Page 67 of The Pirate Lord
A tiny thrill went through her at his words, a thrill that only sharpened when he sat down on the bed, then caught her about the waist, drawing her close to stand between his legs. His mouth fastened on one of her breasts, sucking hard on the nipple until she gasped aloud. Oh, why did he have to make it so exquisite? Why couldn’t he be clumsy or awkward or even cruel? Then she could fight him.
But he was the perfect master of seduction. While his mouth caressed one breast, his fingers kneaded the other until the tip was a tight knot, aching for his touch, for his hot mouth and clever fingers. She clutched his head closer, and he groaned.
“You taste so good,” he murmured against her breast. “And I’ve wanted you for so damned long . . .”
Then he was drawing hard on her breast again, distracting her as his hands stroked her rib cage, her waist, her thighs. He caught her unaware when he slid his legs between hers, then tugged her forward until she straddled his lap, her knees bent and resting on the bed on either side of his hips. The move opened her so blatantly to him that she hid her crimson face against his shoulder.
But he wouldn’t let her hide. Tipping her chin up, he stared at her face, a devilish smile playing over his lips. “Remember what I did to you in the forest? Would you like me to do that again?”
She could only stare at him in mute embarrassment, unable to utter even a word. He dropped his hand to her thigh, then glided it up the soft inner skin. A shiver of desire whispered over her, and to her mortification, her lower body undulated toward him just a fraction. With a knowing look, he inched his hand up until it brushed her dewy curls. But he stopped there.
His eyes locked with hers, gleaming with purpose. “I want to hear you say it. Tell me what you want. Tell me you want me inside you.”
Her cheeks flamed even more. Oh, he was too cruel. He was paying her back for every time she’d refused him.
“I know you do,” he said with the most infuriating confidence. “But I want you to say it. I won’t have you telling the women tomorrow that I ravished you against your will.” His thumb parted her damp hair to rub against the tiny nub there, making her jerk and press herself shamefully against him. But his thumb danced away after that brief caress.
“Say you want me,” he growled. “Say it!”
Now his hand was stroking the inside of her thigh again, making her ache to feel those sensuous strokes higher up. She squirmed, trying to get nearer that terrible hand and its tempting offer of pleasure, but he took his hands off her when she did so.
“Please, Gideon . . . please . . . touch me.” The words were out before she could stop them. Her voice didn’t even sound like hers, so breathy and sensual. Another woman possessed her body, making her act like this wanton, and she couldn’t seem to stop it. “Please. . .”
He scowled. “That’s all I’m going to get from you, isn’t it? Very well. It’s enough. For now.”
Then he slipped one finger deep inside her in a velvet stroke that wrung a sigh from her lips. He began a slow motion . . . enter . . . retreat . . . enter . . . retreat. She rocked against his hand, and when his glittering gaze on her became too much, she hid her face again in his shoulder.
His hair brushed her cheek, smelling of smoke and cinders. Although he’d bathed since they’d fought the fire, he still bore the scent of the Prince of Corruption—of flames and ashes and brimstone.
It didn’t matter. He stood at the gates of hell beckoning her in, and she rushed toward them without a thought. God forgive her, but she did want him. She wanted him more than anything she’d ever wanted. She’d been headed for damnation ever since that day in the forest, and tonight had only sealed her fate.
He nuzzled her cheek, then his mouth sought hers, taking it with a savage eagerness that amplified her need. His tongue mimicked the movements of his fingers, driving in and out. She could feel his arousal press between her legs, but could pay it little heed when he caressed her with such deep, erotic strokes. He broke off their kiss, his breathing harsh, guttural. Her hair fell into her face as strange new sounds erupted from her lips. The press of his hair-roughened chest against her now sensitized breasts only heightened the delicious sensations.
He brought her to the brink of the same pleasure he’d given her before, then abruptly withdrew his hand. A whimper of protest escaped her lips before she could stop herself, and her eyes shot open.
He wore a decidedly wicked expression. “Not this time, sweetheart. This time we’ll reach it together.”
As she stared at him, uncertain what he meant, he lifted her off his lap and laid her back on the bed, then stood up beside it. Tugging at his belt buckle, he yanked off his belt and flung it aside. She heard it clatter to the floor halfway across the cabin as he tore loose the buttons of his trousers, then dragged them off.
Her mouth formed a silent “O” to see him completely naked. So this was what men looked like. She doubted anybody could have prepared her for the sight of Gideon with his clothes off. His lean, scarred belly . . . his navel ringed with dark hair . . . his thick, corded thighs that attested to many hours spent balancing on a moving ship’s deck—all of it tantalized and shocked her at the same time.
But what stunned her most was what lay between his thighs. Fully aroused, he was man enough to stun any woman. He was going to putthatinside her? He would kill her!
“I . . . I can’t . . .” She lifted her gaze to his face, desperate to make him understand. “I can’t do this!”
She sat up and reached for a pillow to cover herself, but he was too fast for her. He climbed onto the bed, kneeling next to her, and she waited for him to mock her for her fears. Instead, he lifted her clenched hand to his mouth and kissed her fingers till they relaxed and opened.
Before she knew what he was doing, he’d taken her hand and placed it on his hard shaft. She tried to draw her hand back, but he closed his fingers around hers. “You see,” he murmured in a strained voice, “it’s not so bad, is it? It’s only flesh. Flesh that aches for you, that belongs inside you.”
He moved her hand on him, letting her feel the tight, smooth skin encasing his hardness. His fingers dropped away from her, and she continued the motion until he swore and pushed her hand away. “I’ll go insane if you keep that up, sweetheart. I’m too ready for you.” He flashed her a smile. “And you’re ready for me.”
When she opened her mouth to protest that she could never be ready, he kissed her, his arms clutching her so closely she could scarcely breathe. Before she knew it, he was shifting her body to lie beneath his and spreading her legs apart with his knees.
Then he was sliding inside her. She gasped at the intrusion and wrenched her mouth from his in shock.
“It’s all right,” he whispered in soothing tones. “Relax, sweetheart. Just relax.”
“How am I supposed to do that?” She was all too aware of him inside her, over her, around her. She’d never felt so totally helpless, so conquered.
