Anything But Vanilla

Oh, yes. She wanted to do wicked things with this man. She had no doubts that Alaric Liddell knew how to make a woman sing. He literally oozed sex appeal, like it was a pheromone, from his shirtless back to his beautiful bare toes. She wanted to do bad things, and she wanted to do them now.

‘Don’t be ridiculous.’ He leaned closer still so that she could smell his aftershave and the musky bass note of his underlying scent. ‘It’s no problem at all.’ Her pussy clenched tight in anticipation. Her folds were already moist and swollen. Kiss me. Her entreaty rang in her head. She needed him to touch her. She wanted to come.

Instead, Ric stepped back. She’d missed her cue.

‘Come on back down and I’ll fix us a drink. I can show you over to the barn in the morning.’ His grey-blue eyes glittered with mischief. Then his arm shot out, neatly trapping her in the entrance to the stairwell. His palm lowered from the wall to caress her cheek where a few strands of blond hair clung to her skin. ‘Don’t worry. I don’t ruthlessly adhere to the old ways.’

‘Old ways?’

He laughed; the sound seemed to tickle her insides all the way down to her stomach. ‘Welcome to Liddell Island.’ He leaned in, so that her taut nipples brushed pleasurably against his chest, while his mouth closed over hers.

Kara gasped as his kisses zapped fire all the way down to her cunt. Then he took her by the hand and led her back downstairs to the study.

CHAPTER THREE

Kara stood befuddled by the doorway, a glass of malt whisky clutched tightly within her hand, staring at the black-lettered document that granted the Liddells of the islands certain rights over the island’s inhabitants, the primary one being the right to tame any maiden that came to live in their domain.

‘This was never upheld, though,’ she croaked. The tingle of Ric’s kiss still lingered on her lips, while the sight of his still naked torso did nothing to calm her raging libido.

‘I assure you it was. There’s documentary evidence.’ He waved at the shelves of books surrounding them. ‘Lists of who and when, and how old they were and where they came from. Even some stuff about whom they went on to marry, although details about the actual main events are pretty scanty.’ He edged towards her again as he spoke, having returned the spirits decanter to its home.

‘Blessedly so, I’d have thought. Most of them must have been scared out of their wits at being summoned up here to warm the master’s bed for the night.’ Somehow she doubted many of Ric’s ancestors had been quite so beautifully put together. Physically, she got off on the wiry, hard-edged make-up of his physique, and that swathe of flaxen hair. And no way had they smelled as good. His scent, a perfect blend of good old-fashioned male spice and expensive aftershave, reached her at that very moment, sending her senses into another meltdown. He led her across to an armchair, and bent down by its side.

A faint smile played upon his generous lips. ‘Don’t you care to know how others enjoy sex?’

She cared to know how he enjoyed sex.

Kara blinked at him uncertainly, unsure if he was leading her somewhere or just teasing. He knew she’d enjoyed his welcome kiss, because she hadn’t been able to stop herself groaning. ‘I’ve never thought about it.’

‘Oh!’ He nodded. ‘If I revived the practice, I’d make sure to record every aspect.’

‘You’d photograph it.’ Kara swallowed slowly around the sudden tightness that gripped her whole body including her throat. Heat zipped between them like fireflies.

‘Film,’ he corrected.

Damn, was he seriously suggesting this? The way he looked her right in the eyes as he spoke rather implied he was. Kara rubbed her fingers over her lips to hide her nervousness. She wasn’t camera-shy like some folks she knew, but she’d never before considered allowing herself to be filmed having sex. Was that even what he was really suggesting?

Perhaps sensing her uncertainty, Ric dipped on to one knee before her and removed the whisky tumbler from her grip. ‘What do you think? Are you shocked?’

‘No, of course …’ Damn it, yes, she was. And intrigued, and aroused, and petrified.

Gently, Ric pressed a kiss to her curled fingers, which caused every nerve in Kara’s body to light up like sparklers. Oh God! They were going to fuck. No, judging by the look in his eyes and the fact that she had to avert her gaze because her cheeks burned with embarrassment, they were going to do something far less straightforward and far dirtier than that.

