Page 24 of The Bastard Heir (The Gilded West #2)

He echoed that sound with his own deep-throated groan and his lips moved down her neck in a trail of hot, open-mouthed kisses.

His hand moved to the tie on her wrapper and tugged it until it fell open, leaving her with just the thin, soft cotton night rail.

His palm roamed up over her belly to settle over her breast, and she nearly jumped out of her skin when he touched her sensitive nipple through the fabric.

As his hand shifted to cup her breast, his thumb stroked over her nipple.

She bit her lip to keep another moan from escaping, but couldn’t stop herself from pushing her hips up into him.

His leg slipped between her thighs, and the coarse hair on his bare calf abraded her skin where her gown had ridden up, sending shivers through her body.

His erection strained against her thigh, so impossibly hard she could barely believe it.

She’d had no idea that a man would be so hard.

“Carolina,” he whispered against her overheated skin, the tip of his tongue tasting her.

When she realized he was bound for her breast, she gasped aloud.

It had never occurred to her that a man would want suckle her, but that’s just what he did.

His hot mouth closed over her and he sucked her through the thin fabric.

His teeth scraped across her puckered nipple, and there was no stopping the cry that fell from her lips as her entire body tightened.

A wave of need rolled through her, sending a dart of pleasure straight to her core. The pulse between her legs became a full-on ache for some sort of gratification. “Castillo,” she whispered as she shifted against him. Her fingers delved into his hair, holding him against her.

She hadn’t even realized he’d moved until the cool night air touched her leg.

He shoved his hand under her gown, pushing the thin cotton fabric up to her hip.

His knee pressed against the inside of her thigh, urging her to open for him, so she did, tilting her leg out to give him access.

He groaned against her breast when his fingers found her swollen and wet for his touch.

“Oh, God,” she whispered, arching up toward his touch.

She’d never imagined in all her life that a man’s touch could feel so good.

Dipping briefly into her wetness, his two middle fingers moved up to circle her swollen clitoris.

She bit her lip again to keep from making a sound and found herself circling her hips to counter the friction and the ache he was building.

Very soon, quicker than she’d realized it would happen, that motion wasn’t enough.

She dug her fingertips into his shoulders and shifted restlessly as the ache within her expanded and she felt an indescribable pressure building inside her. “Please,” she whispered.

“Dammit, Carolina.” He held himself over her as if he’d realized what he was doing, but didn’t stop touching her between her thighs. “I shouldn’t be doing this to you.”

Her arms tightened around him at the mere hint that he might stop.

One leg curled around his thigh. She felt as if she couldn’t touch him enough, couldn’t get enough contact with him.

“Castillo, I need…” What did she need? His fingertips slanted over her clitoris, giving her just enough pressure to take the edge off the relentless ache.

“What do you need?” His voice was a hoarse rasp against her lips as he kissed her and his hips pushed against her in a faint thrust.

“More…you…more.” His shaft was so hard against her that she realized exactly what she needed. She needed him to fill her. It’d be so easy to push the sheet down from his hips and free him. He’d already be there, ready to thrust himself inside her.

Taking pity on her, his fingers moved down to her opening.

She nearly came out of her skin when he circled her and eased a fingertip inside, stretching her to accommodate him.

It was a slow in and out movement that had her desperate for more, until finally he pressed his broad finger deep and she saw stars behind her eyelids.

“Are you a virgin, Carolina?” He kept up a gentle rhythm, but he didn’t try to fit another finger inside her.

“Yes.” It came out more as a breath than a formed word.

He mumbled something. It had to be cursing with the way he growled it, though he spoke Spanish and she couldn’t say for sure.

Before she could respond, his mouth covered hers once more, and his finger found her clitoris again.

He alternated between touching her there and stroking deep.

When her body began to tremble from the pleasure, he spoke to her, his words soft and encouraging.

The fact that they were in Spanish only somehow increased her pleasure.

She didn’t need to understand them. It was enough that his smooth, deep voice was saying them to her.

Finally, everything within her narrowed to his touch on her body until she exploded.

Waves of pleasure rushed over her, and he kissed her to keep her silent.

When she finally stopped trembling, he took his hand away and pulled down her night rail.

She was breathing hard and her limbs were leaden, but she wasn’t finished.

She wanted to touch him. When he moved to her side, she reached for the sheet, but he stopped her with his hand on hers.

She wasn’t willing to give him up just yet, though, so she ran her palms over his chest, savoring her ability to touch him.

He closed his eyes and shivered as he leaned into her touch.

Her fingers delved into the hair on the back of his head to pull him back to her.

He kissed her hard, his hand going back to cover her breast. She sighed against his lips.

“We can’t go further, Carolina.” His voice was low and rough, raking across her senses. “That was already too far.”

“But I want to touch you.”

“No.” He said it with such authority, it brought her up short and she pulled her hand from his chest. “If you touch me, I’ll go too far.”

Her heart raced at the implications of that. They should stop. Somewhere in her mind, she knew that. He was saying that if she touched him, he’d take her. Her body woke up to a brand new state of desire just from the thought of that, but he was right.

He sat up on the side of the bed and took her hand to help her sit beside him.

Uncertain of what to do or say, she tensed to rise, but he reached over and touched her face.

His palm was warm and her skin prickled beneath his fingertips, longing for more of his touch.

“Thank you. For what you gave me just now and for releasing me from our agreement.”

She nodded. “I’m sorry things can’t be different between us.

I like you, Castillo. I…I like you very much.

” It was true. She admired his dedication to his grandfather and his drive for justice.

She appreciated that he seemed to understand her own ambition, when almost everyone else didn’t.

She relished the way he’d stood up to Mr. Bonham on her behalf.

Suddenly it dawned on her. He was everything she’d ever thought she wanted in a husband.

Strong but kind, intelligent and compassionate, honorable yet passionate.

Oh, God. If given half the chance, she could love him.

But that couldn’t be. Her future was in Boston.

His was in Texas or maybe even here. She actually had no idea what he planned to do after he found Derringer, which only proved it wouldn’t work out.

None of that even included the fact that he was a dangerous man.

Loving him was sure to bring her heartache.

The very idea of it terrified her, but the logic didn’t do anything to stop her heart from opening up and letting him in.

Since she couldn’t rely on her perfectly logical brain to protect her, she decided that distance was the only thing that could. Pulling her wrapper around her body, she murmured a hasty, “Goodnight,” and fled the room before he could stop her.