Wagers of a Duke's Daughter (The Duchess's Investigative Society Book 3)
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The most exciting too.
She took a step toward him.
“Why are you doing this?” he whispered, his gaze tracking slowly up her body to meet hers.
“Instinct,” she replied with a smile.
***
Shimmering daylight slipped through the windows, dusted her pale skin from behind. Blake swallowed hard, aware his mouth was so dry any words he uttered might come out as nonsense. He had to try, though.
Here she was, naked and offering herself up, all long, slender limbs, pert breasts, and trembling belly. He wanted to grab her and draw her to him, press his lips to her stomach and taste her skin but he feared breaking the moment, of her vanishing into a wisp because he must have conjured her surely?
She clasped her hands in front of her, shielding the shadows between her legs from his gaze while she eyed him from behind that waterfall of dark hair. He couldn’t believe how beautiful she was. Couldn’t believe how brave she was.
“I thought you were pretty,” he managed to say.
A shaky smile crossed her lips and she glanced to the floor.
“I was wrong.”
“Oh.” The smile vanished and her gaze shot to his, furrows upon her brow.
“You’re not pretty,” he said. “You are spectacular.”
“Oh!”
“Effervescent. Magical. Radiant,” he continued. “You are so many things, sweeting.” He swallowed hard and held out a palm. “How can I be deserving of any of it?”
Demeter took his offered hand, and he pulled her close until she rested in the cradle of his thighs. He resisted briefly, then released her to curve his hands up and around her rear, sinking his fingers into cool flesh with a groan. She gasped when he urged her to him and gave in, kissing her belly, hips, and ribs.
Her fingers sifting through his hair. Each touch made his skin burn, his breaths hot in his chest.
“Perfect,” he whispered against her skin.
“Do n-not make me wait, Blake,” she begged. “I feel like I have waited forever for you.”
He felt the same. He’d spent a lifetime searching for her yet had never seen what was right in front of him, fool that he was.
Urging her to take a step back, he rose from the bed, and, meeting her gaze, slowly untied his cravat. With a smile, she aided him as the tangle of unending knots took far too long and then she helped him undress. She took her time, spreading her fingers across his chest, back, down the ridges of his stomach, and clasping him gently in her cool hands.
He sucked in a breath through his teeth and closed his eyes briefly. “If you touch me too much this shall be over before we start.”
When he shifted back onto the bed, she followed his lead, and he laid back against the soft cushions while she moved over him, settling her thighs around his. He was but a thrust away from joining them and he ground his teeth together in restraint. Whatever he did, he would not have this be some swift, desperate moment, no matter how urgently he wanted to be in her. Whatever he did, this had to be as special as she was.
The desire to smirk at himself pressed at his mouth. He furrowed his brow and clenched his mouth tight. He would not have her believing this situation amused him, because it didn’t. It made his heart pound, and his body throb, it made him feel as though nothing would be the same again which wasn’t really true, because it had already changed the moment he’d truly seen her that night at the gaming hell.
Nothing was the same, and he didn’t want it to be. He liked who he was with her, he liked being this man.
He only wanted this moment to be worthy of her.
Blake lost himself in exploring her. Every inch where he touched seemed to come alive in a new way, and Demeter was not shy in touching him either. He couldn’t believe this was his Demeter. Yet he could. He should have known. Of course this wallflower would shock him once more.
Blake, barely aware of what he was saying, murmured words against her skin, feeling the tremors of pleasure rippling through her. But this wasn’t just about pleasure. This was lovemaking.
He lay back on the bed and she cradled his body in her thighs, her body on display for him. His mouth dried.
“I want...” He didn’t know how to voice it. “I need...”
“I know.” She lifted his hands and curved them about her hips. “Guide me.”
That he could do. He felt the delicate bones beneath his fingers and her damp heat pressing into him. Taking a breath, he guided her to slowly sink down, her body so tight that blood roared in his ears. Her eyes widened, her lips parted, and spectacular and magical and anything else could not describe her. There were no words.
When they were fully joined, he gave her a moment to adjust. Fingers splayed across his chest, she wriggled slightly against him and he nearly choked on his next breath. None of her boldness surprised him anymore. This was Demeter—his sweet, pretty, magical, bold, quiet Demeter. She was many things but the thud in his chest repeated one of those words over and over.
His. His. His. His.
He urged her to move up and down, reveling in the way she gasped, and the sight of her riding him. Jaw tight, he let her take all she needed and pressed a thumb to her juncture. She shuddered and gasped while he drew circles and shifted his hips up to meet each downward thrust.
When her body tightened, he moved quickly, cradled her in the hook of his arm, and rolled her onto her back. He kissed her hard, and thrust into her, making her cry out. The peak of her pleasure broke over them both, crashing about him, and pulling him into his own. He dug his fingers into her thigh while cradling her close, whispered her name, and pressed a shaky kiss to her mouth while the last flutterings of her orgasm wrapped about him.
