Kilted Lover (6 page)

“Oh. My. God.” She pressed a cool hand to her fevered cheeks and blinked back tears. That kiss was not like the ones she’d shared with Fletcher. Kissing Fletcher was like lips touching. But kissing Scott was a sexual explosion. Drugging, mind-snatching, instinct-driven. It was something she felt all the way to her toes and her fingertips. He’d awoken a ravenous hunger in her, and she wanted to eat him up. She’d been one step away from climbing his tall frame and wrapping herself around him.

Maybe it was only lust, nothing meaningful. But that didn’t make it less appealing.

The condoms had startled her. The quantity, not just one, but strips of them. What did that mean? Why did he have so many? And where did he get them? She hadn’t noticed his bulging pockets earlier when he’d finished his shower. And before the kiss, he’d certainly not seemed inclined to want to use them. Though obviously aroused at times, he’d withdrawn from her.

Despite the weird and lurid idea of a man carrying around two pocketfuls of condoms, one thing was clear—he had protection. Oh, and he was responsible.

Though she’d never engaged in sexual escapades, she wasn’t totally inexperienced, either. She’d had sex with her high school sweetheart a couple times just before he’d gone off to the Army. And then there was the uninspiring sex with Fletcher.

How important was sexual compatibility in a relationship? Wasn’t mutual respect more important?

At the moment, she doubted it. She also doubted she could resist Scott if he knocked on her door and told her he wanted her.

“Dammit, Les, you have to,” she muttered. She wasn’t a two-timing cheater. Even if she did get involved with Scott, she would have to break up with Fletcher first. It would be only right.

One thing this attraction to Scott told her—she didn’t love Fletcher. If she did, she wouldn’t have given Scott half a glance.

Determined to be faithful and good, she clicked off the light and crawled into bed. She tried to blank Scott out of her mind. But he wouldn’t leave. Her lips still burned from his kiss. The taste of him lingered in her thoroughly kissed mouth. The scent of him was on the shirt she wore. Her body was still wet and humming with excitement.

I shouldn’t have given him that thank-you kiss on the cheek.

She tossed and turned on the tiny, uncomfortable berth.

Involuntary fantasies of Scott slid though her mind. His breath had been hot on her lips before he’d kissed her. His tongue, erotic and forceful, had stolen all rational thought. She hadn’t expected his long, tawny hair to be so soft or his chest so hard.

He wanted her. His eyes, when they’d darkened to the color of a deep forest, told her. And his erection, when he’d pressed against her, couldn’t lie.

She growled and flopped onto her back. Her elbow thumped the wall. “Ow.”
Shh! He might hear me.
In the mood for a drink of water, she sat up. Was she really thirsty? Or did she just want to walk closer to his bed?

Maybe you’ll accidentally trip and fall in.

Hmm. Once the idea took hold, she couldn’t shove it away. They might only be together on the boat one night.

She stood and quietly opened her door. Lights reflected off the water outside, creating a dim glow in the galley.
I could go to him.
At the thought, her pulse skipped, and her body burned. She’d never had a sexual adventure. And she’d never met a man who turned her on with a look or a touch.

She drew in a deep breath and focused on the gentle, rocking sway of the small yacht.
What am I doing?
Silently, she padded through the galley, stopped and pressed her eyes closed. Her heart pounded so loudly it blocked out her thoughts.

This is insane. I shouldn’t.
She turned and paced back toward her berth. Gazing out a porthole into Charleston Harbor, she imagined his face, his hands on her, his lips, his silky hair wrapped around her fingers. His kiss promised a pleasure—a soul-searing experience—she had never known. Was she willing to miss that?

Resolute, Leslie faced the stateroom again and strode forward through the galley. This time she didn’t stop, but merely softened her step and eased the door open. Darkness and his erotic male scent filled the small room. She inhaled deeply.

“Les?” His sudden movement startled her.

“Scott.” Her heart turned into a jackhammer. She almost bolted.

“What is it?” His deep, concerned voice reminded her of black velvet.

She sucked in two sharp breaths.
Don’t hyperventilate
. “Um. Well.” Though she couldn’t see him, she forced herself to sit on the edge of his berth, facing him. “It’s just that I don’t want to sleep alone.”

