by Jasmine Hill
“The d-dogs,” she stammered between chattering teeth.
“The commotion and my rifle shot have scared them off for the time being,” William soothed, wrapping her in his oilskin coat. “The fire will ensure they keep their distance. I need to get you warm before you die of hypothermia.”
He unslung his .303 rifle from his shoulder and rummaged through a saddlebag then passed Lillian a blanket. “Here, wrap this around you while I light a fire.”
She draped the rough wool about her shoulders gratefully and watched William set about collecting kindling and branches for a fire. He finally set the wood alight and blew gently until the flames took hold.
He sat, tugged Lillian down into his lap and enfolded her in his arms. She tried to stop shivering but she still felt so cold. She continued to shudder and William pulled her tighter against his body, rubbing her arms briskly.
“Oh, Lillian,” he sighed heavily into her hair. “I was so worried about you. We could tell that you were following the trail but then we saw that you left it and wandered into the bush. What were you thinking?”
“I was following a joey. I just lost track of my surroundings. I know it was silly and stupid of me. I just wasn’t thinking. I’m so sorry for all the trouble I’ve caused you,” she sobbed into his chest.
“Hush now. The only trouble was to my peace of mind. I was going insane with worry. I think the men were quite thrilled with the opportunity to perform a search and rescue. This is the most excitement they’ve had in a while. You definitely know how to shake things up,” he said in a mock stern voice, trying for levity.
“I was so scared,” she whispered. “Well, I wasn’t doing too badly until the dogs came.” She shuddered at the memory. “Until then, it was just the cold and dark, but the thought of what those dogs could do to me frightened me more than anything.”
“It’s over now and you’re safe. Try not to think about it,” he crooned against her ear as he rocked her gently.
Gradually, she started to feel better and the shivers racking her body began to subside.
William deposited her gently beside him and moved to get supplies from the saddlebag. “I’m going to brew some tea. You need to drink something warm and sweet.”
A few minutes later, the water finished boiling. He put tea leaves into a mug then added a few teaspoons of sugar. “Here, drink this. It will make you feel better,” he said handing her the mug of tea before making one of his own.
Lillian took the tea gratefully and wrapped her fingers around the hot cup to inject some warmth into them.
William studied Lillian in the firelight as she sipped her tea and was relieved to see some color returning to her cheeks. The blanket lay draped around her shoulders and she clutched it to her with one hand while she tipped the mug to her lips with the other. Her disheveled hair fell in tangled ringlets around her face and shoulders, the firelight highlighting the brilliant auburn of her tresses. Her green eyes were wide and ringed with dark smudges. His gaze drifted to her full lips, made redder from the warmth of the tea, and he imagined kissing her, imagined taking that pouty mouth and nibbling on it until she moaned.
He gave himself a mental shake and gulped the remainder of his brew, anxious to change his train of thoughts and distract himself.
“How are you feeling?” he asked.
“Much better now, thank you. Although I can’t seem to totally shake this cold feeling.”
“The temperature is low, particularly with nothing to protect you.” He fingered the fabric of her dress. “This might be adequate for the day but will not keep you warm during an outback winter night.”
She nodded, put her tea to one side and crossed her arms around herself in an obvious bid for additional warmth.
William couldn’t stand to see her suffer and he couldn’t deny himself the feel of her body any longer. He needed to reassure himself that she was here with him and in one piece.
“Come here,” he ordered softly, opening his arms in invitation.
She hesitated briefly before she scuttled over and into his waiting embrace. He tugged her onto his lap and circled his arms around her, relishing the feel of her lush body against his.
After a moment, she relaxed against him, her head falling back on his shoulder as she sighed deeply. He kissed the top of her head and massaged her arms in order to assist the blood flow to her limbs. Her slender back was pressed against his chest and he felt her shudders start to abate until eventually they stopped completely.
“Better?” he asked softly against her ear.
“Much, thank you.” Her voice was low with fatigue.
