“Relax, lass.” He brushed strands of hair away from her face and caressed her cheek with a hand so gentle it might have been a butterfly skimming across her skin. “I willna do anything ye doona want me to do. Ye can tell me to stop at any time. Do ye understand?”
Slowly, she opened her eyes to gaze at him. His eyes were dark as sapphires in the low light of the candle on the bedside table. He touched her nose with a fingertip. “Understand?”
She nodded and spread her legs. “Go about it then.”
He chuckled. “We might—or mayhap nae—get to that area later.”
She felt her eyes widen at themayhap nae…might not. Did he actually mean he might not complete the act if she didn’t want him to? Bringing her legs back together, she whispered, “What do you want me to do?”
“Nothing. I want ye to enjoy what I do.”
Enjoy.She wasn’t sure that was possible for her. But…she had enjoyed his kisses. Her body had turned to mush…was that just physical? Did everyone who was kissed expertly react like that? Or…was she capable of trulyfeeling? Because this was Rory. That was what she wanted to find out, didn’t she? “I…I will try.”
“Trust me.”
And I do.The sudden realization struck her like the huge wave that had once knocked her over when she had waded into the sea. The force of the truth sucked the air out of her lungs. She had trusted Rory from the very start, when he’d gotten her away from Neal at the MacLean’s. She just hadn’t let herself…wouldn’tlet herself feel…
The rest of the thought was cut off by the brush of his lips across hers.
It was the softest of kisses, gone before she could respond. She felt his breath fan her cheek as he kissed her forehead, then he feathered small kisses across her eyelids before moving to her ear. He nuzzled the tender spot behind it, then licked the lobe, causing little shivers to run down her spine. When he nipped it lightly, a moan escaped her.
His mouth found hers again, but he teased it with brushing swipes, allowing her to savor the touch before he pressed his lips against hers with a gentle, firm pressure. He taunted by running the tip of his tongue along the crease, coaxing but not demanding she open to him. Her lips parted of their own accord, but he did not take advantage by plundering. Instead, he nibbled at one corner, then slowly sucked her lower lip, causing her to gasp, before he returned to kissing her. She was openmouthed now, but still his tongue did not intrude. Instead, he feasted on her lips, angling his head for different effects as he kept kissing her. He played with her mouth as though he had nothing else in mind. A feeling of frustration rose in her. Tentatively, she let her tongue touch him. For a moment, she felt him pause, and then his tongue joined hers.
She made a soft mewling sound as his tongue, with its warmth and velvety texture, explored slowly, entwining with hers. There was no demanding pressure, only a feeling that he could go on forever, like he had with his kisses. An odd sensation shot through her, pooling in her lower belly.
She started to protest when he finally withdrew, but he only placed a finger across her lips. He nuzzled her neck once more, then trailed kisses down her throat, causing her to instinctively turn her head to give him better access. Who knew that would feel so good? Or the nibbling that he was doing now?
Cool air across her chest was her first indication that Rory had somehow loosed the ribbons on her night rail without her noticing. Or that his busy hands had slipped it off her shoulders? She reached to tug it back up, but he stayed her.
“I want to see your breasts.”
“Why?”
He grinned. “Ye will find out in a moment if ye let me pull this down.”
No man had ever seen her breasts, not even when… She cut off the thought before it could fester. Curiosity rose in its place. “All right.”
He inched the night rail down slowly, letting his fingertips slide along her collarbone, then down her arms as the garment slid lower. She felt a moment of embarrassment as it gathered at her waist, fully exposing her breasts to him.
“So beautiful,” Rory murmured as he cupped them gently into his palms. “They fit perfectly.”
She hadn’t ever considered her breasts fitting anywhere, but before she could ponder that, he began to knead them, his thumbs flicking across her nipples and causing any rational thoughts to flee.
“Ye react as I knew ye would.”
Rory rolled one suddenly hard peak between two fingers, eliciting a short gasp from her, but when he bent his head and took the other one in his mouth—laving the areola—she nearly shrieked. The sensation was like nothing she’deverexperienced. Juliana felt her breasts grow heavy, and she needed…more. His hand alternately pinched and tugged at the first nipple, causing a tingling sensation to rack her body in strange places. When he stopped his ministrations, she almost cried, but then he cupped her breasts again, pressing them together so he could alternate flicking his tongue over both tips. She arched her back for him and thought she heard him growl. And then his mouth covered the breast that his hand had manipulated, and he began to suckle. The heat that had been pooling in her belly intensified, and that special spot between her thighs began to pulse. “My God! Do not stop!”
“There is more,” he said as he pulled his mouth from her nipple with a final lick.
“Better than this?” Her voice sounded shaky to her.
He grinned again. “Ye be the judge.”
Before she realized what he was up to, he shifted, taking the night rail with him as he positioned himself on his knees between her legs. She hadn’t even realized he’d separated them, but now he placed a thigh on either of his shoulders, leaving her totally and completely open to him. It seemed a strange position if he was going to… “What are you—”
“Shh. Ye will find out.”
He placed a soft kiss on her inner thigh, causing her to quiver. Then he placed another, higher on her thigh. He splayed her folds with his hands, one finger stroking along the slickness.
