Deepest Desires of a Wicked Duke Page 32

  He had to grin. As intense as his need for sex with Portia was, she made him smile. “Brace your hand on my back and take the cock in your hand, love,” he said. Giving her instructions had him ready to explode.

  The hard tip of the fake cock pressed against his anus. His muscles were so tight she couldn’t push in. He told her to thrust—to push forward with her hand and her hips, then back off and try again. Finally, he held his cheeks apart and that opened him enough. In went her cock with a little pop.

  Oh Lord.

  “Thrust in me, Portia. Fuck me.”

  She braced her hands on his ass cheeks—a sensation that felt good. And her hips propelled the cock deeper in him. She fucked him slowly, until he begged her to go harder and deeper. Then he caught a glimpse of them in the vanity mirror—him on hands and knees, her on her knees behind him. Her breasts bobbed with each thrust. The shaft of the cock kept disappearing inside his ass.

  God, he was going to come.

  “Like having a prick of your own?” he said, lightly, though it came out sounding as if his throat was parched.

  “This is much harder work than I thought. You are so tight.”

  He laughed gruffly.

  Then she gave a sudden squeak. “Oh—when I do that, it teases me. Right inside.”

  “Then keep doing that.” He grabbed his cock as he said that. The combination of jerking his rigid prick while his ass was being reamed . . .

  His cock swelled in his hand. His every muscle went rock-hard. Pleasure exploded in his brain and he saw a heavenly light.

  His come shot out all over his hand.

  Portia cried out. In the mirror, he saw her writhe as she came over the fake cock inside her, with the other end of it impaled in his ass.

  * * *

  She watched Sin flop down on the bed, gasping for breath. His eyes were half-shut, sleepy from sex. He had helped her withdraw the fake cock and take the harness off. Now he flashed a grin at her, but Portia knew he was so exhausted, so drained by his orgasm that he could barely move.

  She’d done that to him. She’d made him come so hard that he’d collapsed, smiling lazily at her. He reached out his hand and she knew he wanted her to lie down with him. But she shook her head. Portia knew what she was going to do—she was going to ask him to marry her. He might refuse. She might have wounded his pride too much—she now knew he was a vulnerable man who had been hurt when young and perhaps her rejection had hurt him also, and too badly. But she was going to try.

  “I’m exhausted, my love,” he said huskily, “but not too exhausted to do something very important.”

  He rolled out of bed and got to his feet. “Let me get down on one knee in front of you.”

  Her heart stuttered. He was going to ask her again.

  He had to rest his hand on the bed to balance himself, which was utterly endearing.

  Sin dropped to one knee. Portia held her breath, the word yes almost falling off her lips before he got the question out. Yes. Yes. Yes.

  He leaned forward, parting her legs. The feel of his strong hands on her inner thighs got her aroused again, but she was too shocked to move. She’d thought he was going to propose. But he pressed his mouth to her cunny and licked and sucked and nuzzled her. She was squirming—his stubble teased her and she was soooo sensitive.

  She was melting. Exquisite erotic tension was building and she clutched the sheets. But the saddest thought gripped her and wouldn’t let go. Of course Sin wouldn’t ask her again. She’d told him she would never marry him. Why would he even want to ask now? Why would he even want to marry her? He was celebrating life and that was all.

  She would have this—one wicked night with her wicked duke—then it would all be over.

  His tongue slid into her. How she loved that sensation, like being filled with silk. It was so intimate, to have him tasting her like that, more intimate than anything.

  His lips closed on her clit. He sucked hard.

  She closed her eyes. Stars exploded.

  Oh! Oh!

  Logically, she should be content. She belonged in her foundling home. The children brought joy to each day; they made her happy. She was doing good in the world. His family and friends had all thought she didn’t belong in his world—and they’d worked so hard to end the engagement. Were they right?

  His tongue slicked over her clit. Portia gripped his hair, moaning and writhing beneath him.

  But she loved him so. Loved him so much.

  She didn’t want to lose him again.

  She stroked his head, his lush, silky brown hair. His hands lifted her, cupping and squeezing her bottom. His tongue flicked over her, back and forth, exquisitely.