That husky voice and the fact that her gorgeously rounded backside was currently perched in his lap sent him wild with need for her. He couldn’t seem to stop his rising erection. He tried desperately to think of something else but his cock was growing harder by the second. He moved restlessly in an attempt to relieve some of his discomfort.
“Am I too heavy?” Lillian asked, mistaking his agitation and trying to struggle out of his lap.
“Not at all.” He grasped her around the shoulders to stay her retreat. “Your proximity is just making things a little…uncomfortable.”
She wriggled her bottom then gasped as realization obviously dawned.
“I’m sorry, my sweet,” he mumbled into her hair. “It seems to have a mind of its own.”
He knew he should release her, understood that it was the right thing to do, but her scent combined with her curvaceous body pressing so close to him was like a drug, making him heady with lust for her. He’d thought, after her father’s revelations all those years ago, that he’d never see Lillian again, let alone have the opportunity to hold her so close. Now feelings of fear and possessiveness had suddenly hijacked his common sense.
He sighed deeply and tried to regain control of his raging emotions to work up the determination to remove Lillian from his lap. Then, as he was about to do just that, she sighed in contentment and relaxed into him further.
He stiffened when the scent of apples wafted on the air, tickling his subconscious and searing him with a fierce sense of déjà vu. Fuck, she’d always smelled like apples. It was forever a scent he’d associate with her and with it, a dozen bittersweet memories washed over him.
“William, are you all right?” she asked softly, turning her head so she could look at him. “I’m sorry. I shouldn’t have just called you William, it’s just…” She made her own attempt to extricate herself from his hold.
“Lilly. Don’t,” he said roughly, tugging her back. It was no use denying his feelings. It was killing him. So was the fact that she’d just apologized for using his given name. “I want you to call me William,” he murmured and wrapped his arms tighter around her. “I like the way my name sounds on your lips. I always have.”
“Oh.”
He could sense her confusion and hesitancy and he needed to make her feel secure, to make her feel safe in his arms. “Please, Lilly, I need you near me right now. It scared the hell out of me when you went missing.”
The only sounds in the stillness were the hiss and crackle of the fire as he waited with bated breath for Lillian to say something.
Chapter Nine
I should keep my distance and protect my heart. But even as those words rang through her head, Lillian felt herself relaxing into William, seeking comfort from his embrace. It felt too good to be in his arms. The feel of his solid chest against her back was making her belly flutter wildly and she was suddenly very warm, her skin flushed and feverish. Perhaps she could let him hold her for a while. She needed the physical contact after her frightening experience. In fact, she realized with a jolt, she hadn’t had any physical contact since her aunt had died. There’d been no one to offer her sympathy or a friendly shoulder to cry on. It had simply been her and her aunt’s lawyer. All of their friends had distanced themselves when her father’s debts had become public knowledge.
Sensing her change in mood, William nuzzled her
, his voice soft at her ear. “Are you all right?”
She sighed and attempted to stop the weepiness that threatened to overwhelm her. Tears started to form as she thought of her aunt and everything she’d experienced since her death. Quickly, she swiped them away. “I’m fine,” she said quietly. “Just hold me, please.”
Air hissed between his teeth as he pulled her closer. His warm breath at her ear sent little shivers rippling down her spine and heat flaring low in her belly.
“You’re warmer now,” he commented.
Unfamiliar sensations swelled deep within her. “Oh, my,” she whispered as her nipples pebbled into hard points and her breathing grew erratic.
William tensed for a moment then swept his mouth from her ear to her neck, kissing the delicate skin then licking a slow, deliberate path to her throat. She arched her back and pressed her neck closer to him, desperate for more of the feelings that were raging madly through her body.
