Page 26 of A Forbidden Night with a Scot
He was not going to do this. He was not going to pleasure himself thinking about Alicia. This was a girl he had seen grow up. He was simply confused, he told himself, because now he found himself in front of a woman instead of a girl.
Once he had himself a little more under control, he undressed and slipped into bed, cursing under his breath. His stomach churned at the thought of what he had almost done, nausea gripping him as the guilt washed over him. At the same time, every flash of that conversation in his mind had his manhood stirring with interest, his traitorous body refusing to back down.
There was only one thing he could do; he would simply have to avoid Alicia until those feelings faded.
A warm body pressed up against Samuel, soft and lithe. His hand found the swell of a breast, fingers rolling and pinching the hardened nipple to draw a sweet moan out of a long, pale throat. Dark strands of hair were draped over that glowing skin and Samuel pushed them gently back, revealing Alicia’s breasts entirely as he rolled her on her back.
Smiling at him, Alicia went easily, legs parting to let him settle between them. Samuel smiled, too, hands caressing her thighs and sweeping only for a moment over her mound before moving back up her body to cradle her breasts.
He wanted to tease her. He wanted to show her just how good this could feel.
He couldn’t help but stare as his hands massaged and stroked her breasts, those pink nipples peeking through his fingers. He leaned down and drew one of them in his mouth, teeth grazing gently over the peak, and Alicia arched beautifully against his mouth, chasing the feeling.
“Please,” she whispered, her body writhing under him, her warm, soaked opening brushing against his thigh. Samuel ached to taste her, to hear her moan his name as she fell apart on his fingers, his length. “Please, Samuel.”
His name was like music coming from her lips. Samuel kissed her, slow and deep, hand reaching for himself. He was painfully hard, already leaking, and all he could think about was sinking into that wet heat, feeling Alicia’s body part for him, letting him inside.
Samuel opened his eyes with a start, heart hammering in his chest. At first, he didn’t know where he was or what was happening, but then reality sank all around him, bringing him back to the real world.
He was soaked in sweat, his manhood just as hard as in the dream, leaking against the sheets. The brush of them over his oversensitive flesh was a delicious torture as he rolled on his back, closing his eyes and clenching his jaw so hard he could almost hear his molars crack.
It was so tempting to take himself in hand and bring himself to completion, but he couldn’t fool himself. The dream was still so fresh in his mind that every time he closed his eyes, he saw Alicia’s naked form in front of him, shaking with pleasure. He couldn’t claim to be thinking about anything else if he touched himself, and so he didn’t, keeping his hands by his sides.
This cannae happen again. It can never happen again.
He needed a cold bath, something to cool down his body and bring his thoughts back on track. Then, he needed to keep his distance just as he should have done from the start.
Alicia already had too much to deal with, and though Samuel was not blind to the affection she had always had for him, it was nothing but an innocent childhood infatuation, one that may have persisted, but which meant nothing. Samuel was not going to take advantage of that innocence. He wasn’t going to sully it.
What would Gavin say if he kent? How disgusted he would be with me!
Just as disgusted as Samuel was with himself, he thought. He would have his head, and rightfully so.
So began a week of masterful stealth from Samuel. He spent most of his time with Gavin and in those rare times when they were apart, he made sure to stay as far away from Alicia as possible. Every time he encountered her in the hallways of the castle or out in the courtyard, he swiftly changed course and headed the opposite direction, walking so fast that everyone around him began to question it, though no one said a thing.
It was obvious, of course. He was obvious. Alicia had quickly understood what he was doing and to say she was not happy about it would be an understatement. No matter how hard she tried to corner him, though, and get him all alone, Samuel would not allow it. He did everything in his power to stay away from her and he succeeded.
Naturally, his luck and skill could only take him so far.
It was late in the afternoon when he was taking a shortcut through the corridor near the kitchens to slip out to patch ofopen land right behind the castle, as he often did those days. Hardly anyone but the servants went there, and so he didn’t fear running into Alicia while being alone.
Naturally, that was precisely where Alicia had been waiting for him.
A door to a pantry opened and a hand shot out, grabbing Samuel and pulling him inside with surprising force. Between that and his shock, he suddenly found himself inside that little room filled with sacks of barley and wheat as Alicia locked the door and stashed the key in the pocket of her dress—where she knew Samuel would not dare reach.
Clever lass,he thought, and then,I’m trapped now.
What little light existed in the room came in through a tiny window near the ceiling. The sky outside was quickly darkening, and the tiny, cramped space of the pantry was filled with shadows, each getting longer and longer as the sun dipped lower. The air smelled faintly sweet from the sacks, and a little musty, as little air circulated in the room.
Alicia, leaning against the door with her arms crossed in front of her, stared at Samuel in silence. If she expected him to speak first, though, she was not going to get what she wanted—not because Samuel was stubborn, but rather because he didn’t know what to say.
What was there to say? There was nothing to admit; Alicia already knew he was avoiding her. No matter how much shebegged him, he would still keep his distance. It was for the best. It was for her own good, even if Alicia didn’t see it.
Tapping her foot restlessly against the floor, Alicia watched Samuel as he leaned back against a large sack of grain. Eventually, the silence proved too much for her and she asked, “Have ye been avoidin’ me?”
Samuel thought the answer to her question was quite obvious, though he still had trouble confirming it. He said nothing and instead only sat there, barely meeting her eyes.
“Right,” said Alicia in a rush of breath. “O’ course ye’re avoidin’ me. Is it because o’ that night in the library?”
