Caution to the Wind (33 page)

Oh, for heaven’s sakes
, Amanda chided herself, and blinked back accursed tears. She would not let a distant, melancholy future ruin her one night.

The crescent moon slipped from behind a cloud, and Will’s form took shape. His eyes glinted like gold nuggets in the soft light.

Amanda gasped when Will crossed the distance between them in two quick strides, lifted her off the ground, and held her against his chest. His mouth claimed hers in a crushing kiss that sealed her fate. She would forever be his, whether he wanted her or not.

Amanda sighed into his warm lips. She wouldn’t have to fight to put this part of her plan into action. For tonight at least, he belonged to her as well. She wanted to laugh. Tonight she would give herself to the man she loved for the first time and the last. Her joy formed a barrier against the despair lurking at the darkened edges of her mind, waiting to overwhelm her. Well, despair would have to wait for the morning tide. Tonight, there would be no room for it in her heart.

Will set her back on her feet then cupped her face in his hands. He kissed her, a gentle touching of lips that held both reverence and promise, until desire replaced desolation.

Needing to give as well as take, she turned her face toward his and wrapped her arms about his neck, pulling him to her. His lips on hers were more innocent than erotic, more caring than carnal. She wanted more, needed more. What she couldn’t tell him with words, she would explain with her actions. If she only had one night with this man, she needed Will to let go of his carefully maintained control. She would not waste this opportunity.

When Will’s tongue touched at her lips, Amanda opened without hesitation and reached out to him with her own. She could taste the wine from dinner, wine she had not shared. His tongue toyed with hers for a moment before retreating as though he dared not force his position. Amanda allowed the retreat for only a moment before offering herself again by flicking his upper lip with her tongue. Will needed no more invitation and flesh met flesh in an intimate prelude to pleasures yet to come.

Splaying her hands against the back of his neck, she ran long fingers through his thick wavy locks. When a fingertip caught on the tail he wore, she tugged at the end of the leather strip and released it. His hair flowed to his shoulders and she threaded her hands through it, savoring the silky feel, cool and smooth, against her palms.

Will closed his eyes and rested his forehead against hers, letting Amanda take her time exploring him. Then his lips were on hers and he pulled her against him in an embrace that left her breathless. She entwined her fingers through his hair and held on when the room spun beneath her feet.

Amanda swayed when he finally released her, and he gave a soft laugh when he had to steady her shoulders to keep her upright.

Her heartbeat quickened when he reached behind her to fumble for the buttons on the back of her dress. She could feel his hands tremble. She gazed into his eyes, answering his unvoiced question, by swaying toward him until her breasts pressed against his lapels. He bent his head to kiss her again. His attention diverted, frustration welled inside her when his efforts with her buttons slowed.

Anticipation of pleasures she could only imagine propelled her to action. Her hands went to his lapels, and she yanked his coat off his shoulders. She tugged, attempting to peel the stiff wool over his elbows while he worked the buttons on the back of her dress. Each time she yanked, his hands were pulled from their task.

“We have to do one thing at a time, sweetheart,” he said after a moment of tugging at odds with each other.

She stepped back while he stripped away his coat and tossed it over a chair.

“That’s better.” She set about the buttons on his waistcoat.

“I would have to agree.” He laughed and then worked the last of the buttons along the back of her dress before easing it off her shoulders.

With a little more give and take, she managed to disrobe him until he wore nothing more than his linen drawers, and she, her shift.

Shadows played across his chest in the moonlight, emphasizing deep, chiseled muscles. Even the occasional scar, pale against the darker surrounding skin, didn’t mar his near perfection. She ran the tip of her finger along one thin ridge, wondering what story lay behind it. She sighed, flattening her hand against his chest. If only she had time to learn his secrets.

She brought her other hand to his chest and laid it against the hard, warm flesh, amazing herself with her own boldness. Amanda ran searching hands down the curves of his pectoral muscles letting his hardening male nipples scrape against her palms. She continued her path, feeling the sensitive skin pucker even further when she ran the length of her index finger along them until only the tips of her flesh made contact with his. Then she laid her hands flat and started again.

