Duke Calex's eyes narrowed dangerously.
The ordinary yet pleasant-looking man who was currently at odds with the duke was none other than Del.
The very sight of Del could easily aggravate the already irritated temper of Duke Calex. But this time, Del seemed to be getting more and more aggravating than before, at least in the duke's eyes.
"Say that again? You're not my subordinate?" Duke Calex asked dangerously. His aura around was getting denser and darker.
"That's right. I am not your subordinate. I am only here for Tallie," answered Del. His manly yet gentle voice seemed so innocent and nonchalant both at the same time. But they sure were dangerous that they might even cost him his life.
"Tallie?" Duke Calex's ears seemed to itch when he heard the name of someone from Del's mouth. And the duke already had an inkling of whom Del was referring to with that name.
"Are you referring to the Duchess as Tallie?" Duke Calex asked. A lopsided foxy smile appeared on his face. His unscrupulous and wild aura emerged, masking his stern and a cold one. Yet, this side of him was even more dangerous in this particular situation.
"Dare you to say the name of the Duchess of Kargaz, this duke's wife, in that lowly and inappropriate manner?" Duke Calex moved.
Del remained still as he said, "For me, no title matters. As long as Tallie never changes, she will always be the Tallie I've always known."
"Ha!" Such words...
This damn bastard dare to speak like this in front of me? He dares to call my wife so intimately?
Duke Calex sneered.
You have guts, huh?
Moving over, Duke Calex sat down at the bedside. His hand moved towards the sleeping Atallie.
Of course, such action was not hidden from Del. Instead, the duke's intention was to blatantly display such actions in front of Del.
Putting his hand on Atallie's hair, Duke Calex caressed it softly, until his hand reached one side of Atallie's face.
Under Duke Calex's touch, the soft and velvety cheek of Atallie was in contrast to his calloused and thick palms. Yet, the contrast between the two textures seemed to kindle a different sensation, which in this scenario, Duke Calex could mainly feel.
As the duke's gaze linger on Atallie, he wasn't able to notice the indescribable glint on Del's usually calm and ordinary brown eyes that seemed to flicker in different hues on that split second.
"Title might not really matter for you. However, it doesn't change the fact and reality that this woman is now the Duchess of Kargaz of the North and my wife, my woman. Who are you to be so preposterous and impudent to disregard that fact and act so brazenly in front of me, the Duke of Kargaz, and the owner of this estate where you are currently standing at?" Duke Calex expressed. His foxy smiling face was still in place, yet his aura around was not something one could disregard. It was oozing with rage and danger.
If only the duke was not in close proximity with the duchess, he would have been long exploded. After all, his temper in handling such matters was not something considered as good or manageable. Thus, Duke Calex could not directly attack Del as well because of this.
Del was just about to retort when he suddenly stopped.
Although the raging aura of Duke Calex was not directly being let out, it was not something that could be easily controlled when the enemy in front of him was standing nonchalantly. Thus, this had also affected Atallie who was currently in close proximity and in direct contact with him.
Slowly coming into consciousness, Atallie already knew that someone's hand was softly brushing against her cheek. With rough calluses which she could clearly feel together with the spine-chilling aura just right beside her, Atallie didn't have to guess anymore who the person could be.
Besides, who in the estate would have the audacity to do such a thing to her while she's asleep? Atallie knew that it could only be the duke.
However, Atallie also felt another presence. It was a calming aura that she was more familiar with.
Slowly opening her eyes, Atallie's thick and lush eyelashes fluttered as her lips parted. Her line of sight directly landed on the man quietly standing on the right corner.
"Del...you're back?" Atallie called out.
Del, who was more than delighted to see Atallie regained her consciousness, although still quiet and calm, took a step forward with a radiant smile on his pleasantly-looking face.
"Mm. I'm back." Del said. Even his brown ordinary eyes were smiling.
"That's great," Atallie said with a nod. Although there was no smile nor any other expression on her face, one could tell that she was pleased.
Both of them had momentarily forgotten about the man who was still raging with his fierce aura.
"Tsk. Such a great reunion, huh? Tell me, my dear wife, is this how you disregard I, the Duke of Kargaz of the North, your very husband?" Duke Calex asked with a sneer. His dark and deep eyes were flashing with dangerous glint. His piercing gaze was focused on Del, as if those dark orbs wanted to sliced through Del, while his hand that was caressing Atallie's cheek could not stay still as it tuck Atallie's hair at the back of her ear until it traveled down to her swan-like neck.
