“No fire,” she repeated, her voice quavering. “Please.”
“Very well.” He set something aside—no doubt the flint and steel—and withdrew an item from his satchel.
“How do you fare?” she asked.
He huffed a breath. “Sore. And wet. You? Any seasickness?”
“No. Merely tired.”
He grunted in return, then pulled his drenched shirt over his head.
Heather’s core gave a throb as instant desire swelled, and her heart hiccoughed.
Privacy, Heather’s mind whispered. The man required it. But her gaze would not be deterred. Instead, it was transfixed on the movements of his dark figure: carefully removing his sodden clothing, scrubbing his body dry with a towel, and donning a pair of breeches. And there she sat, boldly eying him through the dim, hazy light from the window at her back. And he let her.
Her pulse sped, and she fought to keep her breathing steady.
He padded several steps toward the bed before he hesitated, the broad expanse of his chest rising and falling rapidly. He was, no doubt, deliberating on where he might sleep. Heather’s stomach dipped.
If they shared the bed, their proximity might encourage touching…might lead to sex. Her core throbbed with want at the thought, and she swallowed convulsively.Hell, but her body was flooded with desire. She’d been intimate with the man before, and her maidenhead was gone. What would additional trysts with the man do apart from bring pleasure and delight?
She would ensure that they took precautions—whatever that entailed—and she would enjoy every moment that she could with Percy while she had him.Ifhe wished to, of course.
Her heart hiccoughed, and her pulse sped yet further, no doubt flushing her skin.
And, without hesitation, she flicked up the bedclothes beside her, offering a silent invitation.
“Are you certain?” he asked, his voice rough, likely from hours of bellowing orders through the storm.
“Yes.” She lay back against her pillow and patted the space next to her at his continued hesitation. “Come along, then. You needn’t touch me if that makes you uncomfortable. But you require rest, Percy.”
He moved, then, the bed swaying and dipping with his weight as he joined her. The dim light was better nearer the window, and she drank him in. His skin was half in shadows and half coated in the milky blue light of the storm, the raindrops sliding on the glass panes creating a pattern upon his skin. His tattoos were only inky splotches in the obscurity. She turned on her side to face him, not bothering to hide her perusal as he settled himself.
“It doesn’t,” he murmured.
“Mmm?” she hummed in question.
“Touching you,” he clarified. “It doesn’t make me uncomfortable.”
“Oh.”
His dark eyes glistened as he scanned her face. “It…youarouse me, Heather. And I don’t wish to make you feel?—”
“You arouse me, as well,” she whispered, cutting off his words. More heat flooded her, spreading quivering desire through her core.
The click of his throat as he swallowed was loud to her ears. His gaze was intense, his breath coming quickly. And boldness took root.
Sliding forward, she pressed her lips to his. His grunt of shock turned into a moan as he deepened the kiss.Yes. Heart fluttering, she matched his fervour. She knew what she wanted, and she no longer wished to deny herself, if Percy was willing.
With another nervous flutter in her belly, Heather clasped his hand in both of hers and guided him brazenly toward her cleft.
“My god,Heather,” he groaned. “You’re nude!”
She shrugged one shoulder. “I’m wearing a shirt. It was so large I thought to wear it as a night-rail.”
He groaned again, and she guided his fingers until they dipped inside her. She gasped and widened her legs to give him more room.
“Fuck, Heather, you’re already so wet for me.” He shifted closer.
