by Marlie May
“That, too.”
He blinked. “I, uh, was teasing.”
“I wasn’t.” Leaning forward, I stroked his hair and trailed my fingertips down his cheek.
“Are we calling this a first date?” he asked. “Or can we skip right to the third?”
“What do you think?”
He pressed his fist against his chest, his smile curling up on one side. “You should know that I’m not a man who puts out on a first date.”
“Third date it is, then.” Standing on my toes, I pulled his lips down to mine.
Backing me against his improvised crofter’s cottage, Dag kissed me with what must be all the lust he’d trapped inside these past weeks. It burned through me, fanning the sparks he’d lit with his fingers on my bottom during the ride.
The dam I’d used to hold myself back collapsed, and my emotions flooded me. Need. Caring. The beginning of love. Being with him felt so right. Why had I resisted this?
His mouth fused to mine left me begging. While my senses spiraled out of control, he stroked my back, making me tremble. A delicious feeling tripped down my spine. Cupping my butt, he pulled me fully against him, showing me I created the same desire in him that he did in me.
That timid part of myself I’d never shared with any man urged me to give him what I’d given no one else before. Everything inside me.
His fingertips moved along the hem of my top and slid underneath, stroking the sides of my waist and up to my ribs. The pressure of his lips marked me as his, and I glorified in his possession. Our tongues sang together in a harmony uniquely our own.
Kissing from my jaw to my neck, he spread heat that scorched my skin. His fingers moved up to the clasp of my bra but stilled. “If you don’t want this, tell me to stop, Lark.”
He had to be screwing with me. Heated up for him, I’d never cool down until we saw this through.
“Which date did we decide this was, anyway?” I struggled to maintain a serious expression, but the joy inside me wanted out, making me grin.
His lips quirked up to match the devil in his eyes. “Will first dates get me more than kisses?”
“I’m not sure this is truly a first date. After all, you’ve been asking, but I’ve been refusing.” More or less, but for far too long.
His hands dropped to the back of my waist. “You’ve got a point. We should do this right. Slow down, give it time. We could, ah, start over. Tomorrow, maybe.”
“This might actually be a second date.”
“Intriguing.” He notched one eyebrow. “What do you do on a second date?”
I sucked in my lower lip, pinching it with my teeth. “With you, I might do more than kissing on a second date.”
His hands sprang back to my bra. One quick twist and he released my breasts. They yearned for his touch, but the yearning paled when compared to the sensation of his palms cupping them. My nipples peaked under his fingertips. Closing my eyes, I leaned my head against the cottage and moaned.
He lifted my top, and cool air was replaced by the warmth of his mouth. Sparks shot through me, centering between my legs. My gasps filled the air around us. The tug and pull of his lips made me weaken. I could barely stand. Quakes shook me, making me sag against him.
“You’re so responsive,” he whispered. Sucking in my nipple, he kneaded it with his teeth while his tongue laved the top.
“Dag, I…” My words dissolved into moans. I shoved my lower body against his, seeking…
He scooped me up into his arms. “I either take you home, or I’m taking you inside.”
“Inside. But, I’m…”
He carried me along the walk and over to the back steps. “What?”
Awkward fumbles with other guys were nothing when compared to this moment. What they’d done with me drifted away in the mist, leaving only my insecurities behind.
“I’m not sure I’m very good at this.” I swallowed back the knot in my throat. “I mean, I’ve been told I’m not very good at this.” I couldn’t have tried harder than someone climbing Kilimanjaro. I’d put everything into pleasing Ted, but dreams of a happily ever after crashed when the other person didn’t meet you halfway.
Worry that I’d somehow mess this up with Dag made it difficult to look at him. What if he read my uncertainty on my face? If tonight didn’t work out, it would hurt ten times worse than it had with my former boyfriend.
“Sweetheart, if you get much better at this, I don’t think I can handle it.” Setting me on a step above him, he held my face with his hands. “Are you telling me that asshole said you weren’t enough for him?”
