Miss Wendy Garren has resigned herself to one last tormented season in the Capital's condemning rich and titled high-society, under the critical and abusive eye of her parents, The Earl and Countess of Follies. At seven and twenty she knows she is t...
As the door slammed shut behind the Duke, Wendy thought to make a quick escape towards the ornate stairs leading into the grand house.
Silas felt the tension hanging heavily in the air between the Duke and his beautiful bride, and made quick work of driving the carriage towards the stables and away from the brewing fight he saw storming in the Duke's eyes.
Clouds began to fill the already dark sky as thunder cracked the fragile silence of the air, Wendy was halfway up the stairs, her heart pounding in her ears as lightening flashed and painted them in it's fleeting luminous.
"Wendy!" The Duke's use of her given name for the first time in the months since their wedding startled her into jerking around to stare at him from her place in the middle of the stairs, her chest heaved with her uneven breaths as rain began to fall softly around them, slowly increasing in it's tempo.
The Duke's temper was palpable, his eyes flashing like the steel they resembled, only this time they cut her soul to bits for how sharp they appeared and yet she thought him fiercely handsome when he was angry. Instantly she scolded herself for such foolish thinking at a time like this. "You will not be allowed to have a lover!" He suddenly proclaimed like a king in front of his subjects and if she had not been shocked speechless she thought she could have laughed at the absurdity of it all. "You are my wife, and no matter how unconventional the way our marriage came about, I will not have another man near MY wife!"
Wendy suddenly felt just as angry, the fire stirring to life inside of her where she had always tried to stifle the embers burning, angry for all the injustice of the situation, angry for the punishments of deeds she had never even thought to commit plaguing her life, angry at always being yelled at, at always trying and striving and devoting all her time and energy and yet never, never being good enough to please a single figure in her existence. She had done nothing but dance, a thing that many married women did, and yet he was speaking to her as though she had acted scandalously. The arrogance of him, Wendy fumed to herself, to carry on with his mistress right before her eyes and the eyes of the whole town and yet he thought to tell her what she could and could not do just the same as everyone in her life had done before him.
Rhys saw the moment her normally timid, kind eyes flamed with a fiery temper. He felt his blood flow faster, desire and lust grabbing hold of him and almost drowning out his anger as he watched his normally shy wife transform into a vengeful angel, her wet curls adding to her wild look "You would accuse me of being unfaithful?" Her voice was the calm that came before the storm that was already beginning to rage down around them, water lashing against their skins in a fit of fury. "You carry on as you do with her for all to see and yet you lay these accusations at MY feet?" a tear fell from her eye, moving speedily down her cheek and splashing against the marble stones beneath her, completely hidden from him as they mixed in a sorrow with the mother nature's own tears.
Rhys felt his blood run cold, he wished she was yelling at him rather than the tired way she spoke, as though her heart was breaking in front of him. He had not been thinking, his jealousy had blinded him from seeing how he had just treated her in front of the whole town. His brows drew together in confusion "Her?" he asked lamely as he tried to wipe the rain from his eyes, his mind focusing in on that one word. Who could she be talking about? Surely not Julia?
She laughed coldly into the raging rain, more masked tears streaking her face, she threw her arms into the air with a scoff "Truly, I know you do not think much of me but you cannot think me so much of a fool as to not know of your mistress! She, ever so politely, introduced herself to me shortly after my arrival here, and tonight she staked her claim on you yet again and you looked nothing but pleased!" She wasn't as calm now, tears falling steadily and even he could see her distress through the storm and he suddenly noticed how tired she appeared, her eyes held deep bags from lack of sleep and her cheeks were hollow with weight loss, a quick glance over her person and he frowned as he noticed how limply her wet clothes, that were plastered to her supple skin, seemed to hang around her shoulders and neck. "You may do as you please, your Grace, society has seen fit to deem it such, but do not dare to condemn me for sins which I have not committed!"
Rhys felt his heart soar, she cared enough about him, about their marriage to lose sleep over the thought of his being with another, she cared enough about him to be upset that Julia had been talking to him tonight. He was certain he could have spouted wings and flown he was so happy when he realized she was experiencing jealousy. He strode towards her with determined steps.
Wendy panicked for a moment, would he hit her for speaking so freely as her parents were prone to do? No, she didn't think him capable. He had shown no signs of being abusive, he seemed at almost all points in time since she had met him as a kind and rational man, save for this moment. All the same, she often found it difficult to determine his mood with his almost constant stoic expressions and shuddered eyes.
Before she could utter a word, he was bounding up the stairs and sweeping her up in his arms, one arm moving around her waist as he pulled her body into his and the other hand cupped her cheek possessively, his fingers tucking up behind her ear and into her soaked curls that had fallen completely loose from their braids, his thumb stroking against her cheekbone as he angled her face up towards him and his lips took hers in a deep, soul consuming kiss.
