It wasn’t as if he hadn’t wanted to kiss her. A man couldn’t be with her day in and day out and be oblivious to the feminine perfection that wasElise Lanscarr. After all, men fell in love with their eyes.
But he knew what lay beneath the surface. She was quick-witted, spirited, kind, bold, and generous—and it pleased him to no end to learn that she was such a terrible kisser.
He could remedy that. This was an opportunity he could not pass up.
Would she thank him? Kit wasn’t certain.
And he also knew he’d best be wise. Her hard kiss only reinforced her innocence. He was a gentleman. He needed to see her returned to her family that way. In fact, if he was truly wise, he would tuck her into bed and then go outside and sleep with Tamsyn.
But before he did that, the truly noble thing would be to teach her to kiss.
Kit lifted her into his lap. Comically, her lips didn’t budge from his. When Elise took action, she carried through. Few could deter her.
However, he liked the weight of her. She felt good in his arms.
And something stirred within him... not the little beast, although that part of Kit had been excited from the moment he’d realized they would be sharing a room.
No, what moved was Kit’s heart. Another crack formed in the hard shell he’d worn around himself. He could feel himself growing whole.
A voice whispered inside of him that the last thing he should be doing was offering kissinglessons. But her nipples pressed against the soft white material of her gown as if begging to be touched. Her hips rested across his thighs, making him all the more aware of his erection. And Kit knew he couldn’t let this beautiful, willful woman believe the hard press of lips was a kiss.
He gently pressed her shoulders. The kiss broke. Elise opened her eyes as if startled. He leaned toward her. “Elise, do you trust me?”
The small worry line appeared between her brows. She nodded.
That was all the consent he needed. He took her hands still on his shoulders and brought them down. Lacing their fingers, he whispered, “Close your eyes.”
Elise obeyed, her body tense.
Kit savored the moment. He breathed in the scent of her skin. She reminded him of the deep green forests they walked through, of the sparkling water they waded across, and of the rising of the moon that gilded them now. Her scent spoke of all they had experienced together.
He bypassed her lips. Instead, he lowered his head so that he lightly followed the line of sensitive skin right below her jaw with the very tip of his tongue.
Elise gasped at his lightest touch. That was how responsive she was.
A primal beat began in Kit’s veins. He had to remind himself that this was about a kiss. Heowedher a kiss.One, he reminded himself, but he could take his time with it.
With the tip of his tongue, he traced the line between her closed lips. They naturally parted—and that is when he kissed her.
He held his passion in check. He wanted this to be good for her. His purpose was to show her how a kiss should start—
A cynical voice inside him, the honest one, pushed back on selfish excuses. He’d wanted to kiss her since that day she’d rounded on him for his rude comments about Tommy and his father, the day she’d forced him to see her as a person and not an unwelcome obligation.
She had challenged him. Often thwarted him. Always fascinated him.
There was a hesitance, a sweetness about her trust in him... but then Elise’s natural curiosity took hold. Her tongue experimentally stroked his, copying his own actions. From deep within him, lust roared and their kiss took on a deeper dimension.
It was no longer a lesson for her.
Hewas the one being schooled.
He buried his hands in the thickness of her glorious hair, and he kissed her the way he wanted to kiss. No reservations; no pretense; no holding back.
The heat of her was pressed down upon him. He held her close and rained a line of kisses to her ear. The moment he touched a sensitive spot,Elise reacted, her hold tightening. His hands cupped the curves of her buttocks—
God, what was he doing?What weretheydoing? Because Elise was as much of a participant as he was. She pressed her breasts against his chest and he wished there was no thin material between their bodies. This was dangerous. She might not completely understand what was happening, but she was learning fast.
Kit took hold of her arms and brought them down to her sides. Their lips met again, like flint to steel. Sparks flew, and he couldn’t let it go on.
