I step beside him. “The clearing,” I say in hushed awe. “It’s so different in the moonlight. So beautiful.” The trees no longer hide the moon’s brightness, and it shines down freely in the grassy oval, bathing everything in a soft glow.
“So beautiful.” Sully looks down. My heart skips a beat when I can finally see his expression for the first time tonight, dark and male and hungry.
For me.
“Come on.” He leads me to his bedding and helps me lie down. “Comfortable?” he asks, adjusting the bedroll so my neck is supported.
“Yes.” It’s surprisingly soft. Well, softer than I imagined lying on the ground would be. The night air chills my feetas he takes off my shoes, and I curl my toes into the blanket.
Then, pinning me in place with his mismatched eyes, he drags his shirt off and readies himself for bed. My thighs clench at the sight of his shoulders and broad chest. Is it the lack of a shirt that makes him seem so big as he lowers down beside me? Or the thought of what might happen next?
“I don’t know what to do,” I confess, clutching my robe just so my fingers have something to hold to.
“Don’t worry, darlin’. I’ll teach you.” He hovers above me, but suddenly I feel green with jealousy.
“You’ve done this before?” I try not to sound too accusatory as I imagine who it could have been with. Did he lay overherlike he is now with me and tell her he could teach her, too? Did he spend a night with her when he was gone from me, and, more importantly, did he have a nightmare and turn to her to help him through it? Now I’m just getting mad even though I know it’s irrational.
“Twice,” he answers steadily, gentling the sting of his truth with a soft brush of his fingers to my cheek. “But that was when you were only my sister. You won’t really blame me for that, will you?”
Part of me demands I stay angry, but the other part begs me not to push him away after he’s been away for three days. I reach up and lightly trace the line of his jaw. “I want to blame you, but you’re right. Anything that happened before me doesn’t count.”
“No, it doesn’t,” Sully agrees with what sounds like a bit of relief. “You’re the one I’m here with now and for the rest of my life. For what it’s worth, this will be my first time in a way, too, because I’ve never done it with someone I loved. You get my heart along with the rest of me.”
That mollifies my jealousy. To have a part of him just for me. “I think I like that,” I say softly.
“So do I. So very fucking much.” He takes my hand, dusting the back with a sweet kiss before placing it on his shoulder. “Now how about you just keep these right here and let me kiss you.”
It’s more of a slow, steady coaxing instead of a question as he slides an arm beneath my head, but it sounds good to me. But then his thigh nudges mine, parting my legs the tiniest bit, and the feeling is so unfamiliar and thrilling.
“Don’t tense up,” he murmurs. “Just some kissing for now, yeah?”
“Yeah,” I manage through a tight throat, forcing my fingers to relax so my nails don’t cut him. I’m nervous but excited. “It’s just…a lot to feel for the very first time when I don’t know what’s going to happen.”
“Only kisses,” Sully promises. “Not gonna mess with your nightgown until you’re ready.”
Immediately, all of me relaxes. If that’s what he says, then I know it’s true. I’m safe with him no matter what. “Okay,” I whisper, allowing my curious fingers to play with the back of his neck.
“Fuck,” he says with a shiver. “That feels so good, Emma.” Then his head lowers to mine, and it’s my turn to shiver at the pleasure. The longer he lays claim to my mouth, the more natural it feels for my legs to widen, making a cradle for him to settle into.
I can’t breathe, but it’s not only because of the weight of him. It’s so much more. All of my senses are overtaken by Sullivan. His woodsy scent that grows more intoxicating with every breath. The bristle of his days-old beard and the slightly salty taste of his skin as his tongue teases mine. Theway his voice deepens beyond belief as he murmurs sweet nothings when we part for air.
It’s both the same and different from the day at the creek, because now we don’t have to stop. In fact, the more he kisses me, the bolder I become. If I want to trace the dip of his back or the sharp edge of his shoulder blade with my bare hands, I can.
And I do.
“Yes.” He groans his encouragement into the crook of my neck. “Touch me.” As if they have a mind of their own, my hands learn the shape of every muscle. And there certainly is quite a bit to discover.
“Sullivan!” I arch and tangle my fingers in his hair when his head moves down to the tops of my breasts. “Oh God, Sullivan!” Never did I ever dream a mouth could elicit such a sensation. But this is how it feels on top of my robe and nightgown.
What would it be like if his mouth were on my bare skin?
“Take it off.” I don’t even know if he can hear me with how soft my words were, but he stills.
“Robe or nightgown?” He tilts his head and releases a nervous breath as I comb through his hair.
“Both.”
“I don’t want to rush you.”
