Duke ignored her and brought her into the master bedroom, perfectly decorated in festive reds and greens and lit with candles on every surface. He finally deposited her on the bed.
“I’ve been waiting an eternity.” He remained standing over her, his brow creased.
“I was gone but ten minutes. I just needed to check—”
“Ten minutes too long,” he grumbled. “I’ve waited all day to get you—”
The door creaked behind him, and Violet peered around Duke to spy Simon the cat slinking into their room.
“Oh no.” Duke stepped in front of the animal who stopped to lick his paw and ignored the human hovering above him. “Not a chance. Out, you interloper. Out I say.” He thrust a finger toward the door.
The cat continued to ignore him, so he waved his hands frantically, forcing Violet to smother a chuckle at the display. Apparently her husband could take on the leader of a criminal gang but not an aging cat.
“Simon, time to leave,” she told him gently.
Though the cat didn’t acknowledge the order, he turned slowly and sauntered out of the door. Duke slammed the door shut, making the walls vibrate.
“Good. Now where were we?”
“I believe you were telling me how much you missed me in all of ten minutes.”
∞∞∞
Violet stared up at Duke from under her lashes, so damned beautiful in pristine white with trimmings of silver that he wasn’t so sure how long his self-control was going to last. He’d done the gentlemanly thing. He’d waited until their wedding day.
If one did not count their first night together of course.
But he wasn’t certain how much longer he could play gentleman, most especially not when she looked at him like that. She ran a finger along the neckline of her delicate white gown, straightening the trim there and Duke’s teeth clacked together so hard he was surprised he didn’t crack one.
“God, I need you, Violet,” Duke groaned, the words gritty and urgent.
With her family’s knowledge of their engagement, time alone had been impossible. Thank goodness they had wed with haste or Duke might have lost his mind waiting.
Violet didn’t say anything as she rose from the bed. He’d already had a fight with the cat, and he had little desire to start one with his new wife so he waited and watched to see what she intended. She undid her cloak at the neck and flung it aside, letting it land upon an empty chair. Duke winced at how close it had come to one of the open flames. Perhaps all these lit candles had not been as good an idea as he thought.
But he forgot all thoughts of safety when she started on the rest of her garments. She moved slowly, teasing him when she allowed her fingers to linger on her neck, her inner thigh, the curve of a breast. Sweat pricked on his brow and he flexed his fingers. Was the woman determined to drive him to madness on the first day of their marriage?
Soon she was down to nothing but a chemise—the rest of her clothes carelessly tossed aside. He couldn’t claim to be the tidiest of people and he had to wonder if they would not be the messiest of couples. The idea made him smile.
“Is this amusing, Duke?” She lifted an eyebrow, putting hands to her hips.
The movement pulled the fabric of the chemise tight, revealing the shadows of her nipples and allowing the fabric to chase along her curves.
The smile vanished from his lips. “God, no.”
Stepping forward, he bundled her into his arms and kissed her hard until her breaths came at staggered intervals. He took a few steps back until the backs of his legs connected with the bed and he dropped down, bringing her with him.
Violet straddled him, her chemise riding up her bare thighs. Duke’s hands came down to touch her legs and he smoothed his palms up and down them, his head tilted back as he released a groan. Her lips met his neck, skimming over and down in warm, open-mouthed kisses. He didn’t think he’d ever been harder.
As she settled on his lap, his arousal pressed against her, and he snuck his hands up under the cotton to grip her bottom. A satisfied rumble emerged from him at the feel of her bare skin while he let her continue to kiss his neck. She nipped at his earlobe and breathed into the shell of his ear. A shudder wracked his body.
“You are too good at this, Vi.”
“I learned from the best,” she murmured in his ear.
She slid farther forward until her sex notched against his hardness. Duke’s jaw hurt at this point. He observed her, fair hair slowly falling loose, her lips swollen and glossy while he skimmed his hands up and down her back and she set to work on the ties of his shirt until there was enough space for her to press her palms into the fabric.
“Vi, I need you now.”