The Highlander's Conquest (20 page)

Still… Blane
could come back at any time, finding her like
this, shivering, nude
.
Her nipples were tight from the cold, but tingled with her thoughts of Blane
.

Aliah stared down at the taut peaks. Why did her body make it so much harder for her to pretend she didn’t have feelings for him?

Love
… Her heart
leapt
, feeling as though it soared with just that one thought.

A splash in the water, made her jump. “Oh no,” she muttered. Taking quick steps, she picked up the first piece she could grab, throwing her chemise over her head, and hurriedly shoving her arms into place. As Blane hoisted himself onto the ledge, she finished tying the ribbon
tight
and yanking it down over her knees, though the wet fabric clung to her flesh.

Standing tall
in the moonlight
, Blane stopped dead in his
tracks, his eyes
pinn
ed to her, raking over her form. His lips pressed together, jaw tightened, and even in the darkened light she could
sense
his
gaze changing
, filling with
passion
.
He let out a slow breath.
Immediately she understood her mistake.

If she could see through his shirt… Glancing down, she took in what Blane did
—
shadowed,
rigid nipples pressed to the thin, transparent fabric. Being wet, the chemise clung to her form like a second skin.
Outlining
everything
…

Blane cleared his throat and whirled around. “I, uh…” He started to rummage in his pack, then thrust a plaid behind him. “
Here.
”

Face hotter than a blaze, Aliah grappled for the plaid, her fingers
trembl
ed
making it hard
er
. Finally, she took hold of it, wrapping
the fabric
around her shoulders and clutching it in front of her. Within seconds she was cloaked in warmth.

“Are ye…covered?” he asked.

“Aye,” she squeaked, mortified.

Then Blane turned back around, his face still filled with want, and tremors passed through her—not the ones she’d experienced from being cold.
Nay, these tremors were warm…hot even.

“I’m sorry… You said to wring out my clothes.”

“Aye.”

“You came back quicker than I thought.” She found her eyes wondering over his
shadowy
form, still soaked with fabric clinging to him. Her breaths quickened and
she
pulled the blanket up to her mouth, trying to hide the way she licked her lips
, yearning for what she couldn’t have
.
Then she said something she’d never in her wildest dreams imagined saying to a man, but what was worse was the images that flashed in her mind. “You’d best take off
your
clothes.”

Without taking his eyes off her, Blane tossed his pack somewhere into the back of the cave. She heard it bounce with a soft thud.
Eyes wide, frozen in place, she watched as he
unlatched
the pin from the plaid at his shoulder, letting the fabric drop.
Her gaze locked on
the fabric of his shirt
, clinging indecently
to his broa
d chest. Blane’s nipples, tiny
dark
dots
,
were taut. She couldn’t recall a man’s nipples ever having the effect on her that his were.
Then again, had she really witness
ed
many naked chests?
Her breath caught, insides quivered. The wet shirt followed the dips and ridges of his muscles and her hands itched to reach out and stroke each one. With deliberate slowness, Blane reached up and unti
ed
the strings at his neck, allowing her to see actual smooth, muscled skin. Her mouth went dry.

Aliah’s feet remained rooted in place.
She felt ethereal i
n this magical place. The sound
of the waterfall, the silvery light of the
moon, this man, so unbelievably
handsome and with a look of sensuality upon his face geared just for her…

Part of her knew this was wrong. That to feel the way she did, both physically and emotionally, was bound to get her into trouble. But she didn’t care. She wanted to watch him undress. Wanted to touch him. Wanted to tell him how much she loved him. To show him how much
they
made sense. Blane would only fight her on it. Some part of him wouldn’t allow her in. The damaged part that he’d hinted of. Consciously he would push her away, she knew that. ’Haps though, she could show him the right of it. Show him how much being together would only make their two worlds perfect.

Aliah took a step forward, faltered as he reached for the edges of his shirt and pulled it up over his head. That too he tossed. Her eyes were riveted on his flesh—smooth, muscled flesh.
A long scar curved wickedly over his ribs, intimating at some deeper struggle.
A male had never entranced her more.

Blane’s eyes were still connected with hers, as if he challenged her to continue watching. She was up for the task, her lip curling sligh
tly
in invitation. A shudder of pleasure passed over her at the boldness of her actions. She was tempting this man. Blane had already called her temptation itself once… Now she toyed with him, wanting to see just how far he’d go.

