I couldn’t suppress the shiver. I slowly moved my head toward him so that our noses rubbed against each other. One of my hands went for the side of his head, my fingers sinking into his soft hair. I couldn’t control myself, my actions were apart from my brain, and suddenly I understood why he was afraid of what he would do. I should have been afraid of myself, too.
Instead, I welcomed it. He could have been the apple that changed Eve’s innocence. He could have been the snake. And I suddenly didn’t care.
Chapter Twelve
We were too close. It was all too much.
I shook my head and steadied my breath which was coming out hot and ragged. “My innocence is gone. But whatever I do have left, I want you to have it.”
“You’ll always be innocent to me,” he murmured, barely moving his lips, his gaze never leaving mine.
“Then…” I said, my heart thudding in my chest as I traced his rough jaw with my fingers, “you’ll have to at least try and take it.”
“Oh darlin’,” he said huskily. “You have no idea what you’re asking of me and I might be not be good enough of a man to say no.”
“I have some idea,” I whispered, “if you just point the way.”
He broke into a wide grin and let out an amused chuckle that lasted a shining second before he suddenly grabbed my face, his large hands taking up both sides of it, and kissed me.
Hard.
And still his lips were soft, covering mine, and I felt the hot, wet pressure of his satiny tongue push into my mouth. I welcomed it and moaned once it touched mine. My cheeks flamed with heat, but I couldn’t tell if it was because I was self-conscious or it was the fire that was inside of me, burning up in my chest and belly.
I felt my innocence being charred.
And as he kissed me, I kissed him back. I found myself being dragged into a warm abyss that was just his hands and lips and tongue and us kissing each other like we were afraid to stop, like we’d die if we stopped.
The world outside us stood still and it was just him and I melding together in front of the flames, feeding on each other, because with each kiss it only stoked my hunger, a hunger for him, his body and mind and heart and soul and everything so very brave and strong about him.
“Oh, Eve,” he spoke against my lips before he brought his to my neck and started sliding them down to my collar bone. I couldn’t help but moan again, my body overloaded with these feelings and sensations I had never felt before. It was an assault and I was both fighting back with my mouth and surrendering at the same time.
He cupped my chin and pulled back a few inches, his eyes shining and his lids heavy, looking almost sleepy if not for the lust that sparked behind them. “This is why I was afraid,” he whispered intensely. “I was afraid I would do this to you.”
I leaned my forehead against his and tried to catch my breath. I squeezed his hair in my hands. “You’re not hurting me,” I said.
“But am I hurting me?” he asked. I peered at him. He trailed the soft tip of his nose across the bridge of mine and closed his eyes. “What happens after this? What happens if I lose you?”
“You won’t,” I said. “We’ll be home tomorrow and then we’ll go where you said you’re going.”
“Where was that?” He kissed the corners of my lips, his beard rough on my face. Something inside me ached with yearning, ached for him to continue.
“Wherever your heart desires,” I answered.
“And if you’re what my heart desires?”
I paused. “Then I’ll be safe with you.”
“You’ll be more than safe,” he murmured, and placed his lips back on mine. “I’ll keep you more than safe.”
Then he got to his feet and pulled me up with him.
“Come,” he said, taking me by the arm and leading me to the cave. “I’m getting cold and there’s a better way to keep warm.”
We both ducked under the lip of the cave and squatted by the animal hides I had been under earlier. He lifted a corner back and gestured for me to get inside.
We couldn’t be going to sleep, I thought, not after all that. Then from the sensual gleam in his eyes, I gathered that we wouldn’t be sleeping at all.
I was terrified again. Frozen in place. Torn by the yearning inside and the need to preserve myself. This was all so new to me and so sudden.
“Eve,” he whispered, coming over to me. He ran his hands through my hair. “You’re beautiful. So beautiful.”
“So are you,” I said back, feeling stupid.
He paid that no attention. He let his hands drift down to my collarbones where he started running his fingers back and forth, so rough on my skin, stroking desire back into me.
“When I first saw you,” he said, “I hated you. I hated you, Eve, because I reckoned you were the prettiest damn woman I had ever seen and there was no way you could ever be mine. I was dealt the losing hand before I even rode into your town. You understand why now.”
“What changed?” I whispered.
He shrugged. “The cards are the same. My balls are just as big. I suppose I’m only feeling lucky.”
I smiled shyly. “I think you might be lucky after all.”
“I know I already am. The moment you kissed me back, that was all I needed.”
“Are you sure?” I ran my finger over his full lips. “Could I need more and not know about it?”
He smiled and kissed me. “Do you feel this,” he said against my mouth. “Do you feel this kiss deep down inside?” As our tongues and lips danced and tangled, his fingers slowly went down the front of my dress, unbuttoning it.
I nodded. I felt like my insides were beyond hot now—I was hot enough to melt gold. I wanted the dress off of me just to get relief.
Jake wasn’t wasting any time. He worked slowly but steadily until I was bare down the middle. He placed his hands on either side of the dress and pulled it apart, revealing my cotton long stay underneath.
I blushed. I was far from naked but no man had seen me this exposed before.
“You damn women wear so many layers,” he grumbled good-naturedly while he quickly took off the rest of my dress and pulled the stay and petticoat over my head until I was in just my corset and cotton pants.
He had no patience for the corset. He ripped it down the middle, just ripped it apart with his bare hands until my breasts sprung out of it. I gasped, fully exposed.
“I’ll buy you another…” He trailed off and stared with hungry and adoring eyes that fixated on my bare upper body. I immediately went to cover up my chest with my hands but he was fast and gently held my arms down.
“No,” he said huskily. “No, let me look at you. Your skin.” He came closer and placed his lips on my shoulder, skirting the gauze. “Your skin is the color of rich tea with lots of sugar. I want to drink you right up. I think I might.”
His lips and tongue were startlingly hot against my bare body in the night air and the heat only grew, like cinnamon and flames, as he ran them down toward my breasts.
I stiffened as he reached my nipples but that soon melted away as his mouth encircled them. I moaned and closed my eyes, my head rolling back, as I felt my body spark, ready for ignition. Each lick and suck made a pressure build between my legs until it was too much and there was nothing more that could be done. I squirmed from his insistent mouth and groaned, trying to find some relief. I was afraid the feelings would consume me, all of me, from the inside out.
What was happening?
“You taste so good,” he whispered. His hands went from my breasts and down toward my pants, pulling at the buttons by the waist.