The Virgin's Pursuit Read Online Free PDF Page B

bidding, and she realized he had not been entirely stingy with his touches—he had been carefully unlacing her until her clothing fell away. The heavy surcoat lay about her waist, but the kirtle remained to veil her skin from his.
    He angled back to observe her, his gaze dragging along the length of her body before meeting hers.
    â€œMy heart stopped when I saw you dressed like this in the middle of the forest.” He hooked a finger in the neckline of the thin fabric she’d washed and worn so many times since her escape from Iness. “Do you know how much restraint it required not to shred this infernal cloth so I could feel your skin?”
    She was beginning to have a good idea. Her heart hammered so loudly the fabric fluttered softly with the vibration.
    â€œYou have no need of such restraint now,” she reminded him, knowing she should stop this madness soon before she tied her future to his irrevocably.
    But not yet. Not when she needed him like she needed her next breath.
    The finger that he’d hooked in the neck of the kirtle slashed downward, disintegrating the fragile material and laying bare her skin beneath. Cool air hit her for an instant before his lips brushed over the pink crest of one rosy nipple. She cried out at the exquisite feel of his mouth fastened on her. He licked lightly at first and then drew hard until her fingers wound in his hair to hold him there.
    He wrapped his hands about her hips, tugging her tight to him, reminding her of the fire between her thighs. Each swirl of his tongue over her breasts sent an answering ribbon of desire through her belly and lower still….
    His kisses ceased suddenly and he lifted her higher onto the bed, placing her carefully in the middle of the furs. He dragged the remaining garments down her body, hose and all, leaving her utterly naked.
    Desperate to feel his skin upon hers, she tugged his tunic from his braies and hauled the garment up and off. She contemplated freeing the rest of him, but while she hesitated, he captured her hands and held them still.
    â€œIsolda, wait.” His breathing matched hers in its uneven rhythm. “I can bring you pleasure without taking your innocence. But if that is what you wish, you should not touch me.”
    His skin burned her palm where she touched him and she felt the coiled tension of his muscles. He held back for her sake? Her heart softened toward him all the more and she realized she would need to hold back something of herself as well if she wished to arise in the morning with her heart intact.
    No matter how sweet his seduction, Cormac had only sought her for her name. Her political value. The thought helped to stay her hand when she wanted to reach out more than anything.
    â€œI would not see you suffer.” She skimmed her nails up his chest, marveling at the raised network of scars that snaked across his skin.
    He returned his hands to her hips. Her belly. Firelight danced over his flesh, calling to her fingers to stroke him the way he did her.
    â€œSeeing you find pleasure will be a reward I’ll never forget.” He had scarcely finished saying this when his hand dipped between her thighs.
    She gasped as his fingers plucked at the sleek, sensual knot of nerves he found there. The warm slide of his sure touch was a decadent thrill unlike any other he’d shown her.
    Liquid fire surged in her blood. His touch seemed like a lightning strike, burning a wicked path all through her body. Her hips pressed against him, all thought of reserve smoldering to ash at this consuming blaze.
    She opened her eyes, seeking her hunter for reassurance as his touch worked sultry magic. The flush of desire on his skin and the rapt intensity of his gaze told her how much his promise to her was costing him. His manhood throbbed with every heartbeat under the barrier of his braies. She could feel the impressive length of him against her hip as he gave her pleasure.
    â€œHold me,” she