“How can ye ask me such a thing? O’ course not.”
“I am glad we have that settled.” He smiled at her; she could hear it in his voice.
She glanced at him, and his warm eyes captured her. She could not help but smile in return. After a while, the smile became strained, and Jyne wondered what to do next. He also seemed unsure. She knew he was supposed to get in the tub now, naked, but how was that going to happen? Even the mere thought of him removing his plaid made her cheeks burn. And yet she did wish very much to see what was underneath the wrappings. He was her special present.
She paused a moment more until she realized that he would not be the one to push her into anything. He would wait until she took the lead. This was an unusual place for her, for she was accustomed to being told what to do. Having a tall, strong Highlander patiently wait for her command was something utterly foreign to her experience.
She liked it.
“Perhaps ye’d like to get into the water?” she asked, hoping she would not seem timid. She felt timid and bold, both at the same time, if such a thing were possible.
“I would like that verra much. Shall I remove my…” He gestured to his plaid and tunic.
“Aye, that would be best, since ye are to bathe. I shall turn around to preserve yer modesty, and when ye’re within the tub, let me know.” She turned around slowly, though in truth and to her shame, she did not wish to. What she wished for was a way for him to think she wasn’t looking but still to look anyway. She shooed away such treacherous thoughts and waited until she heard movement in the water.
“Are ye decent?” she asked.
“Nay, but ye can turn around.”
She spun to face him. His clothes—his shirt and plaid—were folded neatly on the bench. He was seated in the large wooden tub, his upper chest and arms visible above the dark waters. He was a trim man, but bare-chested, the definition of his muscles was clear. His chest was smooth and defined. He might be lean, but he was strong.
He did not smile, but his eyes met hers, gauging her reaction. She realized that between the two of them, he was the one stripped naked, and he was watching for her response. A new sort of confidence spread cautiously through her, if confidence could be cautious. He was waiting for her approval. When had anybody waited on her approval?
She enjoyed the novel sensation of power.
The only thing she did not like was the fact that she could not see him except for the parts that were above the water. If the parts below view were as appealing as the parts she could see, she was in serious trouble.
It wasn’t as if she’d never seen a naked man. Living with so many brothers and so many cousins and so many clansmen wearing nothing under so many plaids, it was inevitable that what was underneath would not remain secret forever. Yet she wanted to see his, and the thought made her blush again.
A slow smile spread across Cormac’s face. He must have interpreted the blush as approval of what she saw. And he was right.
“Ye must be sore after so much work. Would ye allow me to rub some ointment into yer muscles?” She picked up the jar and walked around the tub toward him. She kept her eyes on his face, though she did wish to look down.
“Aye, lass, for I confess I am a wee bit stiff today.”
Stiff? Did he mean…of course he didn’t…did he? She grabbed the jar of ointment and walked around behind him so he could not see her blush again. She took a bit of the ointment and began to rub it on his shoulders. She thrilled to be touching him, working her fingers into his muscles. He was a strong one, though she could feel those places where his muscles were knotted and sore.
“Ohh…ahh…” Cormac gave a satisfied groan.
She was tremendously pleased to have produced such a reaction and continued to massage away the pain of sore, tight, overused muscles. It gave her a chance to run her fingers up and down his arms and back. She moved closer and peeked down his front. The water was dark in the dim room, and she could not see exactly what she wanted to see. Her heart beat faster at her own curiosity. Her own desire.
When had she ever known desire? She had not known she could burn with a strong, powerful longing. And her burning was for Cormac.
She focused back on her work with renewed vigor, finding the knots of tension in Cormac’s back and applying her elbow to them until the muscles began to release. Core’s groans turned into something closer to whimpers.
“How does it feel now?” she asked, trying to stay focused on her task.
“Och, lass, I’ve ne’er felt anything so good nor so painful in all my life.” Core sank deeper into the water, and Jyne feared he might submerge, which he did.
“Come back! Are ye all right?” Jyne tried to pull him up, but he emerged on his own and turned around to face her, resting his arms on the edge of the wooden tub. Water ran down his face, catching on his long eyelashes and dripping down his angular face to the tub.
“If ye were not already the lass o’ my fancy, I’d sure be smitten now.”
“So ye fancy me?” She blinked at him, coy as could be.
He responded by placing two wet, warm hands on either side of her face and kissing her long and deep. If she had any doubts as to the man’s interest or intention, that kiss put to rest any question. He liked her. He wanted her. She knew that for an absolute fact.
So what was she going to do next?
“Come join me,” he murmured as he nuzzled her neck.
“I’d get wet.” It was a painfully obvious thing to say, but she didn’t know how else to respond.
“That’s the idea,” he purred. “Most o’ the baths I’ve taken, I’ve gotten wet.”
“But it is improper. I could’na bathe wi’ a stranger. A male stranger.” As much as she wished to be bold, her proper upbringing held her back.
“Aye, ’tis improper. And if I had any chivalry to me, I’d not ask it. I confess it is not a good idea for the likes o’ ye to be associating in any way wi’ the likes o’ me.” He gave her a seductive smile that negated any argument he might have raised. “But I swear it will feel good to yer bones to soak in this tub, and I owe ye the same treatment to yer back as ye gave me.”
