She sighed and moved closer, filling his palm with her warmth. Her nipple tightened against his thumb and he brushed over the tip, bringing it to a hardened bud.
Their mouths hovered precariously close. His gaze slid over her face, meeting the piercing beauty of her eyes just as he touched her lips with his.
It was a shock. Like kissing the moon and being illuminated by a thousand silver rays. Desire snaked down his spine and spread through his limbs until they were laden.
He licked over her mouth and delved between her lips to the sweetness inside. Hot and damp and so sinful that it sent shivers of intense desire quaking over his body.
She was breathing hard, little huffs blowing over his face as she pulled away, her eyes glazed with tiny little sparks of green and gold that reminded him of the highlands in the spring.
“ ’Tis the truth I’ve never lain with another man. No one has ever touched me as you have.”
Her admission awoke a primitive, possessive urge deep inside him. At the same time he was filled with tenderness and the desire to make this night one she’d never forget.
“I’ll be gentle, love. I swear it.”
She smiled and cupped his face in her hands as she drew him close. “I know you will, warrior.”
He pulled her into his arms, trapping her against his chest. She smelled sweet and delicate, so much female flesh, soft and supple. He nuzzled against her neck, inhaling her scent and marking her with his teeth. Gentle nips, she shivered with each one.
“Aye, you taste sweet, lass. The sweetest I’ve ever tasted.”
He felt her smile against his temple.
“And you have honeyed lips, warrior. The sweetest I’ve ever heard.”
“ ’Tis not pretty words in which to woo you. ’Tis the truth as I’ve never spoken it.”
She looped her arms around his neck and melted into him with a sigh. “I like the kissing part very much, but something tells me there’s a whole lot more to the matter of loving.”
He smiled and brushed his lips across her brow. “Aye, you are right there. ’Tis much more and I plan to show you in great detail.”
Her lips found his again, this time at her instigation. Her breathy sigh spilled into his mouth and he swallowed her breath, taking her deep into his chest.
He allowed her to take the direction of the kiss, allowed her to take as much as she would from him.
Always before, a quick tup had been to his liking. He took lasses to his bed who enjoyed a fast, playful romp. But here and now, he wanted to savor every moment. He wanted it to last forever. He’d take his time and show her the delights of the flesh—and the heart.
Rising before her, he lowered her onto the bed and pressed his palms into the mattress on either side of her head. Her hair spread out over the sheets like a silken mass. The strands glowed like spun gold in the light from the fire. He ran his fingertips over the glints of color and the varying shades intermixed in the thick pelt of her hair.
She stared up at him, her eyes aglow with trust. It humbled him that she offered him what she’d never granted another man. That she had such faith in him staggered him.
She stretched and twisted beneath him before raising her arms invitingly. Gently he gathered her hands, kissed her knuckles and then lowered them back down to her belly. He slid his hands up her arms, caught her sleeves and slowly pulled them over her shoulders, baring the creamy flesh.
Unable to resist such a temptation, he bent down and kissed the top of her shoulder and teased a line to the curve of her neck. Chill bumps broke out over her skin and danced beneath his lips. He chuckled softly when he took the lobe of her ear between his teeth and she shuddered violently.
“You have a wicked mouth, warrior.”
“I’ve only just begun.”
He pulled at her dress until it hung precariously over the tips of her br**sts. He held his breath, and his body tightened like the string of a bow. His c**k swelled and pushed hard against his trews, straining to be set free and find her sweetness.
He cursed under his breath and clenched his jaw in a frantic effort to maintain control. For several long seconds, his chest heaved as he breathed in and out.
“Is something wrong?”
He yanked his gaze down to see the worry in her eyes and he kissed her, long and leisurely, to chase the fears away. “Nay, lass. Nothing is wrong at all. Everything is right. Just right.”
He left her mouth, nipping lightly at her chin on his way back to her chest. He paused just above the valley of her br**sts and then nuzzled into the hollow, taking the hem of her bodice over the tips.
Her dress gathered at her waist and he stared down at the pebbled ni**les, a delectable pink, so taut that they beckoned his mouth—an urge he was powerless to fight.
He licked one bud and she cried out, her voice hoarse and thin. She gripped his shoulders, her fingers digging into his flesh.
She bowed underneath him when he found her other nipple and sucked it strongly into his mouth.
She was so taut, straining upward, her fingers dug so tight that she looked to be near pain. When he loosened his hold on her breast, she whimpered and stirred restlessly beneath him.
“Shh, lass, ’tis just beginning. Be at ease. Let me love you.”
He moved back until his feet were once again on the floor. He pulled at her dress until it came away, leaving her bare to his gaze.
He swallowed. In all his life, he’d never seen a lass more beautiful. Her skin glowed in the firelight. Creamy and smooth with nary an imperfection. She was perfectly fashioned, her hips rounded, her waist narrow, and generous br**sts to fill a man’s hand and mouth.