AllFreeNovel
Share Us
“Or a second or a third.”
“You drive a hard bargain, woman.”
“I don’t take sex casually.”
“You don’t take anything casually,” he pointed out. “But I like that about you,” he said hastily.
She pulled back and smiled up at him, her gaze misty. “Nice save, Bachelor number two. I’ll bet it drives you nuts not to be number one… your competitive nature and all that. I suppose you could try to bump Prince Harry out of the top spot, but it wouldn’t be easy.”
“You’re making fun of me.”
“Maybe a little.” Her grin was cheeky.
He ran his thumb over her bottom lip, realizing he had stepped away from what might have been the most monumental mistake of his life. “I really am sorry, Bella. My only excuse is that tonight was intense. I wasn’t at all sure we were going to be able to get to little Jackie. I worried about his arm. Then all hell broke loose with the cameras and the people. It was like a very bad dream.”
“I understand. I think. But next time you’re about to flip out, how about giving me some warning?”
“I promise.”
“Okay, then,” she said. “Welcome to Portree. My name is Bella Craig. I’m Finley’s sister.”
* * *
Bella was trying to lighten the mood, but something in Ian’s eyes told her he wasn’t so easily tamed. His apology had been sincere. She had no doubt of that. Still, he was honest about what he wanted from her. Sex. Plain and simple. Between them, his arousal pulsed, hard and ready.
If she kissed him, would he see it as invitation?
Fortunately, he took the decision out of her hands. “Come here, lovely Bella,” he said. “I need to taste you again. I’ve got a hankering for your unique blend of tart and sweet.”
Somewhere along the line, she got lost in what she was supposed to say or do. Reason and logic disappeared beneath a wave of yearning that honestly terrified her. She didn’t want to get involved with a man who was so complicated. Did she really have a choice?
Her body said no.
Ian took his time with her… as if they had never quarreled… as if this really were simple and sweet. He held her head in two hands, tilting her face to his, using his long talented fingers to trace the whorls of her ears.
Though his touch was almost chaste, somehow he managed to light a wildfire that consumed them. Her arms twined around his neck. Her breasts ached to be touched. Her clothes were too hot.
Kissing was supposed to be romantic and fun. Not this. Ian was intent on destroying her resistance. Even knowing that, she didn’t want him to stop. He was everything she had looked for in a mythical mate. Like a warrior clansman, he was big and strong and physically superior. He never used his strength for harm, but instead, to protect and cherish.
Like the knights in her textbooks, he made her feel the vanquished maiden. Her femininity went to war with her feminist sensibilities. Since when did a modern woman swoon with delight?
Perhaps since the man in question kissed like a dream and made her feel as if his entire existence might be in jeopardy if she didn’t give him what he wanted. He backed her toward the bed, sliding his hands underneath her shirt and finding the clasp on her bra. “Just this,” he pleaded. “Just this.”
When his fingers brushed her nipples, she moaned. It felt so good she wanted to cry out. Her body was on fire. Future or no future, she didn’t care. Ian was hers for the here and now, and that was enough.
“Undress me,” she whispered. “Please.”
He rested his forehead against hers, his whole body quivering. “Not in the heat of the moment. I don’t want you to throw that in my face.”
“I won’t. I swear. I was kidding about the three dates. I know you, Ian. Or I know enough of you. Let’s not waste any more time.”
She knew deep down that this was no happily-ever-after. And it was okay. Ian was a unique man who had crossed her orbit at this moment in time. She’d be a fool to let him go.
He muttered some words that sounded like Gaelic, something rough and heartfelt. She didn’t want a translation. She didn’t want to hear his doubts and misgivings. She had plenty of her own.
With a groan, he rolled off the bed and stripped down to his knit boxers with dizzying efficiency. His body was toned and beautiful, rippled with muscles, sleek with golden skin lightly dusted with hair.
She licked her lips. “I thought science nerds were pale and pasty.”