Such action awakened Atallie's nerves as if that patch of her skin that had been touched by the duke was suddenly on fire. Burning and scalding.
Atallie's cold and calm amber eyes turned towards Duke Calex.
She sighed in her heart.
She became stuck in yet another tricky scenario.
Thus, Atallie could only use a trick.
Lifting her hand, she gently put it over the duke's hand which was now caressing her neck and even her collar bone area.
Atallie was already glaring coldly and rolling her eyes at the duke's shameless actions.
When her hand touched over the duke's hand, a spark occurred between their contact. Atallie felt it.
It was like a flash of small lightning but its bolt traveled and spread throughout. It was but a short shock yet the current was powerful enough to be felt.
And if Atallie felt it, surely Duke Calex also did.
But instead of dwelling on it, like what she had been doing most of the time, Atallie casually threw it at the back of her mind. She had more important things to do and accomplish.
"Del, you may leave for now. The duke and I will meet with you again later," Atallie merely said two sentences. However, the look in her eyes was telling and implying more, and Del obviously knew what Atallie meant.
Thus, although Del clearly wanted to stay and didn't want to leave the two alone, he had to slowly unclench his fists and agreed to leave first.
"I understand. Then, Tallie, I'll see you later. Please take good care of yourself. I will leave first," Del said. In the end, he wanted to give the arrogant and fierce Duke Calex another blow to his pride and ego before he exited from the room.
Now, only the duke and the duchess remained.
Inside the classy and elegantly looking white sophisticated room, on the bed, only the two people remained, a man and a woman.
One was laying down while one was leaning down. Both their hands were touching each other's hands and both touches felt hot and scalding.
And for some reason, mixed with their quiet breath and beating heart, the quiet room only intensified the slowly forming atmosphere between the two of them.
And that atmosphere was nothing but a quiet danger, like a dormant volcano that could not be trusted. The heat could build-up, the magma and lava could rise, and the volcano might erupt...at any given time.
While Atallie casually threw the spark at the back of her mind while she tried to disregard the atmosphere between them, Duke Calex just could not do the same.
Atallie's touch, her soft and velvety skin, pale yet so alive, her own fragrance that he could smell given their current close proximity - such fragrance was akin to a drug that was drawing him closer and closer to lose his rationality. And that spark - the spark that seemed to pound through the walls of his heart. It was but a short spark yet it seemed to create a crack, a crack that only added a lump of coal to the small lit fire.
Such a small lit fire...
Duke Calex's deep, dark and dangerous gaze landed on Atallie's pale yet still pinkish lips. It was a bit dry given that she just woke up from her deep slumber. And for Duke Calex, he should do something to those slightly dry lips.
Those lips... He had tasted it already.
It was good.
In fact, it was more than good.
Such taste, such sweet and delectable taste...
He wanted to taste it once again.
He wanted to taste it more.
And with those messed up and heated thoughts of Duke Calex, being a man of his words, of course, his actions could not be slower than his thoughts.
Thus, his idle hand abruptly touched the other side of Atallie's head, making her head turn towards his direction, he leaned closer, and in just a matter of seconds, his full and strong lips collided against Atallie's slightly dry yet still soft and fluffy lips.
Atallie was dumbfounded.
Her head was abruptly cupped and turned to another side, then the next thing she knew was that the full view of the duke's dangerously stunning face was suddenly right in front of her, in fact, against her own face, then next was her lips...
Her lips were being kissed!
No, not kissed - it was in the beginning, yet it suddenly became chaotic.
Her lips were being sucked on!
Atallie was stiff and beyond dumbfounded. She was startled enough that she could not even close her eyes while her lips were being sucked on.
Although Atallie was an open-minded person and although she already acknowledged the duke as her husband, and even she had also kissed him secretly - which was nothing but a peck by the way, and even she had read countless romance novels involving a man and a woman, to have a first-hand experience was definitely far from having theoretical knowledge.
Atallie's mind was buzzing yet paralyzed both at the same time. However, the scorching feeling and ticklish sensation from her lips down to her heart and throughout her body was not something she could easily disregard or simply throw at the back of her mind.
And when Duke Calex's inexperienced yet enthusiastic tongue swept passed through her lips and slovenly touched her tongue while she was distracted, Atallie's eyes almost went out of their sockets.
This time, it was really something she could not just ignore.
What is he doing?
Is he out of his mind?
What's gotten into him?
Ah...his tongue...
