The Duke and the Accidental Bride (Duchesses of Convenience #5)

Chapter 17

Chapter Seventeen

D uncan’s kiss was wild and attacking. It caught Isabella by surprise, as if she worried he might tear at her lips with his teeth. But he did no such thing. Lips found lips and tongues worked their way into mouths and soon the two were engaged in a kiss filled with passion and lust that had spent the last two weeks building.

Isabella melted and allowed herself to give in to the kiss. She was through pretending that she did not want it, or that the thought of kissing her husband disgusted her. As his tongue explored the inside of her mouth, and as his hands gripped her waist tightly, she relaxed in a way she wouldn’t have thought possible.

This isn’t so scary . The opposite! Truly, I do not know what Duncan was so worried about --

Suddenly, Duncan’s hand snatched the back of Isabella’s head, taking a handful of hair and prying her lips away from his face.

She tried desperately to follow his escaping mouth. “Wh --”

“You have spent the last week antagonizing me,” Duncan growled, refusing to let her go. One hand holding her hair, the other now around her waist. “Admit it.”

Her first inclination was to agree. To surrender and admit fault because she knew that Duncan hated being argued with. But a voice inside of her whispered a soft reminder, a suggestion that she did not understand but knew to be the right course.

Heart beating. That sense of fear mounting. Her body trembled as she licked her lips and spoke. “I admit nothing. You have been the one antagonizing me.”

Duncan groaned and she could see his jaw clench. “You enjoy frustrating me.”

“You make it so easy to do.”

He closed his eyes and groaned again, that hand around her waist moving up her body and then slowly wrapping itself around her throat. She gasped and he squeezed, not roughly, just tight enough to let her know that he had her in his grip and could end her if he so pleased.

“What am I going to do with you...” He licked his lips as his eyes flicked hungrily over her body.

“Nothing,” she shot back excitedly, feeling it grow inside of her as she pushed him. “And I will ask you to let me go or... or... or I promise that you will regret it.”

He groaned again, his grip around her throat tightening. “I have asked you time and time again to behave. And still you refuse.”

“I am not yours to command.”

“That is exactly what you are.” He leaned in and she held her breath as she braced for another kiss. Only he moved past her lips and his tongue licked her ear before his teeth caught her lobe and bit down. “You are mine and it is time that you learned how to behave.”

“I am a slow learner,” she breathed in a whisper.

“Yes...” He smiled and his eyes flashed. “Yes, you are.”

She had no idea what was going to happen. What she was even saying! But Isabella could sense it was the right thing. The way that her husband’s breathing was rising steadily. The flush on his neck. How moist his lips became as his eyes devoured her and his mind went to places she could not even imagine.

“Pr -- prove it,” she said as she tried to pull herself free.

Suddenly, Duncan stepped into her, wrapped an arm around her waist and threw her up onto his shoulder as if she weighed nothing.

“Ow!” she cried out in shock as he carried her across the room where he tossed her onto the bed. She gasped and attempted to push herself up but her husband was on her before she could do much of anything.

His hulking frame pinned her down and again she felt trapped, completely at this man’s mercy. He looked at her savagely, like a wild animal escaped from captivity. And the way he breathed, it almost sounded painful as if his lungs could not handle the pressure that was building inside of him.

“What are you --”

“Do not speak,” he growled. “Not unless I allow it.”

“What does --”

His hand shot out and covered her mouth. He pressed himself in close, his lips touching the back of his hand, their eyes meeting. “I said, do not speak.”

She widened her eyes at him, as if in rebuke. And all the while her body ran so hot that she began to sweat. Shaking too. Trembling! Caught between the fear of not knowing and the excitement of wanting to find out, Isabella was too far in to stop now. What was more, she did not want to.

“This is how it will be,” Duncan said in a commanding tone. “The way you have been behaving requires punishment. But I am not a complete monster, nor do I enjoy serving it to you…” His eyes flashed their hunger. “Even if it might seem that I do. So, I will say this one time and one time only. If I go too far, or at any time you wish to end this – what you have forced me to do,” he growled. “You will say King George. Is that understood.”