Kilted Lover: Chapter 4

How would Scott react to her crazy request to sleep with him? Only a fine line existed between insanity and bravery. Leslie twisted her fingers together to still their trembling.

“Les, what are you saying? You don’t want to sleep alone?” His voice throbbed.

Her stomach ached, but she refused to let that stop her. Her need for him eclipsed her sense of right and wrong. Something in him spoke to her on the deepest level and felt so right. “I mean, I want to sleep here, with you.” With jittery fingers, she brushed the bare, heated skin of his chest.

He captured her wrist. “Sleep?”

“Or whatever we decide to do.” What if he turned her down? How would she face him in the light of day? Maybe she didn’t appeal to him.

“What about your boyfriend?”

No, I won’t think of him.
Shame pressed in on her chest. “I’m not married to him.”
I don’t love him.

Scott stroked her sensitive palm with his thumb, his skin incredibly stimulating. “But you have a commitment. How long have you been dating?”

Tears burned her eyes. She jerked away. Why couldn’t he understand? “Ten months, but we’re not engaged.” Scott was too damned honorable. How could she explain that no kiss had ever felt like his? Not Fletcher’s. Not anyone’s.

Should she tell Scott she planned to break up with Fletcher? No, that would give Scott the idea she wanted a relationship with him. And maybe she did, but she didn’t want to appear emotionally clingy. She just wanted to experience Scott, with no thoughts of the future or the past dragging her down.

Her face burned, and she was thankful for the darkness. “You think I’m a horrible person, wanting to cheat on my boyfriend. I am—I know I am. I’ve never done anything like this before.” She lowered her voice to a whisper to confess her naughtiest secret. “It’s just that when we kissed, I’ve never been kissed like that before. And I wondered, if a kiss could be that overwhelming, what would the rest be like?”

“Les,” he groaned. Was it from arousal or agony? Both? Was he torn over what to do, as she was? A breeze from an open porthole blew cool ocean air over her heated skin.

“Thirty minutes ago, you had two pocketfuls of condoms and gave me the most erotic kiss of my life. I figured a man like that wouldn’t protest.”

“Those condoms aren’t mine. Paul put them in the bottom of the grocery bag. I was going to hide them so you wouldn’t see them and think I was a pervert. But that backfired.”

Once again his noble, heroic side surfaced, making her want him even more. “I didn’t think you were a pervert. Oversexed, maybe.”

He released a short laugh. Silence followed, filled with sounds of waves splashing softly against the hull. “I like you, Les, and you know damn well I want you,” he said in a raw tone.

A thrill shot through her. His words boosted her confidence and strengthened her daring. She’d never pursued a man before, so she didn’t know how to go about it. She only knew if there was ever a man she wanted to be intimate with, it was Scott. He was as appealing to her as rich warm brownies topped with vanilla ice cream and caramel.

Maybe he should know she didn’t expect a commitment. “Have you ever had a one-night stand?”

“Yeah,” he said in a hesitant tone.

“I haven’t.”

He remained quiet so long, her confidence evaporated. He was probably trying to think of a delicate way to turn her down.
Boy, did I screw this up.
She rose from the bed. “I’m sorry. I should go.”

“Les.” He snatched her hand. “Is that what you want? A one-night stand?”

“I don’t know.” But she did. She had to know the full impact of what his kiss would lead to.

“Come here.” Scott pulled her down to sit on the bed again. “I don’t want you to regret it tomorrow.”

“I won’t.”

“Dammit,” he muttered. “One night. That’s all.” His rough voice gave her a shiver.

“Okay.” She swallowed hard and wondered if this was one huge mistake. But the time for second thoughts was long past.

His hot breath fanned her cheek. Her lips tingled with anticipation. She inhaled his virile scent, heavy with arousing male musk—the kind that drew a woman on a primal level. His feverish warmth heated her own skin.

Why didn’t he make a move? Did he want her to take the lead? She certainly wasn’t adept at seducing a man. What should she do first?

She touched his chest and ran her hungry hands over the muscles from his wide shoulders to the bunched cotton sheet at his waist. She explored him, finding each chiseled curve and hard plain more enticing than the last. She’d never felt anyone so masculine and arousing.