Clearly, this was beyond simply kissing..!
Atallie's mind, although she tried, could not think straight anymore.
Dumbly staring at the full view of the stunning and gorgeous handsome face of the duke, with his eyes closed, Atallie could clearly see the thick eyelashes of the duke. It was not long like a woman but it was more beautiful than a woman's.
His eyebrows were slightly frowning due to the suppressed lust and exhilaration which was akin to having gotten his favorite candy, combined with the shameless sloppy sound that his mouth and tongue were making, Atallie's mind could not see the cold and arrogant duke. She could not seem to associate the usual duke to the current duke right now.
Then, all of a sudden, Duke Calex opened his eyes. His actions stopped. Yet his entire mouth was still stuck on Atallie's like a leech that didn't want to let go.
Atallie's breath hitched.
Her usual cold and calm amber eyes trembled under the scorching hot and intense misty gaze of the duke.
His eyes...which had a shade darker and deeper than their usual shade, so hot and intense that seemed to burn her up as they gaze down on her, misty and clearly shrouded with lust, at this moment, Atallie could not really tell that this person was the duke.
Atallie's thoughts stopped right then and there.
There was only one thing that she was clear about:
This gorgeous man is my husband.
And as if a switch hidden within her was turned on, Atallie's eyes dilated. There seemed to be a newly kindled glint in her usual cold and calm amber eyes. Then, her hands suddenly moved.
From being idle, she put her arms around the duke's neck and even pulled the duke closer.
Duke Calex, with only a bit of rationality left after he shamelessly kissed Atallie without permission, stopped his action.
And when he opened his eyes, what greeted him was the dumbfounded and dazed look of the duchess.
Their gazes met.
A hot and intense gaze filled with indescribable emotion and lust met with the calm as a lake gaze.
Yet, that usual cold and calm gaze that Duke Calex was already familiar with, clearly faltered at that moment.
With his heart beating wildly, his raging aura that had long been extinguished and been changed into raging hormones, Duke Calex could clearly not control himself anymore. But his bit of rationality made him see such a different glint on his wife's usual indifferent eyes.
It took him by surprise and it even made him drunker with Atallie's charm and fragrance. But he knew, he had to stop from here.
After all, no matter how promiscuous his image was, Duke Calex was definitely a gentleman on the inside. He didn't want to force things on his wife. He was clearly not good at handling a relationship because he was inexperienced. Besides, he had too many troubles and worries.
Thus, for now, Duke Calex had to let go and give space for his new wife.
However, just as he was about to remove his full and sexy lips away from Atallie's, what Duke Calex didn't expect was for Atallie to abruptly and suddenly change from passive to active!
With his eyes still widely opened, Duke Calex clearly saw how Atallie charged on as she put her arms around his neck and closed her eyes while she open her mouth and intertwine her tongue with his.
Duke Calex was caught off guard.
Now, he was the dumbfounded one.
What Atallie did was simply open her mouth and collide her tongue with his, other than that, she did nothing more.
This woman!
It was as if being teased and tormented both at the same time.
Duke Calex's eyes narrowed dangerously. It was unknown, yet the already darker shade of his eyes even grew darker than before.
My wife, you are clearly playing with fire!
And before both of them knew it, only the sound of two people passionately and fervently kissing filled the entire room.
It was clearly still daytime, yet what they were doing inside the room should have been done by night, under the moonlight, or in the midst of tranquility and darkness...
_______
A/n: And just as promised! Here's another chapter for you all!
I love you all, my dear readers and supporters, thus I thought I should give you this mushy chapter as a way to thank you all for the 10k reads! I hope you enjoy this chapter and if you like it, don't forget to give it a thumbs up!! Let me know your thoughts as well if you'd like to share. You all know how I appreciate it!
I'll try to write another chapter again as soon as I can because we're going for the new normal here in our country, thus, your humble author will have to report back to work onsite on regular working hours and regular days as well. And because of this, I might not be able to have amole free time to write. Just thinking about all the traveling back and forth - sigh...can I just stay at home and work?
Anyway, I'm just venting haha. But well, this is life. We all have to be grateful for what we have and that we're still alive in the midst of the pandemic and everything.
Alright, this is it for now. you know, this is already quite late now in my time - 2:23 AM. I wanted to give you all an update after all, so I definitely have to upload this chapter before I sleep. And phew, at last. Here it is.
I'll see you all in the next chapter!
Xoxo!
🖤 Elle Dee