“Demeter,” he murmured as he spilled on her thigh. “Demeter, my love. My heart. My world.” He pushed up to eye her flushed, plump lips and wide eyes while her chest rose and fell as rapidly as his.
“Goodness,” she said.
He nodded. Then did something he never usually did after cleaning them both up.
He pulled her into his arms and cuddled her.
Chapter Twenty-Six
Demeter focused on the wooden canopy of the bed. Panels were carved with intricate swirls, all the same in rows of eight. If she just kept looking at those, maybe she wouldn’t sink into his hold or relish the way his arm wrapped about her naked body in a move so protective it made her heart stretch. If she just counted each little square...
“Demeter.”
Blake wasn’t going to make it that easy on her, it seemed. She twisted to eye his tousled appearance. Her fingers tingled from the memory of pressing them through his soft hair and she smiled, unable to prevent herself. In truth, her whole body tingled, from head to toe. Little parts of her were tender and alive and she didn’t know how to feel normal ever again.
How had this happened? How had she summoned the courage to do this?
The dimple in his cheek appeared and she gave into temptation and pressed a finger to it then traced his mouth. Her only regret was they hadn’t kissed enough. Or perhaps it wasn’t a regret as such. Because meeting his gaze as they joined had been the most compelling moment of her life. For that instant, she believed it to be true. He really did love her.
Actually, she believed it now and it was wonderful. It might not last, but it was wonderful.
He kissed her bare shoulder and tugged her closer, removing any chance of her keeping some kind of defense up. She sank into the warmth of his naked body and ran a hand over a muscled arm. “That was...”
“Wonderful,” he finished for her.
“Yes.”
“I didn’t expect you to be...”
She lifted both brows.
He frowned. “Actually, maybe I did.”
“To be...?”
“So...bold. So courageous.” He shrugged. “But now I think about it, I did. Sort of.” He grinned and gave her a gentle kiss. “I thought you were a good girl.”
“You know I am not.”
“Goodest?”
“You know what I am saying.”
“I do and it’s sweet of you.”
“Damn it. I’m not trying to be sweet. Just honest.”
She smiled softly and brushed his hair from his eyes. “It’s sweet nonetheless.”
“You make me want to...” He waved a hand in the air. “Tell you everything. Spill my heart.” He met her gaze. “I’ve never wanted to do that before.”
“You mean you have more secrets?”
“None. You’ve taken them all from me. But that’s beside the point.” He stroked her cheek with a finger. “I never want another secret from you again.”
She held back a sigh. He meant it all. He really did. How many other women had heard such things in the moment? No wonder they all wanted more from him. She knew he could be charming. but this verged on the ridiculous. She’d been in love with him, always, but never this in love, never truly, properly. She had loved an idea of him.
Now she loved, well, him.
Yes, she’d wanted to be bold, but this was getting ridiculous. She rolled onto her back again. Now how many panels were there again?
“I don’t like it, if that helps.”
She glanced at him. Had it been terrible? And if so, why were they still cuddling like an old married couple? “You do not like what?”
“The fact you were with another man.” She opened her mouth, and he pressed a finger to it. “I know, I cannot say a word. It is entirely hypocritical of me, and, believe me, I am annoyed at myself, but with you...I find I hate the thought of it. I want to find him and call him out for what he did to you.”
It was hypocritical, yet it touched her that he was even aware of that. “Sometimes, I want to as well.”
“I hope you know that I have never made false promises to a woman to sway her into bed.”
“I know.” Why would he? He didn’t need to. His looks and charm were enough to get any woman in his bed.
“I hope you know I love you.”
“I know.” She tried to wriggle out from his hold.
“Where are you going?”
“I have to leave before the day grows too late and people notice I am missing.”
“Or you could stay.” Blake shifted over her, effectively pinning her with his body.
A spark of desire flared through her and she wished she could stare at the ceiling again. Anything would be better than seeing him, all naked and wonderful and hers for the taking. If she let herself, she would stay and where would they end up? Making love again? Speaking of love again? She wasn’t certain her heart could take it.
“I cannot stay,” she reminded him. “I have to be home before anyone notices I am gone. If it is known I was here for long, Anton will most certainly call you out.”
“That’s fine.”
“No, it is not! You could die. Or he could die. It would be awful.”
“Well, I shall just marry you.” He grinned. “Then we can always be in bed together. Like this.”
“You cannot marry me.” The words escaped her automatically because, frankly, the idea was preposterous. How could she let herself believe the man she’d loved for so long wanted her? Truly? Forever?
Rakes and wallflowers did not marry. She needed to remember that.
“Unless you have a secret husband as well as a secret life, then I do not see the problem.”
“Blake...you are not the sort of man to marry.”
“I like this too much. We should definitely marry.”
“Blake,” she protested, both palms to his chest in an attempt to get him to move. “I must leave.”
He shifted off her after giving her a blistering kiss that left her mouth throbbing. “Very well, you can leave. But we really should get married.”
