He gave a small grin. “That’s a little more like it.”
“Capable.” She slid her hands up his chest and around his neck. “Yer built like a statue of a man, so muscular and—”
He squeezed around her middle, pressing them together. Then he lifted her and started carrying her toward his room. “And I keep my promises. Tonight, I’ll make good on the one where I kiss every inch of yer body.”
She giggled, tickling the skin of his neck. It sent little shivers racing down his back and arms. “Ye are a man of yer word. Kind and patient.”
He let out a rumble of protest. “Now yer making me sound like a woman.”
She skimmed her hands over the muscles of his back. “Not a woman at all. But now that I’ve met you, Will Sinclair, I could never be with any other type of man again.”
She hadn’t come right out and said that she wanted only him. He was acutely aware of that fact but they were moving closer and it was enough for him for tonight. He kissed her slowly, like he’d promised, allowing his lips to explore hers, his tongue to taste her.
By the time he’d pulled away again, they were both panting. He set her feet on the floor and reached for the buttons of her gown. One by one he slid them open until the gown fell to her waist. He undid the cuffs and then watched the material fall about her feet. “Soon, we’ll get ye new gowns.”
“I don’t need new gowns,” she murmured as she pulled him into her arms. “I just want ye to hold me.”
He did just that, his heart hammering in his chest. This was one place that he didn’t feel inadequate. Will could hold her in his arms until all her old hurts healed themselves shut. “Fer as long as you wish.” Then he captured her lips with his.
He tugged at the strings of her corset until it loosened enough that he could step back and pull it off. She worked the buttons on his shirt as she nibbled at her swollen lip, her gaze fixed on his. “I can’t be the only one losing my clothing.”
Will had all the patience in the world for her, but his own clothing was a different matter and he tugged the garment over his head, popping several buttons.
“Your shirt,” she cried as buttons skidded across the floor making a tap-tap sound as they landed on the floor.
“I’ll fix it later,” he groaned, pulling her against his bare chest. Then he lifted her and set her gently on the bed. “Let’s get these boots off, shall we?”
* * *
Gemma looked down at him as he tugged off her second boot and then kissed the inside of her knee through her pantaloons. There was a tension to his movements, like a spring locked into place. He was being achingly gently but she could feel his shivers of anticipation and they heightened her own longing.
When she was in nothing but her shift, she pointed at him. “Now you,” she waved her finger toward his pants. She hadn’t seen him last night, not really. But she’d felt him. The way he’d filled her… she licked her lips, waiting to see the one part of him that she’d yet to view.
He kicked off his boots, then stripped down his breeches.
As he straightened, Gemma licked her lips again. He was glorious. Thick, full, and long. She wanted… well, she wanted all of him. Everything he was willing to give her.
She closed her eyes for just a moment. She wouldn’t ask for more, wouldn’t pressure him. If she couldn’t keep a man like Sean, she’d never be able to hold onto one like Will. It didn’t matter. She’d worry about her broken heart later. In this moment, she just wanted to enjoy being with Will and melting in his arms.
When she stood, she stripped off the last of her clothing. He looked into her eyes and then his gaze drifted down her body like a touch. She shivered with anticipation but, in a moment, he had his arms around her. “Are you cold?”
“Not a bit,” she said, sliding her hands up his chest and wrapping them about his neck. As their bodies pressed together, her breath caught. He was so warm and strong.
He lifted her and placed her on the bed, kissing her lips then beginning a trail with his lips across her jaw and over her neck.
Bumps raised along her skin as he moved down her chest and ran his tongue along each nipple. She threaded her fingers through his hair as heat pooled between her legs. “You meant what you said about kissing every inch.”
He let out a guttural noise from within his throat. “I’ll keep my promises to ye, Gemma.”
He slid lower until he was between her legs. She didn’t answer but as he kissed her thighs, she swore to herself that she’d do the same. Then his lips touched her most sensitive area and she stopped thinking at all.
As tension built within her, her head twisted back and forth and senseless words tumbled form her lips that she was only half aware of. The heat pooling between her legs became so intense, she was certain she couldn’t stand another second. As she fell over the edge, she cried out his name, “Will.” Her body spasming as intense pleasure ricocheted through her.
She’d only begun to float back down when he sprung back up her body, his manhood pressed at her entrance, their eyes, noses, and lips aligned. “Gemma,” he groaned. “Did ye mean what ye said?” he asked, pushing into her, making them both cry out in satisfaction.
She tried to remember the words but they were jumbled with all the thoughts she hadn’t let fall from her lips. Still she didn’t hesitate. “Every word.”
Sliding out, he pushed back in. Gemma dug her fingers into his back as their lips came together. “Let me take care of ye. Ye don’t need the past, love. Let me be your future.”