The Hallucinatory Duke by Meta Mathews

clenched his scalp as she screamed louder, without restraint.
    Oh, what he would have given to be inside her, experiencing her shattering climax with her! But he was as close as a man had ever been and, for now, Damon knew this was all he could have.
    He did not dwindle in his assault on her, and her climax lasted longer than any he had experienced. Even after her screams diminished, still her body did not relent. He slowed his tongue strokes, but her body still milked his finger, refusing to permit his retreat.
    Allowing his mouth to travel down her slit, he sipped up her honey, a token he would need to get him through what he knew would be a long and sleepless night. Damon then slid her shift back over her thighs to cover her. He caressed her skin from her ankles to her knees, then to her waist and belly. He had never met a more alluring woman. She was perfection, and a lady. Yet he did not know her name and refused to spoil the moment by asking.
    Damon did not want to reveal his identity. He had seen she was an innocent, not only by her actions but also by her comments to her steed. He was not a tempter of innocents, or had not been until her. He did not want to mar his reputation or have a father trap him into a marriage contract with a manipulative woman. Yet Damon knew she had not sought to trap him. Her fear and desire could not have been faked. She was simply a welcome temptation.
    Kissing and licking his way to her mouth, Damon was not disappointed when he touched her lips, receiving a tentative and weak response. She was half asleep from the pleasure he had bestowed on her. Damon knew he needed to take his leave, but he would follow her in the shadows, ensuring her safe journey home. She would not see him.
    Moving his mouth to her ear, he whispered, “It has been a pleasure, my rose. I will now think only of you when I come upon this stream. For the gift of watching and experiencing your pleasure, I must thank you.”
     
    Claire lay breathing heavily as a feeling of pure bliss floated around her. That feeling was squashed as she acknowledged what she’d done.
    Gasping, she sat up, moving to uncover her eyes from behind the cloth which still hindered her vision. He was gone, but she knew it had not been a dream. Still, she scanned the woods around her, finding nothing but her mare, which stood watching her mistress with what Claire deemed a judgmental stare. She turned away in shame, although it was not as if her horse could relate the tale to her father.
    A sigh escaped her lips and she looked at the cloth she held, only to discover it was not a cloth—instead, a man’s cravat. Deep blue, with tiny flecks of silver sewn though the delicate fabric. Claire realised he had been a man of means, if not nobility. Had he known who she was?
    Scanning the woods a final time, she found no one and was disappointed, yet she accepted that he had fled. After dressing in a rather hasty manner, Claire was soon mounting her mare, conscious of the dampness between her thighs but uncertain whether it was from her swim or her folly. She clutched the cravat of the man she would dream about, then tucked it safely within the confines of her dress’ pocket. It was a token she planned to keep.
    The ride home was not too long, but wearying nonetheless. Claire pined for the loss of a man she could not even name. The way he had called her his rose would be forever imprinted in her memory. His deep voice and the affection his tone had held brought a smile to her lips. None, not even her father, had blessed her with such affection. No, she was simply the older sister with little chance of securing a good marriage. Her sister had assured her it was only her fine dowry that would attract a husband at tomorrow’s ball. Claire feared she was correct. Her champion in the woods hadn’t cared enough to stay. Why would any other man?
    Tears threatened as she entered the gates of Deonsay, but she would not allow them to fall. In his embrace today,