The Reluctant Highland Groom by Marilyn Stonecross Read Free Book Online

pushed her lips to his, and she worried he would break the kiss.
     
    But he didn’t.
     
    Instead, Alec Munro, the pompous boy she’d grown up dreading, wrapped an arm around her waist and pulled her against the length of his body. His mouth slanted down on hers and she let him kiss her like a man was supposed to kiss a woman. Primal. Predatory. Possessive.
     
    The heat spreading through her body was like a wildfire—out of control and gaining intensity. With a gentle tug on the hair at the nape of her neck, Alec exposed the sensitive skin at her throat and nipped and kissed his way down. Down her collarbone, across the top of her breasts exposed by her gown, and to the edge of the fabric where the bodice began. Cara thought that would deter him, but with deft hands, Alec undid the lacing at her back, loosening the fabric. He gave it a yank and within a moment, she stood on the banks of the stream in her thin chemise.
     
    Spurred on by the fact that Alec wanted her as much as she needed him, Cara boldly pulled his linen shirt over his head and ran her hands down the rippling muscles of his chest. His skin was hot and his body hard as she let herself explore him with hands and mouth. She kissed Alec again as her hands traveled down the taut muscles of his abdomen to the top of his pants. She considered stopping, worried what he might think of her if she let passion rule, but in the end, she was powerless against the pull Alec had over her. She struggled with the fastened breeches, not sure how to undo the tight knot keeping them on and was relieved when Alec came to her rescue by yanking them down in one swift motion.
     
    In no time, he was naked and stood in front of Cara while her eyes took him in. All of him.
     
    Alec was glorious. All hard lines and masculinity, from his rugged jaw line to the erect shaft that stood proudly between them. In that instant, Cara lost her bravado and stood still, unsure of what to do next and praying Alec did not take her hesitation for anything other than inexperience.
     
    As though he read her mind, Alec leaned in and kissed her, swiftly silencing all the questions, fears, and doubts she might have over what she was about to do. He gently laid her down on the pile of clothing they’d discarded and settled above her. He kissed her even more ferociously while his hands traveled up and down her body, teasing her nipples with a slight pinch or kiss, trailing down her belly until he reached the junction of her thighs.
     
    His touch there was firm, a sensual pressure that he started with the pad of his thumb and worked in torturous, slow circles and started a fire deep within her. Initially a spark, it became an inferno by the time he hovered above her, gazing deep into her eyes.
     
    “ Are ye sure, lass?” he whispered in a hoarse, ragged voice.
     
    “ Please, Alec,” she said, digging her nails into his shoulders, praying he wouldn’t stop now.
     
    And he didn’t. Though it was fleeting, the pain of his entry was stabbing and intense. He stayed perfectly still while her body accustomed itself to him. When he felt her relax into him, Alec began a slow rhythm, in and out, that Cara eventually caught up to. A sensation began to build deep within her that she feared would drive her mad—but the wave eventually crested into an explosion of ecstasy that Cara could never have imagined. Her mind reeled and her body shivered as Alec moved into a frantic pace before finding his own shuddering release.
     
    He collapsed on top of her and smoothed the damp hair from her forehead before placing a chaste kiss on her lips. Cara wrapped her arms around Alec and prayed for time to slow. She did not want to return to the life waiting for her any time soon.
     
    ***
     
    They walked back to the Munro keep at a leisurely pace, he saying little and she saying less. Words no longer seemed to matter. Not after what they’d shared.
     
    Logan greeted them at the stables. “Ramsey wants us all