His fingers fiddled with his sporran, undoing the leather strap, he tossed it somewhere.
The corded belt came next and with it…his plaid pooled at his feet. Aliah’s eyes widened, stretching so far open she swore they’d pop from her head.

Blane was naked. Gloriously, frighteningly, naked.

Nude, m
uscled flesh.

Aliah’s breath caught. Her heart stopped.

Blane stood tall, proud. The breadth of his chest rose and fell evenly, as though this were a normal occasion, but the way he clenched and unclenched his jaw showed her the opposite. Hungrily, she looked him over, her eyes riveted on the middle part—the part that she’d felt press
ed
against her more than once.

’Twas long, thick. Silky looking and hard at the same time. Looked like an arrow, pointing straight toward her.
’Twas a little frightening and she supposed if she were to see a man naked for the first time, bathed in the shadows of night and the silver moon was the best way.

Between her thighs, she felt a quiver. The mark for his arrow seemed to wait for him to hit home. Aliah swallowed, and slowly pulled her gaze from the impossible, for he would never fit inside her. She should end this game now. ’Twould cut down on some of the embarrassment of… Of what? She had no idea what happened between a man and woman, other than what Blane had already showed her and what Glenda had whispered of—the latter she’d not believed.

Instinctively, she knew he would place his shaft against the core of her, the place t
hat was now damp and clenching. Shivers snaked up her spine, despite the warmth of the plaid now surrounding her.

“Will ye share your warmth with me?” Blane gave her
a
half smile. “I’m afraid, ’tis the only
dry
plaid I have.”

Aliah glanced down absently at the plaid draped over her. His words seemed to sink
in
and register slowly. The only plaid he had… And he was completely nude…

Her throat felt like it was swollen shut and her belly did one flip after another. She found herself nodding without realizing it. Still he beckoned her forward, one hand outstretched toward her. Aliah stepped forward, the
cave floor cold
beneath her
already frozen
feet. His hand captured hers, and she found herself swiftly tucked against him. She clutched tight to the plaid, keeping that singular barrier between them.

“’Tis a little better, but I was hoping to share the inside of the plaid too,” he teased.

Aliah nodded, but didn’t let go.

Blane chuckled. “Should I put my soaking wet one
back
on
again?”

She nodded, then shook her head.

“Ye confuse me
,
lass,” he said softly. “I return to find ye painted like a goddess against nature’s backdrop.” He nuzzled against her neck
,
sending shudders through her limbs. “Ye are so beautiful, so perfect…even if ye are stubborn.” He said the last part with a little nip of her ear. “But I
willna
compromise ye…unless ye want me to. And I
willna
do it without ye saying so. Even if every muscle in my body strains to feel ye against me.”

Every muscle in her body strained to
o
. Every inch of her flesh yearned to be touched by him. Her lips burned for him to nuzzle his way upward to capture them in a kiss. He wanted her, he admitted it. Was it enough?

Aye. For now. This was how she would show him. And if it wasn’t meant to be, then at least she’d tried and hadn’t condemned herself to a life of ‘what if?’

Aliah opened the plaid
, pressed her chest to his
. “I want ye to.”

Chapter
Nineteen

“T
his canna be undone,”
Blane
whispered, his eyes locking on
Aliah’s
.

“I know it.” Her lips quivered
,
partly from excitement and partly from fear.

“
Mo
creach
,” he said through gritted teeth.
His brow furrowed in
to
a frown.

For a moment, Aliah was afraid that he’d changed his mind. That he didn’t want her as he’d said and she’d only made a fool of herself. Then his mouth crushed to hers. His arms snaked around her waist, hoisting her nearly off her feet
. T
he warmth of his nakedness flush against her unsettl
ed her
senses.

Blane’s tongue slipped into her mouth, dueling with hers, tasting, caressing, teasing. As always when he kissed her, her body went wild—frissons of pleasure firing throughout. Aliah
was soaring, an ethereal being floating on clouds. Her mind was numb to everything but Blane. She
rubbed wantonly against him, gasping at the feel of his shaft nearly touching
her bare mound. The thin
-
as
-
air chemise was no barrier, it was just in the way.

