My Dangerous Duke (The Twisted Dukes #2)

Chapter 11

“ A nother one?”

Xander looked quizzically at the piles of rocks sitting atop the candle stands in the hallway; wondering where they had all come from. It was the seventh pile he had found since he had got home that morning. He picked one up, trying to fathom why they were there and where else he might find them.

Hearing the click of heels, Xander lifted his head from his discovery, and dropped the rock; the heavy thing narrowly missing his foot. But he did not notice. Not with what was walking toward him.

Eleanor’s hourglass figure was accentuated by the tight yet garish purple corset she was wearing; making the swell of her ample breasts sway in the rhythm of her footsteps. Then there was the skirt. A burnt orange fabric that had a long slit that traveled up the delicious expanse of Eleanor’s long, naked left leg and thigh.

It took Xander a moment to pull his eyes away from all of the ways his wife’s improper gown highlighted the enticing details of her figure, but when he finally looked up at her, he stifled a laugh by putting a hand over his mouth and his other arm around his waist.

“My, my, look at you,” he said with a whistle.

“You like it, Your Grace?” She asked sweetly, grinning far too wide. Suddenly realizing what Eleanor was trying to do, he let out a genuine laugh and nodded.

“I do, actually,” he admitted, walking a small circle around her as he rubbed his bottom lip.

“It is quite- well, it is quite unique, is it not?” He asked, stopping when he came directly in front of the split in her skirt. Unable to help himself, he reached out, and ran his knuckles softly against the naked flesh, and immediately felt her thigh tremble. Xander could have sworn he heard her gasp next, which only satisfied him more.

“I particularly like this part,” he murmured, dragging his eyes up to hers.

Eleanor’s honey-brown eyes were bright with arousal and frustration- two feelings he understood very well. She seemed to battle with which one to choose for a moment before landing on frustration.

“You are not supposed to like it,” she pouted, walking away from him.

“Well, I do,” Xander replied arrogantly with a shrug as he fell in step behind her. “Where are you going dressed like that?”

Eleanor spun around on him to answer, but a commotion suddenly sprang from around the corner, and Xander’s smile dropped.

“My lady, please, you must wait to be announced!” The butler could be heard pleading.

“I do not have to wait to see my sister, step aside!” A woman’s shrill voice boomed next.

“Oh no,” Eleanor suddenly groaned as Edna turned the corner and saw them.

Xander looked quickly back at her, realizing what was about to happen. His wife had probably planned to trick him into convincing him into an annulment with her antics, but she could not have possibly predicted her sister’s unscheduled visit.

“What in Heaven’s name are you doing, Eleanor?” Edna seethed, her eyes growing beady and sharp as she walked toward Eleanor. “Look at you! This is not how a duchess is to act!”

“Let go of me,” Eleanor warned as Edna grabbed a hold of her arm.

“Are you trying to ruin this for all of us?” Edna hissed, dragging Eleanor forward. “What have you done to your clothes? To your face? Oh, God, your hair! Get upstairs this instant!”

Xander had debated whether or not to get involved with what was clearly a family matter, but when he saw the look of pure horror in Eleanor’s eyes, he suddenly found himself in motion.

“Lady Wilten, you will let go of my wife,” Xander demanded, stepping in front of Edna before she could make another move.

Edna’s eyes widened with fear and shock and she began to stammer.

“Y-your Grace! This- this is not right- she knows-she-”

“She is the lady of this house and may do whatever she likes,” he stated, staring her down. Edna’s mouth opened and closed like a fish gasping for air on land, but Xander continued.

“You are not welcome in our home. Not today. Turn around and leave at once or the butler you just berated has my full blessing to get you out of here however he sees fit.”

“But I rode for two hours to get here!” Edna burst out, finally able to speak. “I cannot just turn back!”

From his vest pocket, Xander pulled out his billfold and placed whatever was inside in Edna’s hands.

“There is an inn in town that will refresh your horses and has decent food. If you leave now, you will be home by nightfall.”

Eyes alight with greed, Edna quickly clenched her fist around the stack of notes and nodded. She attempted to toss one more glare at Eleanor before she left, but Xander moved with her, his gaze locking her in and forbidding such action. Without a word, she then turned on her heel and left, the butler following closely behind to ensure her exit.

Xander waited until Edna’s footsteps could no longer be heard before he turned back to Eleanor. Her eyes were no longer bright with mischief, and she looked almost ashamed of herself. Unable to take it, Xander cleared his throat and glanced away.

“Thank you,” she whispered, sounding so sad it bothered him.

“I do not like disrespect,” he stated simply. He should leave, he felt, to let her have some space, but he could not bring himself to. He hated seeing her sad. Even if she tried her best to have him annul their marriage, he would only do so once he had destroyed all the letters.

“So, rocks,” he said, picking up one from a nearby table to change the subject. “They are yours, I take it?”

“Yes,” she admitted, her voice hollow. “I like them.”

“Truly?” Xander asked. He kept his eyes on the rock he was holding but turned his body toward her. “Or is it just part of this little scheme you are trying to pull?”

