The Duke's Revenge (17 page)

“
Just say the
word.”

“
Your grace?” she
whispered.

“
Nay.”

She frowned with worry, trying to think what
word he wanted to hear from her. “I...I don’t know...” She shook
her head.

“
Sweet words, Ivy. What a
man would want to hear.”

“
Sweet words...” she
repeated to herself.

She had not heard sweet words from her loved
one for many years. Her papa, she thought, had many sweet words for
her, and she had many sweet words for him. If she was to use those
same words to this devil, would it work? She knew in her heart what
words she would use to her beloved one but would it work to this
devil?

“
Sweet words...” she
whispered and blinked, causing tears to flow down her
cheeks.

Max wiped them away with his thumb.

“
Take...take me,” she
whispered near his ear, her warm breath fanning his skin. “Take me
to bed, my...my love.”

Hot thrills bolted through his veins as
those words gently caressed his face. At that moment, he felt as
though he was in heaven for the very first time in his life.

Still staring into her eyes, he stood up and
carried her in his arms to bed. He laid her down and covered her
body with his. He moved his head down and kissed her on her
forehead.

“
Say it again,” he
urged.

“
My love, take me,” she
said, wrapping her arms tighter around his neck. Without even
knowing it, she also wrapped her legs around his, bringing him
closer to her.

He moved and kissed her passionately on her
lips while his hands were everywhere, touching her. When he stopped
kissing her, he turned his eyes to stare at her magnificent
breasts. Slowly, he turned to look up at her.

She gazed down at him. In her eyes, he knew
she was wondering what was in his mind. There was a hint of fear he
noted there too.

He gave her his devilish grin which caused
her heart to skip a beat and her breath to catch at the back of her
throat. He turned his attention back to her breasts and started to
hotly kiss around one.

Ivy clutched her hands onto his shoulders as
this alienated thrill rushed crazily within her being. She tried to
catch her breath but couldn’t seem to as one exploding sensation
after another rushed around in her nerves. As she bit her lip to
prevent herself from crying out into the night, he plucked one
nipple into his hot mouth and continued to suck it with his expert
tongue.

Ivy groaned. She shook her head from side to
side as she stared up at the ceiling, wondering how such pleasure
could exist between a man and a woman.

She was lost from reality into this new
feelings of pleasure as more thrilling sensations rushed about her
body, making her feel as though she was in heaven.

The next time she knew anything of reality
was when she looked down and saw him staring up at her. His eyes,
she saw, were so stormy and dark that she was in fact afraid of
him, but at the same time the look he gave her excited her beyond
reasons. The way he was looking at her made her stomach go hollow,
and the tight feeling at her womanhood became more intense. His
face was becoming harder every second as he stared at her.

Ivy did not know that the groaning sound she
cried out as he kissed and tasted her lovely body heightened his
desire. Every time she groaned out with pleasure, his needs
intensified. The ecstasy was indescribable as he wondered how tight
and hot she would be once he was inside her.

He moved his face toward hers and roughly
took her mouth. His kiss was passionate and demanding. As he kissed
her, he rubbed his harden member against her private part.

She whimpered at the wonderful, hot feelings
as he rubbed his hardness against her softness. She wrapped her
legs around his flank to heighten the pleasure. Suddenly, a hot,
tight excitement rushed through her as he thrust his staff into her
opening. Once he entered her, he moved out a bit and then pushed in
further.

Ivy wanted to scream as he pushed himself
into her. Still wanting more and never wanting it to end, she moved
herself with his thrusting rhythm. They both moved their body as
one, each taking their pleasure to their new height, each panting
and puffing and pushing even further until they both climax.

Their ecstasy was high, and Max gritted his
teeth to contain himself from dieing of pleasure. Then finally, he
released his seed into her womb.

It took him a few seconds to regain his
strength. Once he did, he removed himself from her, looking down at
her. Her cheeks were red and her eyes were bright, though she
avoided his gaze. He touched her chin and turned her face to him.
Still, she avoided his eyes. He squeezed her chin to get her
attention. Instantly, her gaze flew to him.

He smiled arrogantly.

She gasped. She realized then that he was a
very handsome man when he smiled. His hard face turned almost
boyish and was very pleasant to look at. Instantly, she hated
herself for that thought. Why did he have to look so handsome now?
Hadn’t he just reduced her to becoming a whore? Begging him to take
her?

Oh, but the pleasure was indescribable. Why
did it have to be him who was the one to show her how much pleasure
a woman could receive from a man?

“
You are a very passionate
woman, Ivy,” he said, touching his fingers to her flushed
cheek.

She gave him no reply and turned her back to
him. Then she sat up and put her foot down on the floor.

“
Where do you think you
are going?”

“
To my bed, your grace,”
she said.

He seized her arm and
pulled her back below him. He was angry that she was back to
calling him ‘your grace.’ Damn, but he wanted her to call him ‘my
love’ even though she bloody well didn’t mean it. He gritted his
teeth and wondered why he would want her to call him ‘my
love.’
Was he mad?

“
Your grace,” she gasped,
panicked at the way he was looking at her with anger. He was
furious, she knew, for his eyes were intensely blue.

“
I did not give you my
permission to leave. You will sleep here,” he said. After glaring
down at her for a moment, he rolled over to his side, bringing her
with him. He made her sleep on his right arm as his body covered
hers, and his left hand cupping her breast.

“
Your grace, I am not use
to this,” she told him, pushing him away.

“
Well get use to it,” he
said, closing his eyes, dismissing her complaint of
discomfort.

Biting her lower lip, she closed her eyes.
After a few minutes, she was fast a sleep.