Aliah moaned into his kiss, threading her fingers through his hair, then down his neck, feeling the pulse in the side.
His neck was not the only thing that pulsed. He rocked his hips back and forth, tantalizing her with every slide of his
rigid
member. His movements only made her own body
throb
more. She was coming undone. Control was slipping away and there was nothing she could do about
it
. Nothing she
wanted
to do about it. She was going to let herself go, give permission for this one night of passion and see if it led to a lifetime of bliss or only a precious memory.

Sharing her love with Blane, sharing her body… Seemed like the most glorious thing she could do. The one selfish act she could indulge in. The deciding factor in her life. Beyond all those things, she loved this man, and she wanted to love him in a way that would leave them both with an impression on their hearts.
Gently
,
Blane disentangled his mouth from hers. Even when the cool air hit her overheated lips, she left her eyes closed for a moment longer, trying to catch her breath. When she opened
them
, Blane smiled down at her, his eyes showing a mixture of desire and…she dared not name it, but the emotion he showed was very close to what was in her heart.

“
Ye’re
so warm,” he said, his fingers sliding over her hips. “But I think
ye’d
be warmer without this on.” Blane tugged at the chemise.

Aliah stepped back a foot, dropped the warm plaid to the ground and slowly tugged at the ribbons at her throat.
T
he chemise f
ell
open to reveal the tops of her breasts
.
Blane’s
gaze remained
fixed on the flesh she revealed
. He stepped nearer, closing the distance between them and reached out, trailing a soft caress from her collarbone down to the valley between her breasts. Her breath hitched, came erratically, making her chest rise and fall rapidly.
Euphoria set in.

“I’ve never seen anything so exquisite.”

She wanted to disagree, to say that surely a man of his prowess had seen plenty, but she didn’t. He had eyes only for her, and she’d not let anything spoil this moment.

“Are ye certain ye want this?” he asked, his gaze traveling back up to hers.

“Aye.” She bit down on her lip
when she’d nearly confessed her feelings for him.

“Me too,” he said. He cupped her breasts
through her
chemi
se, thumbing over her nipples, sending fresh tremors through her.

This was really happening. Nothing would stop them this time. No
interruptions
. Neither of them backing out.

Blane bent down, kissing her collarbone and lightly pushing the chemise from her shoulder, following its trail with his lips. His mouth was so warm on her flesh. She never felt more decadent. He repeated the movement on the other side, and she rolled her head in the opposite direction, sinking against him. Her knees felt weak, her entire body boneless.

A waft of cool air hit as the fabric of
her chemise pooled at her feet. She attempted to kick it away, but her toe caught on the fabric.
She groaned inside, wanting this moment to be perfect, but her nerves foil
ed
it.
Aliah shook her leg, trying as hard as she could to get the gown away, but it didn’t work. Blane pulled back, laughing.

“What are ye doing?” he asked.

She looked down
,
embarrassed to see that she’d kicked her toe right into one of the ribbon loops.
The humor of it hit her.
“Trying to get rid of my chemise,” she said with a laugh of her own.

“Let me.” Blane knelt down on one knee before her, but inste
ad of rescuing her toe, he
kissed her right on the navel.

Aliah sucked in a breath, her hands
clasping his shoulders with a slapping sound. She steadied
herself from falling
completely.
Amazing that he was able to turn her clumsiness into something sensual.

“
Mmm
…” Blane murmured across her flesh as he kissed circles around her navel, then over to her hip.

Aliah could barely
breathe
. How was it possible
that by
him
simply kissing her belly, he could elicit such a reaction from her
? Her heart skipped a beat, her thighs quivered. She clenched her thighs tight
ly
, but that only made her balance more precarious, and made her core convulse with the need for... She didn’t know.

Blane kissed his way down her thigh, all the way to her knee. He took her foot, and placed it up on his bent knee, freeing her toe. But he didn’t stop, didn’t let her go, he tickled her foot
with his fingers
as he kissed the inside of her knee.

“Your skin tastes like the purest of honeys.”

His teasing about honey pies came to mind, but she thrust it away, focusing on the way his tongue swirled up her inner thigh.

“I must have more of your honey…” he murmured.

