Chapter 9 Touch Me.
Touch Me...
Suzie melted under the look in Niall’s brown eyes, the heat and intense male interest followed by the amber glint of his bear shining through his irises.
He sparked an interesting reaction in her.
An unusual one that should’ve had her warning antenna blaring and her feline on high alert.
She entered the castle’s private rooms, supremely conscious of him at her side.
Every part of her tingled, butterflies prickling in her stomach.
Her clothes clung to her suddenly clammy skin, and she reached for him before the thought had solidified.
Sexual awareness.
She’d experienced this before but never at this intense level and never enough to tempt her.
It wasn’t only her feline half pushing her, either.
She desired Niall despite his behavior when they’d first met.
She’d taken a hard look at what she wanted.
Still music, but university wouldn’t be the same without Edwina.
Stepping out of routine for six months was exactly what she needed to recharge and regroup.
After that, the decision to stay and work for Niall was easy.
He glanced at her when her fingers touched his forearm, and she froze like a rabbit sighting a leopard.
Every emotion inside her slammed to a halt, and for a second, she forgot to breathe.
Their gazes met and held, and she thought she spotted understanding flit across his features.
Niall smiled, a natural curve of lips that lit him up.
That smile made her feline purr, and Niall heard, dammit.
Without haste, he drew her closer and placed a soft kiss on her lips before setting her away. She stared at him, her heart beating so fast she wondered if he could hear it.
“How do you feel about a nightcap? Do you like Scottish whisky?”
Suzie wrinkled her nose, glad of the questions because all she needed to do was answer instead of struggling for a topic to break her rising tension. “Whisky and I don’t get on together. I don’t suppose you have a crème liqueur?”
Niall chuckled. “Take a seat while I organize drinks.”
He led her into a small lounge with large picture windows overlooking the lake and gestured for her to take a seat.
She dropped into a two-seater, but instead of savoring the gorgeous view of the tree-clad mountains and the still waters of the loch, she watched him, her heart still beating faster than normal.
She liked him a lot and craved more than a kiss. Much more.
Niall moved easily while he prepared their drinks, and Suzie bit her lip. Normally, if she had met someone and admitted to lust, she’d be applying the mental handbrakes by now.
This wasn’t happening with Niall.
Instead, she wanted to learn all the small details about him and more of what made him tick. Despite his grumpy demeanor, he’d fascinated her from the start, and tonight, she’d glimpsed the private man he didn’t show to the rest of the world.
And… And she wanted to touch him and slide her body against his.
That notion gave her pause.
“Your drink,” Niall said, handing her a crystal glass. “I added two ice cubes.”
“Perfect,” she said.
Instead of taking one of the chairs, Niall sat on the two-seater, his muscular thigh cozying up to her. Her hand trembled a fraction, setting the ice cubes tinkling.
If he asked, she would share a bed with him tonight.
And if not this evening, then soon.
That mental honesty had her taking a sip of the smooth drink, the faint bite of the liquid burning down her throat.
“A penny for your thoughts,” Niall said.
Her gaze shot to his, and heat suffused her. Another tremor slipped through her body, yet she couldn’t tear her focus off him. This was yearning. Desire.
“I…um…” She trailed off when he took the glass from her hands and set it aside with his.
He trailed the back of his fingers over her cheek, the physical contact arresting. “I’d like to kiss you again,” he whispered. “Please.”
Her head jerked in a faint nod, and he moved so fast she let out a startled eep as he set her on his knee.
“You don’t mind, do you?” He stared into her eyes, a faint smile on his lips. “From the first moment I saw you…” He trailed off without finishing, but she understood.
Suzie got it.
He wanted her just as much as she wanted him. At that moment, Suzie surrendered the last of her restraint, and if anything, her feline purred louder.
Niall cupped her face and settled in to kiss her. Slow. Gentle and with a tenderness that had her toes curling. She pressed into him, enjoying the hardness of his muscles while his mouth sipped and savored hers, plucking nerve endings and sending sweet messages of arousal throughout her body.
She stared dazedly at him when he lifted his head.
“Should we move to the bedroom?” he asked, his husky voice showing that he, too, wasn’t unaffected.
“Yes,” she said without hesitation. “But you should know something first.”
He stilled.
