Page 36 of Captured by a Laird
Alison’s worried expression confirmed his fear that he had been too rough.
“I’m sorry.” Was he always going to be apologizing to her?
If he did not learn to control his passion, he would batter this fragile flower. She was so delicate-boned that, even naked, she looked refined. He thought of Gelis, his mistress back at Hume Castle, with her wide hips, full breasts, and strong legs. He had never worried about hurting her in bed. But it felt wrong to think of another woman while he was holding this angel in his arms.
He swallowed when he looked at Alison’s breasts. They were small and perfectly shaped, just like the rest of her. What had ever made him think he preferred large-breasted women? Her nipples were hard, begging to be touched.
He kissed her, taking care this time to hold his hunger in check, even when she slipped her hand around his neck. He gently played with her nipples until he drew little high-pitched sounds from her throat that were gratifying but tested his resolve.
He broke the kiss so he could look into her eyes while he dragged his fingers up the inside of her thigh. Her breathing grew shallow as he moved his hand in slow circles, each time drawing closer to his goal. When he brushed her curls, she startled. Then he cupped her, and her eyes went wide.
Oh Jesu, she was already hot and wet for him. When he ran his finger over her damp heat, she sucked in a sharp breath.
“What are ye doing?” she asked.
“I want ye to find your release,” he said in her ear.
“My what?”
He thought about that for a long moment. “Have ye never found pleasure in a man’s arms before?”
She shook her head.
Was it possible? Ten years married, and not once? It pleased him that in this, at least, he would be her first.
When he began stroking her again, she tried to squirm away, but he held her in place and kissed her. The lass liked to be kissed, and he took full advantage of it. As their tongues moved together in a slow, sensuous dance, her resistance melted like butter in a hot pan. Before long, she sank her fingers into his hair and pulled him closer.
“Tell me this feels good to ye,” he said as he kissed the side of her face.
“Mmmm.” Her breathing was uneven, and her eyes unfocused.
She shivered when he kissed the peak of each breast. He circled and flicked his tongue, coaxing her nipple, until she arched her back in silent invitation. When he drew her breast into his mouth, he closed his eyes against a rising tide of desire that threatened to pull him under.
He felt her fingers, tentative and light, touch his hair, so far from the violent lust he felt for her. Wanting more from her, he scraped his teeth over her nipple and was rewarded when her hands fisted in his hair. He suckled her breast, relentless in his need, until she moaned and tossed her head side to side. His hand was still between her legs, stroking and circling, as he moved up to kiss her throat and her face.
She was unbearably beautiful like this, with her lips parted and her chest rising and falling in shallow breaths. Her nipples were rosy and taut. When he rubbed his rough thumb over one, she nearly came off the bed. She was close, so close.
“Do this for me, my pretty lass,” he whispered.
He clenched his jaw until it ached to keep himself from lying on top of her to share that exquisite moment, to feel her body clench around him as he plunged into her again and again.
“Please…please,” she murmured.
Despite the desperation in her voice, he sensed her resistance.
“Trust me, sweet Alison. Trust me.”
He buried his face in her neck as her body convulsed.
As her breathing gradually slowed, he wrapped her in his arms, wanting her so badly he shook. He squeezed his eyes shut as he imagined being enveloped in her liquid heat as she cried out his name. He knew if he entered her now, he could send her over the edge a second time. Aye, he could do it, and she would not resist.
But he had given her his word that he would not. He drew in ragged breaths until his heart stopped racing.
“Is this your way of bringing me under your power?” she asked, a sleepy smile curving her lips, which were still rosy from their kisses.
“Aye.”
She laughed, a light, musical sound that he had not heard before but already wanted to hear again. Then she looked at him with eyes that were soft and liquid, and his heart clenched.
