She had the urge to know how he looked as a wolf, although she wasn’t about to ask him to shift for her benefit. But if she allowed him to teach her about Were sex, then logically they’d need to try it as wolves in order to make her education complete. Thinking of that made her shiver with pleasure.
He moved closer. “Cold?”
“Not really. I only—”
“If you are, I brought up a quilt from my bedroom.”
“Oh?” The word came out high pitched, almost, but not quite, a squeak.
He chuckled. “Don’t worry, lass. I’m not going to pounce on you.”
If only you would and make the decision for me. “I’m sure y’all aren’t the pouncing type.”
His smile flashed in the silvery light from the moon. “What type do you think I am, then?”
“The gentle, persuasive type.” And that worked for her, too, especially if he’d start persuading sometime soon. She did sort of want to look through the telescope, but she really, really wanted him to kiss her.
“My brother Duncan would disagree with your assessment. He says I’m dictatorial and demanding. Oh, and old-fashioned, as well. Mustn’t forget that bit.”
“Why?” She wondered if this was a side of Colin she should know about if he was going to be her boss.
“I believe in heeding the lessons from the past, and he doesn’t.” His tone was light, but an undercurrent of anger filtered through.
“I’ve never been part of a family, but isn’t that the way the oldest and youngest tend to roll?”
“Roll?” He seemed confused.
“It’s an expression over here that means how someone operates in the world.”
“Ah.” He sighed. “Then disregarding the past is how Duncan rolls.”
“And instead, y’all treasure it.”
“Aye, and respect it.”
“I’m glad, because if you didn’t, you’d probably be selling Whittier House to the highest bidder.”
“True.” He rubbed his knuckles against his chin in what seemed like an unconscious gesture. “About that, I know it’s not practical, but I’d like to make my old bedroom off-limits to guests.”
“I was hoping you would.” When he was gone, she’d take comfort in knowing he had a designated space here at Whittier House, and that he wasn’t quite as transient as he’d imagined.
“Gives me a place for my telescope,” he said with a grin.
“Exactly.”
“Come on over here and take a look.” He walked toward the tripod he’d placed near the parapet. “I’ve focused it on Saturn. It’s the most dramatic one. Just look into that eyepiece there.”
“Okay.” She found his enthusiasm endearing. Crossing to the telescope, she leaned over and peered through the lens. Her breath caught at the image, which was so clear it could have been a poster of the ringed planet. “I see it! I don’t know what I expected, but this is amazing!”
“My aunt provided me with a really fine telescope.” His hand came to rest on her shoulder. “I didn’t realize how expensive it was until I bought myself one in Scotland.”
She felt the warmth of his touch down to her toes, and suddenly the image of Saturn didn’t interest her at all. That was a shame, because it really was exciting to be gazing out into space at a planet so far away from her. But his hand on her shoulder was a million times more exciting. And a million times closer than Saturn.
Still, she didn’t have the heart to tell him that she’d lost interest in his carefully focused view of Saturn, one he’d set up especially for her. So she kept staring at it while she tried to remember the last thing he’d said.
Oh, yes. He’d bought himself a telescope over in Scotland. “Are there places to stargaze in Scotland?” Her voice sounded a little quivery, but maybe he wouldn’t notice.
“Aye. Galloway Forest is a premier spot.” He massaged her shoulder in a slow, circular motion.
Her body began to hum, but for all she knew, he wasn’t even aware of what he was doing. He was, after all, crazy about this astronomy stuff and might have forgotten all about her sexual education.
Trying to be delicate about it, she cleared the huskiness from her throat. “Lots of stars?”
“At least seven thousand.” He continued his absent-minded caress.
“That’s quite a few.” Her heart pounded so loud that she thought he might be able to hear it. The image in the telescope lens grew wobbly because she couldn’t concentrate on it properly.
He kneaded her shoulder now, and his fingertips pressed a little deeper than before. “In comparison, if you’re in Edinburg, you might see about five hundred stars. This island is excellent for stargazing, but Galloway Forest is even better.”
She was ready to melt into a puddle at his feet. She could barely think, let alone speak, but she managed a breathless comment. “How lucky for you.”
“Yes.”
And then she heard it—a hitch in his breathing. Either he was getting carried away by the thought of all those stars in the heavens, or he was getting carried away by something closer to home. She held her breath and listened to make sure what she’d heard wasn’t the sound of waves on the beach.
Nope, it was Colin, and he was breathing much faster. Something was affecting him. The more she thought about it, the more she concluded that it wasn’t his enthusiasm for astronomy that had him going like that.
She swallowed. In for a penny, in for a pound. “Uh, Colin?”
He took his hand away. “What?”
She hadn’t wanted him to stop touching her. In fact, she wished he’d bring both hands into play. She lifted her head and turned to look at him. Sure enough, the rapid rise and fall of his chest told her that she’d been right. “Seeing Saturn was amazing, but I—”
“You want to see something different.”
“Well, the thing is…” What could she say? That she felt a desperate need for something, and although she didn’t know quite what that was for sure, she thought he might have a clue?
