She shook her head. Why was she even considering having an interlude with Burke? Was she crazy?
Lonely.
That was her problem. She was lonely and she found Burke attractive. She simply thought of sharing a few moments of intimacy with the stranger and then he’d be gone. How had that thought escalated to fear of falling in love with him?
It was nonsense, pure nonsense.
She would never love again so why worry about it?
Burke could be persuasive, or was it that she just plain enjoyed his company? She hadn’t found that in a man since Daniel. And she enjoyed his quick wit, which often made her smile. He had courage and strength and he was honest, which she respected above all else. He was a man a woman could easily love.
She shook her wet clothes and draped them over the chair near the fireplace.
She had no time for love and it would be dangerous if she did allow herself to love. In the end she would suffer, for she would have to let him go, return to America.
Besides, who was to say that he would love her?
She released an exasperated sigh.
Why was she questioning herself so much? Why didn’t she just go and share a night of intimacy and be done with it? Forget love, forget Burke leaving, forget everything for one single, solitary night and love as if nothing else mattered in the world.
She was who she was—an outlaw. She was not going to change, and she was not running off to America, whether she fell in love or not. Her life was here in Scotland, and here was where she would stay.
For one night, she could simply be a woman.
For one night, she could simply love.
She stood before the fire staring at the flames, feeling her heartbeat, feeling her body ache for intimacy, feeling the need to love.
Finally she heard Burke’s footsteps along the walkway and his door close.
She ran her fingers through her hair, smoothed her nightgown with nervous hands, and walked out the door.
Chapter 26
Storm rapped lightly at his door, and for a moment she thought perhaps that he had already fallen asleep. Then the door opened.
They stared at each other while thunder rumbled overhead.
“Cross my doorstep and you seal your fate, Storm,” Burke warned and stepped back, opening the door wide.
Storm didn’t hesitate. She stepped across the threshold and right into Burke’s arms.
He lifted her up against him and she wrapped her arms around his neck while her mouth met his in a kiss that ignited their passion in a flash.
She wrapped her legs around his waist as he walked with her across the room, and they fell on the bed still locked together. Still, they refused to relinquish their kiss. They fed off each other with a hunger that apparently could not be satisfied.
Clothes were shed in haste and eagerness until they were spread out naked beside each other. Then hands began to wander.
Storm ached to touch him, all of him, just as he did her.
It was as if they had always known each other, familiar with every valley and mound.
“God, you’re beautiful,” he said, surfacing from feasting at her breast.
“You make me feel beautiful,” she admitted, running her small hands over his hard-muscled chest and loving the feel of him. His lean muscle stimulated her senses, as did the heat of his flesh.
He claimed her lips again, and she joined in the kiss until they finally nibbled along each other’s lips.
“I can’t get enough of you,” Burke said.
“I feel the same.”
“I intend to make love to you all night.”
“Promise?” she asked, fearing that this would be the only time they would have together and wanting to make the most of it.
Burke ran his hand down the length of her, settling faintly between her legs. “I promise.”
Storm moaned with pleasure when his fingers intimately explored her, and she was soon lost in a haze of passion that she wanted to linger in forever.
When his playfulness became too much she reached down and took hold of him. “I’ll have you now.”
Burke grazed his lips over hers. “Are you sure?”
“Do not tease,” she protested. “I know what I want and I want you.”
He nibbled at her bottom lip and then down along her neck to settle on her hard nipple. Then he rose over her like a majestic bird about to take flight and entered her with a tenderness that startled her more than if he had plunged into her.
“We fit,” he whispered in her ear before he settled into a steady rhythm that grew with each mounting thrust.
She grabbed hold of his shoulders and threw back her head, enjoying the cadence they set together. It flooded her body and soul, and she rode the rhythm until it peaked.
“Burke!” she breathed hard in his ear. “Oh God, Burke,” she exclaimed as she climaxed as she had never thought possible, the ripples of pleasure going on and on and on.