Page 86 of Never a Bride
“This is the perfect time and place,” he said hoarsely. “Aren’t you always saying someone might see us?”
She had no other answer than to lean even nearer, bracing her arm on the other side of his body. She saw how rapidly he breathed, how intently he watched her face. He showed a raw desire that made her feel truly a woman.
She had learned much from him, and she used her knowledge well. With her mouth mere inches from his, she paused, letting her breath touch his face while she stared into his dark eyes. There was still so much he kept hidden, so much she wanted to understand.
But she understood the power that crackled between them. It was mutual desire. She leaned even closer, and when her hair slid against his face, he gasped.
Her body answered on its own, tightening deep inside until she wanted to press her thighs together to stop the ache.
“Alex,” she whispered, then lightly touched her mouth to his.
She felt him trembling as he lay there and allowed her the lead. She kissed him gently, her lips slightly parted as they tested the smooth shape of his. When she tasted the corner of his mouth with her tongue, she felt him shudder.
In one uncontrollable moment, they both turned their heads and deepened the kiss. She gladly opened her mouth to him, rasping her tongue against his, tasting everything he was and wanting more. Nothing mattered but being as close to him as she could, giving everything up to this man who more and more meant everything to her.
Emmeline lifted her head. “It’s time for poetry. Finish ‘The Seduction of Emmeline.’”
“Finish…” he whispered, his eyes widening.
She kissed him again, more confident with each intimacy. She rested her hand on the side of his face, feeling harsh stubble and smooth skin. “I think a stanza beneath the stars would be appropriate.” She moaned softly as her chest pressed to his.
His big hand cupped her head and brought their mouths together again. She found herself rolled sideways until Alex was above her. The feel of him pressing her down was more exciting than she ever could have imagined. His leg parted her thighs, and then his body slid between them. Though they were still separated by all their garments, the pressure of him in such an intimate place made her cry out and shudder beneath him. His moist kisses covered her face, her neck, and lower. He fumbled with a button on her bodice, and she heard the slight tear of the delicate fabric. It mattered not a whit to her.
But it must have to him. He suddenly stilled, his head at her breasts. Slowly, his gaze met hers.
Chapter 24
For just a moment longer, Alex allowed himself the sight of Emmeline, her eyes glittering with passion in the firelight, her hair a tumbled glory about her face. Everything in him strained to press deeper between her thighs. He wanted both their clothes off, to see her nudity shine beneath the stars.
But she was innocent, a virgin, and he’d ripped her gown in his haste to have her.
“No,” he said, somehow finding the strength to roll off her and into a sitting position, his hands dangling between his bent knees.
“No?” She came up on her elbows, bewildered hurt in her expression.
“You deserve better than a damp, muddy hillside, Em. I won’t have this be your first memory of intimacy. You’re frightened and overwhelmed, and surely only clinging to me out of desperation.”
“I’m not frightened, Alex, and please don’t imply that I would offer myself to any man who rescued me.”
“I didn’t mean—”
“Yes, you did, and I wish to know why. Why don’t you think you would be the man I’d choose inanysituation?”
“Go to sleep, Emmeline,” he said tightly, not wanting to hear another word of her ridiculous notions. “Pull your cloak about you.”
“If you don’t wish to discuss this now, fine, but there will be another day.”
He looked away, before her disheveled appearance made him forget his nobility. He lay down on his side, his back to Em, and hugged his arms against the chill. For a few minutes, all he heard was the crackling of the fire, the distant sound of crickets, and the rapid pounding of his own heart.
“I’m cold, Alex,” she said matter-of-factly. “I’m going to put more wood on the fire.”
“No, we can’t risk our camp being seen in the distance.” He sighed loudly. “Just—lean up against my back.”
He heard the rustle of her garments, then felt the press of her body from her shoulder to her hip. Her shivering didn’t stop.
“Alex—”
“Very well!” He rolled over and found her watching him. “Roll away from me.”