“How about Jupiter?” He stepped toward the telescope and leaned over it. “I can probably pull in—”
“I’d love to see Jupiter, but not right this minute.” She paused and gulped in air.
“Mars, then. You’ll like Mars.” His back was to her as he began adjusting the telescope.
Not having to face him gave her courage, and she realized if she didn’t say it, the buildup to what she wanted could take the whole blessed night. “Colin, I want y’all to…to…for the love of God, just…just pounce!”
Chapter Nine
Colin froze and every circuit in his brain seemed to short out. Slowly he straightened and turned toward her. “You want that?”
“Desperately.”
With a groan of relief, he pulled her into his arms and captured that mouth that had been driving him bollocking crazy. Ah, yes. Only two kisses ago she hadn’t the foggiest notion of how to do this, but as he’d predicted, she was a fast learner.
As she opened her mouth to allow his tongue inside, he tried to remember that she was a virgin. But she wasn’t kissing like one at the moment. From the way she writhed against him, rubbing her hot body over his crotch, he almost wondered if she’d made up that story.
If so, he’d know soon enough, because he wasn’t going for the civilized approach of guiding her down the steps to a proper bed. If she wanted him to pounce, then pounce he would. She might think of him as gentle and persuasive, but under that domesticated exterior lay a wild, Scottish heart. His ancestors had defended their land to the death, either as naked, blue-faced warriors wielding claymores, or snarling wolves in powerful packs that yielded to no one.
Luna, a maddening combination of innocence and bravado, brought out his primitive instincts. He would be her first lover, and no matter how many she had after he was gone, she would remember him. Fierce, triumphant heat bloomed in his chest and surged to his groin.
He undressed her with a quick efficiency that left her gasping. T
hen he asked her to spread out the quilt while he rid himself of his clothes. She was quick about it. Once he’d tossed the last thing aside, he glanced down to find her stretched out and waiting for him.
Now there was a visual—white skin gilded with moonlight against a navy quilt that created a perfect background for her hourglass figure. He’d never viewed more lovely breasts or more graceful thighs. The dark triangle tucked between them made his cock jerk with impatience.
Her eyes widened as she looked him up and down, and her gaze lingered on the length and rigidity of his penis. Her throat moved in a convulsive swallow.
A virgin. He tried to clear the red haze from his fevered brain. She’d asked him to pounce. Apparently she’d relished the deep, demanding kisses and the urgency with which he’d pulled off her clothes, because he could read eagerness in her expression. But if he took her now without any preparation, that would be brutish.
Kneeling beside her on the quilt, he leaned down, cupped her face in his palm, and kissed her with tenderness instead of lust. She moaned softly against his mouth. That pleading moan threatened to destroy his hard-won control, but he kept his kiss gentle as he took his hand from her cheek and began to caress her full breasts.
Then his hand stilled. She’d taken hold of his cock.
Lifting his head, he gazed down at her. His voice was thick with restrained passion. “Virgins don’t usually do that.”
Her voice was equally thick. “Why not?” She curled her fingers around his penis and squeezed. Not too hard, not too soft. Just right.
And just right to make him come if she didn’t let go. “They’re generally too shy.”
“Probably because they’re young,” she said in a throaty voice. “I’ve had years to think about this.”
She was out to kill him. He was sure of it. “Have you imagined what it will be like when someone slides his cock deep inside you, thereby ending your virginal status?”
“Of course I have.” Keeping her fingers curled, she stroked upward and explored the tip with her thumb. Naturally she found the moist result of her efforts and spread that moisture around.
He gritted his teeth against the climax that threatened. “Would you like to experience that and lose your virginity?” he said in a strained voice.
“Boy, howdy, would I ever.”
“Then you need to let go of me, or I’ll come now. Do you understand about climaxes?”
“Females can have several, but males get one and then they have to…to…”
“Reload. And no telling how long that would take.” Although with her around, he suspected it wouldn’t be long.
“I thought I might be bothering you. Bless your heart, there’s a vein standing out in your temple.”
“I’m not surprised.”
“I want to learn how to give a blowjob.”
Yes, she was definitely out to kill him. “Not now,” he muttered as he recited football stats in his head.
She let go of him with obvious reluctance.
He’d wanted to take his time with this, but he could still feel the imprint of her soft fingers on his cock. And while technically a Were of his experience should be in complete control of his climax, he hadn’t had sex for several months and wasn’t in the best shape for a prolonged seduction.
In other words, if he didn’t take care of this deflowering soon, he might deliver a less than stellar performance. He’d tried to convince himself that she wouldn’t know the difference. However, if he didn’t give her a climax this first time, he thought she would know the difference. Even virgins knew they were supposed to get an orgasm out of the deal.
So he changed his tactics and his position. When he put one knee between her thighs, she spread them obligingly. He took a deep breath, hoping that would steady him.
Instead he inhaled her delicious scent, which created a greater problem. As a normal male Were, he wanted to bury his nose and mouth between her thighs and taste her. He needed to do that. It was hard-wired to a Were’s sexual response, a way of knowing the female that couldn’t be duplicated.
