“Need?” He arched a brow. “What need?” Her lips were damp and red from the wine. He wanted them wet with the wash of his tongue.
“It is the land, you see. After those many days and nights at sea, I revel in the feel of land beneath my feet. And it’s then…”
“Yes?”
“…that I prefer to dance naked round the fire. I fear it is the pirate in me.”
Alec threw back his head and laughed. A coquette? Without question. No timid miss here. The brazen display of her breasts, her suggestive, outrageous banter, all proclaimed otherwise.
A tiny smile lingered at the corner of her lips. He watched as she swallowed the remainder of her wine. “Why have I not seen you before today? Are you a guest of the baron’s?” Lord above, he’d have remembered those emerald eyes. He’d never seen such lush, brilliant green…as green as the landscape of this rocky isle.
“Only for tonight,” she said.
“Then perhaps introductions are in order.” He wanted to know who she was. “I am—”
“Wait!” She held up a hand. “No, no! Do not tell me. This is a masquerade, is it not? A night to disguise our true selves. What say we dispense with names?” That tiny smile evolved into seduction itself.
Alec laughed. She was sheer delight. And quite the flirt. “As you wish, Irish.”
“That is my wish, Scotsman.”
Alec settled down to enjoy the thrust and parry. “May I get you something? A plate perhaps? The desserts are quite exquisite.” God help him, the dessert he had in mind was her.
“I am quite satisfied just as I am.”
He was not, he thought with unabashed fervor. “Well, then, Irish, perhaps you would care to dance?” Manners dictated he ask. He allowed a smile to curve his lips. “Much to my regret, however, I fear you’ll not be able to dance naked round the fire.”
Oh, but that was a sight he would dearly love to see! Beneath her eye mask, her cheekbones were high, the line of her jaw daintily formed. He longed to tear away the mask, to see the whole of her face, to appreciate every last feature.
She gave a mock sigh. “Alas, you are right, Scotsman. And truth be told, I should only be so inclined if you were to dance naked ’round the fire with me.”
By heaven, he was right. She was not just a flirt, she was quite an accomplished flirt!
Their eyes met. Meshed. Alec moved so their sleeves touched. Her smell drifted to his nostrils. Warm, sweet flesh, and the merest hint of perfume.
He wanted her. He was not a rogue. Not a man for whom lust struck quickly and blindly. He was not a man to trespass where he should not. He was discreet in his relationships. He was not a man to take a tumble simply for the sake of slaking passion.
Never had he experienced a rush of such passion. Moreover, so quickly. He’d wanted women before, but not like this. Never like this. Never had he desired a woman the way he desired this one. What he felt was immediate. Intoxicating. A little overwhelming, even. Of course he desired her. She was, after all, a woman who would turn any man’s eye. It was simply that the strength of his desire caught him by surprise.
Perhaps it was this masquerade. Her suggestion that they remain anonymous.
He cupped his palm beneath her elbow. “There are so many people. The air grows stale. Shall we walk?”
Laughing green eyes turned up to his. “I thought you should never ask.”
A stone terrace ran the length of the house. They passed a few other couples, strolling arm in arm. All at once she stumbled. Quite deliberately, Alec knew. Not that he was disinclined to play the rescuer.
He caught her by the waist and brought her around to face him. “Careful, Irish.”
“Thank you, Scotsman. I am in your debt.” She gazed up at him, her fingertips poised on his chest, moist lips raised to his.
Alec’s gut tightened. She was so tempting. Too tempting to resist. Too tempting to even try.
A smile played about his lips. Behind her mask, invitation glimmered in her eyes. “Is it a kiss you’re wanting, Irish?” He knew very well that she did.
“Are you asking permission, Scotsman?”
The smoldering inside him deepened. “No. But I have a confession to make.” He lowered his head so their lips almost touched. “I’ve never kissed an Irish lass before.”