A safe word . Isabella’s mind raced with the implications, her heart still beating quickly but not quite so panicked. This changed everything. What was more, it gave her a small amount of power that she didn’t realize she needed.

She opened her mouth to speak but Duncan’s hand kept it closed.

“Do not speak...” He whispered as he held her mouth. “Nod your head. Do you understand what I am saying?”

She nodded her head.

“Now, are you going to do as you are told?”

She very nearly nodded her head again but caught herself just in time. From the look in his eyes, she knew what he wanted, and she was happy to play along. She shook her head, trying her best to match his furious stare with her own cantankerous one.

“I did not think so,” he chuckled, almost looking amused. “So be it.”

His arms lifted her from underneath and then flipped her onto her stomach. Duncan then fell in next to her and pushed her face into the soft bedding. She tried to push him off, but he was too big, too strong, too powerful .

And as he held her, his other hand moved to the skirt of her dress, taking a handful and then slowly sliding it up the back of her bare thighs. Continuing to pull it, he tore it over her buttocks and exposed them fully.

“Get off --” She tried to wiggle free, but he refused to allow it.

She gasped next. His fingers, they traced gently over her naked backside, soft and tender and careful. Goosebumps erupted across the bare skin, weaving their way down and between her thighs until her entire lower half was trembling at his touch.

“Are you going to behave for me?” he asked her, his voice as gentle as his fingers which still traced her.

“I --” She hesitated. Good sense told her to yield, to scream the safe word, but the excitement that raged within had her subconsciously arching her backside as if presenting more of it for Duncan to use. “No, I will not.”

The pain was sharp and unexpected. It erupted across her right butt cheek, burning hot for a second before simmering and then cooling just as quickly. She gasped; a moment taken to understand what had just happened. He has spanked her!

“Are you going to behave for me?” he asked again.

“Never,” she said excitedly, wanting more.

Another spank. This one harder, the full hand cupping her left cheek, sending those spikes of pain through her entire body.

“Urgh...” she moaned as the pain turned to pleasure rippled over her.

“Again,” Duncan growled. He yanked her head up and leaned down, whispering into her ear. “Are you going to behave for me? Or do I need to take this further?”

Further? What else can he possibly do? And why am I so excited to find out?

“I am not yours to command,” she spat as she tried to free herself from his embrace. “I will never – urgh!” she moaned as he spanked her again.

“Further then.” His laughter was excited as if he relished the idea of what was to come. Likely, he did.

Duncan let go of her hair and pushed himself from the bed. Finally free, Isabella spun about with the intention of berating Duncan in the ways that she knew he liked. But her voice caught in her throat when she saw what he was doing.

He was removing the belt from his pants.

Her eyes went wide as he whipped off the leather in one quick motion. Standing over her as he was, body flushed red, eyes wild and hungry, Isabella could not help but wonder if maybe she had gone too far. She very nearly opened her mouth to say the safe word, to put a stop to this before it got out of hand. And yet... somehow still, she was eager for more. She did not know why. She did not know how to explain it. But there was just something about the way that Duncan was treating her that she could not get enough of.

Always the rebel. Always the smart mouthed. Always the antagonist. She had to admit, it was nice for once to be put in her place.

“Wh -- what are you doing?” she asked of the belt, her mouth turning dry.

“What I should have done on our wedding night.” He looked directly at her as he gripped the belt between both hands, squeezing it tight as if to test its strength. “What you needed me to do, even if you would never admit it.”

“And wh – what is that?” she asked, even leaning back a little because the look in her husband’s eyes was beyond anything she had ever seen.

“Turn around.”

Her eyes went wide. “Why? What are you going to --”

“Turn around.”

“I...” Eyes flicking between the belt and her husband. “And if I do not?”

He sighed and shook his head, almost appearing disappointed. Then he strode toward her, two short steps, reaching her before she had a chance to move. His hand shot out, snatching just underneath her chin, forcing her to look up and hold his eyes.

She tried to pull free, but he was towering over her, giving her nowhere to go.

“I am going to show you what happens when you continue to disobey me,” he explained evenly. “But it serves you right, for being such a bad girl.”

