Chapter 7 #2
“You’re sweet to worry, but I’m okay, and I really liked kissing you.”
“Me, too. I thought about it the whole time I was in Boston.”
The left side of her mouth lifted into a smile. “The whole time?”
Nodding, he leaned in slowly and kept his eyes open, which was how he saw the flush of her cheeks, the flutter of her lashes and the dab of her tongue on her lower lip.
The movement of her tongue sent a charge of desire roaring through him, but he tried to ignore the insistent press of his cock against the fly of his pants.
This was about her, about going slowly for her, about taking his time and not scaring her off.
As their lips met and her eyes closed, David kept his open so he could be certain she was with him and not reliving memories that would be better forgotten. He loved everything about kissing her, and could’ve so easily let the desire and the passion overtake his better judgment.
He went slowly, determined not to let it get out of hand the way it had the other night. But then her tongue slid over his lower lip, setting off a chain reaction that made him groan.
Apparently encouraged by his reaction, she did it again and again until he couldn’t remember his own name, let alone his vows to go slowly. Before he knew it, they were reclined on the sofa, facing each other as their tongues mated in a sensual battle.
With their bodies pressed together on the sofa, it wasn’t easy for David to hold back. And then he felt her tugging at his shirt, pulling it free from his pants. Her hand on his back was nothing short of electrifying. When he’d said he loved her touch, he wasn’t kidding.
Reluctantly, he eased off from the kiss, turning his focus toward her jaw and neck. She smelled so sweet, like soap and flowers. He could easily become addicted to that scent, he thought as he kissed his way to her throat and then focused on her collarbone.
Her free hand encircled his neck, keeping him from pulling back from her.
He knew he should stop before things went any further, so he dropped his forehead to her shoulder, summoning the control that had all but deserted him.
“What’s wrong?” she asked.
“Nothing.”
“Why did you stop?”
“Because I…”
“It’s okay if you’re not in the mood. I didn’t mean to be so forward.”
Laughing softly, he flexed his hips so she could feel the evidence of how “not in the mood” he was.
“Oh.”
“Yeah. Definitely in the mood.”
“Then what’s wrong?” She combed her fingers through his hair, making his scalp tingle.
Every inch of him was affected by her touch. “I feel like we’re moving too fast. You were hurt badly, in more ways than one, and I need to be careful with you. Yet…”
“Yet?”
“I can’t get enough of you. When I kiss you, I forget all about being careful.”
“I’m not fragile, David. I won’t break.”
“You’re not fragile. You’re strong and resilient, and I respect that about you more than you know. But you were seriously injured not all that long ago. It would kill me if I ever did anything to hurt you.”
“It would hurt me if you treated me differently because of what happened with him.”
He blew out a deep breath, uncertain of what to say to that.
“I love when you kiss me,” she said. “I love when you touch me. And the last thing I’m thinking of when I’m kissing you is anything to do with him. I can barely remember my own name when you kiss me.”
He smiled because he knew exactly what she meant. “I’m still afraid of moving too fast and spooking you.”
“You won’t.”
“How do you know?”
“Because it’s you, and you’ve been so amazing from the very beginning. I’ve never been in a relationship like this one.”
“What makes it different?”
“I’m not afraid all the time. I’m not afraid of saying the wrong thing and making you mad or doing the wrong thing and waiting for you to explode. I feel safe with you.”
“I could kill him for putting you through that.”
“It was partly my fault.”
“How in the world can you say that?”
“I put up with it far longer than I should have. You and Blaine both tried to warn me after it happened the first time that he was escalating, but I was convinced that he loved me and would never really hurt me. I’d be dead if Blaine hadn’t gotten there when he did, so yes, I blame myself for not putting a stop to it sooner. ”
“I hate to hear you blaming yourself for what he did.”
“I don’t blame myself for the violence. I blame myself for failing to see the handwriting on the wall where he was concerned. But I learned from it, and I’ll never let it happen again.”
“I don’t want you to ever be afraid like that again.”
“Neither do I.” Her palm was warm against his cheek. “I can’t imagine ever being afraid when I’m with you. So don’t treat me any differently than you’d treat any other woman.”
