Chapter 15

15

H e flipped the book open, scanning the pages. Charlotte sunk deeper into the pillows, and he could tell her whole body was aflame with humiliation. He flipped his eyes up to the red that covered her cheeks as she burned beside him. The sight was adorable, and it made Alasdair eager to tease her further.

"I was only…" Charlotte bit her bottom lip, stopping herself. Alasdair continued to flip through the pages, and he finally stopped on a page he wanted.

"Mary looked into the pirate's eyes with a beating heart. Her chest heaved as the man stared back at her like a meal to devour. The strong muscles of his arms bulged as he closed the cabin door, locking them in together…"

"That's enough," Charlotte squirmed. She tried to grab the book from Alasdair's hands, but he pulled it away. He pressed his lips together as he held back his smirk.

"But I'm curious," he said, feigning ignorance. "I want to see how ye have been occupying yerself."

He flipped the page, jumping down a few paragraphs. He was curious to see just how far this book would go. Though he was doing this to tease her, he felt her closeness, and Alasdair's body was beginning to respond. His arousal began to stir as he turned back to Orlaith's racy book.

"He laid his lips on the round expanse of Mary's chest. Her breasts heaved for him, and she arched her back, pressing herself closer to him…"

"Alasdair…"

"With a growl that echoed off the walls, he reached for her dress and roughly untied the laces that ran up the back. He pulled the fabric away from her, dropping her skirts to the ground before walking her backward and pressing her trembling body against the wall."

As he read, Alasdair kept an eye on Charlotte, watching her expression as she stared at the bedclothes.

"John attacked Mary's lips, and she moaned into his mouth as his tongue pressed hard into her mouth. His hands began to bunch Mary's skirts, pulling them up and over her knee as his hand found the soft skin of her inner thigh…"

Charlotte burst out of bed, unable to take this teasing as Alasdair read with his most sensual voice. She crossed away from him, standing with her back to him and her arms pulled tight across her chest. He could almost see her trembling, and Alasdair put down the book, wondering if he had taken things too far.

He left the book on the bed and stood up, closing the distance between them. His eyes were transfixed by the gentle curls of Charlotte's blonde hair, hanging long down her back.

"They are only words," he whispered. Charlotte's head turned, so she could catch him out of the corner of her eye, but she quickly looked away.

"You shouldn't tease me," she whispered.

"Ye're right," he said. "But I cannae help it. Ye are so adorable when ye blush."

Charlotte turned to him, surprised by the words. He watched the shock turn to desire as she stared back at him, her eyes roaming his face. He remembered the novel and the woman's heaving chest as his eyes dropped to Charlotte's breasts, rising and falling with her quickening breathing. It was Charlotte who stepped closer, and they moved together to let their lips meet in a deep kiss.

She was bolder than this afternoon, grabbing at his arms and pulling him closer with the skill of a seasoned lover. His stomach flipped as he realized how much she had blossomed since their first days together. Alasdair opened his mouth to deepen the kiss, and he felt Charlotte's tongue, tentative at first as it ran along his lips.

"Ye ken," he whispered, pulling away as his hands ran up the curve of her waist, "ye shouldnae only read about these things…"

Charlotte's eyes flashed, and he had to hold himself back from devouring those pink lips.

"Ye shouldnae leave to the imagination what I can show ye in person."

The words astonished her, and for a moment, he thought she might pull away. Had he taken things too far? Her cheeks burned, and she dropped her eyes to Alasdair's feet though her hands still held tight to his arms. He tried to read her, but he was distracted by the gentle outline of her nipples through her nightgown. The image was nearly too much for him, and he felt his length grow as he saw the woman's eagerness.

And yet, her face stayed turned away. She was too shy, unable to speak what she wanted. Perhaps too shy to act on it. He knew he wouldn't touch the woman if she didn't show him that she wanted this.

Alasdair waited, but when Charlotte didn't return his gaze, he stepped away, disengaging from her.

"Ye should rest," he said with a gentle nod. He stepped toward the door, but he felt her hand on his arm. Charlotte spun him back to her and pulled him with confidence, launching her mouth against his own in a decisive sign of acceptance.

What has come over you?

As she pulled Alasdair closer, she wondered where this boldness came from. After all his teasing and the racy words hanging in the air, she thought she might die from shame. But watching Alasdair step away from her had awakened something fierce inside of her. She couldn't stand to see him leave.

She pressed her lips hard against his mouth, and his hands rose to cup her breasts through her nightgown. She gasped as she felt her nipples rub against the man's rough palms. Alasdair touched her breasts gently but with the attention of a man who knew how to send shockwaves directly to her core.

Charlotte shuddered as his thumb began to circle her nipple. Her left breast felt cold as his hand dropped away, eliciting a small moan of disappointment. But then she felt the rough fabric of her nightgown lifting as Alasdair began to bunch it at her waist.

