Her Beastly Duke (Damsel in Distress #5)

Chapter 10

CHAPTER 10

I t was time for the game. Briar and Julius took up their positions and stared at each other. Julius was straight, while Briar’s body was turned sideways. Her head was upright, and she gazed into his eyes as if she was trying to decipher something—anything—in their depth. His eyes were hooded, so he found comfort in knowing she would not find anything there. Her beauty was captivating, even with her furrowed brows.

Julius was well aware that they needed to get on with it, but neither of them made a play. Finally, Briar pointed her foot toward him and then bent her right arm, lifted her rapier to the height of her shoulder, making a circle over her head before lifting her left arm to the back and readying herself for whatever Julius would send toward her. The display amused him, and there was none when they fought in the library. Julius admired her confidence in her ability to best him and wanted to throw her off her game.

He did not mirror her moves but rather raised his rapier and lunged toward her. She was caught off-guard, but she quickly recovered. Admirable. She kept her composure, but her eyes narrowed.

“Have you forgotten the etiquette they taught you at fencing school, Julius? Is that how you square up to your opponents? Or is it that you don’t care.”

“The rules of fair play do not apply in love and war,” Julius replied.

He was taken aback when she lowered her rapier and laughed heartily. She raised a brow. “We are at war then,” she said.

“Only as far as the overwhelming need to protect my interests. I may employ a bit of sabotage if necessary.”

“I see.”

The corner of his mouth lifted in a smile. “It is all fair game.”

“As your opponent, I have no reason to comply with your moral standards.”

“War, you said. I would have you remember that not all wars are won. Sometimes, one side just suffers greater losses.”

“Well said—"

Briar lunged forward, but instead of one attack, she made a series of movements, trying to get the better of him. Julius was expecting, and he was parried, but she was much quicker than he anticipated. She countered him when he feigned inside and then attacked from the outside. She thrust, and he parried until he heard her ragged breathing. Back and forth they went as the heat rose through his body. Briar was playing to win, and she remained focused, but Julius’s mind wandered. Her agility made him curious about what it would be like to … Briar moved forward, and Julius stepped back, almost losing his footing.

She was, without question, a formidable adversary. Her grace and poise did not go unnoticed. Briar had more skill, speed and power than most of the others he had fenced with. He came into this game thinking he would win, and it was a foregone conclusion. He was wrong. She was determined, knew what she wanted, and she was going after it. It was refreshing … and alluring.

He really liked her. Damn. Such a pity she was not—

“I am far more than you expected. Am I not?”

Julius grinned. “In more ways than one.” He needed to focus on the game, but she kept intruding on his thoughts. This was not a usual occurrence when he played.

Enthusiasm settled in his stomach and he was enjoying the movement. The game was exhilarating, and it lifted his mood. Briar quickly thrust with three motions of the wrist, her arms straight, reaching toward Julius’s chest as she stepped forward. She lifted the rapier in line with her temple to prevent a counter thrust before she recovered to the guard, the rapier in a straight line toward him. It was a strong move that was well executed, and Julius could not have done it better himself.

He made no move and patiently waited. Briar attacked, and Julius parried. She thrust again, this time from inside to the outside of his rapier, but he effortlessly flicked it away.

A thin glow of perspiration misted her forehead. Julius could imagine its salty taste. Her breath came in short gasps.

“Are you tired?”

A smile flashed, and her eyes twinkled. “Perhaps I should ask you. Do you wish to concede?”

“I pay homage to your skills, Briar, but I am not ready to concede defeat.”

Julius attacked, and their rapiers tangled again. They engaged with carte, the points downward. Briar lunged backward, and Julius plunged his rapier under her elbow to her flank, turning his wrist upward to create an angle from the wrist to the point of his sword. He dropped his left hand under his right to avoid being hit as he thrust, although Briar parried him again.

Bloody hell !

Brows furrowed, he wondered why his signature maneuver did not have the desired effect. It served him well in the past, and he never imagined it would not work. It was time for him to bring the game to a close, so he decided to step up the intensity. They went back and forth until he found the opening he needed to attack and counter in quick, strong movements, yet so did she. Unlike their first game in the library, now they were both aggressors, and he seemed to be getting the short end of it.