He groaned, swept her up into his arms and stood in one swift movement. Lillian gasped at the unexpected motion and his strength to hoist her so easily. He brushed a feather-light kiss over her lips then allowed her to slide down his body until she found her feet. He pulled the blanket from around her shoulders and laid it on the ground in front of the fire, which had banked to a low, steady glow. Then, removing the oilskin coat, he added it to the blanket and pulled her body to his. The feel of his muscular chest flush with her breasts had her nipples peaking once more and her eyes widened at the sensation as she gazed up at him. She could just make out his features in the firelight, his chiseled jaw rigid with tension, his hazel eyes heavy-lidded and intense.
He caressed her cheek gently and ran his thumb along her lower lip. Grasping her hip with his other hand, he pulled her hard against him. She closed her eyes and melted into his touch, moaning at the contact. When he rolled his pelvis into her, she could feel his pulsing erection and she shivered at the sensation, both delighted and intimidated by its size. Dipping his head, he swiped his tongue lightly along the seam of her lips. She grasped his upper arms and let her head fall back in supplication, totally immersed in his kiss.
“Open for me,” he demanded, swiping his tongue across her lips once more. “Let me in.”
She opened her mouth to him and he tightened his embrace, crushing her body to his. Smoothing his hands down either side of her torso, he grasped her buttocks and pulled her pelvis tight toward him. He licked his tongue into her mouth, caressing her before he took the kiss deeper, becoming more demanding as he slanted his lips desperately across hers. He was taking her, branding her mouth with his own. Her insides liquefied and she became boneless and pliable in his arms, giving herself up to the sensations swamping her. She was no longer cold, but hot and feverish everywhere William touched her.
He broke away from their kiss, panting heavily and she swayed at the loss of his strong body.
He chuckled. “Open your eyes, Lillian. I want to see those lovely green pools.”
She fluttered her eyelids open and focused unsteadily on him. He made a low growling sound in his throat then gently lowered them onto the blanket.
“I hope this dress isn’t a favorite,” he said huskily, kneeling over her. Grasping the fabric at her collar, he rent the material down the middle, exposing her chemise. He swept his gaze over her hungrily and her nipples puckered at the force of his intense scrutiny.
“So beautiful.” He dipped his head and took one of the erect little tips into his mouth, sucking through the sheer fabric. She gasped and arched her back, pushing her breast farther into him. The feel of his hot, wet mouth on her nipple sent delicious quivers straight to her loins and she groaned in pleasure as he took a long, drawing pull on the tight nub.
He lifted his head and she gazed at him, marveling at the heavy-lidded look of ravenous lust that he gave her before he bent to take her other nipple into his mouth, sucking deeply.
Lillian curled her fingers into his hair and tugged him into her, trying to get closer and needing to relieve a dull throb that had started low in her belly.
He tore his mouth away from her and quickly divested himself of his clothing, his chest heaving with his ragged breaths. He shrugged out of his jacket and shirt then tugged off his boots, trousers and undergarments until he was standing gloriously naked over her.
She gasped, her attention traveling the length of him, drinking in his sculpted chest and rippling abdomen. She dropped her gaze lower, stopping at the solid shaft of his thick erection, which strained up to his belly button and seemed impossibly large. Her eyes grew wide as she thought about what he would do with that piece of his anatomy.
He joined her once more on the blanket and covered her body with his own, kissing her gently, almost reverently then sweeping a soft trail of kisses from her lips to her ear. “God, I want you,” he rasped and suckled gently on the delicate skin of her neck.
She was desperate to get closer. Grasping his upper arms, she shuddered beneath him.
William drew away from her and, keeping his eyes locked on hers, moved slowly down her body. He removed each of her shoes and dug his thumbs into the arches of her feet, sending shooting sparks of pleasure straight to her groin.
He dragged the remnants of her dress from her shoulders and tugged the garment down her legs. “Fuck, too many clothes,” he grunted, ripping her chemise in two and tearing through her undergarments until she was lying completely naked beneath him. He reared back, settled himself between her legs and studied her body intently in the firelight, making her blush hotly under his examination.