She had never wanted anything more in her life. Steam rose softly from the hot water and the gleaming, smooth skin of the man leaning on the edge of the wooden tub. It would take considerable effort to resist. But she could not. What would her brothers and sisters say? And yet, was this not exactly what she had wanted all along?
“I’ll ne’er tell. It will be our secret.” Cormac rested his chin on his arms on the tub.
“But…” She was at war between her desire and her convictions. “I could never be…unclothed with a man.” A steaming-hot, dripping-wet man.
He merely smiled. “Come, join me.”
Well…would she?
Twenty-seven
“Leave yer chemise on. Perfectly proper,” tempted Cormac.
Jyne knew it was anything but proper, but it was enough to soothe her internal objections so she could act the way she wished. His eyes glinted in the candlelight. “Turn around and let me loose yer kirtle.”
She turned around. His hands deftly loosed the ties, and before she knew it, he had drawn the gown up and over her head. She ended up with it bundled in her arms, wondering how that happened. She knew she should be running from the room, but also knew she was not going to do anything of the kind.
She folded her gown neatly, feeling quite ridiculous, but of course, this was her nicest, and she did not wish to see it ruined. She placed it on the bench next to his plaid and unpinned her veil, putting it on top of her gown. When she turned back to him, he stood up, and she feared her jaw dropped.
The tub was deep, and his manhood was still covered, but the waterline lapped along the muscular line of his abdomen, several inches below his navel. His modesty was maintained, but barely. Water ra
n in rivulets down his perfectly toned chest, his muscles chiseled perfection. Everything on him was tight and firm.
He held out a hand to her, and she took it. She stepped up on the stool and gingerly climbed into the tub, trying not to look ungraceful. Her thin linen chemise hit the water and pooled up around her as she stepped in. The warm water surrounded and soothed her. She stood next to him, the water a few inches above her waist.
Core took her hands and sank down into the water, taking her with him. There was a stool in the tub that he had been sitting on, but only one. The tub was large, but with both of them, the water splashed over the sides.
“Here, sit.” Cormac turned her around and positioned the stool in the middle of the tub for her to sit. He stood behind her and began to slowly massage her shoulders. Her muscles released as he eased away the tension. It was so wonderful that she leaned back against him, relishing in the seductive warmth all around her.
He slowly wrapped his arms around her, and after a bit of positioning, he was once again sitting on the stool in the warm water, and she was sitting on his lap, reclining back against him. It was so delicious; she never wished to move. It was so enticing; she wanted more.
She turned to him and boldly initiated a kiss. He responded in kind and kissed her deeply until she laid her head back on his chest. This was the way she wanted to spend the rest of her life, with Cormac. Her brothers would be coming soon, and they would chase off Red Rex, the Fire Lord, and all the unwanted brigands, until none were left but her and Cormac, whom her brother would naturally wish to reward. And she had a good idea of what, or whom, his reward should be.
“Lady Jyne, I wonder if I could be so bold as to ask o’ ye a favor?” asked Cormac, holding her close and warm.
“Please call me Jyne. It seems a bit presumptuous for formal titles whilst sitting in a bathing tub together.” Jyne giggled. She could not remember when she had felt so good.
“My Jyne, will ye grant me one boon?” asked Cormac.
“What is yer request?” She was inclined to give him anything he wished. Truly…anything. A ripple of excitement coursed through her.
“I wish for ye to leave Kinoch tomorrow wi’ Breanna and Brother Luke. They will take ye back to yer people.”
Jyne struggled to sit up so she could look at him. “I’ll no’ be run off. Kinoch is mine, or at least it will be when I marry. ’Tis mine! I’ll no’ have anyone take it from me!”
“I need to see ye safe.”
“Safe! I’m tired o’ being safe. Safe means ye ne’er leave the protection o’ yer own walls until yer home becomes yer prison. Safe means being swept aside from every important decision because ye’re too young and inexperienced. Safe means always being shunted away and forgotten. Safe is no’ living!”
Core stared at her and made no reply. Water dripped from the edge of the tub to the stone floor, making a soft tapping sound.
“Is that how they treated ye?” His voice was soft with understanding.
“Aye.” Jyne sighed. “I was a sickly child, small and weak, not like any o’ my brothers and sisters. I was also the youngest sister, so I stayed home while everyone else went off and fought battles, and found treasures, and fell in love. I never had any adventures…until I met ye.”
“I am sorry if ye dinna care for yer childhood.” It was Core’s turn to sigh. “But it seems to me, to live in a castle, surrounded by family who care enough no’ to let ye get hurt, it is a goodly life. Did ye have books in that castle o’ yers?”
“Aye,” she admitted.
“Then it sounds like heaven to me. Dinna be so eager to find adventure when ye already have everything ye need at home.”
“And if ye had such a home, ye’d be content to stay in it forever?”
“Aye, I would.”
“If ye wanted to go out riding, ye’d no’ complain if they sent ye to help make bread instead? And when yer brothers and sisters went to tournaments and festivals, ye’d be happy to be left behind? And if someone threatened yer borders, ye’d stay content by the fire, while others protected ye?”