Unable to shove the confirmation past my lips, I nodded.
He took my hand and pressed it against his length. “What does this feel like?”
In response to my fingertips, his body twitched. The realization that I was doing this to him filled me with a heady sensation.
“This is hard whenever we kiss. If that’s not enough, I sure as hell don’t know what is.”
I swallowed, frustrated I couldn’t explain. “I’m not saying he couldn’t get turned on with me. It’s just something inside me that…” Made me think I was worthless.
“Have you had an orgasm?”
My toes curled, but I nodded. I shouldn’t be embarrassed talking about things like this with him. I knew my body and what brought it pleasure.
“Then I don’t see what the problem is here.”
“The problem is I couldn’t keep him satisfied.”
His breath jarred to a halt. “What the hell are you talking about?”
Okay, so this might not be the best place to bring it up, but where would be better? He needed to know. “I wasn’t enough for him. He looked elsewhere.”
“He cheated on you.”
“Not directly.”
“How can you cheat on someone indirectly?”
Tingling swept from the back of my neck and across my face. “I caught him on porn sites after he turned down my offer to—”
“Instead of being with you?” His jaw clenched so tight his teeth grated together. “What an asshole.”
My breath rushed out. “I thought you should know.”
“And you think this means you were the problem.”
I shrugged. “I must be, right?” Let it go, Lark. I wanted tonight to be special. Just me and Dag, and no one else from my past inserting themselves into the present. But I might’ve ruined it already. “I’m sorry I brought it up.”
“I’m glad you did.”
“You are?”
“I want to be with you, but if you’re not ready because of what happened, I won’t push you. It’s never too late to change your mind.” He gave a low chuckle. “There’s plenty of cold water in my shower.”
I lifted my chin. “I want this.”
“How about we take it one step at a time, then?”
“Okay.”
“Let’s go inside first?”
Trust unfurled its wings inside me, wrapping me up in its warmth. “Yes.”
Taking my hand, he tugged me through the back door, down the hall, and into his bedroom, where we crossed to stand beside the bed. Thick drapes muted the light from the road, but some leaked through. He reached for the lamp on the side table but paused. “Okay to turn this on?”
Did I dare? Sometimes, I faked it.
“Lark?” The eagerness in his voice scattered my apprehension.
“Yes.”
A click and warm, golden hues flooded the room. His eyes dilated blacker than night, and met mine. With a soft smile, he tugged on the hem of my shirt. “If this was our second date, I’d help you take this off.”
“I believe this is at least a second date.”
“I like how you think.” With infinite care, he lifted my shirt over my head and tossed it to the side.
I tugged on the edge of his tartan. “Fair play.”
His lips slid into a grin. “I believe yer trying to take advantage of me, lass. But I might be persuaded to go along wit
h it.”
Tilting my head, I stared up at him. “What if this was a third date?”
In a rush, his tartan and shirt joined my top on the floor. Leaning against him, I closed my eyes and inhaled his scent, letting it soak into me until my mind blurred. I licked his nipples, and, while he growled in satisfaction, slid my hands across his shoulders and down to the back of his waist. Fabric covered his butt.
Never thought I’d complain about a man wearing a kilt.
“Fourth date,” I declared, trying to haul it down over his hips.
“I had a feeling ye wanted to ken what I wore underneath.”
“I believe I have a decent idea what’s underneath. It’s in the way. I want to touch you.”
He groaned, and we soon faced each other, naked. His hard length nudged his belly, and I licked my lips, wondering how it would taste. I’d never been eager to take someone that way before, but I was excited to try with Dag.
“Keep staring at me like that, and I’m going to come before I get to touch you.”
He kissed me until my head spun. His feverish hands stroked my breasts while his fingertips pinched my nipples and strayed across my hips.
“On the bed, sweetheart,” he said.