She sensed him watching, assessing her every move while she memorized his contours. Yet, he remained so still she couldn’t even feel the rise and fall of his chest beneath her hands.

What did he think about her actions? Did he consider her boldness a character flaw? Many men would. Would he stop her if she went further?

Needing to taste as well as to touch, she bent forward and flicked one of his nipples with her tongue, smiling against his puckered skin when he released a shuddering breath. She had no idea what made her do such a thing, but given his response, she might do it again if she had the chance. For now, however, her eagerness to explore the rest of him drove her on. She needed to burn the texture of his skin, the shape of his body, the taste of his lips into a memory that would last the rest of her life.

Amanda trailed her hands lower, fascinated by the tautness of the muscles of his abdomen and the contrast of his hard body to hers. She traced the trail of dark curls that ran down his core, then flattened her hands again and ran them out to his sides until his hip bones were nestled in the palms of her hands and the tips of her fingers lay against the hollow of his buttocks.

It took only a gentle tug to bring Will’s hips to hers, the bulge of his arousal against the flat softness of her belly. The fabric of their undergarments the only barrier between them, she molded herself to him, increasing the pressure and reveling in his answer to her.

He made a guttural sound in the back of his throat, and she eased the pressure, lifting her eyes to search his face. Had she hurt him in her inexperience?

His pupils were dilated, and sparks danced within as golden eyes caught the rays of dappled moonlight. His gaze held no pain, only a hunger that sent a shudder coursing to her toes. He flashed a grin, teeth glimmering in the moonlight and reminding her that although he appeared docile, she had awakened the wolf. Had she any desire to escape, her opportunity had passed some time ago.

Her eyes locked on his, she bunched her shift in her fists, pulled it over her head and tossed it to the floor. She willed herself to stand before him, letting his gaze drift over her naked form. Only humans felt shame at their nakedness. Tonight, she would be a creature of nature, giving into her basic instincts and letting her human side deal with the consequences on the morrow. Tonight she would be the wolf’s mate, and like the wolf, he would be the only one she ever had.

His gaze roamed over her neck and breasts. Although he didn’t touch her, a palpable heat radiated between them and her nipples puckered in response. His gaze dropped to her stomach, the juncture of her thighs, her mound covered in dark blonde curls, and down the length of her legs. Inch by slow inch, his gaze caressed her, a trail of heat rippling in its wake.

Amanda needed more. She needed his hands on her and hers on him. She stepped forward until the crisp curls on his chest teased the very tips of her breasts. A jolt of sensation that ran from her nipples to the pit of her belly almost brought her to her knees.

She ran her hands down his taut back, delighting as his muscles quivered beneath her palms. She could feel his strength, the same way one could sense the power of the ocean in the vibrations of a taut rope. When she reached the cotton drawers tied loosely about his hips, a wave of irritation hit her, and she an urge to tear the offending garments from him.

“I can take them off,” Will said with a chuckle that suggested he knew what she had been contemplating.

His words called her back from the instinctual abyss she had fallen into, but need still threatened to drag her back down. She reached for the drawstring on the front of his drawers and tugged, then tugged again. When they didn’t give way, she looked down.

“Oh, blast it!” she muttered.

She had managed to turn the bow into a knot and now his drawers were more securely fastened than ever. Why did he have to be one of those men who preferred to wear something under his breeches?

Amanda tried to loosen the knot with her fingernails, but it refused to budge. Finally, she bent her head and nipped at the knot with her teeth. Beneath her cheek, Will’s stomach shook with barely contained laughter.

“Oh, shhtop it,” she said, his drawstring ensnared between her front teeth.

He held his laughter in check, but while she bent over him, working the stubborn knot loose with her canines, he let his hands roam over her back. She twitched when he inched his hands up over her sides and twisted her torso away when he lingered on a ticklish spot.