Cormac paused before finally responding. “Ye have a point, I grant ye. But not all risks are worth taking. And this one is not. Ye must go.”
Jyne raised her chin. “I will stay.”
Cormac lowered his mouth to hers and whispered on her lips, “Ye will go.” He kissed her until she forgot what they were arguing about. He slowly stroked up and down her side and then moved up until he was cupping a breast. He trailed his fingers across the wet material of her chemise, which hid nothing from his sight, teasing her until she arched into his hand.
“I should’na take liberties wi’ ye,” he whispered.
“I give ye leave to do so,” Jyne whispered back. In truth, if he did not continue, she would be most put out.
He responded with a sort of guttural noise and slipped a hand down her wet chemise. He circled her breast with his thumb, sending shivers down her spine. The sensations he built within her were something she had never experienced before. When he trailed kisses down the hollow of her neck to pay even greater homage to her breasts, she felt as if she might come undone. Never had she felt anything so sensuous than to be adored in a tub of warm water.
Sitting on his lap, she felt his affection rise. Finally, she was able to get a good look.
“Do I pass inspection?” he asked, noting her interest.
She smiled in response and ran a hand up his shaft, amazed at her ability to make him jolt.
“Ah, lass, ye’ve undone me, but I warrant there are things we should’na do,” he said, moving her hand.
“Ye fear my brother?”
“More than Red Rex, if ye should return to him no longer a maid.”
Jyne rested her head on his wet chest, snuggling deeper into the warm blanket of water and closer to Core. “I suppose it would be unkind of me to ask for something that would seal yer doom.”
“Ye’re kind to think o’ me. But perhaps there is something I can do for ye.”
Jyne looked him in the eye. “Show me.”
Cormac gave her a tentative smile. “I…” He leaned forward to touch his forehead to hers. “I confess my experience wi’ women has been…limited. Ye must tell me what ye like, for I wish to please ye.”
Jyne kissed his cheek. “Ye are verra sweet. I confess, I have no experience wi’ men, so we are a hopeless case.”
He kissed one cheek, then the other as he ran his hand up her leg to her thighs, easily moving the floating chemise out of his way. He kissed her lips, and he stroked his fingers up between her legs.
“Oh!”
He stopped. “Oh, bad?”
“Nay, oh, good.”
He continued. It was surreal to be caressed under the warm water, but it felt so good, she could not bring herself to stop him. He paid close attention to her and continued to gently explore until he found a spot that made her gasp.
He caressed her, building up in her something like winding a coil tighter and tighter until she feared she might explode.
He stopped.
“Core!”
He continued building up the amazing sensations. “I would ask from ye a boon. A gift o’ whatever I wish,” he whispered in her ear.
“What?” She could hardly make sense of what he was saying, with his hand between her legs.
“I want something from ye. Will ye give it to me?” he purred in her ear, teasing her with his fingers.
“Aye.” She would agree to anything.
“Anything?” He slowed his hand, toying with her.
“Aye, anything.” She pressed herself closer to him, aching for him to continue.
“Promise?” He flicked a finger back and forth, sending jolts of sensation through her.
“Aye, promise!”
He continued his clever work in earnest, and s
he felt the tightness suddenly explode within her, pulsing through her in waves of bliss. She collapsed back against him in the warm water, her head on his shoulder.
“Was it acceptable?” he asked, tentative again.
“Nay. It was…och, I hav’na the words. It was…wonderful.”
His smile was open and vulnerable. “Truly?”
“Aye. I have never…I dinna ken…I do adore ye.”
“Well, now.” His dark green eyes glinted with pride. “I am glad to have pleased ye.”
She snuggled into his embrace. “Verra, verra pleased.”
“Thank ye for offering me a boon in return.”
“Aye, what can I do for ye?” She had some ideas.
“Leave tomorrow wi’ Breanna and Brother Luke.”
Jyne raised her head up and gasped at his smug face. “Ye tricked me!”
“Aye, lass, I did.”
“Ye’re no’ the man I thought. Ye’re no’ nice at all.” She splashed water in his face, but he just grinned at her.
“I fear ’tis true. I am not a nice man.”
“I despise ye! Why would ye be so unkind?”
Cormac shrugged, unrepentant. “I must keep ye safe. I fear I love ye too much to see ye hurt.”
Silence fell on the dimly lit chamber as both of them realized what he had just said.
“Love?” asked Jyne in a voice barely over a whisper.
All traces of humor vanished from his face.
“Love.”
Twenty-eight
Cormac had planned it out. He would seduce Jyne in the tub to get her to agree to leave Kinoch Abbey. It was a dirty trick, but he was desperate. Short of tying her up and forcibly removing her, this was his next best plan. The fact that it allowed him to live out his fantasies with her was purely coincidental.
What was not part of the plan was confessing his true feelings. No, that was not in the plan at all. It was the truth though, and now that he had confessed it, he would not deny it.
“Love.”
It was all he needed to say. Apparently, it was all either of them needed to say, for Jyne stared at him in stunned silence. Not exactly the response he was hoping for.
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