With one hand anchored at the nape of her neck, he slid his hand down her back dipping to her bottom. She felt him ruck her dress up to her waist and tug her legs around him. This close she could feel his rock-hard shaft pressed against her belly. She let her head fall back, and his mouth slid from hers, leaving another hot trail of kisses along her neck.
The only woman who will spread her legs for a man without being married is a harlot. A proper lady would never behave this way, no proper lady will succumb to lust.
Her mother’s voice had sprung up from nowhere and was trying to dampen her arousal. She pulled away with the words ringing through her head like a gong. She was tempted to launch off from Leith’s lap as now her body was trembling for another reason.
Leith sensed it and pulled his lips from her skin. He cupped her face. “Mary…leannán, what is it?”
She could not answer him if she tried. Her heart was in war with her mind. Why did it feel so wrong to give herself to the man she loved? Why was she so fearful to take what she wanted? Why was it so hard to get past this? Her mother’s words had not come up before, so why now?
Both of Mary’s hands framed Leith’s face and her palms felt the growth of his beard. She just peered into his eyes, deeply as if searching his soul while she was searching hers.
“Lass, if ye are afraid, I—”
She pressed her fingers to his lips and whispered, “I know what you’re going to say, you won’t hurt me…that you’ll stop if I say no…that you’ll never touch me if I don’t want you to…but…Leith, I want you. God, I need you to. I want you to silence these voices in my head that are telling me to pull away from you. I want you to give me the pleasure I’ve been silently craving from the moment you first kissed me.”
He was up in a moment and gently he put her on her feet. “Come with me.”
With her hand in his, she was taken into the castle and up into the staircase that led to his rooms. Mary was actively shaking with nerves by the time he closed the door behind them. The scrape of the wood on the floor rubbed at her already chafing anxiety.
Her back met the door before Leith could come near her and when he did, a pulsing need sprang to life in her chest and a sharp ache shot across her abdomen. His cheek met hers and she felt his breath on her ear, “Ye’ll be the death of me, lass.”
22
His hands dipped down, cupped her bottom and hoisted her up so her mouth could meet his and his kiss was deep and heady. Every nerve in her body and every drop of blood she had, sparked to life and began burning within her.
Her hands were in his hair and her mouth was taken and owned by his tongue and hot lips. He was demanding, urgent and was drinking her in. Her hands held him tighter. As she was braced on the door, one of his hands was tugging her dress.
She found herself getting urgent, kissing him harder but he pulled away, “Slow, leannain, slow. This is nay going to be a short night. I plan to take me time with ye.”
He let her down from the wall and was kissing her face while he worked on her dress. He pulled her chemise down, and his mouth dipped to the pebbling peak. Her knees nearly bowed under the sensation. Leith had done this to her before but this time felt a hundred times stronger.
He took her nipple in a fierce kiss, one that rammed heat straight between her legs. When his rough cat-like tongue flicked her tip, she whimpered. Wetness was seeping between her legs. Her hands were all over him, sliding through his hair, cupping the back of his neck, grabbing at his shoulders.
“Don’t stop,” the words slipped out with barely enough sound for him to hear. “Just…don’t stop, please….”
“Easy, lass, I'm not goin’ anywhere,” he said as he sucked on her taut, throbbing peak like a babe. Mary cried out as another spark of heat rammed into her.
“Leith…” she gasped.
She felt chilled sweat bead on every inch of her skin. Wet heat was slipping from her core as he tugged her dress down and his mouth followed the way.
As he kissed her ribcage, she felt his nose at her navel then felt him lick a long wet stripe across her pelvis. He tugged her dress down and it pooled at her feet. Naked, she trembled under his gaze. His hand slipped betwixt her knees and slid up…and up…and up to her inner thigh. She closed her eyes tight when she felt him slide his finger in her wetness.
Suddenly, she was in his arms and in three large steps she was deposited on a bed. The soft sheets were cool under her back but soon the bed dipped and Leith joined her. Her legs instinctively parted for him as he crawled up her body. Tilting her head to the side, he kissed her ear and then neck down to her shoulder blades.
His right hand found her breasts and his fingertips played with the buds, pinching and rolling them until she arched back against him, gasping his name. When his mouth sucked one tip in and bit down on her oversensitive flesh, her mind went white. He soothed the bite with soft licks triggering a shameless wantonness
Then his mouth was everywhere, licking, nipping, biting, sucking her into a world of bliss. He came to her middle and somehow, she managed to peel her eyes open only to shut them closed tightly. The look of dark hunger in his eyes heated her insides
