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.“Well it’s now or never,” she muttered as she moved back up the beach.Once she reached a dry spot, she dropped her shawl onto the sand and began to undo the fastenings of her bodice.Soon her dress—followed by her undergarments—lay in a pile on top of her shawl.It took only a matter of moments for Gusty to strip down to her bare skin.She stood hesitantly, staring out over the sea.The water sparkled with golden and fiery-red swells as the sun dropped behind the hill at her back.She mentally prepared herself for the inevitable shock of the cold water.Tossing her head, she inhaled the sharp tang of the salty sea air.“No more stalling, you coward,” she said, chiding herself.Gusty stood on the edge of the water, her arms thrown wide as she worked up the courage to take a dip in the cold sea.The air chilled her skin, leaving her covered with goose bumps.She felt more alive than she ever had before.“Oh!”Strong, muscular arms wrapped around her, pulling her back against a hard chest of a male body.“Hey!” She cried out.Survival instincts kicked in.She thrashed and screamed, fought to get loose, but the arms around her only squeezed her tighter.With no air left in her lungs, she struggled to breathe.Her vision blurred and darkness descended over her.“Are you finished then?” a deep voice in her ear demanded softly.Gusty nodded and fought for one good breath.She recognized the voice so close to her ear, shocked to find she was again in the arms of the one man she had thought about for so long.This man had been in her dreams nearly every night for the last six months, his voice and his touch, and now he held her captive once again.As he loosened his hold on her and she looked up to meet his eyes, her forehead knocked into his strong chin.She winced.“What are you doing here?” She queried breathlessly, her heart beating so hard she feared he could feel it knocking through her chest.“This is my land.”His grip tightened around her once again as she attempted to wriggle away from him.For a moment Gusty wondered if he intended to crush her to death but then he eased up.“You own this land? Then you are one of the Sutherlands?”“I am the Sutherland.”“The? You mean to say you are the chieftain of Clan Sutherland?”“Aye that I am,” he stated with pride.“What are you doing here?” He turned her question back upon her.“Swimming,” she informed him.He dropped his gaze down over her body, a devilish twinkle in his eyes, and she flushed hot with embarrassment as she remembered where she was and why she was there.Oh God! Oh God! I’m naked!She had momentarily forgotten her clothing lying on the beach behind them.Her long hair gave her little covering and the wind tossed it about brazenly.His muscular arm clenched about her naked waist and he slowly moved a large hand up to cup her breast, kneading it slightly with his long fingers.The caress brought a moan from her lips.Embarrassed that such a sound came from her throat and shocked that she wanted more of his touch, Gusty pushed at his hand but he refused to release her.If anything, his grip seemed to tighten.Her bare back and buttocks were plastered against his chest and the hard bulge beneath his kilt.This was not good! She took several deep breaths to quiet her racing heart and over-zealous libido.Oh God!Gusty had always been sensible, modest and she’d sure as hell never thrown herself at a total stranger.This barbarian might be too gorgeous for words but he was presenting a huge danger to her ability to think clearly.Help!“Were you perhaps thinking of escaping back to your Isle, beautiful selkie?” His unexpected question brought her attention back to the problem at hand.“Isle? What the h—? Of course not, don’t be ridiculous.”“What are you doing here on my seashore? Do you think to taunt me deliberately with your womanly wiles?”He turned her in his arms and Gusty found her breasts brushing against the wide expanse of his massive bare chest and her belly pressed against the hard swell of his erection, with only the cloth of his kilt between them.Her nipples tightened at the contact.A shiver coursed through her body and she bit back a whimper of pleasure.She placed her hands on his bulging arms and pushed, trying to put some space between them.Her body was not cooperating with her mind.She did not want him to know just how much she wanted him to take her in his arms and kiss her the way he had those many months ago.“We were just…passing through the area.My…grandparents and…I.I didn’t realize we were…trespassing.” Gusty did not sound at all like herself.Her voice had grown husky and breathless at his nearness.“To where do you travel, my little selkie?”“My name is…Augusta [ Pobierz całość w formacie PDF ]