Chapter 18 #2
The kiss lasted only for a moment or two before he pulled back, leaving her flushed and gasping. She made to wrap her arms around his shoulders, but her tied-up wrists tugged against the belt. Ryder noticed the movement and grinned widely, tutting.
“Still nae doin’ as ye are told, then?” he murmured softly, and leaned forward to kiss the side of her neck. Megan closed her eyes tightly, exhaling a shuddering breath. There was a scrape of teeth against her sensitive skin, and she sucked in a breath.
But before she could adjust to the sensation, Ryder moved further down.
He kissed the front of her throat, swiping his tongue across the hollow between her collarbones.
The rest of her skin was hidden beneath her dress, securely laced.
The material felt hot and itchy against her skin. Megan wanted to breathe.
Ryder crawled lower, and she was obliged to lift her head to watch him.
He paused over the swell of her breasts, demurely buttoned up in her bodice, and pressed his closed lips against one of them, over the material.
He glanced up at her as if to gauge her reaction.
Whatever he saw must have pleased him, because he grinned again.
“What a pity I cannae touch ye,” he sighed theatrically. “That would make this a lot easier.”
Megan couldn’t formulate a response. It didn’t seem that a response was needed.
Ryder slid further down, moving more quickly and with purpose this time.
Megan wondered, briefly, just what she looked like.
Red-faced, of course, flushed and windswept, probably still smelling of night air and bonfire smoke.
He, on the other hand, was calm and composed, smiling cheerfully up at her, utterly careless.
He reared back abruptly, sitting on his heels, and grabbed a handful of her skirts, tossing them up to bunch around her waist.
“I touched yer dress, not ye,” he clarified, although she hadn’t asked.
Now, of course, would be the time to say something witty and pointed. Megan was sure she could manage to say something. She should say something.
Instead, only a faint squeak came out of her mouth. Ryder chuckled and used his elbow to nudge open her thighs. To Megan’s horror, she obeyed at once.
It felt strange not having layers of fabric twisted around her knees.
She watched, transfixed, as Ryder leaned down, painfully slowly, and pressed a kiss to her thigh, just above her knee.
His stubble scratched her skin, sending a pleasurable rush through her whole body.
She shivered, back arching. Ryder glanced up, his gaze dark and intent.
He misses nothin’, she thought dizzily. I can hide nothin’ from him. Why do I feel so strange about him? I’ve met other handsome men before, but none of them had convinced me to be in this situation with them!
His lips moved higher, almost languidly, kissing and pressing his teeth ever so gently against her soft skin. Megan’s breathing increased as he moved up, closer and closer to the join of her legs.
Surely he willnae… surely this isnae… her mind was struggling to form coherent thoughts.
The air was growing warm from the fire, but some of the night’s chill still hung here and there. Goosebumps spread up and down her legs, left bare. As he shifted upward, he ducked his arm to nudge one of her legs onto his shoulder, leaving Megan feeling even more exposed and open than before.
He glanced up at her one more time, and this time there was a flush across his cheeks, too. It was the first time she’d seen him even a little flustered.
“Comfy, lass?” he enquired.
Before she could respond, he moved his head down again, and this time he pressed his lips against her core itself, tongue swiping down as though he were kissing her.
Megan gave a stifled squeak, a thoroughly undignified sound. Pleasure rushed through her, pulsing in time with the movements of his tongue and lips. She pulled heavily on the belt binding her hand to the bedpost, but the knot wouldn’t come loose, even when the bedpost groaned warningly.
She felt Ryder laugh; the low, rumbling sound seemed to echo through her. It was like a kiss, it really was, only deeper and infinitely more pleasurable. Megan bit the inside of her cheek until she tasted copper, fighting not to push her hips against him.
She wanted him to keep going, wanted more, but it already seemed far too much. She arched her back, knocking her head against the bottom of the bed, but frankly, Megan didn’t think she would have noticed if the entire bed had collapsed under her.
It was too much, building up, more and more, until she was pretty sure that she was going to burst.
Then her climax rushed upon her, unstoppably, and she let out a ragged cry. One by one, her muscles relaxed, and she flopped backward onto the mattress, gasping for breath.
Ryder sat up, wiping his mouth on his sleeve. His lips were red and a little swollen-looking, and Megan was suddenly aware that she wanted him to kiss her very badly.
He didn’t move to kiss her. Instead, he grinned broadly down at her.
“Well,” he said. “I think that was a punishment ye quite enjoyed.”