Page 58 of Highland Spy

Instead of answering, he lowered his mouth to the luscious warmth of hers.

A soft intake of her breath brushed between them and he gently swept his tongue against the seam of her mouth. She made a little humming sound of delight. Encouraged, he deepened he kiss and brushed her tongue with his.

This time she gave a soft whimper. Her hands slid up his arms, holding him to her.

Connor’s body lit with a heat he hadn’t known in far too long and with such force he could only barely restrain it. He wanted to pull her up against him, to run his ravenous hands over every inch of her body.

Ariana tilted her face upward with a moan and widened her mouth. Her tongue skimmed against his with the tender hesitation of the untried.

A reminder of her innocence.

He shouldn’t be doing this, not with one of his girls. Not one who trusted him and looked to him for guidance.

But this wasn’t just any one of his girls. It was Ariana. Beautiful, determined, fascinating.

No.

He groaned and tried to pull back, but Ariana leaned forward, following him so no space was made between them.

Her hands had, at some point, slid from his arms to the back of his head and now she tightened her grip to keep him from withdrawing.

God, she was so sweet, all silken temptation and heat.

And he was so damn weak.

Her mouth widened and now the stroke of her tongue was bold, hungry.

A flame to tinder.

He groaned again, this time in resignation, and gave in to the burn of his desire. He cradled her head in his palms and kissed her with all the pent-up passion and longing he’d harbored in the months he’d known her.

Her lips were soft, her tongue hot and eager. Their breath came in quick pants and time lost all meaning.

Her hand stroked his chest where only the fabric of his léine kept her from his skin.

Every part of him was lit with an incredible awareness, everything sensitive and greedy for her touch. His cock pounded with an ache he hadn’t known in years, swollen to the point of bursting in the most exquisite torture.

Ariana’s curious fingers crept up his chest until the warmth of her skin touched the blazing heat of his own. Her moan hummed between their lips and her fingernails gently raked down his exposed flesh.

The tingle of pleasure was more than he could bear. He acted without thought, grabbing her hips and pulling her against him, against that insistent, aching throb.

Her moan was louder this time, on the breath of an exhale. She arched her hips forward so their pelvises were locked against one another. The slight friction sent bolts of pleasure sizzling through Connor.

His hands were restless on her body now, exploring the span of her narrow waist, the curve of her firm bottom beneath the flimsy dress she wore, the swell of her breasts where they strained over her bodice.

He gripped the laces of the bodice and tugged, unleashing its merciless hold on the softness he wanted.

Ariana’s own hands moved with abandon over him, touching with the same excitement and yearning. Every connection sent strokes of encouraging heat through him.

He tugged at the criss-crossed laces until her bodice hung open, then slid his hand around her waist where the shapeless sark hung from her shoulders.

Ariana caught his mouth in a savage kiss, their teeth almost grinding together between their lips, as if no amount of closeness were enough to sate their shared lust.

His palm glided over her ribs, where the delicate muscles of her stomach flexed with her movements. He did not stop until he met the firmness of her breast. It was heavy in his hand, round and full. He groaned and let his thumb brush the fabric of her sark where the hard nub of her nipple stood out.

She gave a sharp intake of breath and stilled her hands on his back, where her fingernails gently dug into his skin.

He shoved aside the flimsy fabric with impatience and slid his hands against warm, silky flesh. A low growl of appreciation rasped from his throat.