Page 27 of The Bastard Heir
She nodded. “I want you to be able to find Derringer. What he did to you isn’t right and I know I can’t help you, but I want to do what I can to make things easier for you. You deserve to have an end to your pain.”
He cursed under his breath—or she thought he cursed but couldn’t be certain because he’d said it in Spanish—and hung his head. Before she realized what she meant to do, she took his head between her hands and tilted it back up. His hair was thick and soft against her fingertips, but she tried not to pay attention to how good it felt. “Castillo….”
“I’m sorry, mi corazón. I accused you of a bad thing,” he whispered.
Her heart clenched at his obvious regret. “I understand why you would think that. I haven’t done much to redeem myself, I’m afraid.”
He was shaking his head before she’d even finished. “You didn’t deserve that. I was angry at myself for the way I kissed you.”
“Why were you angry about that? I…I thought we both wanted it?”
“That’s why I’m angry. I did want it, but I don’t have time for that, for you. Even if I did…I’d only end up hurting you.” He shifted and moved off her to sit on the bed. He tucked the sheet more firmly around his hips and leaned over toward the bedsidetable, where he struck a match and lit a candle. The air smelled like sulfur and burning wood.
Caroline was genuinely disappointed that he’d moved away from her, but tried to cover the misplaced emotion by adjusting her night rail and wrapper. The small candle only lit the area where they sat, but it was enough to give color to the gray night. He sat in silence, his fists gripping the edge of the bed as he stared down at the floor.
She couldn’t resist taking in the view of his wide chest and shoulders in this new perspective. She wanted to trace his muscles with her hands to learn all of the hollows and planes of his body. A pulse beat between her legs at the thought, so she clenched her thighs together and looked down, silently reminding herself that she should leave him alone. He couldn’t be hers. His bare right foot was next to her left one. She’d never seen a bare male foot before, she realized with some surprise. His were wider and longer than hers. His skin was a few shades darker, too.
She didn’t know what he meant by the remark that he’d end up hurting her. She sensed it was because of the things she didn’t know about him. That sense that he was dangerous. She wanted to ask him, but her self-preservation was hanging by a thread. To know more about him, anything about him, could break it.
“I was wrong. Please accept my apology for my behavior.” He was looking at her now, and she nearly caught her breath from the intensity. The look in his eyes was certainly one that shouldn’t exist outside a bedroom.
She nodded, but all she could muster was a weak, “Of course.”
When he didn’t look away, she licked her lips, aware that the strange pulse between her thighs hadn’t lessened. She became aware that she was completely naked beneath her nightclothes, and this encounter was inappropriate in every way possible, butshe couldn’t muster the energy to stop it. She didn’t want to stop it.
“What will you do about school?” he asked, his expression earnest.
Caroline licked her lips again. Her mind churned on his question, but she couldn’t think right now. What was wrong with her? She was about to jump out of her skin and he sat there, clearly upset, but calm. He was trying to figure out a solution to their problems, while she was ogling him as if she didn’t have a brain in her head. Surely he wouldn’t be so calm if he was half as affected as she was. She pulled her wrapper tight around her, hoping to hide the way her nipples had tightened. “I’m not sure. I’ll have to think of something.” To break the tension, she smiled and said, “I’m guessing compromising me is definitely out of the question now?”
He smiled, a beautiful smile that lightened his face and crinkled his eyes, and his shoulders shook in silent laughter. The flickering candlelight caught the gold cross hanging on a chain around his neck. He relaxed his posture and shifted toward her a little, bringing his knee up to rest on the edge of the bed. The movement drew her gaze and she saw the only true evidence that he was as affected as she was. His male part bulged beneath the sheet that was stretched tight across his lap, definitely erect. The knowledge flooded her limbs with a leaden weight and liquid heat pooled between her thighs. She bit her lip and glanced up at him to see if he’d noticed her looking. He had.
His humor had fled, to be replaced by that look of intensity she now recognized as arousal. “Carolina,” he whispered, and that name in his passion-roughened voice made her catch her breath.
