Page 23 of Kilted Seduction
The chemise and the underdress gave her no difficulty. The gown and the soft-sided corset that went with it, however… she didn’t realize until she was putting it on that it was meant to be laced across the back. And there was no one to help her.
Rhiannon had probably expected that she would have the help of a maid. However, with so many guests, there simply weren’t enough servants in the castle for every guest to have a servant assigned to them. Guests were supposed to have brought their own personal servants with them, or else made provisions not to need them. At least, she was willing to guess that would be Lachlan Ross’s way of thinking.
However, it was something she and Aedan hadn’t considered. Thora MacTavish wouldn’t think of such things - she was a village lass. And Aedan had never had cause to be concerned with it.
She was still trying to decide what to do about the matter when the door opened. Thora spun, and just managed to catch the top edge of the gown before it could fall. Fortunately, it was only Aedan, returning from his visit with Mac.
“The men are fine, makin’ themselves at home in the barracks. Mac’s with the other manservants, comfortable enough in servant quarters. ‘Tis a bit close, but nae unbearable, from what the men have said.” Aedan paused, his eyes drifting over her state of undress. “Are ye well?”
Thora blushed. “I cannae… the gown laces… well, I’m only a village lass. I dinnae wear gowns like this! And I didnae think o’ needin’ help, fer I’ve never needed it before.”
“What dae ye need?”
“Help lacing it up the back. The underdress isnae problem, but the corset and the overdress… are difficult.”
Aedan’s eye gleamed with soft amusement. “I can see that.”
Thora flushed harder and resisted the urge to throw a brush. “Well, I dinnae have a maid tae help me, so… will ye assist me or nae?”
“Calm down, lass. I’ll help.” Aedan huffed out a breath that might have been a laugh. Still, he did step around behind her, and a second later she felt a hand on the laces of the corset, slowly working them tighter.
Thora exhaled a sigh of relief. She’d been worried that she’d need to change gowns or send for a maid. She was oddly shy about doing either.
The thought lasted until a hand touched her bare back.
The sight of Thora, half dressed in a green gown that brought out the sharp brightness of her eyes, made Aedan’s mouth go dry.
He’d covered it with humor as best he could, but there was no denying that the sight of her pale, porcelain skin and slim body - even the small glimpses underneath her unfastened dress - was enough to send heat surging through his veins and blood straight to his groin.
It was an effort to walk over to stand behind her, with his arousal barely hidden by his kilt. It was fortunate that Thora was preoccupied by the issue of getting dressed, or she’d surely have noticed.
It was a complication he hadn’t thought of, and one he wished he had. Ladies often needed maids to help them dress. Thora hadn’t mentioned it, so he hadn’t given it any consideration. Now hefelt a fool for having trapped them in a situation that promised to be uncomfortable for him, if not both of them.
He began to work the laces of the soft corset tighter, cursing in his head that the underdress was a low-backed one, designed for both winter, and the more revealing gowns of summer. It left much of her back bare, and the soft skin beckoned him to caress it, to stroke it and see if it was as silken-smooth as it looked.
But he feared that, for all his self-control, if he touched her once, he’d want more. He didn’t dare risk it.
He took a deep breath, closing his eyes for a moment to try and will himself under control. The moment of inattention was his undoing.
His hand slipped on the laces, fumbled, and wound up caressing a long line down the curve of her spine, almost as if he’d done it deliberately, or been guided by fate.
Thora yelped and spun around. “Ye lout!”
Before he had time to protest that it had been an accident, her right hand connected with his cheek in a stinging slap that rocked him back in surprise. Caught off guard, he stumbled, and hands scrabbling for anything he could use to break his fall.
He wound up grabbing the fabric of her dress. There was a tug, a flurry of cloth, and another yelp from Thora, then the two of them tumbled to the ground in a knot of fabric, limbs,and indignant words that he was fairly certain neither of them should use in polite company.
When the confusion stopped, Aedan found himself lying on the ground, Thora sprawled partially on top of him. His buttocks and one arm hurt, where he’d tried to catch himself. But that was far from the least concerning thing.
His arousal, only partially erect before, was now painfully hard, and not at all helped by the feel of Thora’s arm and chest across his hips and groin.
Worse, from the way her eyes widened and red bloomed across her cheeks as she lifted her head, she was very much aware of his body’s reaction to her. And his desire.
The third thing he noticed, as she tried to scramble away from him, was that her clothing had slipped, baring her soft white breasts to his gaze. Firelight danced over her creamy skin and rose-colored nipples, which did nothing for his state of arousal.
Thora noticed where his gaze had drifted, and gasped, her cheeks flushing so deeply it looked painful as she yanked the fabric back up to cover herself. “Ye…”
“’Twas an accident. I dinnae have much experience with helping a lass dress.” Aedan spoke quickly, hoping to forestall an outburst that might bring someone to investigate what was happening. “Me thoughts slipped, and my hand did too.”