Sitting, I lowered myself onto my side, facing him.
He joined me. “Lie on your back?”
I gazed up at him. “You want to do it, now?” In my experience, that was the usual progression. A little kissing, then get to it.
“On a fourth date?” He laughed. “I usually hold out at least until the fifth.”
“Then…”
“There’s plenty of time. At the moment, I want to explore every inch of you. I want to watch you come undone.”
My shivers kicked into high gear, and my mouth went dry. “Watch me?”
“Lie back, and I’ll show you.”
Dag
Seeing Lark unsure about herself made me want to hunt down the asshole who’d made her believe she had no worth. Even more, I wanted to drive the man from her mind, then satisfy her until nothing but the memory of me remained.
Rising up onto my hands, I backed off to first date and kissed her. I teased her breasts until her eyes glazed, her skin rippled under my palms, and moans came from deep in her throat. When she clung to me, pliant and limp, I moved downward, kissing across her belly. The soft, needful sounds she released told me we were ready for date two.
Sweat sprung up along my hairline, and my body demanded I take her this instant. Pump into her until she screamed out my name. I had to wait. Take this slow. Get her so hot, she’d see nothing but how beautiful we could be. But I wasn’t sure I could hold off much longer. I’d never been this eager to sink into a woman before.
With unsteady hands, I slid my fingers between her legs. She gasped when I pressed my fingertips against her. Stroking between her folds, I dipped my finger inside.
Fuck. So tight and wet, I was ready to explode. My cock grew stiffer. If that was possible. It throbbed against my abs, rock-hard steel. Pressure built inside me, forging liquid fire through my veins. I tipped my head back and groaned, wondering if I had it in me to do this.
No, I could do this. I wanted to do this. This moment was solely for Lark.
Shifting lower on the bed, I crouched between her thighs and spread them wide. Her sweet, musky-honey scent that was uniquely her own flooded my senses. Her swollen flesh called to me, stronger than an ancient song from the past. I slid two fingers along her length, pausing to pinch them together and rub. Swirling my fingers, I tucked my thumb inside her, finding my place at her G-spot.
Her head thrashed on my pillow and her hips spasmed. “Dag, I…don’t…you…That feels so freaking good.”
Just like I’d thought. No one had taken the time to truly know her like I wanted to. Needed to. I nudged my head against her thigh. “Open your legs wider for me. Really wide. I want to see.”
Her eyes popped open. “Wait. See? Don’t you just want to be with me?”
Yeah, I wanted to be with her. Shove myself deep. Then pull back and dive further. Pound away until reality blurred and all I could think of was her.
“Close your eyes and enjoy.”
Her breath halted and she gazed down at me, her pupils enormous blue pearls. “I don’t understand.”
I kissed my way up her body until I hovered over her lips. “Trust me?”
Her teeth grazed her upper lip, and she nodded.
Watching her drop her walls to welcome me inside made heat radiate across my skin. That this special woman would give me this gift humbled me. I’d done nothing to deserve it. I wanted to treasure her forever.
Starting again with her mouth, I kissed my way back down her body, memorizing every inch with my lips and my tongue. By the time I reached that juncture between her thighs again, she was arching her hips, begging me to touch her with sweet pleas keening from her throat.
Grooves pinched her face, and her mouth parted to release a heady sigh. Her hands clenched on the sheets. She’d closed her eyes, but next time, when I drove into her, I’d beg her to open them, then watch unblinking while she savored every speck of pleasure I wrung from her body.
Shifting lower, I trailed kisses across her abs, finding my way to her core.
“What are you…ohhh.”
I couldn’t look up. There was nothing I wanted more than to savor her taste. Drink her in until nothing but the flavor of her remained. I licked her and stabbed my tongue inside. Her gasps and cries drove me onward. She tensed, and I sensed her rushing toward that peak. I wanted to be with her, but I also wanted to watch her come. Feel it under my tongue.