“Nothing bad,” Suzie said. “But I haven’t done this before.”
“You’re a virgin?” he asked, his voice turning hoarse.
“Yes.”
“We should stop.”
Suzie placed her hand on the open V of his shirt. His warm flesh seemed to brand her palm, but she left it in place, savoring the physical contact. “I want to be with you. I don’t have a single doubt.”
Niall grunted, a chuff that she thought was his inner bear. He cleared his throat. “I want you desperately, but we can wait.”
“No! No,” she repeated, the second time in a gentler tone. “My feline and I are on the same page. We have zero doubts.”
“Are you on birth control?”
“Yes.” She extended her arm, knowing that he would feel the faint bump of the implant London had insisted she, Edwina, and Anita have before they left for the gathering.
Niall gave a swift nod and lifted her into his arms. He strode rapidly through the castle until he reached a closed door.
In seconds, he had it open, and they were inside a large chamber with an elegant and ginormous four-poster bed.
Niall shouldered the door closed before stalking to the bed and setting her on the soft mattress.
Suzie watched him while he toed off his shoes and joined her on the bed.
Not once did her inner self shriek or demand to know what she thought she was doing.
That told her everything. Suzie reached for Niall, thrilling at his weight as he leaned over to kiss her again.
Once again, he started slowly. He kissed the hollow of her throat and the valley between her breasts before he settled to kiss her mouth.
This time, the kisses were deep and drugging.
Intoxicating. They left her breathless and gripping his shoulders as an anchor.
As he kissed her, buttons loosened, and clothing landed on the floor beside the bed.
He paused to slip off her sandals and removed her shorts until all she wore was her bra and panties.
Suzie glanced down her almost naked body at her mismatched bra and panties. Should’ve done the laundry. “Aren’t you taking off your clothes?”
“Not now,” he said, his fingers trailing across the swell of one breast. “Since you haven’t done this before, I want to ensure you enjoy every second. Concentrate on you and your pleasure. Mine can come later.”
Wow. The couple of boyfriends who’d tried to take things further than she’d wanted hadn’t considered her wants or needs at all.
Uncertainty drifted through her. Not about giving herself to Niall but the practicalities of sex. “What should I do?”
“All you need to do,” Niall said, “is tell me if you’re not enjoying how I’m touching you. That’s your job.”
“I can do that.”
He smiled with encouragement and stole another kiss that drove every thought and worry from her mind.
Niall trailed kisses down her neck and paused at the mating site at the base of her neck, laving the spot with his rough tongue.
Suzie trembled, arousal darting to all corners of her body.
She clasped her shoulders and wriggled against him.
When he lifted his head, his brown eyes had turned golden, and his chest heaved.
“I cannot wait to taste you, sweet lass.” He turned her a fraction and unhooked her bra.
She tensed a fraction until she witnessed the awe in his expression as he removed the lacey garment.
He lowered his head to kiss the curve of one breast while his fingers cupped the weight of her other.
The twin sensations tore through her, the soft, tormenting stroke of his fingers and the dampness of his mouth leaving an empty ache at the juncture of her thighs.
She plunged her fingers into his hair, holding him close and sighing when he took one nipple into his warm mouth. He drew on the bud, and she sighed as he bathed the puckered crest with his tongue.
“More,” she demanded.
“Your wish is my command.”
Niall played with her breasts, kissing and sucking and now and then pinching.
The jolt of pain was surprising, but it left her body humming with delight, and she bucked against him, needing more.
He stroked and caressed her ribs and hips before slowly moving down her body.
Her breathing turned harsh while her muscles tensed.
“I can stop,” he reminded her.
“No! No, don’t stop. Please.”
To her relief, he didn’t halt. Instead, he whisked off her panties and stroked the tense muscles of her thighs until she relaxed.
He parted her legs, leaning close and kissing her where seconds ago he’d stroked.
Niall moved his attentions closer to the heart of her, and her pulse kicked up another notch.
He brushed his fingers along delicate nether lips, then followed a similar path with his tongue.
Sensations writhed through her instantly, and she cried out, not knowing whether to be pleased or embarrassed at her body’s quick reaction to his touch.
“Aw, lass. You taste sweet as the finest honey.” He hummed as he swept his tongue along her slit and petted her clit.