Saved By The Mad Duke
Chapter 142: I Love You Too [R18]

Chapter 142: I Love You Too [R18]

Surprised at first, Aideen did not respond to her husband’s kiss right away, so Tillian placed his right hand behind her head and pressed her face even closer, while his left hand slid down the princess’s back.

"Tillian..." The woman tried to understand what made her husband so anxious but he refused to let go of her lips.

The Duke felt like his brain was melting, like he could let go of everything and just burn down in flames right there, with Aideen inside his arms. The lady took off his shirt and felt his hot naked upper body with her palm––his skin was unexpectedly soft, and his hard muscles were almost pulsating, indicating how tense his whole body was.

Not stopping even for a moment, Tillian took off the rest of his clothes, letting the princess help him with that. He hugged her the same way he did the last time––a strong, yet careful hold with Aideen’s legs around his waist.

The princess kissed his neck, while the man was getting them both back into the steaming and fragrant water that filled the bathtub. Perhaps it was that strong aroma, or maybe the silky feeling of the hot bath water enveloping their bodies, but it felt like they both lost the remnants of awkwardness caused by the spontaneity of their actions and gave in to the momentum of unrelenting desire.

Tillian’s touch was greedy and hot, and every time he moved, Aideen felt tingling sparks rushing all the way up her body, entangling her thoughts, blurring her vision, and making her gasp for air. As if setting free all the hidden tension and stress, they both could not get enough of one another, and nothing they did seemed to be enough to satisfy them completely.

There was no need for words, their frantic minds were too busy trying not to go insane; the sound of splashing water was mixed with their crazy racing heartbeats, loud breathing, and occasional moans, along with the heavy hail hitting the bathroom windows’ glass.

When there was no more strength left in their bodies, they finally realized that the bath water had long gone cold and all the candles were off, with their entangled bodies still hot, they were left in complete darkness.

Regaining his composure, Tillian stroked his wife’s face with the back of his hand and smiled at her.

"Are you alright? I think we should get out of the water now."

The princess nodded at him and hugged his body tightly again. Although both of them had their own unspoken reasons for craving such closeness, neither of them knew how to explain their fragile state to one another.

Releasing a soft chuckle, the Duke asked,

"Aren’t you tired of my body already?"

Aideen shook her head and buried her face into his muscular chest,

"No, never.’

The Duke’s response was a wide smile.

He got them both out of the bathtub and helped the lady stand up straight. The moment she let go of his body, Aideen got covered in goosebumps and finally felt cold. Gently, Tillian wrapped one towel around his hips and wrapped the other one around his wife’s shoulders; he then took her in his arms again, went back to the bedroom, and sat down in front of the fireplace, still holding her close as if scared to let her go.

"Why aren’t you asking me anything?"

Tillian’s hot breath brushed over the woman’s ear, his seemingly innocent question looming over them with its heavy residue.

Aideen felt it too––he was anxious and even desperate and scared today, but no matter how curious she was, the princess was scared to know the reason why. Especially after what Khala had managed to stir up within her already uncertain heart.

"It is true, I cannot know what you think or feel unless you tell me but... While I am dying to know what you truly feel with your heart, I am also scared that learning the truth will hurt me more."

At last, the Duke moved his chin away from Aideen’s head, his eyes widening as her words registered in his brain,

"Hurt you? How could you think like that?"

Scared to look at his face, the princess pressed her face closer to her husband’s chest, and whispered,

"I... I have learned to become greedy and expect more than I should. You have given me everything I could never even dream of but sometimes... I wonder what will happen when all of this stops. When your kindness disappears. When I am no longer needed."

"Aideen."

Tillian placed the index finger of his right hand under the lady’s chin and moved it upwards, forcing her to finally meet his eyes with hers. That single movement made Aideen shed a single tear that was desperate to run down her cheek.

With a bitter smile on his lips, the Duke wiped that tear from his wife’s skin and said in a reassuring voice,

"I would not dare to call myself a man if I were brazen enough to take advantage of you or anything that is you, ever. I have my flaws, I make mistakes just like others do, but one thing I can never do wrong –– and that is to love you.

Our relationship started abruptly and it was my fault that I was not honest with you from the start, but I love you. I truly do. No matter what you hear, no matter what you see... I love you. Everything I have belongs to you. So if you are scared that one day everything might disappear... Well, I will have to disappear first. It can never happen otherwise."

Aideen felt her heart sink, break into a million pieces, then reassemble again into something new, entirely new this time. Now, it was not the heart of a naive and lonely girl like Khala said; no, it was the heart of a woman who was truly loved. The heart of a woman who truly loved.

"You are smiling... Whatever could this mean?"

Tillian slid his thumb over his wife’s lips, his own face beaming with a smile of relief. The princess planted a light kiss on his thumb and nodded,

"I smile because I love you. I love you too, Tillian."