Chapter 27

GULPING the saliva that was accumulating in her mouth, Becca was turning to look at her husband. Niklaus was smiling as he was leaning his head back, tilting it to look at the skies above them as the stars were twinkling like diamonds.
"Care for some blood pudding, my love?" Becca asked, wanting to get her mind off the temptation that was calling for her. She knew that if she was to be civilized and not want to create a scandal when she was out with her husband, Becca needed to be the doting wife to Niklaus.
Since the Gossipers were looking over at their picnic mats.
"That would be lovely, my love," Niklaus replied before Becca took one slice of the pudding and handed it to him. He thanked his wife as she was pouring some blood-laced tea that had been prepared for their outing that night.
"Will you be eating it with me?" Niklaus said before Becca was smiling as she was scouting over to be closer to him. Niklaus smiled before he gripped the fork and cut the pudding before holding it in front of her mouth. Becca's eyes twinkled before she closed her mouth over the fork.
It was the most sensual thing that Niklaus ever watched in his life.
"That's delicious," she whispered before Niklaus took some of the blood pudding and ate it for himself. It was delicious nonetheless for the Cook has made sure that everything was perfect for the Duke and Duchess of Belikov.
Then, he heard the talks that were circulating the park as they were having their picnic while the Gossipers were looking, circling their picnic mat for more than it was appropriate than necessary.
"I think people are looking at us, Nick," Becca whispered, knowing that she did not want to create any rumor or tabloid against their peaceful outing. Nick sighed for he knew that he was the talk of the capital right now after his marriage to his wife.
Becca, being the youngest and the wallflower of her siblings, was feeling self-conscious as she was trying to make sure that everyone was not looking at her.
Not that Niklaus blamed her for not wanting to be in the spotlight.
He took her hands as she was looking at the old ladies that were circulating the Royal Park. They did not have anything else to do in their lonely, miserable lives other than talking about the tabloids, rumors, and gossip that might be coming and going around the capital as the Higher Court lords were making their appearances here and there as the court was in session.
"I am sorry, my love. It's my reputation that they were looking for, knowing that I have settled down with a wife and having a picnic with her in the open will be causing some talk in the capital later," he said as Becca was looking at him. Her green orbs were shining in the dim light that was coming from the gaslights that surrounded the park before she smiled at him.
"I hope that your reputation was not tainted with some scandal that I might find later," she said as she was arching her eyebrow.
Niklaus laughed before some of the Gossipers were whispering to each other as they were looking at the newlyweds.
Surely, no one thought that the Duke of Belikov would laugh with abandon in public.
"Hush! You will make a spectacle of us, my love," Becca said as she was frowning at him but a smile was plastered at her lips. Her kissable, red lips as she was biting her lower lips.
Niklaus groaned inwardly before he gripped her wrist and brought her hand to his mouth as he kissed the knuckle. Becca was smirking at him.
"I see that you are eager to leave, my lord,"
"Why ever you would say so, my dear? Can't you see that I am enjoying the view of the park with my beloved? Surely you would not think that I would like to go home now," he replied before he was taking one of Becca's fingers into his mouth, sucking it slowly as his tongue was making an erotic dance on it.
Becca breathed heavily as she knew that Niklaus was trying to arouse her. In polite society, no less! She would be heavily scandalized if the Gossipers were looking at her blushing face right now as well as the desire that was apparent in her eyes.
"Should we go home now, duchess? Why don't we have some time for some more relaxation here?" Niklaus baited her as she was snatching her fingers from his grip.
He smirked before the duke was leaning against the mat as he closed his eyes. He sighed before he hummed a lullaby that made Becca's insides jump at the melody.
It was haunting yet it was beautiful.
She sighed as she was looking at the maid who was talking with the footman. She can still taste the blood that would flow from the veins of the maid as she was biting into it, sipping it into her mouth as she moaned from the ecstasy of it—
No! You are better than that and you will not succumb to its pull, Rebecca Davis! She scolded herself as she was looking at Niklaus.
Her husband was smiling as he was still humming. Becca leaned forward as she was brushing her lips against his before his blue eyes snapped open and looked at her.
"I think we can go home now. Perhaps there are some better ways for us to use the energy that we have collected over the picnic," she whispered huskily before Niklaus smirked wickedly at her, looking as handsome as a devil as he was.
"You read my thought exactly, duchess," he said before he picked himself up and helped Becca to her feet as he instructed the footman and the maid to clean up and get ready to go home to Belikov Estate again.

