Page 33 of Wed to the Highlander
She squeezed the sponge, rinsing his chest. “Lean forward, so I can scrub your back,” she said, much more softly.
As she washed him, she exchanged the sponge for her hands, feeling smooth skin and hard muscle beneath her fingers,watching the bubbles glide slowly down his broad back. She could get used to this—his warmth, the quiet intimacy, touching him everywhere. Washing his hair was enjoyable, too, the thick, slick strands moving between her fingers and clinging to her skin as she lathered. It was a shame when the water started to cool, which was when she picked up the pitcher she’d reserved and poured clean water over his head to rinse the suds.
“You’re quite good at this, lass. Have you bathed a man before?”
She could tell he was teasing. Even exhausted, Duncan liked to play. So she sniffed dramatically and exclaimed, “I came from a reputable family, laird. So, you know I have not!”
Something occurred to her that hadn’t before. She sniffed again then stifled a laugh. “You’re starting to smell less of smoke, laird—and more of roses.”
“What’s that?”
“I poured my rose attar in the water, and you couldn’t wait for more.” She giggled. “Men will be composing ballads praising your beauty tomorrow, my lady.”
Both eyes opened this time, glaring in mock offense. “Taunting the laird of the castle is a dangerous habit, lass. Keep it up, and I’ll turn you over my knee.”
“Idle threats,” she replied, splashing him lightly.
He growled, water sloshing over the sides as he lunged and caught her about the waist. With a squeal, she twisted, laughing, but he was quicker. In a blink, she found herself in the tub with him, soaked instantly, her body molded to his front from chest to knee, cooling bathwater swirling around them.
“I believe it is customary for one to remove their clothing before bathing,” she observed drolly.
“You were warned,” he said, infuriatingly calm as he peeled up the back of her gown, inch by deliberate inch.
“You aren’t really going to—”
She sucked in a breath when he gave her bottom a swift, playful swat—then another, each barely more than a splash of warmth.
“Every time you’ve been in this position, you’ve asked me a similar question. By now you should ken that I’m going to and that I will dare.”
His hand came down again, this time with less play and more swat.
Half laughing, half shocked, she sputtered, “You—you—brute!”
“Name-calling,mo chridhe, will get you more of the same.”
Two more wet cracks were delivered with his palm. Then both his hands curled around her tingling bottom and squeezed, his fingertips gliding through places they shouldn’t, but felt exceptionally nice. He slid her up his chest until they were eye to eye and their mouths were aligned.
“Beast... Barbarian... Incredibly handsome Scottish devil,” she whispered, her lips just barely grazing his.
Duncan’s gaze sharpened. Whatever fatigue had dulled it before was gone now. “That sounds like a challenge.”
Her cheeks warmed, and she didn’t look away. “And if it is?”
“I accept.”
With vitality she hadn’t expected after working late into the night, Duncan rose with her in his arms, water pouring off their bodies in sheets. Dripping, he paid no heed to the floor, nor did he pause for the towels neatly laid out for him.
In an instant, he tumbled into bed with her. The scent of steam and roses lingering between them, he stretched out on his back, one arm pillowed behind his head, eyes half-lidded but glinting with heat as her hands glided over his skin and explored the hard length of him rising between them.
“You’re going to have to do the work tonight,” he murmured. “I’ve been hauling buckets since dawn.”
She arched a brow. “And what work would that be?”
His answer came in a low, wicked tone. “I’ll have your mouth on me, lass.”
She stilled, heart thudding.
He’d used his mouth on her, often. She’d been shocked at first, but now wantonly relished it. She’d imagined returning the favor—in flashes, in dreams—but never with him as a king stretched out before her, offering himself up and watching her with a mix of pride and desire that undid her completely.
