Hannah’s mouth left his, and he moaned in protest. But then she placed her lips near his ear, and his whole body shivered.
“Are the bindings making you grumpy?” Although Hannah’s voice was husky, her words themselves were light.
“No,” Eoin said quickly, embarrassed by how much he wanted to remove those interfering strips of fabric. He yearned to feel Hannah—all of her.
“Liar.” Hannah gently nipped his earlobe. Sparks spiraled down Eoin’s spine, which turned into veritable fireworks when Hannah sucked the very spot that she’d nibbled. And if that wasn’t enough of a bolt of lust, Hannah then leaned back, shucked off her coat, and swiftly undid the laces of her shirt. Maintaining eye contact, she reached inside her clothing and slowly withdrew the long band of muslin. When the end of the cloth finally popped free, Hannah casually dropped the material to the floor of the carriage. She watched Eoin with an impish smirk on her kiss-swollen lips.
Eoin didn’t just forget to breathe. He forgot everything, except Hannah and her estimable boldness.
“Let’s rid you of some layers, too, shall we?” Hannah asked coyly as her quick hands unbuttoned his linsey-woolsey coat. As she tugged at the rough, serviceable material, he leaned forward, allowing her to divest him of the garment.
No sooner had it found its way to the bottom of the coach than Hannah’s mouth once more descended over Eoin’s. He pressed back against the squabs as she moved against his chest. This time he could feel the full softness of her breasts. He gripped her body, only to discover that her shirt had ridden up, exposing the small of her back.
The satiny smoothness of her skin enthralled him, and he could not help but run his fingers gently along her flesh. And this time… this time, Hannah was the one to shiver.
Heady pleasure shot through Eoin, and he stroked up her spine, feeling each delicate bump. Hannah quaked in his arms, but her mouth still moved in a hungry demand against his.
Eoin had lived his life as a series of thoughtful deliberations—all calculated to meet his grandfather’s exacting standards. He’d never been allowed to simply feel and to permit his instincts to reign.
But for once, Eoin wasn’t driven by reason but by unmitigated passion. His fingers dipped around Hannah’s side until they slid across the swell of her breasts. Hannah didn’t push him away as she moaned into his mouth.
Sweet fire erupted, setting every fiber of Eoin’s body ablaze. Hannah’s lips left his to trail down his neck as her hands slipped under his shirt. The coolness of her fingertips was a delicious contrast to his heated flesh. He wanted her tender ministrations as badly as he wanted to attend to her needs.
Swounds, he simply couldn’t get close enough to Hannah. It was as if he wanted them to absorb each other’s essence or merge or… he couldn’t think of the right term… he just knew that he needed to connect with her in the most elemental of ways.
Her lips left his and trailed down his neck as she pushed her bosom against his curious fingers. Understanding her wordless command, he palmed each breast, massaging gently as his thumbs swirled around her nipples.
She gasped, her mouth leaving his body as she arched her back. This time, it was he who placed his lips against herexposed neck. He slid one hand around her, bearing her weight so she could lose herself in pleasure.
His body trembled at the onslaught of sensations, yet he felt like he could support Hannah forever. He’d never allowed himself to be so vulnerable in the presence of another, yet then again, he’d never felt so secure. Hannah, he realized, felt like home to him.
Chapter Fourteen
Hannah was not precisely a stranger to passion, and she certainly was no sheltered miss. But no one had ever made her feel like she was as powerful as the sea… until now. With Eoin, she didn’t just feel like she was skimming along brilliant, sunlit waves. Instead, she was part of the incredible force—surging, strong, and unstoppable.
He’d been tentative at first, sweetly so. Very quickly, though, his raw hunger had matched hers, and she wanted it, wanted him and his need.
When Eoin’s lips found a particularly sensitive spot at the base of her neck, Hannah whimpered. Actually whimpered. Never in her life had she thought she would allow such a sound to escape her lips in front of another human being.
But with Eoin, it didn’t seem like a weakness. It simply felt right as his large hand slid in a seductive rhythm over her breast while his thumb toyed devilishly with her nipple. There was a certain thrill to hanging half in the air, her body bonelessly draped against Eoin’s muscular forearm as he bent over her, his mouth practically devouring her neck. Each sway of the carriage bounced their bodies together in the most wonderfully erotic way.
Why had Hannah never attempted this in a coach before?But then again, she’d never ridden in one of these rarefied equipages until she’d met Eoin.
Suddenly, a very unwanted spike of reality drove through Hannah’s glorious haze of pleasure. She gasped and not from delight.
Eoin immediately jerked them upright, his blue eyes studying her closely. She had never known another person so attuned to her emotions.
“I am fine. Just a stray thought,” Hannah said, silently adding to herself,but not a very pleasant one.
What was she doing, kissing Eoin so fervently? She’d only meant to tease away a few of his worries. She hadn’t expected him to actually accept her bold offer.
Or maybe part of her had. She’d felt an explosive attraction to him since their first meeting.
But then she’d discovered Eoin’s identity, and she hadn’t been able to indulge in that intense yearning. That was the crux of the problem.
It wasn’t just because he was her family’s enemy—or perhaps their intertwined past was no longer a reason for Hannah to avoid intimacy with Eoin. After all, Eoin was nothing like his grandfather, who’d sent two boys to the Colonies for trying to feed their families. Instead, Eoin was the type to step in and save a street urchin.
Eoin possessed a sensitive side, a part of him that Hannah suspected was revealed only to her. And she was afraid of injuring him—for he trusted her, while she was keeping secrets.
