The Master Of Strathburn (25 page)

It was divine, heavenly, but all too soon it ended. With an agonised groan, Robert suddenly dragged his mouth away and grasped her questing hands between his. He was breathing heavily, his blue eyes as dark as a turbulent sea. ‘Have some mercy, lass. If we keep on like this much longer, we’ll both burst into flames.’

Jessie looked down at their entwined fingers resting against his thigh and immediately noticed how the kiss—how she—had affected Robert. His impressive erection strained against the placket of his buckskin breeches again.

He noticed where her gaze had travelled and he smiled, almost sheepishly. ‘There’s no hiding your effect on me, Jessie. I apologise if my state frightens you.’

‘No, it doesna frighten me,’ she said shakily, answering his smile with one of her own. In fact, the sight of his arousal only served to increase hers. Her body was aroused in its own disconcerting way—her nipples ached and the secret place between the apex of her thighs felt heavy and pulsed with need. They couldn’t stop here. She didn’t just want the taste of his mouth, she wanted to taste and explore all of his sleek hardness. And she wanted him to touch her in return.

When had she become so brazen and wanton?

Although Jessie understood why Robert had brought a halt to their passionate exchange, it also occurred to her that this might be one of the last opportunities he would ever have to be with a woman—to be with her. And this was an experience that she suddenly realised she did not want to miss either, despite the consequences, despite her promises to herself.

She took a deep breath. ‘Robert …’ she began. She disengaged one of her hands from his and stroked his stubble shadowed jaw. He stared at her with such heated intensity, she thought she might catch alight as well. ‘Robert … I know that you an’ I should wait to consummate our hand-fasting. But after tomorrow or even the next day … it may be too late. If this is one of your last chances to spend a night with someone … with me …’

Robert pressed a finger to her lips. His smile was tender, his eyes filled with regret as he spoke. ‘As much as I want you, Jessie, it would not be right for me to take your virginity, when my future is so uncertain. If I am locked away or even worse, executed …’ He took a deep shuddering breath and stroked her cheek with the back of his fingers. ‘It’s a risk I won’t let you take.’

She shook her head. ‘I understand your concern for me, but you are too noble for yer own good.’ On an impulse, she leaned forward and kissed the side of his neck. She was thrilled to feel him shudder, hear his sharp intake of breath.

He groaned. ‘Jessie … If you had any idea how much I want you, how hard it is for me to resist making you mine this instant, you would not be so bold.’

In response, she raised her head and kissed his jaw and then the side of his mouth. The strength of her own desire was making her reckless. She didn’t care.

‘I want you, Robert Grant,’ she whispered against his mouth. ‘More than anything I’ve ever wanted before.’

* * *

Robert’s mouth crushed against Jessie’s in a hard, almost bruising kiss. A possessive kiss.
She wants me as much as I want her
. His blood sang at the heady realisation.

If he was a better man, he would not be doing this, kissing Jessie like this, pushing her shift off her shoulders then raining hot, open-mouthed kisses along her neck and collarbone, down to the deep shadow of her cleavage. But heaven help him, he wasn’t strong enough to resist her blatant invitation.

And Jessie was right—he may never have this chance again.

But he would not take her maidenhead. He would satisfy her need and his own but he would not risk getting her with child, not tonight.

Robert broke their kiss briefly to carefully ease Jessie down onto the pillows. The sight of her full breasts straining against the thin white fabric of her shift made his cock grow harder to the point of pain. But as much as he wanted to tear the garment from her body, and despite her declaration that she wanted him to make love to her, he did not want to frighten her. For all her enthusiasm, she was still an inexperienced novice. He would take his time and follow her lead.

He wanted her to enjoy this as much he was going to.

* * *

Jessie’s heart burst into a wild unbridled gallop as Robert eased himself onto the bed to lie beside her. Her heart-stoppingly handsome, considerate fiancé was going to make love to her. She could barely believe it.

She could hardly wait.

‘Jessie, you must tell me if you want me to stop,’ Robert murmured, his voice rough with emotion. ‘I won’t do anything you don’t want me to do,’

She nodded, too breathless to speak. But she seriously doubted that she’d want him to stop. Anything.

‘You are so, so beautiful,
mo chridhe
.’
My heart
. Robert’s passion darkened gaze slid from her face to her breasts. ‘Everywhere.’

