Ailsa thought she knew what happened in the marriage bed, but Rory had showed her otherwise. She thought there could be no more pleasure, but the burning heat of him against her leg proved that idea false as well.
‘I didn’t know it could be like this,’ she said.
He tensed and his gaze, which was now pointedly over her shoulder, glanced to her again and then slid away. ‘I’m glad I had the experience to bring you such pleasure.’
A sharp stab that she didn’t want to identify pierced her. Ailsa didn’t want to think of him with other women though it was foolish of her to think he hadn’t been. Even if he wanted to stay away from women, his status and looks would have women coming to him.
He adjusted his legs to sit beside her and she immediately missed the heat and feel of him there.
‘Why did you ask if I’d had another lover?’ he asked.
Did he hear that she didn’t want to think of his lovers? His tousled hair fell heavily along his jaw and shoulders, his eyes held just a hint of the heat they had before, but more of a puzzlement she couldn’t understand until she remembered his question.
‘I didn’t ask if you had another lover,’ she said. ‘I asked if you had seen the female form because I had seen the male as well.’
‘What do you mean, you’ve seen the male form? Do you mean naked?’
She shrugged. ‘Of course. I’m a healer. I’ve seen lots of bodies and their parts over the years.’
He raked his hand through his hair, controlling the wild locks she’d been admiring. ‘I don’t like it.’
She couldn’t have heard right. ‘The fact I’m a healer?’
‘The fact you’ve seen other males.’
Was he jealous as well? Could he be feeling the same as she did? If so, she’d ease his concerns. ‘I’ve seen females, too. I’ve tended children...animals. Any living creature injured.’
‘Your father, your clan, allowed this?’
Allowed. That wasn’t a word she appreciated. ‘Of course. It was either that or, when the oldhealer died, which she did, there would be no one to tend injuries. Would that be preferable?’
A rough exhalation and Rory turned away, so his back was to her and his legs were over the bed.
That was an answer as good as any. He obviously didn’t want to argue. That was fine with her. There would be all the time in the world to discuss what she was capable of as a healer and a woman. He seemed intelligent and, after her discussion regarding the benefits of her marriage, amenable to listening to her, but maybe now wasn’t the time.
Maybe their time now was for something else. She was struck by the definition of his back, the tapering of his waist, the fact that seeing him like this made her want him more. Ailsa propped herself up to touch his arm.
He flinched, but held still, and she took advantage of it to caress his skin as he had hers. To watch him turn his head to gaze at her hand as she stroked his shoulder and traced her fingers down his spine. He fascinated her. All of this fascinated her not as a healer, but as a woman discovering the different textures of a male’s skin and the fact his body didn’t give at all underneath her touch.
So wonderfully different than hers and themore she touched, the more different he became. No longer pulling away, but almost leaning into her touch as if he welcomed it.
She welcomed it though she’d found her pleasure. Simply curving her palm along the blades in his back had her needing more. Didn’t he need more?
‘Rory,’ she said. Was her voice threaded with desire?
Must be since his riveted gaze locked with hers. ‘Ailsa.’
‘Yes?’
‘You keep...’ He gave a hard swallow. ‘You keep saying my name.’
‘I thought you wanted me to say your name.’
Brows drawn in. ‘The way you—’ He shook his head.
Oh, she wanted him to finish that thought. When he didn’t, she spread her fingers to reach more of his back, his skin, to feel the way his ribs curved around his side.
The way he imperceptibly shivered when she did so. Did he feel the desire like her? He must. They were strangers and newly married, yet here they could talk, they could know each other...discover each other.