But he wasn’t sure he could indulge that urge without bringing his climax perilously close. Ah, bloody hell. He’d chance it. The risk was worth the prize. Stretching his legs out behind him, he levered himself downward toward her fragrant center.
“What are y’all doing?”
He glanced up to discover her propped on her elbows, staring at him. His lust-filled brain couldn’t seem to form a coherent explanation. Maybe if he just did it, she’d instinctively understand. He lowered his head.
“Wait.”
He looked up again, but his mind was occupied with the prospect of feasting on her nectar and he had to wrench it back to the point where it would understand the spoken word.
And she definitely had words to speak. “Unless your tongue’s longer than I thought, I won’t get deflowered that way.”
His jaw muscles tightened against the desire to scoot back up and take her in one swift thrust, just to shut her up. She was the most maddening female, but she also didn’t know what she was talking about, and he had to make allowances for her total lack of experience.
He strove for patience. “You want me to teach you about sex, I believe.”
“I also want to lose my virginity, and I only know of one way to do that. Well, I suppose I could have used a vibrator years ago, but that seemed like cheating.”
“Have you ever had a climax?”
“That seemed like cheating, too,” she said softly.
“Then just stop talking, lass, because I’m about to give you your first climax, and this is definitely not cheating.”
All her life, whenever she got nervous or scared, Luna had battled her fears by taking control of the situation. She wanted to do that now. His kisses had made her forget everything except his mouth, his hands, and his very large penis. She wasn’t used to losing herself in the moment, and she was afraid.
Panic must have shown on her face, because his expression gentled. “I promise you’ll like it,” he murmured.
“Will y’all stop if I say so?”
“Of course.” He smiled. “But I don’t think you’ll want me to stop.”
“All right, then. Go ahead.” She sounded ungracious, but when she was frightened, her manners went out the window.
“Lie back.”
“No, I want to watch.”
“Suit yourself.” With his forearms braced on either side of her hips, he lowered his head, and his warm breath touched the hot, slick place he was about to invade.
She shuddered but resisted the urge to close her eyes. She’d never had a male’s head between her legs before, and she wanted to keep an eye on him, just in case he…oh. His tongue made contact with a spot that had been throbbing quite a bit since the moment he’d touched her shoulder.
Although she’d heard the clinical name for that sensitive part of her body, she’d always considered it her sacred center. She’d known instinctively that tiny spot held immense power, the power to undo her. Now Colin was circling it with his tongue, and it seemed as if each rotation tightened a coiled spring deep inside her.
The tension built, and her thighs began to quiver. Yet all he was using was the tip of his tongue to go round and round, and sometimes he’d bear down, just a little, and the pressure increased, building higher, making her heart race. Could she be dying? She couldn’t take this!
“Stop!”
He went completely still. Then he slowly lifted his head to gaze at her. His eyes caught the moonlight, and they were glittering and dark, not the laughing eyes she remembered from their first meeting.
Although he’d stopped, the throbbing continued. It spread through her body, heating her veins and making her tremble with a combination of excitement and dread. She held her breath, waiting for what would happen next. Would she explode?
Apparently not. The pressure lessened slowly, and gradually the throbbing became bearable. It was going away. And she discovered, to her
embarrassment, that she didn’t want it to go away. Crazy as it was, she wanted to feel that tension again.
Now she knew that she truly was safe with him, because when she’d told him to stop, he had. Perhaps other males wouldn’t have, but he did. If she flew apart because of what he was doing to her, he’d help put her back together.
Dragging air into her lungs, she met his gaze. “I panicked.”
“I could tell.”
“I won’t panic the next time.”
His eyebrows rose. “The next time? You want me to start again?”
Her heart beat faster as she imagined him using the tip of his tongue to make her feel the way she had only minutes ago. “Yes, please.”
He hesitated for a moment, as if wondering whether he should risk it.
“I’ll go through with it this time,” she said.
“Aye, but will you crush my head like a grape between your thighs when you come?” He gave her a half-smile to show he was teasing.
“I’m not that strong, but if you’re worried, grab hold of me.”
“I might, at that.” Adjusting his position, he slipped his hands under her thighs and gripped her tightly with his long fingers. Then he urged her to spread wider for him.
She had better trust him, because she’d only felt this vulnerable once before, during her first shift. That’s when she understood why she’d panicked. “Can a climax bring on a shift?” Although she was used to shifting, she wasn’t sure how she’d react to an unexpected one.
“No, it cannot make you shift.”
“You’re sure?”
“Sure as my name is Colin MacDowell. All you’ll feel is pleasure. Relax and let it happen.” Leaning down, he blew gently.
Warm air on moist skin had an electrifying effect, and she gasped.
“Good?”
“I don’t know. Do it again.” He did, and she felt the spring begin to tighten. “Yes, good.”
He laughed softly, which sent more warmth to caress that significant area that both intrigued and frightened her. She waited for the first touch of his tongue, but instead, he gave her a deep, highly personal kiss in her sacred center.
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