He thinks I’m beautiful
. Jessie’s heart thrummed with unexpected delight. ‘So are you,’ she whispered and placed a hand against Robert’s bare chest. She swore she could feel his heart pounding beneath the hard plane of muscle, an echo of her own heart-beat.

Unable to resist exploring him a little more, she ran her fingers through the fine dusting of dark hair along his pectorals, smiling when his nipples contacted.

Robert shuddered and on a broken groan, buried his face in her hair. Pushing the tangle of curls away from her neck, he inhaled deeply before pressing a hot kiss in the hollow just below her ear. Encouraging his exploration, she arched her neck, marvelling at the delicious, tickling sensations his clever mouth provoked as he nibbled and licked his way down her throat until he reached the edge of her shift.

Then he paused. He raised his head and his gaze locked with hers. ‘Let me see you, Jessie,’ he whispered.

She didn’t hesitate. With trembling fingers, she clumsily loosened the ribbons at her neckline, all the time watching Robert’s expression. His eyes were dark, heavy-lidded with desire and when her shift gaped open to reveal her breasts, he swallowed.

‘I was right. Beautiful,’ he murmured reverently, trailing a fingertip down one breast to one tightly furled, aching nipple. She closed her eyes and whimpered, arching towards his hand. The hot restless ache in her was too much. She needed more.

And, thank the Lord, Robert obliged. He lowered his head and when his lips closed around the exposed bud, she cried out in agonised pleasure. Hot, dark desire swirled through her as he mercilessly suckled and teased her breasts with his tongue and fingers. She writhed beneath him, tangling her hands in his hair, unsure if she could take much more of this exquisite torture, not when the throb in her loins was growing with each passing minute.

At length, he raised his head and smiled at her, a wicked, entirely self-satisfied smile. Through her thin shift, he stroked gently across her ribs and down to her belly, making her quake.

‘Please don’t stop,’ she breathed. She was unsure what he would exactly do next, but she hoped he would focus his attention on that part of her where her unsatisfied need throbbed the most.

‘I won’t.’ He dipped his head and kissed her on the mouth again, tenderly this time as he gently lifted the hem of her shift. One of his hands stroked slowly up the inside of one thigh and then the other. She instinctively parted her legs, straining toward his feather-light touch. When his fingers slid up and down, between her most secret folds, warm and slippery with moisture, she gasped with the unexpected pure pleasure of it. She was wanton. Wild. She didn’t care, not when Robert could make her feel this way.

But it wasn’t the end, far from it. With unerring accuracy, the pad of one of Robert’s fingers found the focus of her pulsating desire. She jolted and gasped but his teasing, circling caresses didn’t falter in rhythm. As he expertly built the intensity of the exquisite sensations inside her to fever pitch, she panted and moaned in utter abandonment, unsure how much more she could take. She seemed to be spiralling higher and higher toward some hitherto unknown heavenly world where agony and pleasure coalesced.

And then her reality exploded into ecstasy. She cried out again and again with the shattering power of her release, her womb clenching in orgasm for the very first time. By degrees, she floated back to earth and became aware of Robert kissing her neck, her jaw, her cheek, her eyelids. She felt replete and awed all at the same time.

She opened her eyes and smiled hazily at Robert. ‘Thank you,’ she murmured. ‘I had no idea … that was … what you did was amazing … I canna describe it any other way.’ She reached out and placed a hand on Robert’s chest, not wanting to lose contact with his hot skin. ‘Is it like that for you too?’

‘It can be,’ he murmured before kissing her hair and drawing her close into his arms. Jessie felt his erection pushing hard up against her belly.

Robert had satisfied her, yet his need was still great. Jessie couldn’t let him suffer so.

‘Mmm, I think it is yer turn now,’ she said, then kissed his neck where his pulse beat a strong and steady tattoo. But despite what they had just shared, and as much as she wanted to please him, she suddenly felt uncertain about what she should do next. She ran one of her hands down his chest to the taut plane of his stomach, pausing at the waistband of his breeches.

She bit her lip, wondering how to proceed. She had seen how Robert had stroked himself. Tentatively, she placed her palm against the large, swollen length of him. Would he let her see him, touch him, pleasure him there? She flexed her fingers experimentally, and Robert sucked in a harsh breath, pushing against her.