  Then his finger dipped in the hot valley of her bottom. Teased the opening. Made slow, easy spirals. Until he finally dipped it in her anus. While he sucked her clit hard.

  Oh! Inside, she wound up tight. Impossibly so and she knew the explosion of pleasure was going to happen—

  He worked another finger gently beside the first in her ass and she exploded. Bouncing on the bed. “Sin! Oh, Sin!”

  Her hands twined in his hair as she rode the waves of pleasure. She feared she’d pulled on his hair, but he continued to lick and suck her as she rocked underneath him, crying his name.

  Then he lifted his mouth from her and arched up to kiss her. She loved tasting herself on him. So earthy. So scandalous.

  “There’s something else I want to do, now that I’m down on one knee,” he said when he stopped kissing her. He held her hand delicately. “When I feared I’d lost you, I felt like my life was over. I want to be with you. For the rest of my life. You refused to marry me for duty. But the truth is, Portia, I love you. I loved you ten years ago and I’ve never stopped loving you. My life has been empty without you.”

  “Hardly empty. You’ve had all those shocking parties.”

  “I was trying to blank out the pain of losing you.”

  “And you’re going to give them up for me?”

  His brown eyes, dark and intense, gleamed at her. “Yes, I love you. Of course I will change for you.”

  She had always feared that men did not change. But she knew that Sin had changed very much. He had been an abused boy—he had grown into a noble, wonderful man. “Actually, I like you just as you are,” she whispered. “And if you want wild orgies, I could . . . I could go to them with you.”

  “What?” He was looking at her as if he didn’t understand a word she’d said.

  “I shouldn’t expect you to change so much. You like wild sexual orgies. And I—I felt aroused by the idea of them too. If I don’t change, I will lose you. I’m sure of it.”

  “You won’t—”

  “I would like to embrace your life, Sin. I will go to your orgies too. If you wish me to.” He looked shocked. “Oh dear, I’m too ordinary and plain, aren’t I—”

  “You are beautiful. You are my fantasy come true, Portia.” He lifted her hand and kissed her ring finger. “That’s in place of an engagement ring for now. In your honor, I will throw the largest, grandest party I’ve ever held. It will be . . . like nothing I’ve ever hosted before.”

  “You mean very wild?”

  “Indeed.” His eyes twinkled. “Extremely wild.”

  She swallowed hard. But she couldn’t deny. She felt a tug of curiosity. And a sudden heart-thumping, burning arousal. “Oh goodness,” she said suddenly. “We’re engaged. We’re going to be married.”

  “Regretting it?”

  He actually looked uncertain and vulnerable.

  “No,” she said firmly. “Awed by it. I’ve loved you for ten years as well. If you hadn’t asked me to marry you again, I was going to ask you.”

  His smile dazzled. “I’m honored. And we should be making up for lost time.”

  She looked down. “Goodness, you’re hard again!”

  25

  Sin gently woke her when they arrived at her foundling home. Portia felt rather groggy and Sin had to help her sit up, for
she’d fallen asleep curled up against his long, lean body.

  “Let me straighten your dress,” he said.

  She looked down at it and sighed. “I think that is hopeless. It’s dirty and crumpled. After all, I was kidnapped in this dress. I couldn’t bring myself to wear the one left for me on the island. I left it behind and I hope it is burnt. Anyway, my family would have been scandalized to see me wearing it. As it is, I have no idea how I will explain what did happen.”

  “I will explain everything to your family,” he said gravely.

  “No, we’ll try to explain everything together. I do not know if my brothers will believe this.”

  She tried to speak with calm, but she fluttered with nerves inside.

  Sin jumped out of the carriage, then handed her down and Portia gazed up at the brick foundling home. Inside, all the children must be sleeping. That thought warmed her heart.

  “You look delighted to be home,” Sin said softly.

  “I can’t wait to see all the children. They’ll be in bed now, of course. But I can look in on them.” She met his gaze. “Thank you. Thank you for rescuing me.”