She straightened and glared at him. “Do you want out of these or not? I fear I’ve managed to tie a knot more secure than any sailor in the history of seamanship.”

Will laughed. “You tied a decent knot? That would be a first. Still, I won’t interfere with your efforts.”

She looked into his eyes. They were still dark with need, but laugh lines radiated from the corners. Somehow, laughter in the most intimate of moments only heightened her passion.

“All right, then.” She lowered her mouth to his drawstring again, worked the knot until it loosened between her teeth, and then drew the strings open.

“Ahh, sweet freedom.” He laughed, stripping off his undergarments. “Would you like to continue your exploration?” Will stood with his arms at his sides. His eyes glowed in the darkness.

Amanda let her gaze travel down the dark line of hair on his belly past his angular hipbones to the dark thatch of hair surrounding his manhood. He looked bigger than she had imagined, but then her best friend, Jenny, had assured her that men swelled to many times their normal size when aroused. She had no idea how Jenny had known this so she assumed her fanciful friend had embellished a tale her brothers had told her. Now she wasn’t so sure.

Will’s thick shaft stood like the bowsprit of a ship pointing proudly into the wind. Fascinated, she took a step forward.

“Can I touch you?” she asked, her voice a raspy whisper.

“Yes,” Will said.

She hesitated then crossed the distance between them until his shaft met her outstretched hand. Will groaned when she curled her hand around him.

Amanda gasped. “Did I hurt you?”

“No.” He didn’t sound certain, so she eased her grip.

“No,” he said again, wrapping his hand around hers, tightening her grip. He didn’t let go until she squeezed him harder.

Will scooped Amanda into his arms and carried her to his hammock. He laid her down and then lowered himself on top of her, propping his weight onto his elbows. They looked at each other, not saying anything, both lost in the wonder of the moment.

Amanda bit her lip.

“Having second thoughts?” Will asked, rolling off her as much as the curved hammock would allow.

The question startled her at first, but then she paused to consider. Tonight would change her forever. No, that wasn’t quite right. Her time aboard the
Amanda
and with Will had already changed her. She could never go back to the girl she had been even if she wanted to. Even if she lost her nerve and left the cabin, maidenhood intact, she would never be the same. She would forever be the wolf’s mate.

“Not at all,” she assured him. “It’s just that I’m not certain what comes next.”

Will threw his head back and laughed. “That hasn’t stopped you yet.” He kissed her again, taking his time, nibbling her lip.

“Seriously, Will,” she pushed at his chest. “I have no idea what to do, and I want this to be perfect.”

He pulled back and looked at her, stroking her cheek with his thumb. “I can’t promise perfection, but I’ll do my best.”

The moonlight illuminated the doubt in his eyes. Had she managed to insult him? It hadn’t been her intention.

“No, I meant I want to be perfect for
you
,” she explained.

“You already are.” He placed a light kiss on top of her forehead.

Will nibbled a line of kisses from her ear to her collarbone, and she arched her neck to give him better access. She smoothed her hands along his back, marveling in the curve of hard muscle covered by soft skin and the occasional raised ridge that signified yet another scar.

Will teased one nipple, rubbing the little pink nub with his palm. Amanda gasped again when another jolt of energy coursed from her breast all the way down to the juncture of her thighs, pushing her knees apart with its force.

This was her night, her one night, and she would leave nothing unexplored, nothing unoffered. She ran her hands down his sides to his buttocks and pulled him to her as she ground her hips against him. Will gave a primal sound signaling the one need even greater than the need for food, the need for one’s mate.

She circled her hands to the front of his hips and worked her hand between them. He lifted his hips to give her greater access. She continued the exploration, reaching for his manhood and grasped him. Amanda stroked the head with her thumb, marveling at the silky feel of the skin, the pulsing heat beneath her palm.

“Hey, now. You start doing that and this will be over before it begins.”

“Oh, I’m sorry,” Amanda said, embarrassed to have done something so obviously wrong. “I told you I didn’t know what to do.”