Page 62 of The Dragon Laird’s Obsession

Ailis’s breath caught when Gordon stopped in front of her.

She looked up at him. “And ye spit fire,” she whispered. The words carried no mockery now. Only a breath of awareness.

Gordon’s pulse hammered. His hand rose, and his fingertips brushed over the curve of her cheek before he could analyze the move. Right over the place where one of her dimples appeared when she smiled.

Her eyes fluttered as his fingers lingered on her skin.

Gordon’s breath caught in his throat too. His fingers moved lower, tracing the soft line beside her mouth.

Her lips parted, and this time he could resist the flood of heat that swept through him.

“Perhaps, I guard me treasures,” he murmured, his entire body taut with desire as his eyes stroked hers then drifted to her full lips.

Ailis swallowed. “Do ye?”

“I do now.” The words came out rougher than intended.

He knew precisely what would happen if he let himself cross the final distance. Yet neither of them moved away.

Ailis’ fingers caught lightly in the front of his shirt.

Step away.

He could not even when Ailis rose slightly onto her toes.

It was the slightest of movements that barely meant anything, yet it brought her lips closer to his, and it drove him mad with desire.

Gordon trembled with the strength of his need as he began inching toward her then she let out another breathless sigh, and that was all it took to drive him over the edge.

CHAPTER SIXTEEN

Ailis pressed her body into his, her breath catching as Gordon’s mouth claimed hers.

The kiss was slow at first, his tongue sliding against hers until her fingers curled into the front of his tunic. She felt the heat of his body through the thin fabric of her earasaid, the weight of him pressing her gently into the softness beneath her.

Every brush of his lips sent a warm ripple through her chest, and she exhaled shakily when he finally drew back to look at her.

Gordon’s hand moved to the laces of her bodice. He loosened them with careful fingers, parting the fabric just enough to bare the upper swell of her breasts.

The cool air of his study kissed her skin, but it was his mouth that made her shiver. He pressed his lips to the hollow of her throat then lower, following the line of her collarbone.

Ailis’ breath hitched. She felt the warmth of his tongue trace the edge of her clothing where it still covered her, and her back arched slightly, seeking more of that heat.

His palm slid over the curve of her waist then lower, coming to rest on her hip. Through the thin layers of her clothing, she could feel the strength in his touch, the way his fingers flexed as though he were holding himself in check.

She shivered again, a small sound escaping her throat. Gordon answered it by kissing the top of one breast then the other, his mouth lingering, lips parting so his tongue could taste the skin he had uncovered.

Ailis’ hands moved to his shoulders, gripping the fabric there as her body responded with a slow, building ache.

He lifted her off the floor, his hands sliding beneath the hem of her skirts as he carried her to the settee. The fabric bunched at her hips as he pushed it upward, baring her thighs. Ailis’ breath came quicker. She felt exposed and yet safe, the contrast making her pulse race.

Gordon’s lips found the inside of her knee then trailed upward in a line of slow, deliberate kisses. Each one left a trail of warmth that spread through her legs and settled low in her belly. Her thighs trembled when his mouth reached the sensitive skin near the top, and she felt her hips tilt toward him without thought.

Gordon’s breath was warm against her. He kissed the crease where her thigh met her hip then moved inward, his lips brushing the soft curls that still hid her from full view.

Ailis’ fingers tightened on her skirts. She felt the first slow stroke of his tongue through the thin barrier of her undergarment, and a deep quiver ran through her. The sensation was muted yet insistent, the fabric adding a layer of friction that made her breath catch and hold.

He did it again, slower this time, and her thighs parted further, inviting him closer. She could feel every movement of his mouth, the way his tongue pressed and circled, the gentle suction that followed.