They were both sweating and panting hard. He was enlivened in a way that he had never experienced while fencing. There was a tightening in his breeches. He was aroused. Briar took advantage of his distractions, and with a few quick moves, she stepped forward and had the rapier at his chest. When she lowered the weapon, he retrieved it and placed them both in the sheath.

She stood in the same position, waiting for her breathing to recover. Julius closed the gap between them. He leaned in and kissed her forehead, hot and salty yet sweet. He took a step back and gazed at her, certain her lips trembled. He could feel the tension between them. Unmistakable. He wanted this woman who looked at him as if he was the only man in the world. Her breathing was shallow, her eyes bright, her cheeks flushed, and her round breasts were straining against the fabric of her yellow dress. He wanted to ravish her lips, but for a moment, he remained transfixed.

Briar reached up and gently stroked his scar, her eyes never leaving his. Her soft hands made him forget that he had ever felt pain when cold steel sliced into his flesh. Her fingers were soft and silky, and they gently threaded the full length of the damaged flesh. She did not pull away from him, and there was no look of disgust. He looked into her eyes, dark and cloudy. He recognized it instantly. Desire. She wanted him to kiss her just as much as he wanted to do it. The realization caused his heart to skip, then beat far too rapidly, falling out of its usual rhythm. He need not have been concerned she would turn away from him if he tried to kiss her.

He should not, must not. He was powerless.

Julius’s head moved toward her, and Briar instinctively tilted her chin to meet him. He stopped breathing when his lips touched hers, a supple, tender caress. She did not open to let him in, and he licked her lips, immediately thrusting his tongue inside when she made a small gasp at the sensation. He ached for her. A low growl rumbled in his chest, echoing his hunger. He just could not be gentle any longer. Deep inside, something powerful was pulling him along, and when he heard her soft mewl, he lost the last fragment of restraint, the last thing holding him together. Julius pulled her into his arms and crushed her against him as he drank in her taste.

He was leading, but by God, did she follow .

Her hand moved from his face to the back of his neck, gliding through his hair, drawing him close. Julius traced her lips with his tongue before he sucked on her bottom lip, sighing his pleasure. Everything in his world collapsed around him. It all fell away, and there was only Briar. He moved his mouth along her cheekbone, down to her jaw, before he nuzzled her neck.

“You taste so damned good.” He hoarsely whispered.

A soft gasp escaped her as her hand tangled and pulled his hair. He took a deep breath … pure pleasure, and he found her mouth again, unable to get enough. His hunger drove him, a hunger he did not know he possessed. He must stop lest it devour him.

Briar was in a daze as his hot tongue explored her mouth in what could only be described as a carnal kiss. She liked the taste and feel of him. Hot, wet, and urgent. She could never have imagined that kissing could be so … Oh . Heat spread from her lower belly to between her thighs as his tongue ran havoc against hers. Should she be afraid of this heat that she was feeling? She did not know. Julius molded her against him, and they fit together … perfectly, her breast crushed against his chest, arms on her back.

Briar felt the cool air on her skin when he moved away. She raised her hand to her swollen lips. “Kiss me again.” She wanted to be sure the sensations that wrecked her equanimity were real and she could feel them again. Julius stilled, and she wondered if he was holding his breath.

Julius sighed heavily. “I shall not. You do not know what you ask of me.” He leaned in and kissed her forehead. “We agreed that the winner could ask a question which would be answered.”

Briar inclined her head to the side and studied him. “I would like to know how you got your scar.”

There was a subtle shift in his expression which she only caught because she was watching him closely. His jaw tightened for the briefest moment, and a faint twitch of his brow hinted that the question had landed harder than he’d let on. He looked at her as though he knew this was the question she would ask. A small, almost imperceptible nod followed. He briefly seemed contemplative.

When he finally spoke, his voice was smooth, but there was a hardness beneath it, like someone who had been preparing for this moment yet still found it unsettling, “I was a young, hot-blooded pup on a grand tour of Europe. I spent a few months in France, where I met Véronique. She was older, a beauty, sophisticated and married. Within weeks, I was completely enamored with her.”

“Married, you say?”

“Yes. How innocent you are. Véronique’s husband was a high-ranking courtier when we met. He was often busy and the King sent him abroad for one errand after the other. Véronique was lonely, and she wanted to amuse herself. The idea that one would be faithful to their spouse was laughable at court. Women had just as many affairs as men.”