“But what are you going to --”

“Turn around.” It wasn’t a question or an offer. It was a command. His voice, the rumble in his chest, washed over her like a wave and it was all Isabella could do not to jump to her feet and run.

Instead of that, however, she swallowed. Focused on the heat building inside of her with such force that she very well might have exploded. Her legs trembling. Her breath rising. Excitement growing. She wanted this.

Duncan stepped back and Isabella turned around. He did not ask her to specifically, but she put herself on her hands and knees, facing away from him. She pulled her skirt above her waist, her bare backside presented for him.

She had never felt more vulnerable.

Duncan’s footsteps approached her slowly. She shook as his hand again stroked over her naked skin. She gasped as his fingers moved between her thighs and ran up the inside of her lips. And she moaned when one of those fingers slipped inside of her.

“Urgh...” Her face collapsed to the bed as waves of pleasure shot through her. “Duncan...”

“Look at that,” Duncan purred as his finger continued to slip inside of her. “How wet you already are. If I didn’t know any better, I would say that you are enjoying yourself. You really are bad.”

“I am not,” she moaned as her body shook from his touch. “I hate... hate... I hate it.”

“I bet you do,” he chuckled. “Now...” Slowly, his finger slipped back outside, and he wiped it off on her skin. “Are you going to behave?”

“No,” she said with force, and he spanked her. She gasped, and then caught her breath as he slipped his finger inside her again. Slowly and gently, he explored her... stroking with his fingers in a way that had her --

He pulled his fingers out and it felt as if the life was being sucked from her.

“Are you going to behave?” he asked again.

“Never,” she said with bite, bracing as his hand slapped across her naked backside again. His fingers moved to her lips and she closed her eyes and held her breath as the pleasure --

He pulled his fingers back, denying her.

“Are you going to be a good girl for me?”

“I would rather die.” A third spank, the hardest yet.

“You simply will not learn,” he growled. “You leave me no choice, Isabella. But remember, you asked for this. Bad girls deserve to be punished.”

“Did wha --” She started as the belt suddenly wrapped itself around her neck. “Duncan? What are you doing?”

“Teaching you how to behave.” The belt made a noose, with Duncan holding onto the other end as if she was a dog being led around the park. “Now...” He pulled on the end of the belt and it tightened around her neck. Not too tight, just enough that she could feel it. “Are you going to behave for me?”

“Are you going to make me?”

His laughter was deep. She could hear the excitement in it. She could feel what he was going to do. Isabella was no expert. This was, in fact, her first time ever with a man. Yet somehow she understood what was about to happen. As if it was instinct.

Slowly, she spread her legs open and arched her back further. She lowered her head, pressing her face against the bedding. She took a breath... and she held it as the anticipation grew inside of her.

Duncan’s pants dropped to the floor.

Again, his fingers traced up the inside of her thighs. She squirmed and writhed as they slipped inside of her. She gasped as he began to move them in and out, testing and teasing and opening her wide. Her entire body trembled. The overwhelming sense of desire that swept her was so intoxicating that she nearly screamed at him to just do it!

“Remember,” he growled. “This is your fault.” Then, without another word, he entered her.

Isabella’s eyes widened and her breath caught in her throat. Her body turned stiff. She very nearly bucked and tried to wiggle away. But he had one hand around her waist, while the other held the belt, pulling her in closer as his member plunged inside of her, inch by glorious inch.

“Duncan...” she breathed.

“Now...” He pulled on the belt, tightening it around her neck and forcing her head up. “Are you going to be a good girl for me?”

“No,” she moaned. “Never.”

“So be it.”

Duncan began to thrust inside of her. Slow at first; long and deep and hard. Each time he pushed himself deeper, it sent a spike of pleasure through Isabella that had her screaming for more. Sensations of such carnal delight that if she had known how good this would feel... this would have happened a lot sooner than it had.

“Are you going to behave?” he commanded of her, spanking her with his spare hand as he thrust at and pounded her.

“No!”