She smiled to herself. Perhaps he would.

‘I havena ever done this before,’ she said softly, meeting his intent, dark-as-midnight gaze. ‘You might need to show me the way.’

Robert chuckled gently. ‘I think you’ve found the right place,’ he said, then kissed her lightly. ‘Are you sure you’re ready for this though? I can wait … if you are unsure about continuing.’

Jessie’s cheeks grew hot but she didn’t look away. ‘Yes, I’m sure. I want you to feel the way I felt.’ She pushed herself up, took a deep breath and began unbuttoning the front of his breeches, exposing the mysterious swelling. At such close quarters, the sight of his fully erect member jutting up from the thatch of dark curls at his groin, quite took her breath away. He was powerfully, rampantly beautiful.

And tonight he was all hers.

* * *

Robert’s breath caught at the sight of Jessie, breasts still exposed, staring with rapt fascination at his raging erection. She evidently hadn’t been put off by his earlier lewd behaviour. Her tongue suddenly darted out to moisten her already kiss-bruised lips and he nearly choked.

No, she clearly wasn’t perturbed at all.

God help him, he was so aroused, he wasn’t entirely sure that he wouldn’t explode as soon as she touched him.

She reached out and ran a tentative finger down his straining shaft, as if testing the feel and texture of him. When she encircled him with her whole hand near the base then ran her hand up his pulsating length to the head, he groaned and fisted the sheets, willing himself not to spill yet. She repeated the action, sliding her hand up and down, over and over again. How had she learned to do that? Her rhythm and the way she squeezed him was damned near perfect. Maybe she’d seen more of his failed masturbation attempt than he’d thought.

‘Tell me if you want me to stop,’ she whispered with a satisfied coquette’s smile; she was evidently pleased at his reaction so far.

‘Jessie,’ he growled. ‘Don’t you dare stop.’

Of their own volition, his hips began to move in time with her rhythmic stroking and squeezing. Closing his eyes, he gritted his teeth. Sparks flew behind his eyelids. He wasn’t sure how much longer he would be able to hold back.

And then she flicked her tongue over him. Suckled him.
Christ
. He bucked and his eyes flew open.

‘I … I’m sorry,’ Jessie stammered. Her eyes were wide. ‘I didna mean to startle you. Or offend you.’

‘No need to apologise,
mo ghaoil
.’ His voice was little more than a breathless rasp. ‘And I’m not offended at all … far from it. It’s just that I wasn’t expecting you to … kiss me like that.’ He managed to smile. ‘And if you continue, you’ll soon see how much I really do like it, and I don’t know if you’re quite ready for that experience yet.’ He reached out for her hand that still grasped him and guided her back to the sliding rhythm she had started before, only a little faster.

A few more strokes and he’d be there.

‘Jessie,’ he groaned and pulled her beneath him, wanting to take her mouth, plunder her with his tongue as he pushed his rigid throbbing length against her smooth belly. Her sweet taste, her musky floral scent engulfed him. One more thrust and glorious oblivion rose up to claim him. Shuddering, gasping her name against her neck, he pushed until he was quiet and spent.

Jessie’s passion was a revelation. Robert’s heart and body thrummed with the deepest contentment he had ever known. If the worst happened, and there was no tomorrow for him, he would die a happy man.

But there would be time enough to worry about his future tomorrow. He still had the rest of the night to share with Jessie.

Robert kissed Jessie’s delicate ear lobe. ‘Thank you,’ he murmured, catching her warm as honey gaze. ‘You have no idea how much this has meant to me.’ Then because he was greedy and because he couldn’t resist, he stole another kiss. ‘Now, let’s make use of that bathwater before it gets completely cold.’

He slipped from the bed and returned with a warm damp wash cloth. Once he’d wiped Jessie’s stomach and himself clean, he put her shift and his breeches to rights.

‘Well, goodnight again,’ he said, bending to kiss her forehead near the scratch left by the rowan splinter. He rose to retrieve the discarded pillow from the floor.

Jessie caught his hand. ‘Do no’ go. Sleep here, with me,’ she invited. ‘You’ll be more comfortable an’ we have another long day of riding ahead of us.’

‘As long as you promise to behave now,’ he teased with a mock frown.