Once the thought was in place, it would not be dislodged. It was all he could think of. Being the first to show her pleasure. Binding her to him, making her his.
He worked her breast with his mouth as his hand skimmed over her hip and bottom—resisting the urge to bring her more firmly against him—and down the long length of her leg to slide under the edge of her skirt.
At the first touch of her skin, he felt her stiffen with shock. He soothed her skittishness with soft murmurs whispered against her damp skin as he continued to kiss and suck her breasts. “Don’t be scared, my sweet. I only wish to give you pleasure. I will stop whenever you wish.”
He released her breast and kissed her mouth again, stroking her with his tongue, mimicking the movements he would make with his finger. He felt her body relax.
His hand slid up the delicate curve of her leg; her skin was as soft as velvet.
His erection strained against the leather of his breeches. Lust pounded in his ears, but he quieted it, focusing solely on the beautiful woman about to come apart in his arms. His fingers caressed the soft skin of her inner thighs.
Her breath caught and he broke the kiss, lifting his head so he could look at her when he touched her. Her eyes were hazy with passion, but also hesitant.
He swept his finger over her, and her eyes widened with shock.
He fought the groan that racked his body, feeling her dampness. He’d never been so aroused by anything as the slick evidence of her desire.For me.
He touched her again, teasing, coming achingly close to her core, to the place she so desperately wanted him to touch.
She shuddered against him, growing heavier in his arms as her legs weakened. He brushed her again and again, until her back arched and her hips started to move against his hand in innocent frustration. When he couldn’t stand it any longer, he took her breast in his mouth again and sucked just as he slid his finger inside her. The sound of pleasure she made nearly unmanned him. She was so wet, he had to fight the shudder of his own desire. He was hot and hard and ready to explode. He wanted nothing more than to slide inside her, feeling her tightness clamp around him and draw him in.
But first it was for her.
He sucked and stroked, his hand and mouth working in perfect tandem, merciless in his need to bring her more pleasure than she’d ever dreamed of.
The force of what came over her was like nothing she’d ever imagined. Caitrina felt the sensations build and build inside her until they had nowhere else to go.
The quiver between her legs where he touched tightened into a frantic pulsing. She didn’t know what to do. Her hips moved against his hand, seeking pressure. It felt as if she were reaching for something that hovered just out of her reach.
Frustrated, she writhed in his arms. “Please . . . Oh, God.”
“Let go, my sweet. Don’t fight it.”
She couldn’t if she wanted to. Not with the magical way he was touching her.
And then she felt it take hold, a feeling unlike anything that had come before, a feeling as close to heaven as she had ever thought to experience on earth. She cried out. Her entire body clenched. For a moment she thought her heart had stopped, then everything shattered and the spasms of release crashed over her.
When it was over she sagged against him, drained by the power and wonder of what had just happened.
Her heart stalled.By what had just happened.
She opened her eyes, seeing Jamie Campbell holding her in his arms. Restraint pulled tautly across his handsome features in the hard flex of his jaw and the fierce intensity in his eyes. She felt his body against her, the hard length of his manhood throbbing against her hip, the furious pounding of his heart that had yet to slow. The stark reality of what had only a few minutes ago been cloaked in passion hit her with the force of a thunderbolt.
Dear God, what have I just done?Shame crawled over her as she was forced to acknowledge the intimacy of what they’d just shared. She’d allowed Jamie Campbell to touch her in places and do things to her that belonged only to a husband.
Pushing him away, she staggered out of his arms, her eyes burning with humiliation.
He tried to take her arm to steady her, but she flinched away.
“There is no shame in what just happened to you, Caitrina.” His voice was soft and soothing, so understanding.
But she didn’t want to hear it.
“How can you say that?” she cried, her voice tight with the ball of emotion lodged at the back of her throat. She gazed down at her breasts bared over her stays and loosened gown, her nipples tender and rosy from his wicked kiss. Mortified heat spread across her cheeks. Turning, she made quick work of covering herself, trying to restore some semblance of modesty.
Despair drained through her as she recognized the truth: Some things would never be restored—like her innocence and illusion of indifference.
When she turned back around, she avoided his gaze but noticed that all vestiges of passion had been erased from his face. His expression was once again implacable. She hated his control. That he could be so unaffected when her world had just shattered seemed somehow all the more devastating. What would it take for this man tofeel?
