She didn’t.
“Ruby,” he murmured against her mouth, a question and a warning all at once.
She wrapped her arms around his neck and gave him the only answer she could—kissing him deeper, harder, more desperately. In response, he caught her by the waist, pulling her into him so abruptly that she gasped. His hands tangled in her hair, cradling the back of her head as if he needed to anchor himself.
Oh God.Thisis what she’d wanted ever since she met him. And now...
Her hands found the laces of his shirt, fumbling at first, then moving smoothly as she slid her palms inside, feeling the heat ofhis skin and the hard lines of his chest, the ridges of his scars. He groaned into her mouth, the sound low and helpless. It sent heat raging through her.
They staggered backward together until her knees hit the edge of the bed and she toppled onto it, pulling him after her. He caught himself with an arm braced on either side of her head, his eyes searching hers as if to ask,are you sure?
Oh yes, she was sure.
She answered by pulling him down to kiss her again, fiercer this time, her legs threading around his hips to hold him close. His weight on top of her felt delicious. She let herself melt into it, let herself feel all the things she’d been holding back—the fear of losing him, the certainty that this could not end well, the helpless delight in every reckless second.
He kissed her jaw, the line of her throat, the hollow where her collarbone met her shoulder, and the heat between her legs intensified until she could barely breathe for the want of him.
She pulled at his shirt, desperate to feel his skin against hers. He obliged, shedding it with a roughness that thrilled her, the garment hitting the floor with a soft thump. He made a sound in his throat, equal parts laugh and groan, as she skimmed her hands across his skin, reverent and greedy all at once.
He kissed her again and she lost herself in the taste of his mouth, the feel of his warm skin beneath her fingers, the way he whispered her name.
One of his hands swept down her body, across her belly, then under the hem of her dress. Ruby bucked as she felt the tips of his fingers trail up her inner thigh and towards the hot core between her legs. She gasped against his mouth as he gently explored her, his fingers caressing her tight bud until she ached, the heat becoming so intense she felt goosebumps riding across her skin.
Then his hands were at the laces of her dress, almost tearing the fabric in his haste to get her out of it. Ruby was only too happy to help him, shimmying out of the garment as he pulled it off her, her shift and undergarments quickly joining his shirt on the floor. Cool air hit her naked skin but she barely noticed it for the heat coursing through her. Evan’s eyes went dark as they roamed over her, filled with something raw and wild.
She fumbled for his belt, eager to see all of him, and Evan kicked out of his britches, sending them tumbling into the pile on the floor. Ruby’s mouth went dry as she finally saw the whole glorious length of him. She leaned forward and gently ran the tips of her fingers along his length, rewarded by his gasp of pleasure. Up and down she stroked him and his eyes screwed tight shut as his body shivered.
“Ruby,” he breathed her name like a promise. “Oh, God, Ruby.”
He pushed her down, lowering his head to kiss along her collarbone and then lower, taking one of her nipples into his mouth and working it with his tongue. Ruby gasped, her body bucking involuntarily at the sensations that exploded across her skin. Slowly, achingly, he moved lower, kissing every inch of her: stomach, ribs, hips, inner thigh, his tongue trailing a line of fire that threatened to devour her.
She couldn’t wait any longer.
“Evan,” she moaned, hoping he understood her plea.
He did.
His eyes found hers as he positioned himself above her, nudging her knees apart with his own. Slowly, he lowered his weight onto her and tilted his hips. Ruby felt a sudden, sharp, glorious heat as he slid inside her, and she instinctively tilted her hips to meet him.
The sensation as he filled her was overwhelming—too much, not enough, but utterly perfect. As he buried himself in her, hewent still for a moment, his eyes sliding closed as he savored the sensation, as she stretched to accommodate all of him.
Then he began to move. His hips rocked in a slow, rolling rhythm, unhurried, and Ruby found herself matching his pace, the cadence of their bodies rising and falling like a tide.
Ruby felt the world fall away. Nothing mattered. There was only this: the breathless urgency of Evan’s lovemaking, the desperate, aching need she felt for him, the joy of finally, finally letting go.
She clung to his shoulders as their movements quickened, her nails digging into his skin, and his answering growl was a promise that he was right there with her. She moaned, gasps of pleasure escaping her as fire began to burn through her core. She couldn’t stand it. It was too much. It was everything.
And then suddenly, fire exploded through her and she cried out, not caring who heard, not caring about anything except the way he held her through it, the way he whispered her name over and over.
He followed her an instant later, shuddering as he reached his climax. He buried his face in her neck, his arms wrapped tight around her as if she was the only thing in his world that mattered. Ruby screwed her eyes shut and let the river of molten lava carry her away.
For a long time, they lay tangled together, the only sound their slowing breaths. Slowly, Ruby came back to herself. She felt raw, exposed, stripped of all her defenses. Never had she felt like this. Not with Daniel. Not with anyone. It was terrifying, and wonderful all at the same time.
Evan rolled away from her, propping himself on his elbow as he watched her, saying nothing. Then he traced his thumb along her cheekbone.
“I dinna know what’s happening to us,” he whispered. “I only know that I couldnae bear to lose ye.”
“Me neither,” she whispered. “I can’t lose you either.”
