Me-time,Lady Dani had called it.
They’d be back all too soon, bearing bath sheets and the freshly altered dress she was to wear for her wedding, and all the babble and bustle would return with them.
A twinge of guilt stung her conscience. If she’d spoken her thoughts aloud, the world would surely have judged her an ungrateful wench. And rightly so. For all their efforts on her behalf, the ladies of Castle MacGahan were owed better than she’d given so far, and she vowed to do her best to join in their excitement over the dress and readying her for the ceremony. It was the least she could do, to thank them for all they’d done for her.
But right now, in this precious respite from their overly helpful ministrations, she would enjoy the peace and quiet of this delightful me-time.
Brie slid down in the tub, dunking her head under the fragrant water and emerging to brush back the hair from her face. Her locks, once so long and heavy, barely clung to her shoulders now, their bulk left behind at the bottom of the North Sea cliffs.
Jeanne had assured her they could dress her hair today so that no one would notice how short it was, while Lady Dani had hinted that she might find she enjoyed having it shorter.
She reached for the soap, delighted to find it had an entirely different scent from all the other items in her bath. It smelled of something light and floral that made her feel feminine and dainty.
Not that she’d admitthatto anyone.
She scrubbed the soap along her arm, realizing with a start that the markings Orabilis had painted there had all but disappeared in places. Perhaps she wouldn’t have to worry over her strange appearance embarrassing her new laird and husband after all.
“You sneaky old witch,” she said with a laugh.
Now,therewas a woman who had a way of obscuring everything she said. It would make perfect sense to her if Orabilis were indeed a Faerie, as Hall had claimed.
Hall.
Just thinking of her groom sent shivers of delight coursing along her skin. That she would be joined with him for life by the time this day’s sun had set was almost beyond belief.
Everyone should have the chance to be as happy as she was today.
She’d just rested her head against the tub’s edge and closed her eyes when a light knock sounded at the door.
She stifled a groan of disappointment and reached for the washing cloth to give her some measure of modesty before the women once again descended.
“Come in,” she called as the door behind her creaked open, then said in her best cheery voice, “Have you brought the dress? I can hardly wait to see it.”
Two large hands clamped down on her shoulders and water splashed over the sides of the tub as she started forward.
“No dress, I fear,” Hall murmured, brushing his stubbled chin along the tender skin of her neck before stopping to nibble the lobe of her ear.
Had she thought herself in heaven before? She’d been wrong.
Her good sense almost deserted her completely when his hands slicked down her wet body to cover her breasts, his warm breath hitting the side of her face in rapid little pants.
What were the chances she could strip him bare, drag him into her bath, and have her way with him before the ladies returned?
Slim to none, the way her luck had been going. She hadn’t even been able to manage a kiss in the garden before her brother had arrived.
“We canna do this now, my love. Syrie will have herself one full-out Faerie fit if she finds you here like this.”
“I know,” he answered on a sigh, slowly moving his hands back up to her shoulders. “It’s not even why I came. But when I saw you thus, I couldn’t stop myself. Have you any idea how badly I want you every time I see you?”
She understood his need all too well.
He dipped his head and covered her mouth with a long, slow kiss. His tongue flickered across her lips and she turned in the tub, rising up on her knees, ready to take what she wanted, the ladies be damned.
“By Odin’s breath,” he whispered, tracing a finger down the side of her face, “we will finish this tonight, I so swear it. But for now, I need to speak to you.”
He rose to his feet and backed away, clear across the room, his face red as if with great exertion.
Or heat. Her own body felt hot enough to boil the bathwater.