“How did you…?”

Eleanor laughed and rolled her eyes, her true self coming back to him a little bit.

“I actually do like them,” Eleanor admitted, picking up one from the same pile. She had reached for a smooth, flat, black pebble the size of her palm. “I cannot say why, but I find them as beautiful as flowers.”

“Hmmm,” Xander murmured, sparing a glance toward her. She put the stone down, then turned away from him and toward the nearest wall.

“This space is too blank,” she declared, waving a hand at it as she tried to go back to her little act. “I think I shall do some painting. Add some flowers. Perhaps a large pony lying amongst them.” She pointed to no space in particular on the large blank canvas. “Right there.”

Xander sighed and put his own rock down, no longer having fun with this game.

“Honey, come. Stop with this,” he pleaded, not realizing he had just used her pet name in such a desperate tone. “You are not a madwoman as you are so clearly trying to pretend to be. What is this about?”

“Why do you keep calling me that?” She asked, suddenly bringing her eyes up to him curiously.

Damn it, he cursed silently.

“Never the matter,” he uttered dismissively, “Talk to me.”

Whatever pretense Eleanor had left seemed to whither, and her delicate shoulders sagged under some invisible pressure.

“You do not want to be married to me, do you?” She asked bluntly. “I thought maybe it was some act of desperation from your family. Needing a noblewoman to bear an heir. But it is not that, is it? I am just a means to some sort of mysterious end, am I not?”

Xander looked back at her, impressed by her perceptiveness.

“Yes,” he confessed. She nodded, looking relieved to know that she had been right.

“I had thought,” she went on, a sad smile touching her lips, “in the beginning, that there was something between us. Not love, to be sure, but something. Well, I am many things, Your Grace, but I am not arrogant. I am able to see my mistakes. I see now I imagined it all. So, since I cannot convince you out of this union, I have a proposal.”

“Can it wait until we get to my study?” He asked calmly. His question and the casual way he stated it seemed to throw Eleanor off guard, which made his lips almost twitch into a smile.

“I suppose,” she agreed after a moment.

“Good,” he said, taking her hand and walking. “It is just around the corner.”

The two of them walked quickly, their hands naturally tightening around one another as if they both needed the small touch.

“Well?” Xander asked when they were in his study. They were still standing by the door, his left hand and her right one still locked together. Eleanor looked up at him, woefully this time, and it caused a wince in his body that, for a man assumed to have no feelings, he was not proud of.

“Let us annul in secret,” she said at last, her voice barely above her whisper. “Today.”

Xander looked back at her silently, his gaze hardening. There it was, out in the open for both of them. And yet, he still found himself saying…

“No.”

“No one has to know,” she pushed. “I can slip away. Penelope and Rhysand will surely allow me to stay in their home until I can figure things out. Then perhaps I will find a way to Paris or something. We will both be free.”

Xander was not ready for the intensity of emotion that hit him as Eleanor said this. Yes, he had been working night and day to get his hands on those letters so he could accomplish this very thing. Yet when Eleanor brought it up, it immediately released something dark and possessive inside of him.

With ease, Xander captured Eleanor’s hands with just one of his and had her pinned up against the door in a second. She gasped as his eyes locked on hers and struggled against his hold.

“ Stay still,” he commanded, his voice a low growl as brought his free hand up to the delicate curve of her jaw and tilted her chin up with just the touch of two fingertips.

Whether she liked it or not, Eleanor’s body obeyed him, and she went slack against the wall; putting all of her weight onto it and Xander’s hold.

“We handle this my way,” he went on, “The safest place for you is here right now, whether that makes you happy or not. I will handle this. I just need more time.”

“Tell me what there is to handle,” Eleanor breathed, her eyes searching his. “Maybe I can help.”

“Absolutely not,” he replied quickly, shaking his head. “You will stay here, and you will act the part of a content housewife until I can get this handled.”

“Just like you cannot pretend to love, I cannot pretend to be happy or content,” Eleanor replied, her tone so calm and wise it irritated him.

“Why are you so stubborn?”

“You cannot control everything, Your Grace,” she pressed on, searching his eyes without fear. “If you want me to play a part, you must give me the inspiration to do so.”

“Inspiration?” Xander asked, feeling a stir in his groin as his mind exploded with filthy, erotic thoughts.

He had been holding back for ten days, doing everything he could to keep distracted from how much he fantasized about her, but she plagued every single one of his thoughts. It was not just her beauty that made his body ache with need either, but the way she stood up to him. Her fearlessness struck a competitive yet possessive nerve in him that he did not quite know how to handle.

“Inspiration, yes,” Eleanor breathed, her right brow arching slightly as her pupils widened with need.

With a groan, Xander’s lips claimed possession of her mouth as his hand slipped from her chin to her throat; reveling the way he could feel her pulse vibrate on his fingertips when she moaned. He pressed closer against her until there was no way space between him, her, or the door.