If she had been a stronger woman, maybe one with more dignity or one who took pride in herself, she would have pulled away, but Wendy supposed she was as weak as any woman would be when a handsome Duke moved his lips against hers as if he was frightened he may never have the chance again. She found her lips moving with his on their own accord and his responsive groan rumbled against her as he slipped his tongue into her mouth. She had never been kissed like this, with such explosive passion, even the rain pouring over them did nothing to quench the flames she felt inside of her, her fingers gripped onto his shirt against his chest.
He pulled away, Wendy looked dazed, her eyes unfocused and her cheeks red, the desire was palpable in her face and her lips were swollen from his kisses. He stroked away the hair that was sticking to her face and laid kisses against her cheeks, moving down to her neck "You are an angel, I have never seen beauty like yours." He murmured, he was just close enough that Wendy could hear him over the sounds of the storm around them.
"Rhys..." She said his name on a breathless whisper and he moved up to take her mouth in another kiss, God, he wanted her. He wanted to strip her of her soaked clothes, lay her against the silk sheets of his bed and ravish her, ravish his beautiful wife.
She responded so eagerly in his arms and yet he could feel the innocence of her response, the hesitation that came with each touch, and see the purity in her eyes, he was selfishly satisfied that it would only be him that would get to see her this way, his eyes lighting in a jealous fire again at the thought. Yes, he would be the only one that got to see her that way, he would make sure of it. He swept her up into his arms, taking the steps as fast as he could, throwing open the doors to his estate and steadily ascending the stairs in the grand foyer, he made his way down the hall and into his rooms with her still clinging to him in his arms.
Wendy gasped when he lifted her, he carried her with such ease and his muscles flexed under her hands, he burst into a room she had not been in before and set her on her feet before taking her mouth in another passionate kiss, he embraced her body against his and moved his hands to bury them in her hair.
She gasped out a moan as his mouth moved to work against her neck, his tongue sweeping against her skin and her hands clutching his shoulders. She felt like he was anchoring her to earth, if she let go she felt as though her body might drown in these sudden feelings.
He moved back and made quick of removing his drenched shirt, his muscled torso coming into view as the light from his fireplace warmed the room and danced against his tanned skin, he moved back to her again, raining kisses of desire on her and she could not even think of her own name at the moment. It wasn't until she felt his fingers working diligently against the buttons on her own shirt did she realize the whole truth of what was happening. He was taking her, as a man should take his wife, something she thought he would do months back on their wedding night. She moaned again as her blouse hit the floor and his nimble fingers unhooked her skirt and it joined the growing pile of clothing at their feet. She was in nothing but her thin chemise now and she worried at what he would think of her body. Would he feel disgust at her features? All the harsh words she'd ever heard about her looks coming to the forefront of her mind.
Rhys stepped back, his eyes glued to her frame, her thin chemise hid almost nothing from him and he marveled at her body, her skin was now shades darker than most ladies of the ton very different from the once pale lady he had known in the Capital, a fact he found quite attractive, her damp curls hung around her to her waist, her face was the picture of desire, though he could see there was worry pinching her eyes, her lips were rosy and parted from her heady breath, her shoulders were slender, her breasts heaved and her nipples were sharp peaks against the fabric, her waist dipped dramatically before flaring out to her perfectly rounded hips and her legs were shapely and toned.
Wendy stood worried about the reaction of his appraisal of her body, she couldn't tell from his face what he was thinking. He brushed his hands against her thighs as he lifted the chemise slowly up her body, moving it over her head and kissing her as soon as it hit the floor. She was bare now, not a stitch of clothing covered her, he ended the kiss and looked down at her again a groan leaving his lips as he dropped to his knees in front of her, her hands steadying on his shoulders and a gasp ripped from her throat as she felt his mouth and tongue working at her stomach and hips, he was mumbling words against her but she could barely focus on what he was saying.
Rhys knew without a doubt there was a God the second her body was unhindered and naked in front of his eyes, for only God could create such beauty. He dropped to his knees before her, his mouth worked kisses and nips against her stomach and her flared hips "My darling, your body was made to be worshiped" He mumbled as he tongued the skin against her hipbone, a gasp sounded above him and her fingers dug into his shoulders "Let me worship you, my dear, let me love you as you're meant to be loved." He sprang to his feet again and lifted her once more only to set her against the creamy silk sheets on his bed.
He knew her that night as only a husband should know his wife, he brought her to the pinnacle of pleasure over and over, her fingers raked down his muscled back and he showered her in kisses and words of praise as he took his own pleasure in her supple body. Hours later as he laid on his side, staring down at her as she slept on her back, her soft breath fluttering the dried curls around her shoulders, he smiled.
He would surely start more fights with her in hopes every fight they had ended this way.
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