“Mmm. Your hands feel good.” His whisper in her hair sent a shudder down her body. Thrilled she could please him, she kissed his throat. His sharp intake of breath guided her actions and told her what he liked. She brushed her lips across his stubble-covered chin and mouth. His fingers tangled gently in her hair. Was it restraint that caused his hands to tremble?

The second meeting of their lips ignited the explosion. A flame of need and emotion licked through her, consuming all rational thought. She craved him so fiercely, she ate at his mouth like a woman starved. Her body ached for him, and her heart pounded. “Scott. Scott—”

“Shh, baby, slow down,” he whispered.

Tears burned her eyes. She could hardly draw breath. Why? What did this man do to her? He sparked the most profound, primal yearning in her and at the same time, her soul craved to entwine itself around his and never let go.

“Take this off.” He pulled her T-shirt upward and tossed it away, leaving her naked, exposed, and uncertain.

Scott’s fingers brushed over her ribs, slightly abrading but stimulating. He trailed circles around her breasts.

Instinct grabbed hold of her, and she arched her back. Breath held, she thrust her breasts toward him, silently urging him to stroke her nipples. He circled closer. Her whole body tingled in anticipation. Trying to take the edge off the moist ache he created, she pressed her legs together.

He dipped his head and drew her nipple into his mouth. Electricity sizzled through her at the wet, swirling strokes of his tongue. She moaned and buried her hands in his hair, hugging him closer. He pulled her onto her knees and lavished both breasts with equal attention.

After pushing him backward onto the bed, she straddled him, sitting on his erection. Even though the sheet separated them, his harder-than-granite cock tempted her. She wriggled her hips.

He moaned and pulsated beneath her, rocking his pelvis slightly.

She lifted up and pulled the sheet down to expose him. Mmm, he slept naked. She stroked his fever-hot erection, and he groaned.

“Wow, Scott!”

“What?”

“You’re huge.”

He plucked at her nipple. “Is that a problem?” She heard the smile in his voice.

“No. At least, I don’t think so.”

A restrained laugh escaped him. “It’s in proportion to the rest of me.”

“Yeah, you’re a big boy.” Six and a half feet tall with shoulders as broad as a mountain. In the dark, she felt daring and naughty. “How many inches?”

“What?” He chuckled.

“According to a magazine article I read, men always know how many inches they’ve got. So, how many?”

“If you must know, nine. And a half.”

Dear God, what had she gotten herself into? That massive phallus would never fit inside her. “That half is important.”

“Damn right.” He flicked his tongue back and forth across one nipple, while he gently pinched the other. Desire blazed a trail from her breasts to her lower belly.

“I won’t hurt you,” he murmured, his voice warm in the darkness.

“I know.”

“You trust me? That easily?”

“Yes. You saved my life.” With her hand she circled his cock, stiff and smooth.

He kissed her, his tongue making long, sweeping strokes that ate at her mouth and her sanity. Lying flat on top of him, she spread her legs. His hands moved to her hips and thighs, caressing. Her arousal magnified. He cupped her ass in his hands, then teased her from the back with his fingertips, stroking between her legs. Briefly, he retreated, and then returned to dip a finger into her moist center. A riotous haze of need enveloped her. She thrust against his hand, arching her back. Her mound ground against his unyielding erection.

Breaking the kiss, he sucked in a hissing breath. “Damn, you’re luscious.”

Those words made her feel desired, more so than she’d ever been. As though he’d go mad if he couldn’t have her. His need filled a void she didn’t realize she’d had. She loved feeling wanted. Her whole life, she’d always done the right thing, ignoring her own needs, burying them beneath a blanket of pleasing others. Now she only wanted to please Scott, and in doing so, please herself. With Scott she could be herself, and she could be honest. The feeling liberated her.

She wiggled, stroking his cock against her sensitized clit. “I want you.”

“Lie down.” He rolled her onto her back.

“But I wanted to be on top.” Why had he taken the control away?

“You can later.”

Later?
Did that mean he wanted her more than once? Anticipation sparkled along her nerve endings, and she complied.

He sat between her bent knees and stroked his hands up her thighs to the top, so very close to where she ached for him.

Emboldened by the darkness and guided by instinct, she spread her legs wide before him.