by Burke, Darcy
Then she would remind herself that Geoffrey had made a very bad decision to trust the wrong person. Mullens was a devious criminal and, unlike Geoffrey, had survived his wound only to be transported to a penal colony on the other side of the world. He wasn’t alone however since his sister had opted to join him. Emmaline was glad she’d never have to see them again.
Once in her chamber, she rang for Lark, who arranged the bath in her dressing room. Sometime later, Emmaline lounged in the tepid water, trying to work up the energy to rise.
Yes, she had to be pregnant. Ivy had warned her of an incessant need to nap, particularly in the beginning.
Yawning, Emmaline sat up.
“Where are you going?” Lionel’s deep voice halted her.
“How long have you been standing there?”
He pushed away from the doorjamb where he’d been leaning. “Long enough for my cock to grow completely and irrevocably stiff.”
“Irrevocably?”
He knelt beside the tub. “I’m afraid there’s no help for it. If you can’t help me defuse the problem, I shall have to take matters into my own hands.”
Emmaline laughed, never tiring of her husband’s wit, even when it was painfully silly. “I suppose I can be persuaded.” Indeed, desire already pulsed through her.
Lionel reached into the bath and caressed her breast. Sensation danced along her flesh. He was ruthlessly gentle, his fingers barely skimming her nipple before moving along her belly and descending between her thighs. He stroked her folds, and she sucked in a breath as need pooled in her core.
She took in his half-dressed state. He’d discarded all his garments except his shirt and breeches. “Your shirt is soaked.”
“So is your sex.”
She narrowed her eyes at him, mostly because his teasing was driving her to the edge of frustration. “I’m in a bath.”
He shook his head. “Inside.” He thrust his finger into her, filling her. She closed her eyes and leaned her head back against the edge of the tub, gasping.
Then he was lifting her out of the water. She opened her eyes in shock and wrapped her hands around his neck. Water sluiced from her body, and now he was entirely drenched.
“Where are you taking me?” she asked, though she was certain she knew.
“Heaven.”
She bit at the lobe of his ear, then ran her tongue along the tortured flesh.
“Don’t stop,” he said, carrying her into their bedroom.
He paused near the bed and frowned. “We’re going to get the bedclothes quite wet.”
She arched a brow at him. “Is that really a problem?”
He tossed her onto the bed, and her hand fluttered to her belly.
He’d started to remove his shirt, but froze, staring down at her. “Are you expecting a child?”
“I think so. I’m not quite sure yet.”
He put his knee on the bed and cupped her breasts with his hands. “You must be. These are different.” He bent his head and suckled one and then the other.
She laced her fingers into his hair and moaned with pleasure. Then she pulled at his shirt since he’d failed to remove it and drew it up his back. He tossed it over his head, then shucked his breeches with great speed.
Joining her on the bed, he stretched out beside her. He traced his finger across her breasts, down past her navel, and into her curls once more. “Are you happy?” he asked.
“About the child?”
He nodded, seeming a bit unsure. His gaze drifted to her belly.
“Ecstatic.” She wrapped her hand around his neck and applied a bit of pressure, provoking him to look at her. “Lionel, aren’t you happy?”
He stared at her with tears in his eyes. “I am overcome.”
She pulled him down to kiss her, pouring her love and passion for this man into him so he could feel just how much he meant to her. Their tongues clashed and joined as his fingers coaxed her arousal to the edge of bliss. Before she could reach it, he rolled between her legs and replaced his hand with his shaft.
He filled her with one long, hard stroke. She groaned into his mouth as their bodies strained to please the other. She wrapped her legs around him and held him tight as he drove into her.
Her orgasm came hard and fast. She cried out, gripping him with her arms and legs until he too reached completion. He shouted her name once, then repeated it over and over, the volume growing softer until he whispered it against her lips.
She kissed him again, so in awe of the power of the love they shared.
He slowed, but didn’t leave her. He brushed her damp hair from her face and stared down into her eyes. “I hope it’s a girl as beautiful as you.”
