Page 21 of Proven By The Highlander (Highlander Forever #15)
CHAPTER 21
F or one frozen moment, Caelan didn’t react at all to her kiss, and she was absolutely convinced she’d made a terrible mistake. He was about to recoil from her coldly, tell her she’d gotten the wrong idea, send her away… the men had been right, she thought incoherently, she was just a lovestruck fool of a girl — and then, with a rush of relief so strong it nearly bowled her over, she felt his hand cup the back of her neck and draw her sweetly closer. The kiss was gentle, careful, exploratory… she realized that Caelan had had barely any contact with people in general, let alone at this level of intimacy. It wasn’t like she was overly experienced in that area either, especially lately. Relationships had never been a priority for her, and with work as busy as it had been over the last few years, she couldn’t remember the last time she’d been here.
And if she was honest, she’d never been anywhere quite like this. The first brush of his lips had sent electricity arcing down her spine and set a whole flock of butterflies off in her stomach, and when he deepened the kiss her pulse skyrocketed. Her body seemed to be more reactive than it had ever been in the past when she’d found herself in situations like these… awkward kisses after vaguely successful first dates, a handful of clumsy high school romances that had barely gone further than some make-out sessions in movie cinemas, a couple of short-term relationships in college that had always come second to her studies… none of those could even hold a candle to how she felt right now, with Caelan’s lips against hers.
The heat between them grew faster than she’d believed possible, faster than even the little fire had taken hold of its fresh fuel, and before she knew it he’d drawn her close, pulling her into his lap to give her better access to his lips. Her arms were wrapped around his broad shoulders and she could feel her breath catching with every caress of his roaming hands, which were growing in confidence by the minute, moving under the cloth of her cloak and ghosting across the laces at the back of her dress, which she was already beginning to wonder whether she ought to loosen… but would that be too forward? Her body knew exactly what it wanted from this man, that much was clear… and she realized in a rush that she’d probably been wanting him for a lot longer than just tonight. Hadn’t it been one of the first things she’d thought, when she’d stumbled across him in the forest like that — how handsome he was? Even half-frozen, bedraggled and soaked with lake water, probably in the worst shock of her life, she’d still managed to notice how handsome he was.
And she was noticing it now, that was for sure. Every time she looked at his face in the firelight, she felt her heart skip a beat — the soft rasp of his stubble, the glint of those gray eyes. Even the scent of him was intoxicating, especially this close… she grinned a little at the memory of his defensive comment about bathing regularly. Sure enough, she could detect the faint scent of soap — but mostly, it was the scent of him that was intoxicating, his musk sending shivers right down her spine…
“I guess I’d better stay the night,” she whispered in his ear, felt his arms tighten instinctively around her as he uttered a low groan of agreement. She giggled as he hoisted her in his arms, and before she knew it they were lying on his bedroll together, still holding each other tight but with a new urgency in their movements. She could feel his manhood pressing against her thigh, hard and insistent even through the layers of fabric that separated them, and she grimaced a little as she tugged layer after layer of skirt out of the way. For the first time since she’d been here, she missed the straightforward clothing of her own time. Skinny jeans were a hassle to get on and off, but at least they didn’t stop you from feeling what was going on…
She felt his fingertips on her back, and she giggled breathlessly as she realized he was attacking the laces of her dress. This was certainly a different feeling than when her friends had helped her in and out of her clothing… she helped him shrug the pieces off, suddenly oblivious to the cool air of the cave, simply desperate to get every layer of clothing out of the way that was still holding them apart. Caelan sighed softly as she returned the favor, tugging his tunic off over his head.
And then, finally, they were both naked… and she took a moment to take in the sight of him, aware at the same time of the way he was gazing at her. Those broad, muscular shoulders, the hard flat planes of his chest, the trail of dark blond hair running down his muscular abdomen toward… her breath caught at the sight of his manhood, firm and erect, and the desire that bloomed in her was dark and overwhelming. As quickly as their sweet, gentle first kiss had developed into a passionate embrace, she felt her yearning for him turn to hot, desperate desire… and the same must have been true for Caelan, because the sound he made as he reached up to grab her was almost like a growl.
They almost fell onto the bedroll now, and she gasped for breath as she pressed her hips against him, feeling his hands moving over her body with a new determination, sliding over her belly and toward the wet heat between her legs… she groaned as she finally felt the brush of his fingers against her over-sensitive sex, bucking her hips helplessly toward him in wordless encouragement. His fingers explored her for a delicious, incalculable stretch of time as he continued to kiss her lips hard and fierce, and she was on the verge of begging by the time he finally replaced his hand with the tip of his manhood. As he pressed himself against her entrance she caught her breath… but he hesitated, just for a moment, seeking her gaze with his own, cupping the side of her face with one hand in a gesture that was surprising in its tenderness. She nodded encouragement, her breath catching in her throat… and nothing in the world could have stopped the moan of pleasure that escaped her when he finally slid himself deep inside her.
Caelan was groaning against her throat, too, and she wrapped her arms around his shoulders, rocking her hips up against him to encourage him deeper. Every thrust of his hips sent pleasure arcing through her again, and the soft sounds he was making against her throat told her that he was enjoying it every bit as much as she was. She could feel the pleasure building in her belly like a fire he’d been stoking ever since she’d first arrived here… the tension between them as they waited for the search party to leave, the lingering eye contact in the silences between their conversation, it had all been building to this, and she could feel the inevitable peak hurtling toward her faster than she’d thought was possible. She was gasping for breath, her whole body shuddering, her legs wrapped tightly around his waist as she urged him onwards… their rhythm grew more and more frantic as their passion grew, and when Leanne felt the point of no return coming up fast, she knew somehow that he was right there with her, on the very edge of his climax… and when it crashed over her, she buried her face against his throat to stifle the scream of pleasure that she couldn’t stop herself from uttering.
And then they were both shuddering and gasping in the white-hot aftershocks of pleasure that were rolling through them. Her body was twitching and shuddering as the most powerful orgasm of her life faded, and she clung to Caelan, kissing his lips again and again as the feeling gradually faded. He wrapped her tightly in his arms, his own breath coming hard, both of their bodies damp with sweat and glowing like a furnace in the cool air of the cave… and she smiled in sleepy gratitude as he reached out with one hand to pull a soft woolen blanket over them both. It was the one he’d been sleeping under that first night they’d met, she realized — his cloak, then, warm and soft, and smelling like him.
Part of her wondered if they shouldn’t talk about what had just happened… but it was out voted by the part of her that was exhausted after a long and stressful day, and by the part of her that wanted nothing more than to bask in the delicious afterglow of their lovemaking for the rest of time. Caelan blinked sleepily down at her, a soft smile curving his lips, and she sighed as she pillowed her head against his chest. Just a few moments, she told herself drowsily… just a few minutes of rest until she’d caught her breath, then they’d talk.
And within seconds, both Caelan and Leanne were fast asleep, wrapped in each other’s arms by the gently crackling fire.