“I like ye like this,” he said, his voice rough and thick with something that Marissa couldn’t quite place.
“Like what?” Her voice was barely above a whisper.
Her heart, entirely of its own accord, had begun to hammer. She was suddenly hyper-aware of all the places his arms curved around her body and the way the water felt as it caressed her skin.
“With yer hair wet,” he answered, staring at her with dark eyes. “And yer clothes clingin’ to ye.”
She wondered if he could see her blush. The sun had now fully dipped below the horizon, the orange and yellow hues giving way to the dark of the night. The first stars twinkled above them, filling the sky with an echo of the glow worms that danced mere feet away.
Her stomach twisted in knots, and she pressed her thighs together. Her skin suddenly felt too tight. She was too aware of everything, and even though Arthur’s arms were still wrapped around her, she feared it wasn’t enough.
She gulped, using an unsteady hand to extricate herself from his hold. She needed to think. Needed to be able to sort out for herself if she wanted to move forward with him.
And she couldn’t do that with him pressed against her. Because if he stayed like that, and the burning in her belly kept up, sheknew that she wouldn’t be able to hold herself back for much longer.
She could feel his eyes on her as she moved through the water, the weight of his gaze following her every move.
Marissa only turned to look at him when the water was at her knees, feeling there was enough distance between them that she could think clearly.
Oh, how wrong she had been.
When she turned, her breath caught in her throat.
Arthur’s eyes were ablaze, roving over her body with a desire that tugged on something primal within her. She glanced down at herself, seeing the way her dress clung to her skin. Even through the fabric, she could see the swell of her breasts, her nipples hard from the chill of the water. She could see the shape of her thighs and the juncture between them.
Glancing back at Arthur, she felt her control slip entirely. And he seemed to sense it.
Prowling forward, more of his body became visible. Just as her dress clung to her, so did his shirt and clothes cling to him.
She’d already seen him shirtless as he’d climbed into bed the night before, but there was something different about him right now.
The night before, he’d only wanted to sleep. But now, he was filled with purpose, striding toward her with intent and lust lingering in the depths of his gaze.
By the time he reached her, she was panting, her thighs flexing of their own accord so that she might get some friction.
His hand came up, cupping the back of her neck.
“If ye dinnae want me to continue,” he said in a gruff voice, “ye have to tell me now. Because I dinnae ken how much longer I can hold meself back.”
Marissa shook her head, leaning into him slightly. “I dinnae want ye to stop.”
His eyes went wide with feral delight just before his mouth crashed into hers. Marissa couldn’t stop the moan that rose in her throat as she pressed her body against him. The hard planes of his chest melded to hers, the curves and valleys of their bodies fitting together perfectly.
Arthur bent, his strong arms sliding under her buttocks to lift her.
Water sloshed around them as he hiked her skirts, wrapping her legs around his waist. Something hard and firm pressed into her center, and she bucked her hips, some intrinsic part of her knowing that was exactly what she sought.
He chuckled darkly in the back of his throat.
“Nae just yet, kitten,” he murmured into her mouth, never once breaking their kiss. “I will feast on ye, first.”
Feast on me?
Marissa hadn’t the slightest idea what those words meant, but she knew without a shadow of a doubt that she wanted to find out.
His powerful thighs flexed beneath her as he walked them onto the beach, their lips still locked in a searing kiss. They moved together, his tongue darting forward to part her lips and seek entry.
She moaned at the feel of it darting into her mouth and dancing with her tongue. His hands fisted in her hair as her own clawed at his back, fighting to feel more of him.
