The Duke’s Twin Lust by Lorena Owen

Chapter Sixteen

Amelia stared at the duke in shock. “You don’t mean that, Your Grace,” she said.

He grinned, brushing his wet hair off his face. “Why, I do,” he replied.

Amelia scoffed. It was an appealing thought though, taking a swim on a hot day, but she didn’t quite think noblewomen were allowed to do things like that.

“I don’t think I should,” she said.

Ernest nodded, as if he had been expecting her to say just that. “You know, I am surprised by your sudden bout of shyness,” he said, a smile playing at the corner of his lips. “I thought you were much bolder than this.”

Amelia’s eyes widened. She knew he was baiting her, but she couldn’t help but respond to him. “I am bold, Your Grace,” she said. “I just don’t think a duchess should go for a swim out in a lake in the middle of nowhere.”

“Well, I don’t mean just that,” Ernest said. “Your face lit up like the sun when I pulled my clothes off.”

Amelia felt her cheeks burn. “I’m just not used to seeing a man without his clothes, Your Grace,” she said.

“I should hope so,” Ernest said, and Amelia smiled at the expression on his face.

“I hope you will be done with your bath soon, Your Grace,” Amelia said.

The duke shook his head, splashing drops of water everywhere. “I don’t think I want to leave just yet. The water is the perfect temperature.”

Amelia giggled. It was an inviting prospect, to be sure. She took in a deep breath and said, “I’d like to try it, then.”

“But you can’t,” the duke said, as he dipped his head into the water again.

“I can, Your Grace,” Amelia said when he had brought his head up again. “I just don’t think it is the proper attitude for a duchess.”

“So, in essence, you will not take a bath with me then?” the duke said, smirking.

Amelia disliked the certainty in his voice. “You really think I won’t join you, Your Grace?” she asked.

“I know you won’t, my lady. Alas, you are too shy.”

Amelia’s eyes widened in indignation. “I am far from shy, Your Grace.”

“Well then, my lady,” the duke said. “Prove it.”

Amelia stared at the expression on his face. He was teasing her, apparently under the impression that she was not going to come into the lake. Well then, she was going to prove him wrong.

She stripped off her gloves.

The expression on the duke’s face was priceless.

“What?” he said. “You don’t… don’t really mean to…”

Amelia burst into laughter. “You seem rather disappointed about losing this round, Your Grace.”

The duke shrugged. “I assure you I would win either way.”

His gaze was on her body, and Amelia flushed. She had the distinct feeling he was waiting for her to take her gown off so he could see what was underneath. She faltered as she reached for the back of the dress, suddenly shy under his intense gaze.

“Christiana,” the duke said, suddenly serious. “You don’t have to do this if you don’t want to.”

Amelia shook her head vehemently. “I want to,” she said. It was true. She wanted to be in the water with him right then, to feel his wet arms around her. She knew it was not advisable to want that, but once again, she felt the need to throw caution into the wind where the duke was concerned.

“Are you sure?” he said, his eyes boring into hers.

Amelia nodded. The duke’s facial expression relaxed, and he grinned again.

“Well, then,” he said, “Come on in.”

Amelia started to loosen the straps of her dress. When she looked at the duke, he was watching her with an avid expression. She found herself struggling to loosen the gown.

“I’m sorry, Your Grace,” she said, a little embarrassed. “The straps on this dress are rather hard to loosen without help.”

“Do you need my help?” the duke said, his head cocked to the side.

Amelia chuckled. It was funny to think of the duke helping her get rid of her dress. She could not imagine that he had ever touched a dress before. Also, she didn’t think she could stand being so close to him, especially when he was unclothed.

“I’ll figure it out in a bit, Your Grace,” she said to him.

She spent a few more moments loosening the knots. Finally, the straps gave way, and Amelia sighed in relief.

Taking in a deep breath, she bent down, seized the hem of her dress, and pulled it off herself.