“I see.”

“It was not as much of a scandal as it is in England. Although affairs were accepted, She did not flaunt it, sneaking away to see me and exercising some discretion. Eventually, Pierre, her husband, caught wind of it and reacted unexpectedly.”

“He challenged you to a duel.”

“In spectacular fashion and in public. Being the young fool that I was, full of pride and stupidity, I did not seek to call it off.” Julius paused, a far-away look in his eyes. “I named my friend, Fran?ois, as my second. He did not think I should go anywhere near it, but I was unmoved by his reasoning.”

When Julius paused again, Briar understood that even after all this time, he found it difficult to speak of the incident. He was sharing something very personal with her, which was not half-hearted. He also trusted her to keep his confidence.

“On that morning when we met in the clearing, I was a self-absorbed young man with very little self-control. Pierre trounced me, of course. He was a much more experienced and skilled fighter than I was. It could have been much worse; I could have been killed. So that is the story. I left France and returned to England.”

“And you shut yourself away ever since.”

“Well, not quite. I had a period of self-reflection while I healed. I learned to control myself, to be humble, and to be more outwardly focused. My father gave me more responsibility in running the estate. I learned to respect the boundaries of marriage and understood compromise.”

Briar was sympathetic. “It must have been difficult for you.”

“What I have just described to you was easier than facing the haut ton . The rumors, whispers and innuendo were difficult to ignore. I accepted it was a price to pay, but eventually, it would all die down. Sadly, it did not. I soon learned the ladies in society were not prepared to look at my ugly face.”

“You are not ugly, Julius.”

“I stand corrected. You are a woman with a good heart who can see the man behind the mask. You can look beyond my appearance, and I am grateful that we met.”

“The way I see you is how you should be seen, Julius. I am sure the haut ton has found more titillating gossip.”

“We will see soon enough. I have decided to go to London for the season.”

“To London?” She asked as if she had never heard of it.

“Yes, and you will accompany me, along with your family, of course.”

“I do not—”

“Hear me out. I understand this is not a part of our agreement, but you need a dowery should you wish to marry so that I will provide a generous one.”

“That is very kind of you, Julius. I need to write to Mama and Duncan.”

“Let me know when you have heard back from them. Will I see you at dinner?”

“You shall.” Briar turned around toward the door, but she did not take a step to leave. Instead, she spun around to face Julius. “Did you love her? Véronique?” Briar could hardly believe her audacity in asking him such a question, but she wanted to know. This was as good a time as any since he just told the story.

Their gazes locked. Julius’s response was almost immediate. This question was one he may have considered in the past himself.

“Back then, I believed that I was, but maturity made me realize it was infatuation. Véronique never loved me, I am certain of that. She never came to see me before I left France, and I never heard from her again.”

“I am sorry,” Briar calmly replied, although, for some reason, she was pleased that Julius never loved Véronique. She turned and left the library so that Julius would not see the little smile on her face. Briar did not understand why that bit of news made her happy; it just did.

As Briar walked to her bedchamber, she reflected on the conversation. Julius had been honest about his shortcomings and weaknesses even though it hurt to speak about the circumstances that led to his introspection. He did not pretend his imperfections did not exist or wait for them to come tumbling down. Instead, he examined his character and sought to improve himself and become a better person. There are not many men who would be willing to admit they have weaknesses, as they would be considered failures. He said he learned humility, and Briar would agree. Humility was not denying his strengths; it was being forthright about what he needed to change. Julius was human and more than a lofty duke.

She admired him, and that was harmless enough. He need not know about it. On the other hand, kissing was the thing she needed to be wary of. Mama suggested she gain the duke's affection. She would not approve of Briar behaving recklessly and causing a scandal. They were already in a difficult position with Duncan’s shenanigans and only narrowly escaped a scandal. The trouble was that she liked kissing him. It felt good.

She entered her bedchamber and instructed staff to prepare her bath. Briar realized she would need to work harder at keeping her desire in check and not give in to temptation. This trip to London was significant. Julius wanted to participate in the season for the first time in several years. He would attend endless social events and meet many debutantes. London was a marriage market during the season. There would be beautiful young ladies looking for a spouse. Did the trip to London mean he had no feelings for her?