Her hips thrashed until I stilled them with my arm. Curling my hand around, I delved into her folds and rubbed. She panted and moaned; I pressed harder. Massaged faster as her body crested around me.
While sucking and laving with my tongue, I slipped a finger inside her. Smooth wetness welcomed me.
“Yes,” she cried, encouraging me to give her more.
With two fingers, I increased my pace, sliding in and out of her softness, while my tongue continued to stroke.
Feverish breaths wracked her lungs. Eyes closed, she arched her spine off the bed. Her body bucked underneath me.
Rising up to where I could watch her face, I rubbed harder while my fingers moved inside her faster.
Until she stilled. Shuddered.
And released my name to the night.
Lark
“Don’t fall asleep, sweetheart,” Dag whispered in my ear. “There’s someplace I want to take you.”
He wanted me to move? Couldn’t I lay here and doze, while reliving the ecstasy of his touch?
Lifting my arm, he dropped it, laughing when it flopped on the bed. “Come on, lass. Up and at ‘em.”
Slitting my eyes, I peered up at him. “I don’t wanna up and at ‘em.”
He chuckled.
Relenting to his urgings, I stretched out onto my back, then curled my spine like a well-fed cat. Essentially purred. Who would’ve thought anything could be so incredibly wonderful?
Climbing onto the bed, he nestled his body on top of mine, spreading his legs around my waist. A sheet covered me, and he tugged it down, exposing my breasts. “Hmm, look what I’ve found.” His hands teased each mound while his fingertips rolled the nipples.
Tipping my head back, I arched up, granting him easier access. A moan worked its way up from deep inside me, breaking free.
“I really like that sound you make.” He lowered his head and sucked my nipple inside his mouth. His tongue stroked across the tip before he released it. “Do it again.”
Writhing underneath him, I wanted him with a craving that surpassed all others. But this time, I wanted to feel everything, including his body heavy on mine while he moved inside me.
Releasing my breast, he looked up at me through his lashes and smiled. “You awake yet?”
“God, yes.”
“Then you’re ready for our fifth date?”
> A thrill pierced my heart. What would a fifth date with Dag entail? Could this get any better?
He lifted himself up and stood beside the bed, staring down with a soft light in his eyes. “Throw some clothes on, and we can leave. I’ll make sure everything else is ready.” Turning, he left the room.
My body thrumming with pleasure, I slid off the bed and gathered up my clothing. I tugged on my shorts and top and walked into the bathroom.
I stared into the mirror. Who was this lush-looking woman who blinked back at me? Her cherry-red lips had swollen, plump and aching for Dag’s kiss. A light razor burn brightened her chin. Her wide eyes, bluer than a Caribbean sea, hinted at secrets older than time. This woman knew things she’d never known before.
“Foolish,” I said while smoothing my bed-mussed hair. “You’re still you inside. Nothing has changed.”
But I felt like everything had.
Dag poked his head into the room. “Ready?”
I took the hand he held out to me. Stopping in the entryway, he opened the door and lifted a picnic basket.
“Where are we going?” I asked as I walked down the stairs.
“Where we can be alone.”
I tilted my head toward his house, where his soft bed waited. “We can be alone in there.” His warmth pressing me into the sheets. His fingers trailed down my body, stroking where he’d touched me before. Rising above me and…
“Fifth dates need to be special.”
Stopping on the walkway, I kissed him. “Tonight has been special already.”
Even if things didn’t work out for us, I’d never forget how he’d sacrificed his own satisfaction to bring me bliss.
He tossed the picnic basket into the back, and we climbed into our seats.
We traveled through town and turned onto the coastal access road heading north. I loved driving out here in the summer. Sweeping through valleys. Chugging up hills. Stopping at pull-over spots at the top. I could stare forever at the spiky green pine trees rising all the way to the sky. The wind would swirl my hair while I took in the ocean glistening in the distance.