Please Be Patient, Grand Duke

up, she found Claude standing before her, his chest pressed against her back, having rushed out into the pouring rain without an umbrella, just to shield her.

“Go,” he urged.

“What?”

“Go! Why are you standing here getting soaked in the rain?”

“I’m enjoying it,” she replied, smiling up at him. He looked incredulous, rainwater streaming down his black hair and onto her face.

Lia turned around and reached up to touch his cheek. “Now you’re looking at me.”

Claude’s jaw tightened, his vivid blue eyes even brighter against her paleness. “I never meant to avoid you.”

“Liar. You avoided me.”

He swallowed hard, closing and opening his eyes. “I was afraid. Afraid of scaring you. Afraid of seeing those frightened eyes again.”

His admission held no hesitation.

“Because of yesterday?” she asked, her voice barely audible above the pounding rain.

Her already pale face grew paler still. Instead of answering, Claude took the back of her hand as she touched his cheek, and placed it on his chest. He wanted her to feel the pounding of his heart, to know that it beat fiercely for her and no one else.

His longing for her was fierce, and he felt the urge to give in to his reckless desires, tearing off her clothes and devouring her whole. These impulses were only ever present when he was around her, and he couldn’t resist the ardent longing that burned within him.

“I just can’t hold back my feelings any longer. That’s why I’m scared you’ll be scared of me,” he confessed.

“Claude…” she whispered. The serious tone in Claude’s voice wiped the smile off Canillia’s face, and she tightly grabbed his shirt, clutching it like she was holding onto her heart.

“I’m not scared of you anymore.”

As her pupils glimmered like precious gems, he seized her delicate lips with an animalistic hunger. His tongue entwined with hers, so fervently that he struggled to catch his breath, savoring the taste of her sweet saliva.

“Ah, Claude.”

Gasping for air, they stepped into the grand mansion, drenched from head to toe, leaving a trail of water on the carpet.

“Canillia.”

His voice, raspy yet affectionate, made everything else fade away. Before reaching the stairs, he trapped her against the wall with his scorching kisses.

He ripped off Lia’s cloak and carelessly tossed it aside, causing him to stumble and fall on top of her before they even reached the top of the stairs.

Sitting on the stairs, Lia locked eyes with him and felt his feverish gaze upon her. Suddenly, he reached up and gripped her neck while his other hand squeezed her chest, pressing against the fabric of her thin dress. She glanced down the stairs, but he quickly grabbed her chin and pulled her gaze back to his.

“Don’t bother looking. We own this place,” he whispered in a low, menacing voice.

With a rough touch, he slid his hand inside her dress and rubbed her skin with his calloused hand. Lia gasped for air as he moved his hand up her thigh, alternating between rough and gentle touches, eliciting moans of pleasure from her.

Lia arched her back and let out a small scream, causing the man to curse under his breath. He hoisted her up by the neck, his grip firm and unyielding. Lia trembled in his arms as he licked her lips with his tongue and whispered in her ear, “I hope there are no maids in your room.”

***

The weighty door glided open seamlessly, and Lia’s skin reddened each time his lips touched hers. Her senses heightened to a point where the slightest touch threatened to make them burst, and the sound of moans mingled with the pitter-patter of raindrops against the window. As she gasped for air and lifted her head, the silhouettes of two people were reflected in the window. He drove himself deeper inside her, and the muscles on his back tensed under her touch.

In an attempt to hide her trembling legs, she clung tightly to him, delighting in the rush of pleasure coursing through her veins. She bit down on her lips, trying to stifle her cries. He leaned forward and licked her lips while placing one hand on her face, revealing his deeply-rippled muscles with thick blue veins that protruded to his elbows, and the sweat droplets on his thick and firm skin. The sight of his muscles stimulated her, and his rough breathing seemed to consume her hearing. Even the sound of the rain felt distant now.

The sensation built to a crescendo, and she felt as though she were about to burst. Her eyes locked onto his with a fierce intensity, their bodies moving in perfect unison. The world around her faded away until all she could see was his face.

Finally, it all became too much, and she exploded in ecstasy, her cries blending with his as they called out each other’s names. His hands gripped the sheets so tightly that they turned white, his lips pressed together in a grimace.

After their frenzied lovemaking, he remained atop Lia, kissing her wet cheeks and forehead as she struggled to catch her breath. But he wasn’t finished yet. With ease, he lifted Lia in his arms and carried her to the bathroom where he placed her in the warm, overflowing tub. The world outside the foggy window appeared dreamlike, shrouded in a veil of mist, and Lia was so overcome with pleasure that she couldn’t even move.

He poured warm water over her shoulders and chuckled, then kissed her forehead. “I burned everything down,” she murmured, her eyelids twitching.

Claude took a deep breath and whispered, “I’m sorry. I should have told you earlier…”

“Thank you for returning it. You helped me clean up so I could do it with my own hands…”

Claude held her even tighter without saying a word. Lia rested her ear against his chest and closed her eyes, listening to the steady beat of his heart, which drowned out the sound of the rain and her own racing thoughts.

“I love you, Canillia… I love you,” he whispered.

Lia opened her eyes and looked up at him, surprised. He smiled like a fool, looking almost as shocked as she was. “I love you, Lia.”