Page 33 of A Bride for the Kilted Beast

Her hand still lay upon his, so he curled his fingers around hers and slowly lifted her hand to his lips, turning it over and gently kissing the palm, looking into her eyes. She did not pull her hand away, but only stared at him, her gray eyes wide, her lips trembling.

Encouraged by the fact she had let him do it without fighting him, Diarmaid continued holding her hand as he uncrossed his legs and slid up the bed, closer to her. He could see her chest fluttering as her breathing became more rapid. Diarmaid could not help getting excited by the sight of the small globes of her breasts, their pale tops visible above the neckline of her gown, rising and falling quickly. However, he reined himself in.

“Lillie, I ken ye believe that… relations between a man and a woman must be painful fer the woman, but that’s nae true.”

She continued to stare at him, like a deer startled by a hunter, but she said nothing. He moved up next to her, kissing each of her fingers softly, one by one, then trailing his lips slowly, delicately up the inside of her forearm, watching for her reaction. When he reached the hollow of her elbow, he felt her take in a breath sharply, and a quiver went through her whole body.

“That’s nice, is it nae?” he asked, hearing the rasp of self-control in his own voice as he tamped down his own growing excitement. Still, she said nothing, but he knew from the way her body quivered that he was affecting her, and she had not screamed or bolted. So, he continued his quest.

With his free hand, he gently brushed a stray tress of hair that had fallen over her shoulder behind her ear and stroked her cheek with a lingering touch. Again, there came a sharp intake of breath, and she stiffened, her breathing rapid. She still did not protest or pull away. Diarmaid trailed his fingers over her cheek, then her ear, and down the side of her neck. Her hand was still clasped in his, the other in her lap, a clenched fist.

“Ye see. D’ye nae find that pleasurable?” He looked deeply into her eyes. When she gave a small nod, he felt a burst of elation inside him. It was working! And he had to admit, he was finding having to force himself to be subtle and hold back his desire for her surprisingly erotic.

“It disnae have tae hurt the woman if the man is gentle, like this.” He stroked her hair and cheeks as he gazed into her eyes, eager to convince her that he sought only to please her.

“Ye promise ye willnae hurt me?” she whispered, gazing at him, a small line of worry between her brows.

“I promise never tae hurt ye,” he assured her, softly teasing her neck and ear with small, slow kisses. “I promise tae only give ye pleasure. Just trust me. Let me just show ye what pleasure is, so ye need nae fear me as yer husband.”

“All right,” she whispered again, taking in a deep breath.

“Now, tell me, what does it feel like when I kiss ye?” he breathed. Gradually, he slid his lips upwards, drinking in the fragrance and feel of her smooth skin, until they rested lightly on hers. “Like this.”

With all the delicacy he could muster, since his hardening manhood was becoming uncomfortable, he pressed his lips to hers, letting her get used to the feeling before gently capturing her bottom lip between his lips and teasing it gently with his tongue. Softly, he toyed with her lips, slowly lapping and nibbling at them with his own, and subtly sliding his tongue into her mouth.

“Ah!” she breathed, slightly opening her lips beneath his. He felt her body soften, and a wave of lust coursed through him. He fought to suppress it, for fear of scaring her off after having made so much progress. Gently, he continued to tease her lips with his, opening her mouth a little wider and sliding his tongue further inside, tentatively exploring her mouth and caressing her tongue with his, hoping it would encourage her to do a little exploring of her own.

Suddenly, he felt her mouth answer his, her lips opening wider to admit him, her own tongue gently sliding over his, tangling with it in a gentle dance. Diarmaid could not help himself, he had to reveal some of the passion he was feeling for her. He let go of her hand and took her in his arms, pulling her closer, her breasts pressed against his chest. He increased the pressure of his mouth on hers, his lips more forceful, deepening the intensity of the kiss.

Warmth filled him when she responded by slipping her hands onto his shoulders, clearly wanting more. Her tongue became bolder, matching his questing exploration, allowing him to draw her closer with a willingness that both surprised and delighted him.

Their mouths broke apart, and they stared at each other. The sight of Lillie’s mouth, swollen from his kisses, and her slight panting, almost drove him to distraction, but he fought down his desire. Now a willing partner, she slid with him further down the bed, so they were laying in each other’s arms. Diarmaid was inflamed when Lillie entwined her arms around his neck and seemed eager to continue their kissing, quickly learning from him how to return his teasing caresses with her mouth.

He could not contain a groan when she deepened the kiss herself, knowing he was giving her pleasure and showing her how it could be. A small moan escaped her lips, and he had no doubt that she was now fully involved in what was happening. Excited almost to the point of abandon, he forced himself to keep showing restraint, remembering his promise to her.

Emboldened by her response, he slowly allowed his hands to wander over the curves of her waist and hips, trailing tiny, hot kisses down her chin, her throat, and the delicate skin of her decolletage, down to the neckline of her dress, where her breasts were now straining against the material in a way that made him burn to liberate them. But still, he held himself back.

He ventured to fondle her breast, causing her to stiffen slightly in his arms. But he took care to do nothing more than cup it gently, feeling its fullness filling his hand as he massaged and caressed it, wanting her to understand that he would do only as much she would allow. Soon, to his satisfaction, she moaned low into his mouth, stoking his excitement further as she pressed her breasts against him.

Though his manhood was throbbing almost painfully against the inside of his trews, he managed to be patient, knowing he had to bide his time if he was to succeed in winning her over completely.

CHAPTER THIRTEEN

Lillie found herself helplessly wriggling and moaning beneath Diarmaid’s ministrations, his touch sending a flood of new and deliciously pleasurable sensations washing over her. The hunger she saw glinting in his eyes fanned the flame inside her that was rapidly becoming a bonfire she could not control.

His kisses were making her hot, and she found she liked it when he ran his hands over her body, even when she suddenly felt his hand on her breast. She had tensed up for a moment, experiencing a flash of the old fear. But he soon calmed her, gently cupping and massaging her breast, his mouth hot against her throat, until she could feel both breasts straining against her dress. She pressed them towards him, wanting him to touch and kiss them.

“Ye like that?” he whispered, slowly inching the neck of her dress downwards. She answered him with a moan as she wriggled to help him, suddenly needing his mouth upon her burning skin. When she felt his lips close over the stiffened peaks, teasing them with his teeth and tongue, she could do nothing more than twine her fingers in his hair, arch her back, and moan in pleasure, praying for him not to stop.

His hands strayed slowly down the length of her body, and she felt him pushing her skirts up. She grew mildly alarmed at the feeling of being exposed as warm air played against her naked legs. But when his large, rough palms glided up and down her legs slowly, and he made a sound low in his throat as if in appreciation, the sound further fanned the flames of her desire.

When he slid lower, taking the top of her dress with him, his lips hot against her breasts then trailing down her belly, and finally, alighting at the top of her now exposed thighs, she knew she was undone. She lay back, allowing him to gently part her thighs, her fingers entwined in his hair, and gave herself up to this unknown pleasure.

She felt his warm breath on her secret place, and she shivered and moaned as his tongue parted her soft hair and flicked repeatedly across the sensitive bud of flesh at the head of her sex. He sucked on it and toyed with it until she thought she would scream.

At the same time, his fingers parted her legs further and delved into her hot, secret folds, exploring them intimately in a way she had never imagined possible, making her gasp with pleasure. She pressed her sex against him wantonly, all her inhibitions flown to the wind.

Her head rolled back, and she gasped when she felt him slide a finger inside her. She glanced down at him to find he was looking up at her, and though his face was buried between her legs, his eyes were smiling.