A warm breeze floated between her bare legs, and Amelia clamped them together, already self-conscious. She was still wearing her chemise, but the undergarment was quite thin and she knew the duke could see the outline of her breasts. She had never been this unclothed with a man before, and now that she was standing in the presence of the duke, all she wondered was if he was pleased with what he was seeing. He gave no indication whatsoever, merely staring at her with an intense gaze.

Amelia wanted to put her arms around herself and burrow into the nearby bushes. She did not think she wanted to do this anymore.

“Come into the water, then,” the duke said in an unnaturally thick voice, and Amelia bit her lip. Perhaps she had not thought this through.

She took a step forward, and then another. Looking up, she met the duke’s gaze. The look in his eyes steadied her, and very soon Amelia was walking more confidently, up to the muddy shores of the lake.

She dipped a foot into the lake and sighed. The water was cooler than she’d expected, but nice nonetheless. She dipped another foot, moving closer to where the duke was, his eyes still a steadying force on her movements. She broke the eye contact to glance at his wet chest, unable to resist the temptation any longer.

She had never seen him fully unclothed before, and she had been amazed at how good his body looked. He seemed to be built of pure muscle. He was definitely the most handsome man she had met. And, even though she had put her hands over her face when he took his breeches off, Amelia knew she had seen… something. She was not sure what it was, but the thought of the organ made her entire face feel hot.

Finally, she reached him. Without warning, he seized her. Amelia only had a second to enjoy the feel of his arms around her before he threw her into the water. She yelled, flailing, as she delved into the depths of the water. She struggled for a while to find her balance, all the while hearing the duke’s laughter ringing off the trees surrounding the lake. Finally, she swam to the surface and turned, gasping at the duke.

“Your Grace,” she gasped. “That was unchivalrous.”

He grinned at her. “I’m sorry, my lady,” he said. “I just couldn’t resist.”

Amelia scoffed. She scooped a handful of water and flung it at his eyes. The duke gave a yelp, brushing the water from his eyes.

“Do you call that chivalry, my lady?” he asked in mock indignation.

“I’m not a nobleman, Your Grace,” Amelia said, smiling cheekily. “Chivalry is not expected of me.”

In reply, the duke scooped up some water in his large hands and flung them at her. Amelia dodged his missile, already loading up her hands with more water.

They did that for a while, yelling in victory when their splash hit their opponent, groaning when it didn’t. Amelia laughed as she flung water back at the duke. She was having an immensely good time. She had thought it would be impossible to top the time she’d spent in his company the day before, but she had been quite wrong. Time spent in the duke’s company only seemed to get better. He seemed like a normal person. Playing with him in the water was what a normal couple of commoners would do.

“Alright,” the duke finally said, his hands in the air. “I give up. You, my lady, are a good thrower.”

Amelia gave a mock bow. “Why, thank you, Your Grace. It is good to see you admit defeat for once.”

“Why, I have never been defeated by you, Christiana,” the duke said. “I would be glad to admit defeat at your hands.”

He swam closer to her, and Amelia felt her breath catch in her throat. He seemed to do everything with unparalleled grace, even swimming. He stopped a few inches from her.

“Christiana,” he said, his expression serious. “I’m glad to see that we can be friends.”

Amelia nodded, her throat tight. For some reason, she felt quite wistful. The duke appeared to enjoy her company. Only he had no idea who she really was. And Amelia knew he wouldn’t be nearly as impressed by her wit if he discovered she was just an ordinary lowborn girl. She only fascinated him because he thought she was highborn.

“You know, I never truly searched for love the way everyone seems to. What I wanted instead was a solid friendship between myself and the lady who would become my wife. I wanted to have a companion in her,” the duke said, sounding like he was talking more to himself than Amelia.

“Well, you have found one, Your Grace,” Amelia said, forcing a smile.

“When you first came here, I was convinced that history was about to repeat itself,” the duke said, barely listening to Amelia. “You were cold and unwelcoming, and I feared that you would be just like my mother, saddled with responsibilities you did not wish for, with children you would not care for.”

