have a hell of a time stopping.”
Her fingers kneaded him, and he closed his eyes on a sigh. “I don’t think I want to stop,” she murmured, “and neither do you.”
“No, I don’t.”
Covering her breast with his palm, he rubbed a circle over her nipple. His fingers closed on the peak and lightly pinched. A pleasing jolt raced through her and ended with a pulse between her legs.
She gasped.
“That’s what it feels like, minx.”
“And it is wonderful. You definitely don’t want me to stop.”
He chuckled. “Fine, you win, but I plan to touch you, too.”
Lowering to the ground, he coaxed her into straddling him and then kissed her deeply. He captured her breast again and tweaked it until her nipple stood taut. Luke ceased his ministrations long enough to slip the strap of her chemise off her shoulder and bare her breast. This time when he touched her, the sensation was intensified. Cupping both breasts, he rubbed his thumbs over the tips until she began to feel damp between her legs and the urge to squirm became harder to ignore.
She rocked her hips forward to ease the pressure building in her core. He grinned.
“What?” she asked breathlessly. “Did I…do something wrong?” The way he held her gaze and smiled like he knew some secret had her slowly withdrawing, but he wrapped one arm around her back and halted her retreat.
“You’re perfect, Vivian. Exactly as I imagined.” Hauling her closer, he nipped her bottom lip and gently sucked it into his mouth.
He had imagined touching her bare breast? And kissing her like this? The smoldering embers inside her burst into flame and filled her with a burning need she didn’t fully understand. She wanted to be closer. She wanted to feel his skin against hers, their arms and legs intertwined.
Cradling his head, she kissed him back, welcoming each sweep of his tongue. She became bolder as their kiss grew more passionate, first licking his lips before venturing farther when he parted them. He groaned into her mouth when she thrust her tongue into the recesses as he had done to her.
He broke their kiss and pulled back to stare at her, his chest rising and falling rapidly with each harsh breath. “I can’t take you like this.”
In her hazy state, he sounded far away. His scent surrounded her, and his body heat made her blood flow like lava through her veins.
“How?” she uttered.
He kissed her forehead. “It’s your first time. I won’t take your innocence in the dirt. And we should be married first.”
She blinked. He was making no sense. Her body was in a state of distress, and she could barely stand it another minute. Weeks would be torture. “I think I might die if I must wait.”
Luke laughed. “I thought only men felt that way.”
“Please, I—” She wiggled and flattened her breasts against his chest.
“Vivian, I can’t. I gave your brother my word I would see you safely to Irvine Castle.” Even as he argued with her, his hand skimmed her waist and found her breast again. “Deflowering you would be a breach of promise.”
He rolled her nipple between his fingers, giving no hint that he planned to stop, no matter what he said. Her head rolled back, a silent prayer of thanks on her lips.
“I won’t tell him. We barely speak anymore,” she said, only halfway teasing.
“Pity, that. But”—he trailed hot kisses down her neck and along her collarbone, speaking between pecks—“a promise is a promise.”
She swallowed her growl of frustration. He was right, of course. A promise should not be broken.
He bestowed a wicked smile. “Bringing you pleasure isn’t the same as deflowering you, however.”
When his mouth closed over her nipple, she gasped. His tongue teased it until it was hard like a pebble. A strong pulse beat between her legs with each draw from his lips.
She moaned.
Burying her fingers in his hair, she held him at her breast, never wanting the exquisite sensations to end.
She reveled in the novelty and could have easily forgotten about exploring his body, but now that she understood the true meaning of pleasure, she wanted to share it with him.
Vivi worked her hand into his drawers and ran her fingers up and down his flesh in amazement. “It’s soft!”
He released a strangled laugh. “That isn’t a compliment.”
“Why not? It’s true.” She had never felt anything like it. Neither velvet nor silk nor satin could adequately compare to the softness of his skin. She explored the ridge and rounded tip carefully.
He grabbed