Demeter rolled her eyes.
***
He didn’t have long, Blake concluded as he aided Demeter into the carriage and settled beside her. By now, he should be negotiating the marriage contract with Anton. As easy as it would be to simply let things happen, he was not going to force Demeter to marry him. He was going to have to work on his powers of persuasion, though.
He stole a glance at her tousled hair and creased clothing, unable to prevent the smile curving his lips. He’d known Demeter had hidden depths, but who could have guessed at the passion beneath her demure behavior? He’d never bedded an innocent before, and he supposed technically, he still had not, but making love to Demeter had been something else entirely. Why would he ever want to let her go?
“You know you do not need to accompany me home,” she said as she smoothed a crease from her skirts.
“Firstly, I am not sending you away alone after what just...”
He drew in a breath in a bid to control himself. All it took was a quick flash of memory and he wanted her all over again. But there would be time for that. Once they were married. The carriage jolted ahead, not helping matters when Demeter put a hand to his thigh to steady herself.
He ground his teeth together, drawing in a breath through his nostrils. “And thirdly...”
“What was the secondly?”
He scowled. “What?”
“There was no secondly.”
“Oh forget that. The simple fact is someone threatened you to get to Foster. There is no telling what they will do if he does not pay up.”
“If I return home looking like this with you in the carriage, people shall think you have ravaged me.”
“I’m your fiancé,” he reminded her.
“But we are not wed.”
“Yet.”
She shook her head with a smile.
“I am not risking you being harmed,” he said firmly. “And whilst we are on the matter, I do not want you leaving the house until this matter is resolved.”
“But that could be forever!”
“I’m glad you have so much faith in my investigative skills,” he drawled.
“I am still going to be aiding you. You cannot stop me.”
The firm thrust of her chin told him it was pointless arguing with her. That did not mean he was going to let her be reckless, though. “You are to go nowhere alone,” he commanded. “In fact, you are to go nowhere without me.”
“It is a fine job people think we are engaged or else we would be drawing an outrageous amount of attention.”
“You cannot expect me to leave you after what happened, sweeting. Think how shaken you were.”
“Fine. I will go nowhere without you. For now,” she conceded. “Though, perhaps this shall be over sooner than you think. I still have not told you what I discovered.”
If it weren’t for the fact Demeter had been accosted by whoever the blackguards his cousin owed money to were, he’d have forgotten the matter of his cousin entirely. He’d certainly rather be focusing on the problem that was Demeter and her disinclination to marry him.
“What did you discover?”
“Well, it seems he lived in the North originally.”
“That doesn’t tell us much. Do you know where?”
She grimaced. “No. But at the very least we could hire an investigator or two in a few of the counties.”
“It could take forever to find anything out without a firm idea of where he lived.”
“I know, but Charlotte told me when he moved to London he was trying to find someone who wrote letters.”
Blake scowled. “Foster can write.”
“I do not think he was after someone to write letters.” Her face lit with a bold grin. “I think he wanted someone to forge your aunt’s will.”
He opened his mouth then closed it. “He was here before she died,” he said. “My investigator said as much. He would have known the estate was to pass on soon enough.”
&
nbsp; “And last year, there was this group of men who forged a will of my friend’s brother so they could gain his land and house. You might recall word of it.”
“Vaguely.”
“What if they were the same men?”
“They were all arrested and tried were they not?”
She pursed her lips. “We assumed so.”
“We?”
She glanced at him from under her lashes. “My sisters and I had a hand in capturing them.”
“Good Lord, woman, you really are something.”
“Something?”
“Something wonderful, something spectacular. Something—or someone—I’d very much like to marry.”
“Blake, focus. We think your cousin has committed fraud remember?”
“Well, how do we prove he has?”
“I would assume the original will has been destroyed.”
Sighing, Blake nodded. His cousin was many things but he didn’t think him a fool, no matter the act he put on.
“So we go to the source. We find these forgers.”
“Who could well be one of the men who attacked you. What if my cousin was going to pay them out of the inheritance but has not paid up yet? That would explain the threats.”
She put a hand to her mouth. “Michael was bruised too, when I saw him! And we know he had no money when he came to London.”
“Would you recognize the man who attacked you?”
“Perhaps. It was a blur. I was so taken by surprise I did not even get a chance to fight back.”
“I’m glad you did not,” he said gravely. “It might not have ended well.”
“I shall keep a knife on me in future just in case.”
Though tempted to argue against the idea and remind her of the small scar he still carried from her previous knife antics, he was not intending to leave her alone for a single moment anyway so she would never have to use it.
“We could go back to the gaming hell,” she suggested. “See if I spot the man there.”
“Perhaps.” The idea of her anywhere near such a dangerous person made him curl his fists.
“Or we speak to the sheriff who arrested the forgers. Perhaps he can tell us if there were more of them. Their base was at St. Saviour’s Dock.”