Eleanor gave in to him immediately, letting him take the lead with long, caressing kisses to her lips and gentle but urgent prodding into her mouth when his tongue was ready to taste her. Eleanor moaned once more as he massaged his tongue against hers, making the hardness between his legs grow to a painful degree.

Wanting more, Xander released Eleanor’s throat, letting his fingertips caress gently down the soft hills of her bosom, over the waist of her corset, and down to the high split in her skirt. Eleanor gasped as his fingers wrapped around her naked thigh, and Xander had to let out a muttered curse as he found her soft flesh slick and warm.

“If you want me to stop, simply say the word.”

He pulled away from the kiss, breathing heavily, and used his temple to nudge Eleanor’s head to the side so that he could taste her neck.

“Say it.” She immediately shivered when his teeth scraped a particular spot, and when he did it again, she let out a mewl and buckled. “You cannot, can you, Honey?”

Eleanor’s teeth sank into her bottom lip, defiance dancing in her eyes. “You are a heartless rake.”

Feeling himself lose control, Xander released Eleanor’s wrists so that he could brace a hand on each of her hips, and he went to his knees. With efficient strokes of his fingers, the already torn fabric was shredded away from her lower belly, Xander let out another whispered curse as he realized she had worn no undergarments beneath the monstrosity. He could clearly see her delicate pink petals, already engorged and glistening, and the beautiful little ruby nestled in its folds was practically begging for his attention.

“I am a heartless rake, yet you are dripping all over for me. What does that say about you?”

Losing all willpower, he dipped his mouth toward his own personal honeypot. Just as he had dreamed, Eleanor’s pleasure fed the gnawing craving that had been driving him mad, and he began to feast on her with fervor.

“Answer me, Honey.” Command hardened his voice into steel, sending Eleanor into heightened ecstasy.

Her eyelashes fluttered and her body trembled as she panted helplessly; Xander’s firm grip was the only thing keeping her on her feet. She had no idea what Xander was about when he had gone to his knees, but the moment she felt his warm, wet tongue slide between her thighs, she realized she did not care.

“If you do not say it, I will.” He slowly pushed two fingers inside of her. “It means that you are my wife, and you will do as I say.”

Pleasure unlike any other coursed through her as Xander’s tongue continued to cast a trance over her entire body, and she felt a part of herself let go.

“You do not even love me,” Eleanor panted amidst her pleasure.

“ Love has nothing to do with this, Honey.”

Xander thrust his fingers inside her again and she threw her head back, mad with pleasure. Eleanor pressed her lips together tightly. She had been so focused on what Xander was doing she had not realized she had been letting out continual moans. But, she could not help it. There was a pressure building deep in her lower belly, growing with each flick of his tongue.

“Hush, sweetheart,” Xander purred, pulling back just enough to give her a reprimanding smack to her backside. “We cannot have the whole household hearing you.”

“My Lady!” Mrs. Gaines’s voice called from the hallway. “My Lady, a servant heard screaming, are you all right? Where are you?”

“Time has run out,” Xander chuckled, darkly, swirling his thumb teasingly around her clitoris.

“What?” She panted, not sure what he meant.

“That’s it. Give into it, Honey,” he coaxed, dipping his tongue inside her again, “let me feel you come for me.”

As Xander’s tongue delved deep inside of her, his thumb moved faster, building so much pressure that Eleanor found herself grabbing fistfuls of his hair for leverage.

“My Lady!” Mrs. Gaines’s voice rang again, this time closer.

“Now,” Xander commanded, suddenly thrusting his fingers between her wet folds again.

Eleanor’s squeezed shut and her back arched as her moans caught in her throat. The pressure building in her lower belly suddenly broke through whatever dam that kept it in place, and a great flood of release and wetness rushed from her inner thighs.

“Good girl,” Xander groaned, pressing his face further into her. With calm hands, he reached up and delicately untangled Eleanor’s fingers from his hair.

Unable to think, unable to move, Eleanor only watched and panted as Xander slowly rose to his feet. His eyes locked on hers, he slowly drew a hand up to his mouth, and with the pad of his thumb, wiped his bottom lip.

A whimper was all Eleanor could produce before Xander’s hands cupped her cheeks and he pulled her in for one more deep kiss. Wanting more, she moved to wrap her arms around his neck, but Xander’s hand caught her wrists, and brought them back down.

“I think that is enough inspiration for now,” he said, his voice sounding extremely strained.

Eleanor searched his face as he pulled back, noting how vexed he looked; how his entire body was trembling. She wanted to reach for him again, to pull him back for another kiss, but before she could, he was moving her to the side, and opening the door.

“Mrs. Gaines,” Xander called, throwing Eleanor one more heated glance before he walked away. “I believe my wife is quite vexed. It would do her good to have a soothing bath.”

Mrs. Gaines hurried past Xander and into his study and gasped as she saw Eleanor in her torn-up gown and mussed-up appearance.

“Good heavens, Your Grace!” Mrs. Gaines exclaimed, leading her out. “What happened to you?”

“I do not know,” Eleanor whispered honestly. Though, she was sure they were referring to two entirely different things.