What was he talking about? She
couldn’t fathom
. Couldn’t follow, not when his hot breath touched against the dampened curls at the apex of her thighs. Aliah raked her nails up the back of his head, gripping his hair tight
ly
.

Then his mouth was on her… Kissing the very heat of her. She cried out, her hips jerking forward.

“Blane, what... What are…you doing?”

“Loving ye.
” His words were simple, but the impact was strong, made even more so when his tongue swirled between the folds of her sex and she felt as though she were floating in a cloud of pleasure.

He held her steady with one arm wrapped around her buttocks, his hand splayed
hotly
on the small of her back.
Blane’s mouth worked magic. He kissed, suckled, licked.
He pushed her thighs wider apart,
gaining
more access to the slick, quivering folds and the nub firing pleasure with every
breath she took.
Blane was a master at the craft of pleasuring, she was sure of it. Aliah’s head fell back, moans cut from her throat sounding feral, animalistic. Never before had she thought… Everything she knew, believed in, ’twas all flipped this way and that the moment she laid eyes on this man. The moment he knocked at her door.

“Och, lass, ye taste so good.”

Every word he spoke vibrated off her sensitive flesh, played with her thoughts. Made her feel alive. More alive than she’d ever felt before. Then he took her nub in
his
mouth, sucking with just the right amount of pressure. She felt herself coming undone. Felt the spiral upward, as pleasure radiated throughout her. Her sex quivered,
spasmed
, a
nd a cry tore from her throat
that she swore echoed off the walls of the cave. Aliah dug her fingers into Blane’s shoulders, seeking an anchor so she wouldn’t fall over. He held tight to her, his hands at her hips, keeping her upright
when
she was sure her knees could no longer hold her.

He continued to kiss, lick and nuzzle her until the spasms subsided, until her breaths were
no longer ra
g
ged indrawn gasps and the pressure that had steadily climbed and peaked began anew. S
till
she
trembled, felt as though her skin were on fire. Opening her eyes, which she’d just realized were clenched tightly closed, she gazed down at Blane. Pleasure and pride shown in his eyes.

“
Ye’re
one tasty treat for a man.”

Aliah cocked her head to the side, a smile touching her lips. “Is that what you meant by honey pie?” Her face flamed from asking such a question, but she was pretty sure she was
correc
t.

Blane laughed hard, his head falling back. “Och, lass, ye will have me undone.
I canna believe I said something so scandalous to ye.
” He spread the plaid out on the floor and then swept her off her feet, laying her on top before quickly coming over her. His nose touched hers, one thigh rested on
top of hers, his shaft pressed hard and pulsing against her hip.
Unaware of how it was
possible, tremors of need ran through her once more. She truly was a wanton
,
for even when he’d dined on her moments before, it appeared it wasn’t enough for her insatiable body. He braced himself on his elbows. “’Twas the best pie I’ve ever had.”

He nudged her thighs apart, settling himself between them, his member
rest
ing against her core. Aliah pressed upward, wanting to be closer, enjoying the sparks of pleasure that jolted with each rub against his thickness.
Wanting to join with him completely, to feel for these precious moments that she was his and his alone.

“I…” How did she say
what she wanted to
? Honestly, she supposed. “I enjoyed it very much.”

Blane smiled with raw male sensuality. “I noticed. Ye found your release, ’twas powerful.”

“My release…” she trailed off.

“Aye, that powerful firing of sensation that”
—
he kissed her neck, his teeth scraping over her flesh as h
is body molde
d hotly against her core
—
“made your body quiver,
your
breath catch and
your
heart stop.”

Aliah closed her eyes, lifted her knees up around his hips to be closer to him and stroked her hands over his rippling back.
“Aye, that is how it felt.”

Blane caressed one of her thighs, scraping his calloused palm down unti
l he gripped her derriere
.
“I’ve never met a woman with as much passion and fire as ye.” His eyes locked on hers, intense, and she could see he told the truth.

Aliah smiled, traced her fingers over his
stubbled
cheek. “You’ve changed my opinion on a lot of things,” she whispered.

“Like what?” he asked softly.

“Life. Everything.” Her hand moved out as if indicating the world. “I was so sheltered before now. I feel as though I’ve grown in many ways since I met you.”