His gaze dropped to the honey jars.
“I supposed so.”
The change in his tone seemed to catch her attention. Suddenly, Hope’s hand came over his and he turned to see her staring at him with an impossibly caring expression, her dark eyes shining with certainty.
“You are an impressive man, Graham MacKinnon. Every day I learn something new about you and everyday I’m stunned by it.”
Her honest words and transparent feelings made Graham feel like a king and a heel all at once. She was so damn genuine and the more she said things like that, the more devoted he became. All he wanted was to carry her off some place and never let her go.
His hand came up to her cheek as his thumb ran across the edge of her cheekbone.
“Hope…”
Her cautious smile widened.
“Yes?”
He wanted to tell her everything in that moment. To lay out his entire life story. There was something about her that made him want to confess every wicked deed he had done, if only to find salvation at her feet.
But when he hesitated, she spoke.
“Will you take me? To see the factory, I mean?”
She could ask for the sun and he would provide it.
“If you’d like me to, I will.”
She bobbed up and down on her heels and he smiled at her eagerness, unable to help himself.
“Yes, please.”
Graham was pleased at how keen she was to see his work. “Then we will certainly go. But for today, there is something else I want you to try.” He moved next to her and opened the jar, setting on the table. Taking a long, thin wooden stick, one that had been sanded down, he dipped it into the honey. He lifted it out, setting the jar down, and with his hand underneath the string of honey as he pulled it away, he brought it to Hope’s lips.
“This is why I brought you here,” he said. “Taste.” Obediently, she opened her mouth.
The rich clover scent was heavy in the air. He watched it melt against her tongue. Desire coursed through him as her eyes closed, savoring the flavor. He rolled the wooden utensil out of her mouth, grazing it slowly against her bottom lip as he withdrew it.
The stiffness in his trousers began to ache.
Hope watched him with undivided attention as he placed the wooden spoon back in the jar and settled it down on the table. Pulse pounding, he leaned in and kissed her.
Graham’s tongue searched her mouth slowly and her eyes closed as her hands came up to his shoulders, steadying herself as he pulled her close. His kiss deepened, and Hope swayed to press herself against him.
He needed her. Never had he ever witnessed something so erotic and so chaste as her savoring his honey, and it had set him aflame. He pulled away slowly, her eyes fluttered open with confusion. Without a word, Graham’s hand came up to her bodice and his two fingers tugged down on the neckline of her gown, lowering it until her breasts were revealed, while his other hand grabbed the utensil again. To Hope’s obvious surprise, Graham drizzled a string of honey on her exposed nipple, causing her breath to hitch—though she made no effort to back away. Hope was a meal and he intended on finishing her.
His mouth quickly covered the tip of her breast, suckling at her as though she were his only source of sustenance.
Her arms wrapped around his head as his hands snaked down her backside, down her thighs as he hiked up her skirts. He was without reason, without any rational thought, as his mouth left the peak of her breast and come up to rediscover her mouth.
He kissed her urgently before lifting her onto the work table. His hands moved down her spread legs, gripping her calves and then thighs underneath her rucked-up skirts.
“Graham, what …”
“Hush,” he said as he leaned over her body, kissing her mouth before moving down her torso.
Graham was quick to find the opening of her drawers. Kneeling down, he drew his fingers over her sex. Hope gasped and he could feel the tension in her thighs as she tried instinctively to close them, but he wouldn’t have her shy away from him. Instead, he licked her, long and slow, so that she might feel every bit of his tongue.
Hope let out a heavy breath, her legs relaxing—and then spreading even wider in welcome. Graham was happy to take advantage of the increased space to press himself closer and drive his tongue deeper. If there was ever a sweeter taste than honey, this was it. The tiny jerks that seemed to spread over her body only encouraged him and he feasted on her as if she were his last meal.