“You’re not any other woman, Daisy. You’re special.”
“I feel special when I’m with you.” With her hand on the back of his head, she drew him toward her for another kiss.
He’d planned to keep it chaste, but she had other ideas, teasing him with her tongue until he had no choice but to let go of all his worries and lose himself in her sweetness.
His hand traveled down her back, over the curve of her bottom to the hem of her dress.
He nearly lost it when he encountered the warm, soft skin of her upper leg.
She moaned and slid her leg between both of his, encouraging him to touch her more intimately.
He wanted to so badly. It had been a very long time since he’d wanted anything as badly as he wanted her. With her body tight against his and her tongue teasing and tempting him, it was hard to remember any of the reasons why he had thought to practice restraint with her.
It occurred to him that there was plenty they could do without going too far.
He slowly slid his hand up the back of her leg as her fingertips pressed into the muscles on his back.
Did he dare to go a little higher? The sweet curve of her ass beckoned, almost daring him to go for it as the mewling sounds coming from her told him how much she wanted him to keep going.
His hand curved around a small but supple cheek, squeezing and kneading as the kiss intensified.
All at once, she broke the kiss and took a series of deep breaths.
“Too much?” he asked.
“Not enough,” she replied, chuckling.
“Daisy,” he groaned. “You’re not making this easy.”
“Good. Don’t stop. Please, don’t stop yet.”
He might be capable of some measure of control, but he was certainly no saint, and he hadn’t had sex in a really long time.
Thus, it didn’t take much encouragement on her part to continue caressing her bottom while she squirmed against his rigidly erect cock.
It took very little encouragement to slip his fingers beneath the elastic of her panties and delve into the liquid heat between her legs.
“David,” she said, gasping as he found the center of her desire.
“Is this okay?”
She nodded and initiated another kiss, using her lips and tongue to drive him slowly mad. And then she was pulling at his belt and tugging at the button to his pants and her warm, soft hand was wrapping around his shaft. All thoughts of going slow evaporated in a haze of desire that overtook him.
He slid his fingers into her channel, stroking her inside and out as she did the same for him. Her thumb slid through the moisture that had gathered at the tip, moving back and forth until he was on the verge of exploding in her hand.
Breaking the kiss, he pressed his face into the curve of her neck, breathing hard from the effort it took to hold back. “Daisy…”
“Hmm?”
“God… Don’t stop.”
“Same to you.”
Even in the throes of runaway passion, she made him smile. Determined now to help her find the ultimate pleasure, he focused his attention on the tight bundle of nerves at her core, teasing and stroking and caressing until he felt her tighten and tremble as she came.
Her release triggered his, and she stayed with him all the way, her hand tight around him as he let go of the worries and gave in to the desire.
When the trembling aftershocks subsided, he eased his fingers from between her legs and drew her dress down over her bottom. “That was hot,” he whispered against her lips, “but we made a bit of a mess.”
“It was well worth it.”
“Mmm. I completely agree.” He used the tail of his dress shirt to clean up. “I should take you home.”
“Not yet.”
With her snuggled up to him, her hair fragrant against his face, the last thing he wanted to do was move. So he tried to relax and enjoy the sweet pleasure of holding her close. He closed his eyes, telling himself they’d leave soon. But first he wanted to hold her for a little while longer.
The moment Seamus’s mother was settled in her room for the night, Carolina walked out the back door and headed down the dirt road that led to the shore. She had to get out of that house before she lost her mind. Hours of pretending that nothing was wrong had left her worn and frazzled.
She couldn’t believe he’d done this to her—and to his mother. The poor woman had been shocked by how much older Carolina was than her son, which had been the first clue that Seamus had been less than honest about what he’d told his family back home in Ireland about her.
Carolina kept her head down and walked fast, guided by the light of the moon and the rage that drove her to get as far away from the house—and him—as she could get.
Pounding footsteps on the path had her spinning around as her rage intensified. “Go back to the house. I have nothing to say to you.”
“I have something to say to you.”
“What could you possibly say to fix this?”
“How about I’m sorry?”