Elspeth could only stare, not trusting her ears.
Aidan shifted, his fingers splaying over the uppermost curve of her rump. She felt them through the too-thin fabric of her skirts, and then felt an answering hum between her legs.
He studied her from beneath a furrowing brow. “Might I?”
She couldn’t believe this was happening. She’d fallen on him like a clumsy oaf, but when she’d tried to get back up, he’d only hugged her closer. And now her heart was pounding too loudly in her chest to make sense of it all. “Might you what?”
She waited for him to toss it all off with a laugh and a wink. But instead his voice became a husky whisper. “Kiss you, Beth. ”
Longing burst through her with a wild intensity. She wanted only to hear that voice in her ear, whispering dark things, his secret wishes conveyed on hot breath along her skin. “Yes, I wish you woul—”
He touched his lips to hers. They were soft, barely pressed on her closed mouth.
She breathed Aidan in and held the scent of him in her lungs, wishing he might never separate from her. But he did. Too soon he pulled away.
She opened her eyes to find him staring at her with a look so tender it filled her with a rush of feelings, all strangely new. For the first time, she felt seen, and known, and safe, and wanted.
But most of all, Elspeth felt bold.
She let go her hand from where she’d gripped his shirt. He stiffened for a moment, but when she laid it back down on his face, cupping his cheek, she sensed the muscles in his neck and shoulders relax.
Did it mean he was as unsure as she? Aidan was so confident, such an exhilarating rogue of a man, she couldn’t fathom that he might be as uncertain of her feelings as she was of his.
She stroked his jaw, savoring the strange, rough feel of beard stubble under her thumb, thinking of all the places she’d longed to touch him. And now here she was, over him, able to touch him where she would. His jaw, his brow, down his cheek, to the corner of his mouth.
He didn’t stop her. He only watched with an avid attention that deepened her pulse until it became a dull throb throughout her body.
Looking at her as he did, Aidan made her feel precious. In his arms, she was a goddess, like Aphrodite. Or Hera, the queen of them all.
“Might I?” she asked, in the barest whisper.
His blue eyes were intent on her. “Might you what?”
“Might I take a turn kissing you?” She traced his lower lip with her finger, and his answering groan made her feel like a woman in a way she’d never known before.
They came together, hard this time, each leading the kiss as much as the other. His breath changed, quickening, and it stirred her to a hunger so profound she thought she might burst from it.
They kissed, lying in the mud, with hungry mouths and questing hands, and she felt the rightness of all the books, and all the poems, that claimed that anger and passion were two sides of the same coin. For he’d made her so angry, yet now she thought she might not rest until she could consume him utterly.
She’d thought she wanted just one kiss—had hoped that her first kiss might suffice as her last. But she knew differently now. Elspeth wanted Aidan, wanted more, wanted it all.
Eventually they separated, and cupping her face close, he stared. “Beth, I … you…” A laugh escaped him. “It appears now I’m the one left speechless. ” He traced a languorous finger down her throat to a spot just above her décolletage. “What other secrets do you keep tucked in that silent breast?”
Knowing she’d tell him everything, give him anything, she placed an earnest hand over his. “I wouldn’t keep a secret from you. ”
“No, Elspeth. ” He gave her a quiet smile. “I don’t imagine you would. ”
After a moment, he squeezed her hand then let go. Bringing his hand to her face, he dragged his thumb along her lips, all traces of amusement gone. “Definitely beautiful. ”
“What?” she asked, not understanding.
He searched her eyes. “Before, I couldn’t decide what sort of pretty you were. But you’re not merely pretty, you’re beautiful. I see that now. How is it everyone doesn’t see?”
Self-conscious, she tried to look away, but with a finger, he turned her face back to his. “I think it’s because you stay so quiet, hiding yourself away. ” He gently traced a thumb over her brow. “But these eyes, they see everything. Did you know they’re flecked with gold?”
She shook her head, mesmerized by his words. She’d never thought overmuch about her eyes.
“Well, they are,” he said. “I’ve never seen the like. They’re light but not pale, as though you’ve a fairy’s eyes, able to see into the hearts of men. ”