Page 67 of No One's Bride
Confusion and relief made a heady combination. “You wish to claim it now?” he said against her fingers.
“Aye.” She didn’t snatch her hand away but moved to cup his cheek. “It cannae wait. I’d rather bargain with the passionate man than the one who gives me cold shivers.”
He couldn’t be cold towards her if he tried. This undeniable attraction was a palpable thing, a hot pulsing energy. “What do you want from me, Ailsa?”
She gulped, hesitated, the anticipation almost unbearable. “What if I never feel like this again? What if I’ve no hope of experiencing it with any other man?”
His heart thumped an erratic beat. “It?”
She stared at his mouth, her lips parting before they touched his briefly. “This all-consuming need to have you. Make love to me, Sebastian. Make love to me before we break the spell.”
ChapterThirteen
Had Sebastian known the price of losing the game was a night of debauchery, he’d have dribbled cherry liqueur down his chin, slathered it over his face and declared himself a failure.
“Do you know what you’re asking?” While his body ached to release the mounting tension, a gentleman should err on the side of caution.
“Aye.” Ailsa’s nervous smile touched a place deep in his chest. “I’m asking ye to grant me a boon and forget our troubles for an hour or two.”
An hour or two? One plunge into her wetness, and he would blow as quick as a young buck taking his first strokes.
“I’m asking ye to pretend we’re lovers.”
He didn’t need to pretend. They had been building up to this moment for days, maybe years. They thrived on every intense encounter. The fire between them blazed as hot as hell’s flames.
“You’re asking me to ruin you.” To push deep into her exquisite body, to ride her hard until they were sweat-soaked and sated.
“I’m asking ye to make me feel like a woman. To show me the true depth of desire.” She averted her gaze, hiding behind a veil of timidity. “If the prospect is unappealing, then—”
“Unappealing!” Sebastian laughed. He spent as much time trying to tame his erection as he did hauling air into his lungs. “Do you know how hard it’s been to keep my hands off you?” How many times he’d palmed his cock while uttering her name?
Her eyes met his, the sensual smile behind her gaze unmistakable. “But I thought ye were desperate to end this witchery.”
I’m desperate to lose myself in your naked body, love.
The tightening in his abdomen confirmed he could rise to the challenge in seconds. “To hell with dancing beneath the crescent moon. It can wait.”
Her sultry stare caressed him. “How do we begin?”
“How do you want to begin?”
“Dinnae ask me. I’m the novice.”
“You don’t kiss like a novice.” The woman had near blown his mind with her teasing tongue. “You don’t moan like a novice. And I doubt you’ll make love like one.”
“That has nothing to do with skill and everything to do with—”
“Don’t mention the five-letter word that rhymes with hell.” He placed the lamp on the ground, took both their notes and slipped them into his coat pocket. “Where do you want me?”
She blinked as if English were a foreign language.
“It’s your boon,” he reminded her playfully. “As I am at your beck and call, madam, I will do whatever you command.” Keen to give her minimal guidance, he added, “Follow your instincts. Take your pleasure.”
Her confident smile proved promising. She peered through the gloom at the glow of candlelight spilling from the house. He’d wager she would choose his bedchamber. Somewhere comfortable where they could frolic undisturbed. Or maybe the library, the sight of rare books heightening her desire.
As he waited, his body throbbing with anticipation, the first spots of rain fell.
Plump drops landed on her cheeks and lashes, but she did not squeal or gather her skirts and seek shelter. The minx glanced at the mass of dark clouds swallowing the crescent moon and laughed.
