Page 47

For a single moment, he stiffens. Then his arms envelop me, drawing me closer to him. I open my mouth to let him in, and his tongue dances with mine, every nerve in my body sizzling to life. The taste of him intoxicates me.

I run my fingers over his chest, exploring the contours of his muscles through the thin fabric of his shirt, while one of his hands drifts down the small of my back and over the curve of my backside. He squeezes and pulls me closer still, and I let out a soft murmur of satisfaction as his erection presses against me.

I don’t know how long we kiss for—I lose all sense of time. When our lips finally part, we’re both panting heavily.

“You were saying?” I prompt once I catch my breath.

“I . . . was saying . . .” Aidan is dazed, his eyes wide. He shakes his head. “Never mind.”

He slides down the straps of my dress, and it drops to my waist, exposing my black lace bra.

The sexy lingerie was Emily’s suggestion, and judging from the carnal hunger in Aidan’s gaze, it’s having the intended effect.

Feeling bold, I shimmy out of the dress, letting it fall to the floor.

Aidan takes in the matching panties and scrubs a hand over his face. “Lass! I’m only a man. How am I supposed to resist?”

He moves closer again, kissing me softly then stroking the bump he helped create. Taking my hand, he guides me to the bed and lowers me onto my back. He climbs on top of me, and—still fully clothed—stares down at me. Even now, it’s clear he’s struggling. A part of him wants to do this, but something is holding him back.

“Aidan, I—”

His lust wins over, and he takes my breasts in his hands. My words die on my lips, his touch setting me alight. He’s tender, almost reverent, in his caresses, his thumbs eventually grazing over my sensitive peaks through the lace. Then his fingers sneak around me and unbuckle the bra, and it’s tossed aside.

He kisses the area between my breasts, his stubble tickling me, although not unpleasantly. Planting kisses across my skin, he moves to my left nipple, which he teases with his tongue before latching on and sucking gently.

I reach for his hair, running my hands through it and messing it up as he shifts to my right breast, giving it equal attention. Then his kisses drift lower, leaving a trail of fire down my body until he reaches my underwear, which he snags with his teeth and tugs down my legs. He casts my panties onto the floor then turns his gaze to my centre.

I thwart his intentions, though, pushing him off me and sitting up. “Uh-uh. My turn.”

Slowly I unbutton his shirt and slide it off his shoulders, revealing his chiselled torso in all its glory. After seeing him topless that first morning, when he was doing his press-ups, it’s freeing to be able to touch and explore him as I wish. Heat radiates from his skin as I trail my fingers through the hairs of his chest and along the grooves of his abs.

I guide my hand lower and slide it over the bulge in his trousers. He groans, a sound I silence by pressing my lips back against his. We lose ourselves in the kiss, and I close my fingers around him, gripping him through his chinos and stroking his length.

It’s a blessing Aidan wore smart clothes tonight—I’d never have been able to feel him this well through denim. But I’m hungrier for more, keen to grasp him without any barrier between us, desperate to strip him just as bare as me. The night of the engagement party, everything was so fast and frantic, I never got to see him properly. Now it’s time to fix that.

I break apart from his lips and reach for his belt, but he places a hand over mine, stopping me.

“What’s wrong?” I ask.

His eyes are clouded with desire, but there’s something else there too—that hesitation again. “Grace, I can’t let you do that.”

“What?” I laugh, sure he’s joking. “I’m completely naked. It’d hardly be fair if you kept your clothes on.”

He offers me a grin, although it’s not as easy-going as his usual one. “I . . . want this to be about you, lass.”

“And I want it to be about us.”

I reach for his belt again, but again, he stops me.

“Please, Grace. You’re not making this any easier for me. Normally, with women, all I care about is the sex. But these last few days with you—and even before that, on the video calls—I’ve been . . . well, I’ve been developing feelings for you. This is all new for me, and I don’t want to spoil what’s growing between us by thinking with my cock rather than my heart. I want to focus on the emotional side of things and let that grow.”

Aidan’s words touch me, and yet in the midst of my passion, they’re not what I wanted to hear. “But—”

“But you, lass,” he continues, speaking over me, “don’t have the same problem I do. So . . .”

Guiding me down onto my back once more, he trails his hand up my left leg, taking his time, his fingers dancing across my skin, teasing me with every inch. When he reaches my inner thigh, I lose any semblance of control I had. The anticipation is agonising.

He slides a finger into me, and the world melts away, pleasure coursing through me. His other hand cups my right breast, massaging it gently.