The Unexpected Duchess (Playful Brides #1)(90)

CHAPTER FIFTY-FOUR


Twenty minutes later, they were at Derek’s town house. They’d quickly said their good-byes to the prince regent and the other esteemed guests at the dinner party and hastily taken their leave, dismissing Garrett—who merely raised his eyebrows and said, “I do hope the wedding is imminent,” before ordering his coach back home. No doubt everyone in attendance knew exactly what they were up to.

Thankfully, Haughty Hughes had already retired for the evening. The moment they entered the foyer and divested themselves of their cloaks, Derek pulled Lucy into the nearest drawing room.

“Shouldn’t we go to your bedchamber?” she asked, a shaky smile on her lips.

“No. I can’t wait. I have to have you now. I’ve been thinking about taking you in a drawing room ever since Bath.”

Derek shut the door behind them and locked it. Then he turned to Lucy with a dark, passionate look in his eyes. He stalked toward her and captured her lips, moving his hand behind her neck to grasp her head and move it in rhythm to his kiss. Lucy gasped against his mouth.

Heedlessly knocking over furniture, he dragged her to the side of the room and pushed her up against the wall, roughly but not enough to hurt her. “Spread your legs for me,” he demanded. “Now.”

Lust, hot and powerful, shot through her. She did exactly as he said. He lifted her against the wall, fumbled for the buttons on his trousers with one deft hand, then gathered up her skirts, pushed her shift up to her hips, and entered her in one sure, solid thrust.

Lucy’s head snapped to the side against the wall. Her mouth was open, her breasts heavy, hot. She moaned. She’d never felt anything like it. She’d been ready for him in just those brief moments. The instant his hands had touched her she’d been hot and wet and wanting. Derek’s eyes were closed and his jaw tightly clenched. “You. Feel. So. Damn. Good.” He punctuated each word with a thrust.

Lucy’s head tossed back and forth. “So do you.”

She thought this was all there would be, that they’d stay like this until that amazing feeling only he could make her feel washed over her in hot, welcome waves, but instead he pulled out of her and set her down. She wanted to sob. Her wobbly feet found the wood floorboards and she braced herself against him, one hand on his shoulder, still breathing so heavily she thought her heart would beat from her chest.

Derek spun her around and made quick work of the buttons on her gown. Soon the entire mass of fabric swooshed down around her feet. His body heat was gone for a moment while he pulled a padded stepstool over. “Kneel here,” he commanded.

A rush of heat and longing spread to Lucy’s limbs. She turned and faced the wall, kneeling on the soft stool wearing only her shift. She braced her hands against the windowsill in front of her. Even though it was dark, she was thankful the curtains were drawn. Derek undid her stays, pulled them over her head, and discarded them. Then he pulled the pins out of her coiffure quickly, messily, tugging at her hair a bit, causing a bit of pain. She didn’t care. The entire mass of her shiny dark hair fell over her shoulders and Derek splayed it over her back. “You’re gorgeous,” he whispered in her ear.

Lucy could tell by the shuffling of fabric behind her that he was removing his trousers this time. “Spread your legs,” he demanded again. She did. “Wider.”

She pushed her knees farther apart. A thrill shot through her.

Then he was there, behind her, tugging her shift up over her hips, probing at her softness. Lucy was bent over on the stool, braced against the windowsill. She was more than wet and ready for him. Hard and smooth, he slid inside of her with one sure thrust. Lucy gasped. Derek groaned. “Damn it. I thought about this all night. I can never have enough of you.” He hadn’t yet begun to move, and Lucy was completely at his mercy. She tried to rock her hips back and forth, but his large, strong hands grabbed her around the waist, owning her.

He leaned over her body and bit her earlobe. “I want you, Lucy.” One sure thrust. “I want you.” Another thrust.

Lucy moaned. She turned her head to the side. Wanting to kiss him, to feel his mouth on hers. She leaned back against him and wrapped her arms behind his neck, forcing her breasts to jut out. His hands moved up and caressed them, flicking the sensitive peaks and making Lucy moan again.

“You’re mine,” he groaned. Another hard thrust. “Mine.”

She tried to grab him, her arms grappling behind her head. “I’m yours,” she echoed on a groan.

“I didn’t want this,” Derek whispered into her ear. “I didn’t want to fall in love and become a slave to a woman’s body.”

She shuddered. “You’re my slave?”

Another deep thrust that made her whimper. “Yes. You make me so hard.” Another thrust.

She gasped. “Derek, I want you. So much.”

Another deep thrust made Lucy close her eyes and moan. He moved his hand around to lightly caress the nub between her legs. He bit her neck softly.

Lucy cried out. His fingers drove her mad, circling her again and again, softly, so softly, bringing her to the brink of a ecstasy and then … stopping.

“No!” she cried out as his finger fell away from the place she wanted it the most. She nearly sobbed.

He withdrew from her then and pulled her up from the stool. He leaned down and drew up her shift and pulled it over her head. He threw it into the corner and stared at her body like it was a priceless painting. “You’re so beautiful,” he whispered. “So damn beautiful.”