The Duke's Wife (The Three Mrs #3) - Jess Michaels Page 0,67

her time so that when she rose out of the water, rivulets of water running over her curves, he could truly appreciate the show. “Now what?” she asked.

He grabbed one of the towels her maid had left for her and dropped it on the floor in front of the tub. “Step out,” he said, his voice hoarse and rough.

She held out a hand, lifting her chin like a queen. He shook his head as he took it and steadied her. But the moment she was flat on her feet on the towel, he pivoted her around so her naked, wet back was against his front.

“Nathan!” she squealed. “I’m soaking you.”

He sucked the side of her throat and slid a hand down the center of her body. When he reached her sex, he parted her lips and stroked her gently. “Seems like I’m soaking you.”

He pushed his robe open. She felt the tickle of his hair against her back, her thighs as he pulled her harder against him. His cock was hard against her backside, and she pulsed back against it with a whimper.

“Minx,” he whispered, and bent her over. She wrapped her hands around the edge of the tub and gasped as he speared her in one long thrust.

He took her, hard and fast. She felt the desperation in his strokes, the need to have her and to find that same connection they’d made earlier. She shut her eyes, focusing on the pleasure and not the emotions. And oh, there was pleasure. This new angle found spots in her she had never known existed, a new flavor of the pleasure. She reached between her legs and touched herself as he thrust harder and faster.

Water sloshed on the ground around them as she ground back into him. Her fingers were coated with wetness that was from far more than her bath. He caught her hair again, tugging gently, and it pushed her over the edge where she had been dancing.

She came, grinding hard against him. Harder when he cried out and she felt the hot flood of him deep within her. For a moment they remained that way, bent over the tub, water pooling at their feet. He withdrew at last, shaking his head as he stood.

“Good God, woman, you will be the death of me.”

She laughed as she grabbed another towel from a nearby chair and wrapped it around herself. She leaned up to kiss him briefly before she stepped away. “What a way to go, though, Your Grace.”

“Indeed,” he agreed, and huffed out a long breath. He was watching her, his gaze intent and focused, so she turned away. He frowned as she did so—she caught the expression from the corner of her eye.

“I’m famished,” she said, hoping to keep her tone light.

He cleared his throat. “We could dress and have supper? I’m sure Mrs. Wheaton has a spread worthy of a king left over from the wedding luncheon.”

“Perfect,” she said, and moved toward the bell to call her maid back.

He stayed in the room a moment, then sighed when she didn’t turn back and padded out toward his own chamber. She breathed a sigh of relief that they hadn’t treaded into more dangerous waters, and pushed away disappointment at the same.

She could control the relationship with this man. She had to and she would.

Chapter 18

Nathan paced the parlor at Rhys and Pippa’s house two days after the wedding, waiting for his friends to arrive to greet him, his sister in tow. He was not in a good humor and feared it would be difficult to keep that to himself.

He should have been in a wonderful mood. He’d spent the last two days alone with Abigail, exploring every delicious inch of her body. They were perfectly matched in the bedroom, and his hunger for her only grew every time they touched. The problem was that the moment they were finished making love, off she went to the adjoining bedroom. She never slept with him in his bed. She never allowed deeper connection in any way. Sex, playful surface banter, food. That was all they shared.

Why that wasn’t enough, he wasn’t certain. It was within the parameters they had set for their marriage weeks before.

Pippa and Rhys entered the room, their toddler, Kenley, clinging to Pippa’s hand. In that moment, they looked like such a happy family, despite all they’d been through. Despite the fact the boy was Montgomery’s child with yet another woman, the pair loved him as their