"What are you doing?" she whispered.

"Showing ye," he chuckled. "Just like in yer book. Did the man not bunch her skirts around her waist?"

She gasped as his fingers found the soft skin on the inside of Charlotte's knee. His touch made her weak, and Alasdair had to slip an arm around her back to keep her from falling.

"Ye're alright," he laughed. He helped to right her, keeping a hand on her arm to steady her. "Have ye had enough of real life for the moment? I can return ye to yer book if ye would like."

He looked down at her with such care and compassion that Charlotte felt utterly protected. They were locked in her small guest room, the sky dark around them. The other residents of the castle were locked in their rooms, likely drifting to sleep as they spoke. For a brief moment, it felt like she and Alasdair were the only two people in the world.

She forced her eyes to meet his own.

"Show me more."

He lifted her instantly, scooping a hand beneath her legs as the other stayed firmly behind her back. Charlotte squealed at the movement, and she laughed at the goofy grin Alasdair gave her as they tumbled toward the bed. He dropped her down, falling on top of her, and Charlotte's laugher died as she felt a man's body lying on top of her own.

He looked at her with hunger, recognizing the change in her. And then Alasdair positioned himself onto his knees, straddling her hips. She remembered the way he liked to trap her against doorways, his muscular arms blocking her in. It was exactly what he did now with his arms along her head and his hips blocking her own against the bed.

He leaned down and took her bottom lip into his mouth, running his tongue along it as he teased her. But he didn't stay there long. Instead, he kissed down her neck and toward her breasts. She felt his breath through the fabric of her nightgown as he hovered his mouth dangerously close to her breasts.

Alasdair's hand was back at her knee, but now, he was easing the fabric higher. His hand found her inner thigh, and Charlotte moaned as her legs opened wider all on their own. His fingers roamed higher, closer and closer to her core, and then she felt the gently pressure of his finger against her wetness.

"Alasdair!" she cried, shocked by the sensation, but he didn't give her time to recover. His finger began to stroke up and down, pressing into her lips, and then his mouth dropped down to her breast as his tongue pressed against the fabric of her nightgown.

She squirmed beneath him, feeling electricity deep in her stomach. The new sensations flooding through her were overwhelming, threatening to undo her. And then his fingers pressed deeper, finding their way inside of her.

"Oh!" she cried, and Alasdair brough his face up to meet her eyes, desperate to see her as he pushed in and out of her opening. Charlotte flung her head backward and pressed her eyes tightly together, giving in to the pleasure of it all.

When Alasdair pulled his hand away, she felt empty. Her eyes flew open with something close to indignation, but she quickly forgave him as she saw him yank his shirt up and over his head, exposing his broad and muscled chest.

Her eyes locked onto him, taking in the scars that sliced across him, one much longer and deeper than the others. For a moment he looked thoughtful, as if trying to read something on her face, but that was quickly replaced by that naked hunger she had seen before.

He shifted down on the bed, and she felt his hands on her thighs. Alasdair pushed the fabric higher, exposing her as her skirts bunched around her waist. And then he dropped down, letting his tongue explore where his fingers had just left.

He pressed his tongue against Charlotte, delighting in the gasps of pleasure he was drawing from her. He was desperate for her to enjoy this. After all, he was certain he was the first man who had ever touched her in such a way. Remembering how Charlotte had responded to his fingers on her chest, he let his hand snake below her nightgown even as his mouth continued to work.

Alasdair ran his fingers along Charlotte's stomach and up to her breast, finally feeling the perfect roundness without fabric covering them. He flicked his thumb across her hardness even as his mouth moved upward, searching for the spot he knew would drive her wild.

She screamed his name when he found it. For such a shy thing, she was uninhibited beneath him, making his own arousal grow and lengthen in response. He moved his fingers faster against her nipple as his tongue began to circle the sensitive spot between her legs. She squirmed beneath him, and then he felt her hips lift higher, meeting his tongue.

"Alasdair," she gasped, and he knew she was close. He brought his hand down her body and back to the space between her legs. He gently teased her, letting the anticipation build before he pressed his finger slowly inside of her.

Charlotte screamed, and then her body exploded into shaking. He felt her hand in his hair, holding him where she wanted him, and he continued working, trying to give her as much pleasure as he could. He stopped when he felt her push his mouth away, collapsing onto the bed as she gasped huge breaths of air.

"What do ye think?" Alasdair asked, pulling his body up so he could lay beside her. "Was it better than the book?"

"Yes," Charlotte gasped. "Much better."

Alasdair pulled her against his bare chest and pressed his lips to her temple. He held her there, delighting in the warmth of her body and the pink flush of her skin until she fell asleep in his arms.