“I’m not like that,” Amelia said. It was hard to say those words, particularly when she knew the real Lady Gillingham was exactly like that. Lady Gillingham had confessed as much, and even if she hadn’t, Amelia knew that any woman who could convince a commoner to take her place in her matrimonial home because she was fed up with it had to be someone who really hated being a noblewoman.

“I know,” Ernest said, his eyes warm as they smiled down at her. “You are definitely a different person than who I thought you were. And for that, I am glad. You would make a beautiful mother.”

Amelia forced another smile on her face as she gazed back at him. A mother. Perhaps she would do well with children of her own, she thought. But, those were far off into the future. She was not going to be a mother for the next few years, and when she was, they were not going to be the duke’s children. She felt her heart sting at the thought. She was sure Ernest would be the perfect father. A moment later, she brushed it off. She did not want to have the duke’s children, of course. It was an extremely ridiculous thing to want.

“Christiana?” the duke called. “Are you okay?”

Amelia smiled and nodded.

“I know you don’t want to talk about children,” he started.

“Oh, no, of course not, Your Grace,” Amelia interrupted. “I love children. I have always wanted to have a few of my own.”

“But, without marriage?” the duke said, his upper lip twitching.

Amelia shook her head. They were back to that conversation, she could see. She had noted the look of confusion on the duke’s face when she had talked about not thinking she would ever get married, and it seemed like he was intent on her explaining what she meant.

It was quite simple, actually, Amelia thought. In her dreams, her husband was a shining knight or a duke, a man of noble heritage who would see Amelia once and be captivated by her. She had known, of course, that this was as far from her reality as it could be. And so, Amelia had shut off her dreams and assumed she would die alone.

But she couldn’t reveal any of this to the duke.

“Tell me what you’re thinking,” he said quietly.

Amelia started. “Nothing important,” she said shrugging.

The duke did not seem to believe her. But, he dropped the topic once more. “Are you cold, my lady?”

Amelia shook her head. She was having too much fun to think of the weather.

“What shall we do next, Your Grace?” she asked, turning away to see if their horse had not wandered off.

When she looked back at the duke, she saw he was staring unabashedly at her body.

Amelia sucked in a breath. She felt the urge once more to wrap her arms around herself. Looking down, she saw that the water had added to the transparency of her chemise, and now her breasts were clearly visible beneath the undergarment. Her stomach was also on display, but the duke’s eyes were fixed on her breasts.

Amelia did not know what to do.

Finally, he looked up at her. He said not a word, merely pulled her against him. Amelia felt her soft breasts crush against his powerful chest, and her nipples became harder the instant they touched his skin. She sighed, looking up at him. He had only one arm around her, but Amelia could already feel a distinct wetness starting up between her thighs.

She could not contain her passion any longer. Putting her arms around him, she leaned forward.

She kissed him, crushing her lips to his, taking the lead. She slipped her tongue into his mouth, exploring and tasting, loving the way his mouth felt under her tongue. He pulled her even closer. Amelia unhooked one of her arms from his neck, putting her hand against his chest. It was the first time she had ever touched his bare chest, and she felt anticipation curl in her stomach as she explored, feeling the damp hairs on his chest, the strength of his muscles underneath her hands.

“Christiana,” he whispered in a guttural voice.

“Did I do something wrong, my lord?” Amelia asked.

“Far from it,” he growled. “Your touch feels like the very thing I’ve been waiting for all my life.”

He wrapped his hand around her wrist, pulling her hand lower. Amelia let him lead, feeling the hard muscles on his chest. The duke let out a groan. It excited Amelia, to please him like this, to have such a power over him. She wanted to explore more, to go lower, where his manhood was throbbing against her thighs, but she lost her nerve when she reached his waist.

The duke put his arms around Amelia again, his grip tightening around her.

“Goddammit, Christiana,” he whispered against her hair. “I want you now.”