“I hope it’s a boy so you can love him as much as your father loved you. And we’ll call him Benedict.”
“That you would name our son after my father fills me with joy and immeasurable love.” He kissed her again. “And gratitude. I am not worthy.”
She frowned up at him and tugged at his hair. “We’ve discussed this. You are not allowed to talk like that.”
He grinned. “I only do it so you admonish me. I like it when you tell me what to do.”
She slitted her eyes up at him as she moved her hand down to caress his backside. “Then pleasure me again.”
His eyes darkened with desire. “Always.”
The end
Thank You!
Thank you so much for reading The Duke of Danger. I hope you enjoyed it!
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The Duke of Danger is the sixth book in The Untouchables series. Don’t miss the next book, The Duke of Ice! Catch up with my other historical series: Secrets and Scandals and Legendary Rogues (book 3, Lord of Fortune, is coming soon!). If you like contemporary romance, I hope you’ll check out my Ribbon Ridge series available from Avon Impulse, and the continuation of Ribbon Ridge in Love on the Vine.
I appreciate my readers so much. Thank you, thank you, thank you.
Acknowledgments
I do not recommend taking a vacation in the middle of writing a book. It will probably lead to much hair-pulling and many late-night writing sessions. That said, I wouldn’t trade it in this case because of the magical time I got to spend in Denmark with my cousins, Kim, Paprika, and Nikolaj and their families. We made so many memories that we’ll all cherish forever. Thank you for refilling my well (truly, my heart overfloweth!).
Thank you to the usual suspects on my amazing team: Carrie, Elizabeth (your awesomeness quite literally made this book possible), and Linda (my HERO). And thanks to a new-to-me copyeditor, Kim, for a speedy turnaround. Massive appreciation (as always) for the spectacular Danielle Gorman, without whom I would be a blithering idiot (or maybe just more than I already am).
Special thanks to my pal Christy Carlyle for her help with plotting this book. I so enjoy our lunches!
Hugs to my family for their patience and for asking how the book is going and, more importantly, “are you done yet?” And thank you, babe, for making sure I can get the work done.
Books by Darcy Burke
Historical Romance
The Untouchables
The Forbidden Duke
The Duke of Daring
The Duke of Deception
The Duke of Desire
The Duke of Defiance
The Duke of Danger
The Duke of Ice
Secrets and Scandals
Her Wicked Ways
His Wicked Heart
To Seduce a Scoundrel
To Love a Thief (a novella)
Never Love a Scoundrel
&n
bsp; Scoundrel Ever After
Legendary Rogues
Lady of Desire
Romancing the Earl
Lord of Fortune
Contemporary Romance
Ribbon Ridge
Where the Heart Is (a prequel novella)
Only in My Dreams
Yours to Hold
When Love Happens
The Idea of You
When We Kiss
You’re Still the One
Ribbon Ridge: Love on the Vine
So Good
So Right
So in Love
About the Author
Darcy Burke is the USA Today Bestselling Author of sexy, emotional historical and contemporary romance. Darcy wrote her first book at age 11, a happily ever after about a swan addicted to magic and the female swan who loved him, with exceedingly poor illustrations. Join her Reader Club at http://www.darcyburke.com/readerclub.
A native Oregonian, Darcy lives on the edge of wine country with her guitar-strumming husband, their two hilarious kids who seem to have inherited the writing gene, two Bengal cats and a third cat named after a fruit. In her “spare” time Darcy is a serial volunteer enrolled in a 12-step program where one learns to say “no,” but she keeps having to start over. Her happy places are Disneyland and Labor Day weekend at the Gorge. Visit Darcy online at http://www.darcyburke.com and follow her social media: Facebook at http://www.facebook.com/darcyburkefans, Twitter @darcyburke at http://www.twitter.com/darcyburke, Instagram at http://www.instagram/darcyburkeauthor, and Pinterest at http://www.pinterest.com/darcyburkewrite.
