The vulnerability on her face, the way she bared her confession before him, made him choose his words carefully. “There’s nothing you could do that wouldn’t please me.”
“That night in the garden,” she said. “I’d never felt anything like that before.”
He didn’t move, his control straining taut. If she laid a single finger upon him, he knew he would snap.
Honora leaned forward, resting her weight on her hands. “I trust you. But I don’t know what to do. Will you show me?”
Honoradidn’tknowwhathad come over her, to be so bold. But right now, she’d lost everything. Her home, her family . . . there was nothing left, save Ewan.
When she was in his arms, he made her forget everything. His kiss and the way he touched her made her restless. Tonight, she wanted the comfort of his embrace. Even if it meant reliving the past.
“You don’t know what you’re asking me,” he said. His deep voice sounded uneasy, as though she’d said too much.
“You taught me to use a sword. Surely you can teach me this.” She wanted to experience the secret thrill he had conjured once before, to know what it meant to be desired.
He expelled a curse and stood, walking towards her. His eyes grew heated, and when he removed his tunic, his bare chest appeared like smooth marble. “You’re still afraid, aren’t you?”
She nodded.
“Don’t be. Any time you say the word, I’ll stop.”
He knelt down beside her and began caressing her back. His mouth dipped down to brush against her nape, and a thousand shivers replaced it. He moved her hair away, kissing her ear, then her cheek.
“I don’t want you to stop.” She needed to lose herself in his touch, forgetting everything that had happened. Behind her, she heard a soft noise as he removed the rest of his clothing.
Ewan laid down behind her, drawing her backside against him. She gasped with shock at the feel of his hard length against her bottom. His palms slid beneath her shift, raising up the hem and baring her flesh. She shuddered, closing her eyes as he slid his thick erection between her thighs.
Her body responded with wetness, and he used his shaft to rub and tease her.
“You’ve always tormented me, Honora. Both when you were a girl . . . and now, as a woman.”
Goose flesh prickled across her skin. He pulled the linen shift tightly against her breasts, and her nipples speared with arousal. He ran a single knuckle over the fabric, caressing the tips. “I want to taste you.”
She tried to remove the shift, but he moved atop her, his body weight pinning her against the pallet. “Leave it on for now.”
With a wicked smile, he lowered his mouth to the fabric and tasted her nipple through the linen. Honora arched her hips against him, her skin burning hot. He nipped at her breasts with his teeth, while he used the tip of his manhood to torment her swollen flesh. “Do you feel it?”
Her breath hitched. “Yes.” The same wildness skimmed through her body, and as she grew closer and closer, he slowed the pace.
“Reach for it, Honora. Let me take you there.”
She gasped, both needing the release and fearing what would happen afterwards. Ewan kissed her, plundering her mouth as he caressed her cleft.
There. His hand rubbed her until she soared, shaking violently as the glorious sensations ripped through her.
Without thinking, she brought her hand to his shaft, wrapping her fingers around the length. As another wave of pleasure shuddered through her, she squeezed him, pulling against his manhood. He held onto her hand, and she moved faster. Over the smooth head, down the length of him, until he let out a groan, spilling his wet seed upon her stomach. He moved against her, stroking her with his arousal a few more times, until he rested his weight upon hers.
“You surprised me,” he said huskily.
He looked embarrassed by what he’d done, and Honora pulled his mouth down to hers for a soft kiss. “Was it wrong? I wanted to please you.”
“There is no doubt you pleased me,” he said. “Perhaps too much.” He extricated himself from their embrace, before he went to retrieve her fallen veil. A few moments later, he returned with the linen, which he’d dipped in the river. He cleaned her body, and Honora shivered at the cool water. A few times, he ran the cloth over her breasts, arousing her unintentionally.
Or perhaps, with full intent.
She allowed him to dry her off, wrapping both of them inside his cloak. Ewan held her with her head against his chest. She relaxed against him, soothed by the warmth of his body next to hers.
As sleep drew closer, Honora tried not to think about the future that lay ahead. For she knew, as Ewan did, that there could never be a marriage between them. There was no future for a landless Irishman and a banished widow.