He thrust harder. Faster. One hand on her waist now, the other pulled the belt. It cut off the air, giving her just enough to breathe. She tried to wiggle free, but he pulled her back. She tried to buck him, but his thrusts were too hard and fast and aggressive. She tried to fight him, but he was too powerful for her.

Besides, she wasn’t trying that hard to stop him. God no.

“You’ve been a bad girl,” Duncan growled as he pummeled her; hard, fast, deep, all force. “Haven’t you!”

“I am so bad!” she cried.

“This is your punishment for disobeying me!” Another spank, the hardest yet. “This is what bad girls get! Now --” Another spank. “Will you behave!”

“I don’t want to --” He spanked her again. “I won’t --” Another spank and then the hand holding the belt dropped it as he leaned forward and took a handful of hair. “I... I...I...”

He thrust inside of her, deeper this time as he fell forward so that his entire body was on her. “Tell me you will behave!” he growled. “Tell me that you’re going to be my good little girl. Do it!”

“I’m sorry!” she found herself crying out, gasping through the waves of pleasure.

“Sorry for what?”

“For being bad.”

“A bad what?”

“I’m sorry for being a bad girl!” she screamed as he continued to pound her as his lips found her neck. “I won’t do it again.”

“I don’t believe you!”

“I promise!” she begged him, barely able to breathe, both ass cheeks stinging, legs shaking so hard that she could barely stay on them. “I promise. I’ll be good... I’ll be good...”

“A good what?”

“A good girl,” she gasped as he thrust again. “I’ll be good for you from now on. I promise!”

“You better be!” He pushed himself back and both hands found her waist. “You’re going to be obedient, aren’t you?”

“I am!”

“You’re going to do as you are told.”

“I will!”

“Because if you do not...” He began to move his hips even harder. Even faster. She could feel something happening, which she did not understand at first. His grip was tight. His movements were short and sharp. His breathing became pained. “If you do not... I will have to punish you again!”

And as he shouted that final command, Duncan exploded inside of Isabella. Or maybe she was the one exploding? She did not fully understand what was happening. The heat building inside of her. Her body fighting it. An eruption that she tried to resist, only for her subconscious to will it to happen.

As Duncan gave his final thrust, Isabella seemed to explode. Fire consumed her. She went stiff and then her legs kicked out, her body spasmed, her entire being rebelled against her beyond anything she had ever felt. For a moment, she thought her heart might give out...

For it to suddenly stop. The heat was still there. The pleasure still tingled and swept over her body. But it was nowhere near as aggressive, leaving her to shake as her heart slowly softened and went back to normal.

What in the name of all things was that?

As for Duncan? He had stumbled back, falling into a chair, his breathing heavy and aggressive, his body coated in sweat; he was still wearing his white linen shirt, but it was so wet that she could see his flushed skin underneath.

Isabella was worried, at first, to look at him. Surely, after such a savage display, he must be embarrassed? She certainly was! She found his eyes... hesitant at first... surprised to see a smile behind them.

That surprise grew when Duncan pushed himself up and made his way back to her. For a moment, she thought he was going to try the same again, as if once was enough. She pulled back on instinct, but he was gentle as he fell in beside her and pulled her sweating body into his own.

“Wh – what are you doing?” she stammered while letting him hold her.

“You were very good for me today,” he purred as he held her. One hand stroked the back of her head, the other was soft on the bruises he left on her behind. He massaged them gently, careful not to hurt her. “I’m very proud of you.”

“You are?”

“Of course. You have been so good for me.” He kissed the top of her head, pulling her in even closer.

Isabella had no idea how to feel. Perhaps embarrassed, at first, until Duncan began to hold her the way that he was. As aggressively and even violently as he had just treated her, this was another side to the man who was her husband. The mystery behind the monster. Strangely too, she felt safe in his arms like she never had, that sense that he actually did care about her.

It put into perspective what they had just done, almost cleansing it, while making the idea of doing it again even more inviting.

“So,” Duncan began. “Was that... was that what you had been expecting?”

“Not at all,” Isabella said truthfully, her smile growing and her heart racing again because she had a distinct feeling that this night was far from over. It better not be . “It was even better.”