Her breath caught as his fingers pressed into the muscle just above her ankle. The pressure was firm yet soothing, his thumbs working slow circles that sent warmth spreading upward. She leaned back against the carriage wall, eyes fluttering closed. His hands move higher and higher onto her thigh.
“Ian,” she whispered faintly, unsure whether it was protest or praise.
“Too much?” he asked, though his hands never ceased their steady motion.
“Nay,” she breathed. “Daenae stop.”
He worked upward under her skirts, pressing his hand against her inner thigh with patient strength. Each slow pass of his hands drew a soft sigh from her lips, the tension easing under his touch. She had not realized how much she wanted his touch until that moment.
“I want to pleasure ye til ye release,” he murmured.
She opened her eyes to find him watching her intently. “I didnae ken ye were so attentive.”
“There’s much ye daenae ken about me,” he replied quietly.
His hand moved higher, careful and respectful, until it rested on her sweet center. She gasped.
The warmth of his palm seeped through the fabric of her underthings, and she felt cherished rather than claimed. The simple act of his tending to her stirred something deeper than lust, it awakened trust.
“Why do ye do this?” she asked softly.
“Because I want to,” he answered without hesitation. “Because ye deserve gentleness as much as fire.”
He moved his hand to the waistband of her pantellettes and down into her warmth.
“Oh, Ian,” she moaned.
Her throat tightened at that. She reached forward and brushed her fingers through his hair.
“Ye surprise me,” he said.
“Aye,” she said, a faint smile touching her mouth. “I surprise meself.”
He moved his thumb with slow strokes down her rosebud. Arianna wiggled under him. She had never felt such a feelingbefore. It thrilled her as she felt the blood rush between her thighs.
A pulse throbbed deep in her belly. She found herself opening her thighs wider. Ian sucked in a sharp breath of air at the movement.
“Ian,” she said, voice low and steady now, “I daenae fear what comes next.”
His gaze darkened, though tenderness remained there. “Nor should ye.”
With those words, he picked her up and set her down on the seat. Arianna found herself with her legs wide open and Ian positioning himself under her skirts, and he tore at the layers of fabric until her underthings lay in a pile on the carriage floor.
Suddenly, she felt his mouth on her core between her thighs. She tensed up with a gasp.
“Ian,” she said.
“Trust me, lass,” he groaned.
Arianna dug her fingers into the carriage seat back as she felt his tongue press against her pearl. She moaned loudly. The rocking of the carriage only added more movement and the brushing of his lips against her.
“Mm, I told ye I wanted to taste ye, lass,” he said.
Now she fully understood what that meant by wanting to taste her. The heat moved through her with that thought.
The throbbing sensations mounted inside of her with each stroke his tongue made. Her breath caught. She lifted her hand and pushed it into his hair.
“Ian,” she whispered. “Daenae stop.”
