Her guardian.
She shifted herself closer. His scent was of the wild as well, intoxicating. And now she had touched him all she wanted to do was touch him more. Both hands moved against his skin, pushing under the t-shirt, on to his chest, down his side, up again to touch his throat. Nick’s mouth closed on her fingers and he sucked one into the warm depths, his tongue teasing the sensitive fingertip.
Alex gasped in surprise and delight. She couldn’t help herself.
‘Do you understand?’ he asked. ‘It’s a bond. Between us. A blessing from the wild. Please tell me you understand?’
Because it would break his heart if she didn’t. That was what his look seemed to tell her. Or if she did this, without realising what it might mean…that would be wrong too. What it might really mean.
And though she couldn’t put it into words, somehow, instinctively she did. And he was right. There was such a weight to this place, to Wildewood Hall. Anything done here, promises made or vows exchanged, or pleasure shared…well it would mean so much more than anywhere else.
Did she want that?
But one look at Nick, and the longing on his oh-so-serious face…
Oh yes, she did. Even if she couldn’t put it into words.
She leaned forward, rising on her toes, and pressed her lips to his. For a moment she felt him shudder again, his whole body, as if electricity ran through him.
‘What do you want me to do?’ she asked, lips still brushing his.
And then he touched her. Finally. His hands pulled her shirt out of her jeans and his fingers skimmed across the hot flesh underneath. She pulled it off without thinking about it and reached behind herself to unhook her bra. The air on her skin was a shock for only a moment. Then Nick was there instead. His hands, his mouth, the press of his body to hers.
And oh God, she was really doing this. Here, in the drawing room, in front of the fire. And everything told her that was a terrible idea.
But she was with Nick. And Nick would never allow her to come to any harm. She was the lady of Wildewood Hall. He was her guardian. That sense of the wild cocooned them both.
His mouth joined his hands, teasing her, his eyes closed as he knelt with her and eased her back onto the floor. The aged rugfelt warm and soft beneath her. The next thing she knew they were both wriggled out of jeans and underwear and then…
They were both naked.
All around them the Hall seemed to still in anticipation, waiting, watching. And this time she didn’t care. She closed her eyes and drew in a shuddering breath, welcoming him.
Nick bent his head to kiss her and then worked his way down her body, his mouth a hot line of desire. He licked her throat and she arched up with a startled gasp as he claimed first one and then the other breast, caressing the nipples to hard points before leaving them cold and wanting with only the touch of the night’s air to sate them.
His mouth moved down further, head bowing between her legs and she couldn’t keep in a growl of need as his tongue explored there.
As he moved, she felt the touch of leaves and vines, and other living things. Things green and growing, brushing against her bare skin, delighting her, delighting in her. As if she was making love to the wild wood itself.
And then…then she wasn’t in the Hall anymore. They were outside, in the night, in the stone circle. The moon shone high overhead and the trees whispered.
Madness, this was madness. But she didn’t want it to end. She never wanted it to end. This fantasy, this experience, all that it was to be with him. Alex buried her hands in Nick’s hair, tangling them in the length of it, the same way the tendrils and vines tangled around the two of them, and pressed him closer to her.
His tongue teased her. Her hips moved in an increasingly frantic rhythm and she threw back her head as she gasped for air.
The trees crowded close. The night air was warm, like a cocoon around them both. The stones were silent sentinels,encircling them. They were safe here. It was perhaps the only place they were safe. And the land rose around her, brushing soft shoots of life and vitality around her. Something bound itself around her ankles and her arms, traced lines over her stomach and her throat.
‘Please,’ she said, not even sure of all she was begging for. Apart from Nick. He was all she wanted now. All she could think of.
‘Are you sure?’ he asked, as breathless as she was.
In the study, she had felt like someone else, as if her whole being had been overcome and transformed, possessed, but here, now, whether she was in the drawing room lost in a fantasy or really had somehow been transported to the woods, she was herself. She had never been so wholly herself in her life. And she was sure. So sure. She wanted him. She wanted to be made whole.
And the wild wood offered that. To be more herself than she had ever been before. To be free.
Nick offered that.
‘Please, Nick. Now. I need you.’ The words spilled out and Nick rose over her, his eyes so hungry, but still wary. Careful. He was always so careful. She admired that about him. How could she not? Too many people in her life had been reckless with her. She had to be the sensible one.