  “It was my pleasure. And privilege.” And the honest, husky tone of his voice touched her heart.

  Then Portia rapped on the door of her home, the home she had grown to love with all her heart because of the children within. She didn’t care about the chores she did, if it meant that all these children were safe from the harshness of the slums.

  It took several minutes, but the door was opened and Merry stood there. Merry’s jaw dropped. “Miss! Where have you been? We were all terrified. We thought you’d been taken across the sea and sold into one of those harems!”

  “I’ve had adventures, Merry, but they were on an island off the coast of England. And, Merry, I would like to introduce you to the Duke of Sinclair.”

  “Cor blimey,” Merry gasped. “Miss Lamb, are you going to be a duchess?”

  * * *

  Sin watched Portia tell her maid what had happened on Serenity Island, her story careful to remove scandalous elements and to downplay the danger. Portia was warm and sweet with the maid, and efficient and brisk when necessary to keep the girl from getting upset. He’d always admired that about Portia—her strength and ability to take command. Even when his friends had insisted he should want to marry a rich, simpering girl, he’d known none could compare to Portia.

  He should have been a stronger, better man back then. Told his friends to go to hell. Told Will to go to hell. Which sadly was where Will probably was now.

  It had been ten years since he’d been inside the Lamb’s foundling home. It had changed little. That revealed that the financial situation was not good.

  “Portia! You’ve come back to us! Thank heavens!” A woman in a fashionable silk gown rushed forward and hugged Portia. This was her sister, he realized. Ten years ago, she had been a pretty blond girl. Now she was a lovely woman. And married.

  “I am safe and sound, Rosamund,” Portia whispered.

  Two tall men, one dark and one fair, stepped into the corridor. They wore grim expressions. The blond man stepped forward, folding his arm over his chest. “Merry told us you had returned. And we recognized the Duke of Sinclair.” The man glowered at Sin. “Will you explain to us what you have been doing with our sister for the last few days? Why was she abducted, and what do you intend to do to repair her sullied reputation?”

  Portia blinked. “None of this was the duke’s fault, Geoffrey. How can you greet me with a scowl? I was abducted, taken away to an island off the coast of England by a madman and a madwoman, where people were murdered. Sin—the duke and I were almost killed!”

  “Is this true?”

  “Of course it is,” Portia cried. With concise efficiency, she told her brothers and sister what happened. “For days, I’ve gone through hell. Sin—and yes, that is what I call him and I don’t care what you think of that—protected me. He came to my rescue. And we are now engaged. He offered me marriage to protect my reputation and I refused him. But then he told me that he loved me. I love him and I accepted.”

  Sin cleared his throat. “I asked clumsily the first time. I’ve loved Portia for ten years. I’ve always loved her. Now, I wish to ask for her hand in marriage.”

  “Portia, you will be a duchess,” breathed her sister.

  “Of a tainted, scandalous duke,” muttered the dark-haired brother. He wore spectacles, which he removed and rubbed with a handkerchief. “Portia, we cannot allow you to marry this gentleman.” He sneered over the word.

  “Why not? I love him, Gregory.”

  “Your duty is here,” Gregory said impatiently.

  “There’s no reason Portia cannot continue to come to the foundling home after her marriage, if she wishes,” Sin said.

  “And our mother? Your duty is also to her.”

  “What do you mean?” Sin asked.

  “Our mother is ill,” Geoffrey said. “She is becoming senile as she ages. Portia looks after her here.”

  “You’re saying you expect Portia to remain unmarried, to work free of charge in the foundling home, living in it so you can carry on with your lives, and also nursemaid your aging mother?”

  “She will be happier remaining with us than she will be in your world,” the brother argued. “Is she really to stand by while you throw shocking debauches?”

  “I love Portia,” he said. “I won’t hurt her.”

  “She belongs here.”

  “As a drudge,” Portia whispered. “That is how you see me. You don’t admire the work I’ve done here. You just want a servant. And you don’t want to be troubled with mother’s illness or pay for a nurse. I thought I was doing something worthwhile—”

  Sin stepped in front of her. All she could see was his concerned face. “Portia, do not belittle what you’ve done. But also, believe in yourself. You are not a drudge. I won’t allow you to be treated as one.”

