She tossed the quilt over the bed, then stretched out along the length of his body. As she slipped under the covers, he jerked, then pushed up on his elbow, squinting into the dark.
“The fire went out,” she whispered. “It’s cold out there.”
He cleared his throat. “I—I can fetch more peat,” he said. “And there’s a portable heater in the kitchen.”
“This is all right,” she said. “You’re warm.” She snuggled into that warmth. He had a beautiful body, slender but muscular, perfectly masculine in every way.
He grabbed her hand, pressing it to his heart and Gelsey felt his pulse beneath her palm, quick and sure. She held her breath, wondering what was going through his mind. “Maybe I should go find that heater,” she murmured.
“No.” Kellan held tight to her hand. “It’s all right. You can stay.”
She relaxed again and stretched out beside him. “I love nights like this,” Gelsey whispered, “listening to the rain and the wind outside. It makes me feel safe, all warm and cozy and out of the weather.”
“You weren’t out of the weather last night,” he said.
“I wasn’t out there all night,” Gelsey explained. “I walked out there after the sun came up.”
“You were drunk at seven in the morning?”
“Not so much drunk as just … drained. Emotionally exhausted.”
“Would you like to tell me why?”
Gelsey shook her head. That was the last thing she wanted to talk about. There was nothing about her past that she wanted to remember. “It’s not important.” She pushed up on an elbow and tried to make out his features in the dark. “Thank you for coming to my rescue. I don’t know if I said that before, but I do appreciate what you did.”
“Not a problem,” Kellan said.
She leaned closer to kiss him on the cheek, but at the last moment, he turned and her lips came down on the corner of his mouth. Gelsey froze. She’d promised herself that she wasn’t going to rush headlong into a sexual relationship again. She was going to think before she acted.
But Kellan made the next move and she was powerless to stop. He slipped his palms around her waist and pulled her beneath him. A sigh escaped from her throat as his mouth covered hers in a long and mind-numbing kiss.
Gelsey moaned softly as he stretched her arms out above her head. He was nearly naked and she was bundled up in a fleece sweatshirt and a pair of his cotton boxers. But she was glad for the barrier between them, at least for the moment. It was just a kiss and nothing more. Just a kiss, she reminded herself.
“Are you sure about this?” he whispered.
Then again, maybe it was something more. She arched against him, her movement instinctive. “I don’t know,” she said, the answer coming with a gasp.
Her hands skimmed over his back, her fingers exploring the rippled muscle that shifted with every movement of his body. Though she was ready to tear her clothes off, Kellan seemed more intent on seducing her slowly.
“Tell me to stop,” he murmured.
But as his hands slipped beneath her clothes, Gelsey knew the battle was already lost. Desperate to feel that connection with another human being, she couldn’t bring herself to say it. It was always this way with her, craving that intimacy she only found in bed with men. It wasn’t always the right thing to do, but it was the only time she felt wanted and needed—and completely in control.
“Don’t stop,” she said, reaching for the hem of her sweatshirt.
“Relax.” He took her hand and wove his fingers through hers, drawing it up to his lips. “We have time. Unless you’re going to wander out into this storm all by yourself again.”
Gelsey wriggled out from beneath him, then got up on her knees. “Maybe I should take my clothes off?”
“No,” he said, shaking his head.
“I could take your clothes off,” she suggested.
“No.” He pulled her back down on top of him. “I get the feeling you usually take charge in the bedroom.”
“No,” Gelsey said. She paused. “Yes.” He was right. She usually did do the seducing. The men she chose to seduce were always happy to be along for the ride. “But I’ve been told I’m really good.”
“I’ve been told the same thing,” Kellan said. He slipped his hand beneath her sweatshirt, running his palm along her belly until he cupped her breast. Gelsey’s breath caught in her throat as his thumb grazed her nipple. “I do know what I’m doing. If you just trust me, I’m sure we’ll make it through just fine.”
She closed her eyes and tipped her head back as delicious sensation pulsed through her body. “Yes, I suppose we will.”
He moved to the other breast. “And hasn’t anyone ever told you that anticipation can sometimes be as much fun as the act itself?”
“No,” she said. “In fact, you do more talking than anyone I’ve ever been with.”
This brought a chuckle. He slipped his hands around her and pulled her back down on top of him. “Everyone in town thinks you’re a mermaid.”
Gelsey laughed softly. “Do you think I am?”
He slipped his hand around her nape and pulled her close. “Sweetheart, right now, I’ll believe anything you tell me.”
Kellan grabbed the hem of her sweatshirt and in one smooth motion pulled it over her head and tossed it aside. He drew her closer, his lips teasing at her nipple. Gelsey sighed, furrowing her hands through his thick hair and arching against him. Inhaling deeply, she closed her eyes and relaxed, focusing on his touch.
As promised, Kellan took his time, slowly seducing her, learning what she liked, what made her shudder and what made her moan. No man had ever taken so much care to make her feel wanted. Sex had always been a race to the end. But this was a long, lazy stroll.
By the time they were both naked, Gelsey wasn’t even in charge of her own reactions. As he kissed his way from her lips to her belly, she trembled, knowing exactly what was coming.
But he teased her a little longer, moving lower to gently kiss the inside of her thighs. When he finally found the spot between her legs, Gelsey was so close to the edge she knew she would lose control at the first caress. But, as if he read her distress, Kellan began slowly and deliberately.
Again and again, he brought her close, then slowly pulled back. He knew the signs of her impending release and never allowed her to tumble over the edge. A delicious tension grew inside her and with each flick of his tongue, she began to feel herself losing touch with reality.
Her fingers and toes tingled and her arms and legs felt boneless. She begged him to stop teasing and to give her what she needed, but Kellan seemed determined to prove his point. Her body belonged to him, at least for this one night and he was going to bend it to his will.
Gelsey finally ceded all control—she realized that fighting him was no use. All he wanted was to give her pleasure—deep, shattering, soul-stirring pleasure. And for the first time in her life, she trusted a man enough to allow it.
Though she didn’t really know him, she sensed that he had no ulterior motive. He had no idea who she was or where she came from. He didn’t know about her family or her money. And all the emotional baggage that she carried around was invisible to him, at least for now.
With this man, this stranger, she felt liberated. There were no fears hiding just beneath the surface, no doubts or insecurities. And when her release came, it was a perfect expression of what she felt—complete freedom.
Her body tensed and