“Don’t be shy, my darling,” he said softly. “You’re beautiful”
He started a slow caress from her throat as he gazed at her adoringly. “Your breasts are perfectly rounded. Perfect for me.” He cupped each globe and thumbed her taut nipples.
She whimpered, his touch sending sharp quivers deep into her core. He smiled lazily and dipped his head once more to kiss a leisurely trail from her breasts down to her belly. He dipped his tongue into her navel, tasting her before continuing a path from one hip to the other.
Lillian squirmed in delight as he drifted his lips softly over her skin, flicking his tongue over her flesh and sending goosebumps flaring across her body. She was desperate for something more and she thrust her pelvis against him in a frantic attempt to relieve the ache that was flaring low in her belly.
“Please, William,” she begged. “You’re torturing me.”
He chuckled. “I’m preparing you, sweetness.” He slid his lips lower along her belly. “I’m preparing you to take me.”
“Oh.” She panted, watching him sink farther down her body. Realizing his intention, she gasped. “No, William.”
“Hush, my sweet. I want to taste you.” He gripped her hips to still her, then closed his mouth over her sex, delving his tongue deep inside her. The feel of his lips at her most intimate place was like nothing she’d ever experienced. In an instant, she forgot her inhibitions and shamelessly thrust against his mouth, desperate for more of him.
He growled low in his throat and swept his lips down her inner thigh. “I can taste your arousal, darling. You taste so sweet.” He breathed against her sensitive flesh then flicked his tongue up to lave her cleft.
She cried out in pleasure when he added a finger to his thrusting tongue, then pressed his thumb to her clitoris and pushed, massaging the little bundle of nerves. The myriad sensations in her belly coalesced and grew into a roaring inferno, tightening her insides. She held her breath and tensed as waves of pleasure swept through her, racking her body with shudders and hazing her vision in blinding white. He continued to suck at her pulsing core, working her slowly down through her intense release.
She lay panting heavily, covered in a fine sheen of perspiration, when William crawled lazily back up her body. “You. Are. So. Fucking. Responsive,” he spoke each word against her mouth.
He kissed her, running his tongue along her lips. “Taste yourself on me,” he demanded
, kissing her deeply. She should have been scandalized by the act but she kissed him back desperately, probing his mouth with her tongue. She arched into him and curled her fingers in his hair to hold him to her, relishing the salty tanginess of her own arousal. He pulled away from their kiss when they were both breathless and ran his lips down her neck, biting the flesh where her shoulder met her throat, sending jabs of pleasurable pain through her.
He thrust his hips into hers, rubbing his solid length against her belly. She needed more, needed to feel him inside her. She grasped his shoulders, curving into him, and whimpered in complaint at his denial. He rested his weight on one elbow and snaked one hand beneath her buttocks to pull her to him, grinding his rigid shaft into her pelvis and rolling his hips. He found her lips again and kissed her fiercely, desperately. She gasped into his mouth and he swallowed the sound, growling low in his throat.
He drifted his hand from her buttocks to her thigh as he ran his mouth down her throat, then slid his fingers slowly into her channel. She whimpered and thrust her hips up.
“You’re very wet, my sweet, and swollen with desire,” he rasped against her neck. “I think you’re ready for me.”
“Yes, please. I need…something,” she panted.
“I know what you need. You need me, inside you.” He pushed his fingers a little deeper and scissored them. Then he hovered over her, supporting his weight by one arm as he grasped his cock with the other and settled himself snuggly between her thighs. He rubbed his shaft against her cleft, then he reared back and pushed forward hard, sliding into her swiftly and deeply.
She went rigid and cried out as he pierced through her maidenhead. He stiffened then stilled and she felt his hot breath hiss against her ear. “Relax, my sweet.”
She squeezed her eyes shut and breathed deeply, adjusting to the feel of him inside her. He brushed his lips over hers and pulled out fractionally before thrusting in a little farther. She relaxed beneath him, the stinging abating and replaced by a warm glow. He caressed her forehead with his lips then swept across to the sensitive skin below her ear.