who say who is worthy, and there was never a woman more worthy of my regard than you.”
A look of wonder slowly lit her face. Her eyes widened and then lightened. She stared at him as if he’d just single-handedly defeated an entire army on her behalf.
“Oh Bowen,” she breathed.
He slid his arms underneath her legs and lifted and rotated so he could position her on the bed. He laid her out like a feast—and, indeed, she was. A feast for the eyes and the senses. He could hardly contain himself, so great was his need to touch her.
With trembling hands, he stroked up her soft belly, just above where the dark patch of hair shielded her most feminine flesh. It beckoned to him, and the urge to delve his fingers into her sweetness was strong, but he didn’t want to rush. If it killed him, he was going to be exceedingly patient. And it very well might.
He caressed the satiny skin over her rib cage, and then up the valley of her breasts, as he gazed at the perfection of the plump mounds. Perfect, pink-tipped breasts. Her nipples were enticingly round and erect, inviting his mouth to suckle.
When he cupped one of the dainty globes in his palm, she went still, not even a breath escaping her lips. Her nipples puckered to rigid points, and tiny chill bumps broke out and raced across her chest.
“You are beautiful, Genevieve,” he said hoarsely. “There is not a lass more beautiful.”
For a moment, he thought he’d spoken wrongly. That he’d gone too far and that, in his effort to make her feel beautiful and womanly, he’d come across as insincere.
But then she looked at him and her eyes glowed with vibrant light. She looked … content. It was a look she hadn’t worn until now, and he couldn’t blame her. She’d had little to be happy about.
“You make me feel beautiful,” she said, her lips trembling with emotion.
Her words hit him right in the chest, and he went weak all the way to his feet. He leaned over and brushed his mouth across hers, sipping at the nectar of her lips. “ ’Tis glad I am of that, lass, for ’tis the truth that you are more beautiful to me than a thousand Highland sunsets.”
He nibbled his way down her jaw to her ear, and then spent several long moments eliciting soft moans from her as he teased the delicate lobe. He licked and nipped until she fidgeted restlessly underneath his seeking hands.
He plucked her nipples to fullness, toying with them with his fingers. His mouth watered with the need to run his tongue over the tips. After leaving her ear, he made a line of bites down her neck to her shoulder. He grazed his teeth over the sensitive skin in the curve of her neck until she shivered beneath his mouth.
And then, finally, he allowed himself to slide his mouth downward. He left a hot, damp trail over her flesh, until at last he reached the lushness of her breasts.
He licked the tips of her nipples, and she gasped, arching her back. Her hands flew to his hair, her fingers dragging over his scalp as she pulled him closer, demanding more.
He toyed with her nipples, licking and teasing, and then he sucked a velvet tip into his mouth and tugged strongly as he suckled at her breast.
“ ’Tis heaven,” she sighed.
Her fingers loosened and she stroked his hair, caressing the long strands until he closed his eyes in pleasure.
Her touch was wondrous. He would be content to have her hands upon him all the days of his life.
“Aye, ’tis heaven,” he agreed.
But he knew being inside her would be beyond heaven. The anticipation was killing him. He couldn’t wait to slide into her velvety softness. He only prayed he wouldn’t spend himself the moment he dived into her sweet heat.
He continued his downward path, pressing tender kisses to her belly, and then he positioned himself over her, his arms pressed to the outsides of her thighs as he kissed his way to the wispy, dark hair between her legs.
Her eyes went wide and she lifted her head, a protest forming on her lips when he parted her thighs and pressed a kiss to the soft curls.
“Bowen, nay!”
He chuckled low. “Aye, lass. Lie back and let me love you.”
He slid his fingers over the silken folds and found the taut nub of her woman’s pleasure. As soon as he touched her,