BECCA was tracing circles around his nipples as Niklaus was staring at the ceiling. It was one of the days that he loved to spend his time with his wife in their bedchamber, doing nothing as they would divulge in their carnal desire for each other and would not get enough until dusk was upon them.
But of course, he has a meeting to attend after that.
Niklaus sighed before he turned on his side as he was looking at his duchess. Her black hair was sprawling on his pillows as her scent was mixing with his, making it impossible for him to forget when Niklaus would travel to Stone Tower only to have an erection as he would think about her alone in his estate, waiting for him to come home later that night.
"Will you come with me to the tower, perhaps visiting Ara as well?" he asked before Becca was turning to look at him. She was tracing her hands on his hard chest as Niklaus was fingering her strand of hair as she sighed.
"I don't know...I would love to go—"
"But?" he knew that Becca had been managing his household after they consummated their marriage as well as when Niklaus had told her the secret of his heritage.
He knew that he was putting a lot of pressure on her shoulders as his duchess, and Lady Rebecca was not trained to be one. Perhaps in time, she could overcome her self-consciousness, but for now, Nick was contented with her and who she was.
"What is it, my love? You promised me there would be no more secret between us," he whispered as Becca stared at his chest, clearly not wanting to talk about what was bothering her mind. Niklaus did not like to push it when someone was not ready to talk hence he just got out of bed as he was searching for his robe.
"Where are you going?" Becca asked him as he turned to look at her. She looked thoroughly ravished as her hair was falling like a waterfall down her back her lips were swollen and there were bite marks as well as hickeys all over her pale, smooth skin.
Niklaus’ darker side was eager to look at his work before he took his robe and donned it as he got up from the bed.
"You don't want to talk about what was bothering your mind just yet with me. Thus, I am giving you some space, Becca, so that when you're ready to tell me, I will be there listening to it. But as much as I love to be with you in our bed, I have a meeting at the court tonight so I will have to be in Stone Tower," Niklaus said as he went to the bathing chamber.
The maids filled the bathtub with some hot water that had cooled down when they were away in their bed, making sure that it was the right temperature when Niklaus was about to take his bath.
"And will you be willing to wait until I am ready to talk, Nick?" Becca said as she was leaning against the frame of the bathing chamber as Niklaus was shedding his robe before getting inside the bathtub.
It was large enough if his wife wanted to join him in his bath but looking at her face, Niklaus knew that Becca would prefer to have her bathwater.
"Yes and no matter how long it will take, I will be waiting for you to open up, Becca. You can trust me on that," he said as he was leaning back in the bathtub before he was sighing.
Niklaus was opening his eyes to see that his wife had shed her robe before walking toward the bathtub, swaying her hips from side to side.
"You do know how to make me hard again, my love," Niklaus said as he gripped his erection as Becca slipped her feet into the bathtub. She was smirking before she straddled his lap as she was aligning her core with his tip.
"Good thing I am in the bath with you, my love," she whispered before sitting down they both moaned at the contact before they were making love, long before they were both cleaned and fresh from their bath together.

"I’LL be waiting," Becca said as she kissed her husband on the lips. Niklaus was smiling at her before he nodded. Then, he climbed into his carriage as the footman was closing the door. She could hear that he was tapping the rooftop before the coachman was whipping the horses as the carriage moved forward.
Becca was hugging her shawl tighter to her body as she stood in the foyer of their estate, watching her husband go away for some business in the capital. Becca sighed before she turned to make her way to the dining hall to break her fast. She'd already eaten while Niklaus was with her but right now, her stomach felt empty and she would love to have some food in her system.
"You have a parchment for you, milady," one of the serving girls was handing her a letter as Becca was taking her seat at the table. She thanked the maid before breaking the seal, not knowing who was writing to her.
The only person that ever wrote to her was her mother and that was for her wedding gift.
"I wonder who it could be," Becca said before she read the letter and she scoffed when she read the signature of the writer.
Of course, I should have guessed it was my oldest sister, she thought before Becca put the letter on the table next to her plate, tapping it as she thought of the way to break the news to Niklaus.
That her sister and her husband were traveling to Belikov Estate as she was doing that.