She wanted to be Carolina. She wanted to be his. Her mind raced in a hundred different directions as he moved in closer. The weight of his gaze touched her mouth, followed by the whisper of his breath just before his mouth claimed hers. Onestrong hand went to her hip, while the other wrapped itself in her braid and he took control of her.
She opened for him, eager to taste him again. Of their own accord, her hands found his shoulders and she finally—finally—was able to explore his smooth skin the way she wanted. Her palms roved over his shoulders and down his back, but couldn’t decide on a place to settle because he felt so good. His skin was warm and satiny, but the muscles underneath were firm and she wanted to feel them all. Before she realized what was happening, he’d lowered her down on the bed and risen over her, so they were in a similar position as before. Only this time he didn’t hesitate to kiss her again. His tongue dipped into her mouth to brush against hers, creating a delicious friction she felt all the way down to her toes and making her moan in the back of her throat.
He echoed that sound with his own deep-throated groan and his lips moved down her neck in a trail of hot, open-mouthed kisses. His hand moved to the tie on her wrapper and tugged it until it fell open, leaving her with just the thin, soft cotton night rail. His palm roamed up over her belly to settle over her breast, and she nearly jumped out of her skin when he touched her sensitive nipple through the fabric.
As his hand shifted to cup her breast, his thumb stroked over her nipple. She bit her lip to keep another moan from escaping, but couldn’t stop herself from pushing her hips up into him. His leg slipped between her thighs, and the coarse hair on his bare calf abraded her skin where her gown had ridden up, sending shivers through her body. His erection strained against her thigh, so impossibly hard she could barely believe it. She’d had no idea that a man would be so hard.
“Carolina,” he whispered against her overheated skin, the tip of his tongue tasting her. When she realized he was bound for her breast, she gasped aloud. It had never occurred to her thata man would want suckle her, but that’s just what he did. His hot mouth closed over her and he sucked her through the thin fabric. His teeth scraped across her puckered nipple, and there was no stopping the cry that fell from her lips as her entire body tightened.
A wave of need rolled through her, sending a dart of pleasure straight to her core. The pulse between her legs became a full-on ache for some sort of gratification. “Castillo,” she whispered as she shifted against him. Her fingers delved into his hair, holding him against her.
She hadn’t even realized he’d moved until the cool night air touched her leg. He shoved his hand under her gown, pushing the thin cotton fabric up to her hip. His knee pressed against the inside of her thigh, urging her to open for him, so she did, tilting her leg out to give him access. He groaned against her breast when his fingers found her swollen and wet for his touch.
“Oh, God,” she whispered, arching up toward his touch. She’d never imagined in all her life that a man’s touch could feel so good. Dipping briefly into her wetness, his two middle fingers moved up to circle her swollen clitoris. She bit her lip again to keep from making a sound and found herself circling her hips to counter the friction and the ache he was building. Very soon, quicker than she’d realized it would happen, that motion wasn’t enough. She dug her fingertips into his shoulders and shifted restlessly as the ache within her expanded and she felt an indescribable pressure building inside her. “Please,” she whispered.
“Dammit, Carolina.” He held himself over her as if he’d realized what he was doing, but didn’t stop touching her between her thighs. “I shouldn’t be doing this to you.”
Her arms tightened around him at the mere hint that he might stop. One leg curled around his thigh. She felt as if she couldn’t touch him enough, couldn’t get enough contact with him.“Castillo, I need…” What did she need? His fingertips slanted over her clitoris, giving her just enough pressure to take the edge off the relentless ache.
“What do you need?” His voice was a hoarse rasp against her lips as he kissed her and his hips pushed against her in a faint thrust.
“More…you…more.” His shaft was so hard against her that she realized exactly what she needed. She needed him to fill her. It’d be so easy to push the sheet down from his hips and free him. He’d already be there, ready to thrust himself inside her.
Taking pity on her, his fingers moved down to her opening. She nearly came out of her skin when he circled her and eased a fingertip inside, stretching her to accommodate him. It was a slow in and out movement that had her desperate for more, until finally he pressed his broad finger deep and she saw stars behind her eyelids.
