kiss confirmed the truth of what had happened… just as it confirmed the truth of what would happen from here on out.
The Duke, accepting the kiss, moved his hands to Octavia’s legs, he grabbed and squeezed, and he pulled her forward. So strongwas he, so commanding, that as they kissed, he lifted her into the air and lowered her gently onto his lap so that she straddled him.
Octavia’s hands took the side of the Duke’s face, refusing to let go. She absorbed him with that kiss, he devoured her with his own, and for a brief moment nothing else in the world seemed to matter. That kiss… it was as if the world ended, and this was their final act.
“No…” The Duke spoke between kisses, even as he kissed her harder. His tongue danced in her mouth, and his teeth nibbled. “We should not…”
“Stop fighting me,” she moaned as she continued to kiss him. “Just once… stop…”
“You are so…” He groaned as he pulled away, only to attach her neck with his wet lips. “Insufferable.”
“Tell me more.” She closed her eyes and leaned back as his lips moved down her neck.
“Argumentative,” he growled as his hands squeezed her legs and held her to his body.
“That’s all?”
“And stubborn.”
His lips found her mouth again, and the kiss intensified.
As they kissed with fever and intensity, his hands slipped under the skirt of her gown. His fingers traced her bare thighs. She gasped, thinking to pull away, but she was in the throes of it now, and nothing would stop her.
Those same fingers started to inch further up her bare thighs. Her legs began to tremble. Her loins caught fire. A moistness bloomed between her legs, one that Octavia did not understand but knew was right.
“I…” She pulled away. “Should we…”
“No more arguing.” He forced her face back, and she accepted him without argument.
His fingers moved deeper. They found her opening. She gasped as they traced her womanhood, and she shuddered and moaned as they started to press against her lips.
Their kissing continued. She became lost in it. She never wanted it to end. This was so unlike Octavia. She was not one to give in like this. She was not one to let herself go. But the Duke had a power over her, and where she might have liked to argue and take control, she also felt the desire to give herself over completely.
Let him have this moment… Let him have me.
Gently, so very carefully, the Duke slipped his fingers inside of her. Her body went rigid as she felt him enter her. She kissed him harder and with more passion. Her breath caught in her throat, her heart exploded so she thought she might collapse, and the pleasure that came from those two fingers was unlike anything she had felt before.
This was giving in. This was surrendering. This was what she had been missing.