  “We know what is best for Portia. She is respectable, dutiful, moral. Your world will destroy her,” Gregory said.

  “You’re the one who would destroy her,” Sin growled.

  “You cannot marry him,” chimed in the other brother.

  “I will,” she said fiercely.

  “Then you cannot come back to the foundling home, Portia. You cannot work here or visit here. We can’t allow it. For our reputation.”

  “That’s damn ridiculous,” Sin exploded. “She loves this home. She adores the children.”

  “She’s chosen to marry you. We all equally have control of the home, but my brother and I have the deciding votes. To provide a proper home, we have to behave in an exemplary way.”

  “You can’t force her to choose between the home and marriage,” Sin roared.

  “Please don’t shout,” Portia said. “You’ll wake the children.”

  “It’s hard not to shout,” he said, but lowered his voice. “It’s hard not to punch both of you idiots in the nose.”

  Geoffrey backed up behind his brother, but leaned out to snap, “It would hurt the children’s futures if there is any question as to the moral training they’ve received at the home.”

  Sin realized Portia was too stunned, too hurt to defend herself. Rage boiled. “You damn bastard. She’s been through hell and this is what you do? She’s done nothing but serve this foundling home and be a good daughter and sister.”

  “Your language—”

  Gregory shut up as Sin loomed over him. Behind him, Geoffrey squeaked, “We don’t have a choice.”

  He couldn’t take the home from her—she loved the children.

  But Portia folded her arms over her chest and faced her brothers. “I am going to marry Sin. If it means these doors are closed to me forever, then that is the choice I have to make. I will leave now, after seeing my mother.”

  Sin watched her go upstairs, letting her go alone. He knew her heart was broken. She came down a quarter hour later, a look of sadness in her eyes. “She recognized me at least. She
was happy to see me. But I don’t know what will happen to her when I am no longer here.” Portia took a shaky breath. “Let us go, then.”

  And she was walking out the door without a last look at the children she adored, which broke his heart.

  She was going to be his. He knew then that was his deepest desire. To have Portia as his wife, to love, to honor. But she was paying a hell of price for it.

  Could he ask that of her?

  * * *

  Portia could not quite believe she was homeless.

  “I don’t know where I will go or what I will do. I can’t live with you before we are married, Sin. I can’t.”

  “Don’t worry, love. I have a solution. You will be the guest of my friends Grey and Helena.”

  It never occurred to her to ask more. She was too exhausted. Surviving that hellish island and finding love with Sin should have brought happiness, but now she felt sorrow over her family’s choice.

  The carriage pulled into a curved drive and stopped in front of a magnificent house. She goggled. Sin said carelessly, “Grey’s house.”

  “And Grey is—?”

  “The Duke of Greybrooke. Helena is his wife.”

  “I never thought—I’m not certain I’m ready to be a duke’s guest. They don’t even know me! What if they don’t approve of me?”

  “They will adore you, I promise. They may wonder what a remarkable woman like you sees in me.”

  She lifted her brow, not quite believing that, and let him lead her to the magnificent front door. A liveried footman opened it, bowing courteously. She looked like a bedraggled mess after the ordeal, and she wore Sin’s greatcoat, which was warm and smelled deliciously of him, but was obviously too large. Her appearance must be raising questions in the servant’s mind, but he looked impassive as he led them to a drawing room and sent a lesser footman to summon the duke and duchess.

  Portia feared she would meet a couple who would be appalled at Sin’s request.

  But she soon discovered she couldn’t have been more wrong.

  She was astounded by how welcoming Helena, the beautiful duchess, was. Portia was thoroughly fussed over. She and Sin had partaken of food at inns on the way home, but Helena (she said Portia must call her that) insisted on having tea and cakes brought out. Portia was warmed her to her soul was how kind and friendly Helena was. Appalled to learn of the ultimatum given by Portia’s brothers, Helena took Portia upstairs to see her slumbering child, a sweet young boy who was just over a year old.