Steeling himself, he caught her lips so that no curious ears would hear her as she came, denying himself the luxury of her exultant scream. The rhythmic pulses around his fingers were their own reward.
With gentle strokes, he caressed and soothed until her lips melted against his with a rapturous sigh of satisfaction.
“Lovely,” she exhaled, stroking his cheek. “Not entirely what I had in mind, though. I intended for us to make love together.”
“Did ye now?”
His body ached with such carnal need, the quip was a painful one. Every beat of his heart called for him to take her, plunder and possess. Hefting her in his arms, he stood and carried her to his bed. He tossed her into it and nearly fell on top of her, determined to do just that, when his rational, contrary mind admonished him not to abuse her vulnerability. To give, not take.
Unaware of his conflict, Piper smiled up at him, tousled, inviting, and undeniable. A compromise between desire and good sense was needed.
Connor shrugged off his coat and vest. Dragging his shirt over his head, he crumpled it up and tossed it aside. He toed off his shoes and reached for the fastenings on his breeks as she followed suit and shed her blouse. Kicking up her skirts, she bared her long, luscious legs to him as she removed her shoes.
All thought fled him until they were hidden as she slipped out of the garment. Only her chemise and stockings were left to cover her then. The shadow of every rise and hollow showed through the thin white shift. The curve of her full breasts. The dark valley between her thighs. His mouth watered at the strain of her pink nipples against the taut fabric.
“Nay,” he rasped when she reached for the hem. “Leave it on.”
She cast him a curious glance but complied and motioned for him to finish his task. Connor shed his trousers and crawled over her, skimming his palms up her sleek body as he went. Under her chemise. His hands dark under the fine linen.
Her thighs parted, inviting him to tumble her thoroughly, and he recalled himself. Looping an arm around her waist, he rolled onto his back, carrying her with him. Her lips parted in surprise and he couldn’t help but kiss her, though he kept it brief. Positioning her legs on either side of his hips, he urged her up. Her hair trailed over his chest in a tantalizing caress, although not one as provocative as the heat nestled against his groin.
With a hum of appreciation, Piper spread her hands across his chest, fanning outward then down as every muscle clenched in automatic response. “This is nice.”
“It can be far nicer,” he growled. Involuntarily his hips nudged up, seeking the paradise that awaited him. He clenched his teeth and caught her hips to hold her.
“Your heart is beating so hard,” she whispered.
Aye, and he was breaking out in a sweat fighting to restrain himself. Her wet lips brushed his chest and up his neck until his body quaked beneath her gentle ministrations.
“Aren’t you going to make love to me?” she asked when he made no further move of his own.
“Nay, lass.” Taking a deep, bracing breath, he let her breasts filled his hands. “Ye’re going to make love to me.”
“I am?” She rotated experimentally.
“Aye,mo chridhe,” he groaned.“Take what ye want. I want the choice to be yers. As it should have been all along.”
She bent over him, her wicked gaze taunted him as did her silky tresses. Her tongue traced his lips. “You know what I want, Connor.”
“Aye. It’s yers to take. Always.” His member throbbed impatiently, cursing him for such nonsense and begging him to ravish her. “Bugger it, this once, at least.”
Grasping her waist, he hefted her until she was poised over him. He slipped one hand between her thighs, gliding his fingers over her dewy entrance. With a gasp, she rocked against his hand. He positioned himself in place of his fingers. “God help me. Take me, lass.”
Her sapphire eyes returned to his, bold and beguiling. She lowered herself, testing her position and the result. Her full lips rounded into anOand mischief sparked in her eyes. By agonizing degrees, her tight, honeyed flesh encased him. He bowed with the rush of euphoria. When she withdrew, a harsh shout was wrenched from deep within and his control nearly slipped.
It was madness, this fervent, frantic passion between them. Combustible, as quick as a flame to kindling. It licked at him, threatened to consume within seconds.
To burn within him forever.
His hands clamped down on her breasts. With a shudder, Piper arched her back and slid down his thick length with a wrenching moan. “Oh, my God.”
“Aye,mo chridhe,” Connor urged her on.
She repeated the motion, drawing it out until her thighs trembled. His hands left her breasts bereft then his fingers dug into her hips.
“All the way.”
His hoarse brogue was pleading, begging as she’d begged him not long before. She wanted to give him everything he’d given her. Everything he wanted and more.
