When a Duke Loves a Woman by Lorraine Heath

Author:Lorraine Heath
Language: eng
Format: epub, mobi
Publisher: HarperCollins
Published: 2018-08-20T16:00:00+00:00

Chapter 16

He awoke with her lovely backside pressed up against his hard cock, his arm around her narrow waist, her hand over his where it rested just below her ribs. Sometime during the night she moved her head from her pillow to the crook of his other arm and it was now as dead as a doornail. He cursed it for being so inconsiderate as to prevent him from feeling even an inch of her.

He hadn’t meant to fall asleep, hadn’t intended for her to fall asleep, but a stillness had settled between them after she’d told him of her musings when she was a child. She imagined herself to be royalty. She was certainly regal in her bearing. As well as possessing strength, courage, and determination. He hadn’t known what to say at that moment and so he’d held her, the words he’d finally muttered inadequate to express how she affected him. There was an innocence to her that belied her rough upbringing. Yet at the same time there was a worldliness to her that indicated she had a far deeper understanding of human nature than he.

To leave her on a doorstep. How could anyone be so cruel? He was well aware the law didn’t favor those born out of wedlock. He’d heard and read horror tales regarding how some had been disposed of. She’d beaten the odds and survived. Although he suspected she wouldn’t survive much longer if she continued to leap at men.

Her feet were entangled with his, her skirt had hiked up past her knees, and there was that lovely long calf calling out to him to be kissed. He’d like to trail his mouth over it. No, not just it but every inch of her, from the tips of her toes to the top of her head.

Her breathing, a soft hushing that warmed his heart, filtered through the room. He wanted to awaken to the sound again, only with her naked in his arms. He imagined the joy to be had in taking her to the vineyards in France—after a stop in Paris. She might not have use for a ball gown but she certainly deserved one. He thought of buying her gloves and stockings and every bit of feminine undergarment he could think of. He didn’t want her wrapping her breasts as though ashamed of them, of being a woman.

But purchasing anything for her was out of the question as was the possibility of again waking up with her in his arms. Even if her mother was a princess, he couldn’t offer her marriage. She’d never be accepted by his family, his friends, his peers. For all of her boldness, there was a shyness to her that would no doubt make life in his world unbearable.

Still he found himself studying the slender nape of her neck, unobstructed by long strands of hair. He could see the delicate cords, the gentle slope. In spite of his best intentions, he leaned in and pressed a kiss there.

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