“You went after him, didn’t you?” Sorrell asked in a whisper.
Her question chased away the tempting images to his relief and also his disappointment. “He deserved more than the beating I gave him.”
“You didn’t have to do that.”
“Aye, I did,” John said, not able to take his eyes off her lips, particularly the plump one. He so badly wanted to tease it with a few nips before kissing her senseless.
“You are a good man, John,” Sorrell said, softly and released his hand.
Not wise, John, not wise.
He didn’t listen to the warning in his head, he raised his hands and rested both of them on her narrow waist, though he had the sense to warn her. “Make no mistake, Sorrell, I’m not a good man.”
She pressed her fingers to his lips. “I won’t hear that from you. I know in my heart you are a good man and nothing you say will change that.”
“Then maybe you need to see it for yourself.” He gave her a gentle yank and she stumbled against him, her face coming to rest close to his. So close that all he had to do…
His teeth caught her plump bottom lip and he nipped along it softly, tugging and teasing, relishing every playful nip before finally claiming her lips in a kiss that flamed his senses and aroused his manhood much too fast.
He stole the breath from her and Sorrell didn’t care. She had never been kissed and had never dreamed it could be so wonderful. The way his teeth had played with her bottom lip had sent a crazy rush of flutters through her and settled a dampness between her legs that she hadn’t expected. Nor had she expected it to go from damp to wet when he kissed her.
She should stop him. She should leave and not look back, then his tongue slid into her mouth. Instinct and desire took over and she cupped the back of his head and held tight as she welcomed him and joined in the kiss, tentative at first, but not for long. She found it natural to respond to him, to let her desire take flight and simply enjoy.
His hands roamed down along the gentle curve of her hips and around to her backside, cupping her cheeks and giving them a squeeze. They were firm and her waist narrow and though she was petite there was a strength he could feel in her. And the way she eagerly returned his kisses let him know she would be equally eager to join with him.
Stop this madness, John. Stop it before it’s too late.
The warning in his head went unheeded.
He wanted Sorrell with a heated desire he had never felt for any woman. He wanted to strip her bare, carry her to the bed and couple with her, and once he did she would belong to him forever. He’d never let her go.
The thought returned some sanity to him. She was promised to another. She had a duty to do. He had no right. And that’s what troubled him the most. He had no right to Sorrell and he had to let these foolish thoughts go, and Sorrell as well. He eased his mouth off hers and rested his brow to her chest, not a wise choice, feeling her breasts brush his heated cheeks. Thank God they weren’t bare or he would feast on them.
She rested her face on the top of his head and felt a heavy sadness descend over her. Intimacy with him could never be and the thought brought a sheen of tears to her eyes.
“Sorrell,” he whispered and raised his head and his stomach plunged seeing her green eyes glisten with unshed tears. Was she sorry for what had just happened between them?
She cupped his jaw, her small fingers disappearing into his thick beard. “How I wish things were different. How I wish I wer…”
“No,” John said, pushing her away, thinking how this could feel so right, yet be all wrong.
He could just poke her and be done with it. That’s what he had done these past two years with women who had wanted to warm his bed. But Sorrell was different. She wasn’t a quick poke and he wasn’t ready nor was it the time for anything more.
He did what he had to do. “I’m no good for you, Sorrell. I’m not who you think I am. I want nothing more at this moment than to strip you bare and take you to my bed and poke you until you’re too weak to stand. Leave now before it’s too late.” He pointed to the door.
She stared at him, not moving. “I’d rather it be you who took my virginity than Seth MacCannish.”
Her words were like a well-placed punch to his gut and a stimulant to his manhood. A low growl rumbled in his throat as he got to his feet. The woman had no good sense and no fear. He stepped close to her, lowering his face to hers until their noses almost touched. “If I took your virginity, you’d be mine and no other would ever touch you. And you would obey me.” He took a step back. “Now get out before you make a mistake you will long regret.”