could feel her heart beat against his chest; it was like the mad fluttering of a butterfly’s wings. One of his arms slipped down to wind about her slim waist while his fingers trailed along her cheek. His fingertips were hot against her cool skin, and Ekaterina instinctively leaned into his warmth.
There was something between them: a magnetism that drew them closer and set their skin aflame with hunger. Neither could explain it, but it was warm and pulsing and perfect—as real as their breathing, which caused miniature clouds to fan across their cheeks in moist puffs of warm air. Every sense was heightened, and the hyperawareness was a pleasurable pain.
Ekaterina shivered suddenly, and Andrey pulled her closer. He was so tall, she thought breathlessly, and his hands felt unusually large on her hips. Her knees went weak as he drew her closer, leaning in slowly as if pulled forward by an invisible force. He gathered her tightly in his strong arms, his muscles bunching under his linen shirt. He held her gaze until their noses were nearly touching...and then his lips were on hers, searching gently.
Her eyes drifted closed as the sensation of his warm mouth on hers overwhelmed her completely.
* * *
Andrey kissed her slowly, tenderly moving his lips over hers. Then he grew bolder, suckling at her bottom lip and sweeping his tongue past her lips. She obliged with innocent fervour, a small moan escaping her as he explored her mouth with his tongue. His fingers fisted in the material of her overcoat and he dragged her closer still, driven by the instinct to crush her body to his, to feel every inch of her body against his.
Not enough, his blood sang as his kisses grew in intensity.
With an impatient grunt, Andrey grabbed at the ends of her coat and pulled it open, his palms searching within the rough material. His hands met the thin cotton of a light shift and he paused. He pulled away from their fevered kiss to glance down at what he had just unveiled. The sight made the slow rolling of desire in his stomach pitch into a full boil, spiking down his legs and up his chest. He briefly wondered why she was allowing such familiarity, but he was not about to lose his advantage. He pressed forward.
Ekaterina stood stunned in his arms, her blue eyes wide and glazed over in passion and her lips swollen and pouting from their kiss. Her long creamy neck led to a delicate collarbone. And her cotton dress swept over the rest of her body in a slightly see-through column of fabric. Had the girl no sense whatsoever? The coat had hidden her well, he mused, but the dress revealed almost all.
His impassioned eyes took in the pert swell of her unbound breasts, and the dark peaks of her stiff nipples were beads that stood out in sharp relief beneath the thin material. He could just make out the silhouette of her hourglass figure: the arc of her waist, the rise of her bottom and the sweet curves of her impossibly long legs.
He grew as hard as rock, straining uncomfortably against the scratchy material of his trousers. In awe at her beauty, he traced his fingers in invisible paint strokes over her body.
She shuddered, and he snapped.
He was on fire, and she was his only salve.
In two long strides he walked her back to the trunk of a tree, his hands cupping the backs of her thighs and his mouth ravaging hers. Her breathing hitched as he nipped at her lips with his teeth, and she twisted her fingers in his hair. He pushed his hands down her body and she twined her slim wrists at the nape of his neck. His fingers grabbed at the hem of her dress and he slid his palms up her bare legs with a groan.
He pulled at her thighs and lifted her off the ground, hooking her knees over his hips and pushing her back into the tree trunk. She arched backwards, a gasp of delight on her lips as he ground his groin into hers. He pushed her dress even higher, aching for more contact, and pressed open-mouthed kisses to her neck, his fingers plucking at the tips of her breasts.
Revelling in her soft mewls of pleasure, he continued to stroke her body into such flames of pleasure that she writhed against him, her body bucking insistently against his. He claimed her mouth once again, and one of his hands dipped low to catch the inside of her thighs. She whimpered and dug her nails into his biceps, clutching at him as his fingers played a symphony against her core.
* * *
For her part, Ekaterina could hardly understand what was happening between them. One minute she’d been admiring the gorgeous stranger, and the next she was being covered in his kisses! It was scandalous, terrifying and...absolutely wonderful. She knew she shouldn’t be letting herself get carried away so completely, but she’d never felt desire so fiercely before. So she threw caution to the wind and let him sweep her away in sensation.
So lost were they in the heat of each other’s touch that the cold lost its bite and all they knew was each other: each panted breath, each finger stroke, each clenched jaw.
Ekaterina could not stop trembling. Her nearly naked body was pressed up against this man’s steely muscles. Dimly, she wondered what had got into her. How had this man so completely captivated her and overtaken her steely self-control? How had he penetrated all her defences?
And then he twisted his fingers, just so, and she lost all coherent thought completely.
* * *
Andrey could not believe what was happening. The most beautiful woman he had ever seen was warm putty in his artist’s hands, her body bending and shuddering under his careful direction. Her plaintive cries were beautifully sweet—each a reward that added to his own pleasure.
Still, in a distant corner of his fogged mind he wondered...just who was she? He truly believed that no man could not be drawn to her, but how had they so instantly fallen into such a passionate embrace? How was it that he was already so intimately physical with her?
I don’t care.
His questions dissolved into desire as he plied her with more and more kisses. Her dress was now over her bust, the offending material pushed away as he cupped one of her breasts with one hand and smoothed his palm up her stomach with his other. As she tightened her legs around his waist he imagined what he would do next.
He longed to rip away his own clothing and take her, right then and there in the forest, with no one but the geese to see. He wanted to push her into the tree and thrust himself deep while he watched her flushing face. He wanted to dig his fingers into her hips as he watched her head loll back with every rocking motion. Then he would spin her round and let her clutch blindly at the tree while he drove into her from behind, watching her arch and scream as they climaxed together.
Yes, he thought wildly. Yes!
He dropped his arms, reaching to fumble for the buttons on his trousers. She slid down his body, her feet dropping back to the snow-covered ground. Just as he managed to pull the top button loose, he felt her dainty hands on his. He pulled back to look her in the face. She was flushed pink, but her eyes were apologetic.
‘No,’ she said, shaking her head. ‘I’m sorry.’
Andrey took two heaving breaths and sighed, leaning forward to plant a heavy hand on the trunk behind her.
‘Why?’ he groaned, closing his eyes.
* * *
Ekaterina awkwardly pulled down her dress and wrapped her coat tightly closed. She pursed her lips and looked away. Opposing emotions duelled within her. One part of her was thrilled and amazed at the sizzle of his lips, still warm on her skin. But the rational part of her was shocked and horrified. She was a noblewoman who prided herself on being different from the rest of the fickle courtiers—and yet here she was, throwing herself at a stranger.
‘I don’t understand this. And I don’t know you,’ she whispered, her feelings finding words.
* * *
He was silent and grim. It was true. The fire between them had been unexpected and inexplicable. On top of that, they didn’t know one another. He didn’t even know her name.
‘Yet,’ she said.
Her voice was small,