His arm flexed under her fingertips, and thankfully she moved on. She reached out and spread her hands over his chest and arms. “You look as if you are made of steel.” She lifted her gaze to his shyly. “You know, I never liked muscles before, but I think they’ve rather grown on me.” Her palm spread over the bulge of muscle on his upper arm and squeezed. “Aye,” she said, her voice growing a little huskier, “I am quite appreciative.”
Another blast of heat rushed over him. He swore and kissed her again before her words could drive him any crazier.
He had every intention to take it slow. To savor every minute of what might be the only time—
He stopped.Don’t think about it.
Instead he concentrated on how good she felt, tucked in under him. He held her cradled against his side, half-propped over her, so as not to crush her with his weight. It also left his hand free to explore, and he made damned sure to leave no part of her untouched. He cupped her breast through the thin fabric of the chemise, brushing his thumb over the taut peak, before sliding his hand back over her waist and hips, and then her bottom, lifting her against him until her leg wrapped around his hip.
Their groans and moans blurred together when he started to rock gently against her. Slowly he increased the pace, mimicking the rhythm with his tongue, as the slow, gentle circles became a fast, hard grind. He let her get used to his size. Let her feel every inch of his length as he moved his body over hers.
But the playacting separated by a few layers of linen and wool wasn’t enough for either of them. The frantic race of her heartbeat and quickening breath, between increasingly urgent gasps and moans, matched his own.
Tension pounded through his body. He was so damned hot. Fevered. His body an inferno of need. Sweat gathered on his brow as he fought the instincts pressing inside him. Every one of his muscles was flexed hard, shaking with the effort to find restraint. To find control. To make it last.
But it wasn’t going to last. Not this time. It felt too good, and he wanted her too intensely. From the first moment he’d seen her in the forest, half-naked and fierce as a Valkyrie, he’d been waiting for this moment. He hadn’t wanted to acknowledge that even to himself, but the truth had finally caught up to him. Or maybe it was fate that had caught up to him.
He knew it was too hurried. Too rushed. But he had to be inside her.Now.
With one hand, he unfastened the ties of his breeches and slid them over his hips. The cool blast of air over turgid skin made him groan with relief.
Finesse was beyond him. His hand felt big and clumsy as he reached for the hem of her chemise, easing it just enough to give him access. He forced himself to tease it out. To let his hand rest on her thigh a moment before he touched her. But she wouldn’t let him. She started to squirm, to moan, to lift her hips to meet him.
So he gave her what they both wanted, sweeping his fingers over her dampness, before sliding into the tight feminine heat. He groaned. So wet. So damned hot.
A sharp squeeze of desire fisted at the base of his spine. He wanted to be inside her so desperately, it took everything he had not to lever his body over hers and thrust up hard inside. The knowledge of how good it would feel crashed over him in a hot wave, nearly dragging him under.
But he had to make her ready for him. She was an innocent, damn it, and he was going to make this good for her, even if it killed him.
And it bloody well might.
Lifting his head, he broke the kiss to watch her face as he pleasured her.
He felt something squeeze hard in his chest. She was so beautiful. Locked in the throes of passion, her cheeks flushed with pleasure, her golden hair splayed out behind her head in wild disarray, her eyes half-lidded and her kiss-swollen lips gently parted, she looked like some kind of sensual goddess. Knowing that he was doing this to her humbled him. It was his kiss that had swollen her lips, his week’s worth of stubble that had reddened the sensitive skin around her chin, and his touch that was making her wild.
But not quite wild enough.
Janet felt as if she were caught up in a whirlwind. A hot, frantic, devastating whirlwind. She’d gone from utter despair to ecstasy in a matter of minutes.
Whatever had been holding him back was gone. When he’d kissed her, she knew he’d made his decision: he’d chosen her. Her chest swelled with happiness. She hadn’t been wrong to give him her heart.
Swept up in the heat of his embrace, she gave herself over to the passion. She gave herself over to him. Surrender had never felt so good. The feeling of his fingers inside her—stroking her, bringing her to the very peak of pleasure…
Oh God, she couldn’t stand it! She moaned, writhed, felt the overwhelming urge to press her hips against his hand. An echo of the memory of what he’d done to her taunted, as the sensation flickered just out of her reach.
“Not yet,mo chroí,” he whispered in her ear with a wicked chuckle. “I want to taste you first.”
Janet didn’t want to try to tell him what to do, but she rather preferred this right now to kissing.
She gave a little mewl of protest when he slowed his stroke, and tried not to get irritated when he chuckled. “I promise you’ll like this, lass.”
She felt her first flicker of premonition when he scooted down, not up. My God, his face was right between her…
A sudden flood of embarrassment cooled some of the heat. Instinct brought her legs together hard. “No! Don’t! You can’t.”
He looked up at her, a wicked gleam in his steel-blue eyes. One thick chunk of dark hair slung over his brow, giving him a distinctly roguish edge. He buried his mouth right at the apex of her closed legs, the warmth of his breath making her gasp. He smiled. “I assure you, I can.” He nuzzled her again, gently nudging her legs apart. “You’re going to like this, love. Just let me have one little taste.”
Oh God!She shuddered—and not with mortification—when he nuzzled her again, this time giving her a flick of his tongue that sent ripple after ripple of sensation right to her toes. Her legs relaxed even more, opening a little wider as embarrassment quickly gave way to the wicked cravings of her body.