Kara’s clit perked up immediately. Damn, she didn’t want to wait while he set up lights and a camera. She reached a hand out towards him. Made that first contact, but touching him in the centre of his chest.

Ric wasn’t hairy in the way her one-night stand had been, but nor was he man-sculpted. A few springy curls skirted the hollow of his navel, and thickened where his stomach flattened out. No doubt if she followed that line, she’d find a crisp thatch above his loins.

‘Are you sure about this?’ Ric ran his tongue over his canines in a fox-like fashion. ‘Are we going to start up the old tradition together?’

She didn’t believe for a second she was the first woman he’d done this with. ‘Am I expected to just fall into your arms, or make some attempt to fend you off?’

‘Do you want to fend me off?’

A tiny cry escaped her throat. He had to know that she didn’t. Damn, if he so much as touched her again she’d jump. ‘Maybe. I don’t know anything about you. I don’t even know if those keys are actually missing.’

‘Ah.’ His eyebrows hitched a fraction. She hadn’t meant anything by it but, by God, she’d hit on the truth. He’d known where they were all along. The swift glance he made towards the desk confirmed it.

Despite her desires riding her like a bitch, Kara grew momentarily serious. They hadn’t known one another, but he’d made a snap decision earlier. He’d chosen not to be honest within seconds of her crossing his threshold, like she’d tripped some sort of slut alert and he wanted in on that action.

Kara pushed up out of her seat. ‘If you’ve hidden them, if you’ve been playing me … I’ll –’

‘You’ll what?’

‘I’ll …’

‘Sorry,’ he pleaded before she had a chance to ruin all the lovely tension they’d built up. ‘They’re not lost. I didn’t hide them, if that’s what you think. I just haven’t handed them over yet.’

‘Why?’

‘Not that it’s a great defence, but I don’t get very much company up here. Especially not beautiful company that didn’t just knock on the door in order to use the facilities. Besides, you couldn’t have trekked over to the barn in the dark with this wind anyway.’ Certainly the wind had got up. Even cocooned inside the metre-thick walls of the fort you could hear it howling. ‘Forgive me.’ His hand settled lightly upon her calf.

Kara froze. Oh, God, it wasn’t right that a touch there should have so much power. Her pussy instantly flooded with heat.

‘Where are they?’ she asked tremulously.

‘The keys? Oh, Kara – don’t be a spoilsport, not when you’re enjoying this just as much as I.’ His hand crept a little higher up her leg, and disappeared under the hem of her skirt.

‘Give me those keys.’

‘I will. As soon as I’ve made a proper apology.’

Hell, he was pushy, and she really ought to stop him rubbing her inner thigh like that, because it was ridiculously pleasant, and he was a liar, and obviously not to be trusted, and a cad who only wanted her for one thing.

It just happened to be the same thing she wanted him for.

He was on both knees now, his lips closing in on the spot where his hand lay warming her thigh. ‘I’m going to kiss your cunt now. Say yes, please, Kara.’

‘Oh, God!’

‘I don’t think he’s any real jurisdiction here, do you? It’s far too wild, and far too lonely.’ He lifted up her skirt so that every inch of her legs was exposed along with the fabric of her knickers. ‘Hm, on or off. Decisions, decisions. I know.’ He wriggled his fingers into the seams of her panties and drew them down to her thighs. ‘Much better, don’t you think?’

‘Um … I don’t know.’

‘How can you not know –’ he laughed, clearly enjoying her discomfort ‘– whether your knickers are best left on or off? Surely the issue is a simple one. If they’re on, I can do this. And you want me to do this, don’t you? You want me to make that apology, and if they’re off I can’t.’ The very tip of his tongue ran along the split of her sex. Kara grabbed tight hold of the cabinet at her rear, and then changed her mind and laced her fingers in his hair instead.

Damn, that felt good.

‘Off,’ she squeaked. ‘They’re definitely better off.’ She squirmed against his tongue, trying to get him exactly where she wanted him.