Max looked down at her for a long time. Had
he weakened his dislike toward this woman, he wondered. He
shouldn’t be for she was the daughter of his enemy. He hadn’t yet
fulfilled vengeance. Although, he thought, he found that she was
not at all like her mother. But he could be wrong there, for he
hadn’t known her for very long.

Again, he turned to look at her person.

Look at her, he thought, sleeping so
peacefully. Her face was so innocent and so damn beautiful that he
simply wanted to kiss her again and again. Damnation, had he gotten
soft toward her all of sudden?

Determined not to think about her, he shut
his eyes from her beauty and commanded himself to go to sleep. He
slept all right, fitfully though. The next morning when he woke up,
she was gone. He felt empty. The warmth was no longer there.
Frowning at why he was feeling such a deep lost, he got up and
dressed himself.

Half an hour later he was
in his study, looking at Donald, Mrs. Price, and Lisa who stood
before him with their heads bow. He shifted his gaze from one to
the others. He knew they were afraid of him, probably shaking in
their boots too. He wondered if Ivy was scared of him in that
intensity.
Of course she was scared of him
just like everyone else in this castle.

He turned his attention to his audience
awaiting his final judgment.

“
You are all my employees
and are living under my roof. As such you are not to disobey my
rules as you all know that,” he started. “It was by mere
coincidence that I found out what has happened that day. You all
have disobeyed my orders and had kept your mouth shut about that
incident. It displease me very much, Donald,” he looked at the
butler, “that you of all my servants have lie to me to simply save
this chit, a mere mistress of mine. And you, Mrs. Price,” he
glanced at the housekeeper, “have also lied to me of what has
happed that day.”

He paused to look at all three people. “Have
you any thing to defend yourself?” he said at length.

Donald turned to look at Mrs. Price and then
he looked at the duke. “Your grace, I am sorry that I have lied to
you...” He bowed his head again. “I have nothing to defend myself,
sir.”

“
Nor I, your grace,” Mrs.
Price said, shaking her head.

“
And you?” Max looked at
Lisa.

The maid lifted her head up to look at him
for the first time. She took a deep breath and said, “Nay, your
grace, I have nothing to defend myself.” She was quiet for a moment
and then added, “My only guilt, your grace, is to let myself see my
lady live unhappy day after day.”

“
Are you implying that Ivy
is unhappy here?” he shouted at her, glaring at the servant who
dared to speak about Ivy’s unhappiness.

Lisa shrank back a little and turned her
gaze fearfully to the stare at the carpet.

Max glared at them. Why the hell did they
have to care about that chit’s happiness so much? Ivy, she kept
haunting him. Her face was still in his mind. The damn chit, he
darn well better do something to stop this.

He turned his gaze to the servants again and
said, “It is my decision that you all will not be sacked this
day.”

All three servants looked up at him, their
eyes wide in surprise.

“
But hear me well, you all
will not lie to me again nor will you disobey my orders,” he said,
looking at them pointedly, each one at length. “You may return to
your duties.”

The three servants looked at one another and
then left the room.

CHAPTER 15

Ivy waited until after ten o’clock before
she left her bedroom. Once she was on her way, it was straight to
the kitchen. Her heart was pumping so loudly in her chest she
feared it might pop out of her being.

She was waiting to see if her endeavor had
actually been successful. She had not slept since she woke up to
find herself in the duke’s arms. She had rushed off, with her
cheeks blushing, back to her bedroom.

Sitting in her bed, she had been thinking
about how much of a wanton she had been when the duke was making
love to her. He must think her nothing more than one of his past
mistresses. Perhaps he even thought of her as a whore.

She had buried her face in her pillow with
the embarrassment and wondered if she would be able to look at him
straight in the eyes again. She wished that he would simply
disappeared back to London and leave her be to heal her
embarrassment.

The thought of him making love to her was
not the only thing on her mind during those waking hours, however.
She had also thought about whether he was carrying out their
bargain. And that was what she wanted to find out now as she rushed
down the grand stairs and into the kitchen.

She came to a stop when she saw Mrs. Price
sitting on the table, going over the menu. She rushed toward the
woman and only stopped where the table was acting as a barrier
between them.

“
Mrs. Price!” she said
breathlessly.

The housekeeper looked up and smiled. Her
eyes brewed with tears as she got up and walked toward Ivy.

“
I’m so happy,” Ivy cried
and hugged the plump woman.

“
Me too, m’ lady,” the
housekeeper said.

“
Ah-ham!”

Ivy turned to look at the door. There stood
Donald and Lisa.

“
Oh, Lisa, I’m so glad
you’re still here,” she cried.

“
Aye, me too,” Lisa
replied.

Ivy wiped her tears and turned to Donald who
smiled at her.

“
Oh, Donald, I’m sorry for
what happened.” She touched the man’s arm.

“
My lady, I’m only happy
that I am able to serve you,” the butler said.

“
Nay, Donald, don’t say
such things.”

“
Come, m’ lady, you must
not cry. ‘Tis a joyous time,” the housekeeper said.

“
Aye,” Ivy said, nodding.
“We shall have breakfast together outside, as a picnic near the
lake.” She smiled.

“
But the duke,” Lisa
said.

“
Aye, the duke,” Ivy
muttered. “Very well, we shall have our breakfast here then. Come
along,” she said, pulling both Lisa’s and Donald’s hand into the
kitchen.

***

He heard their laughter. One in particular
affected him the most. It was sweet and musical like a humming
bird. He stood there, listening to their happiness echoing from the
kitchen into the hallway. For a moment, he was lost in thought
wondering when he would be able to laugh so freely and happily like
them.

He turned and walked back to the study. He
had planned to read his business letters and finish his account,
but he found himself doing neither of those things. He sate there
staring into space, and in his mind’s eyes, he imagined her
laughing and smiling at him.