Chapter 21

CHAPTER TWENTY-ONE

A s he held Alana, he noticed a bathtub had been brought out, placed in front of the fire, and filled with water. The steam rising from it told him it was hot. Fresh towels and soap had been left on a stool close at hand. "Come on, let's get ye out of those clothes and intae a nice hot bath. Ye'd like that, would ye nae?" he asked her, gently leading her over to the tub and making her sit in a chair.

"Aye, I would, thank ye. But ye need tae get in as well, so I can wash away all that blood and see what the damage is," she said, looking at him with shining eyes as he knelt to remove her boots. "Yer poor face. 'Tis all swollen."

"I hope it daesnae spoil me good looks," he joked, hoping to cheer her.

"Naethin' could dae that," she said, giving him a small smile. He found the compliment extremely gratifying, and a thrill ran up his spine.

"Ach, ye're tryin' nae tae hurt me feelins, I ken. Now, let me help ye out of yer dress." It was the red wool dress with the front lacing. He reached over and began to loosen it, eventually getting her to stand up long enough for him to lift it off over her head and lay it carefully over the back of another chair nearby. He untied her petticoats and put them with the dress.

She stood before him in her stockings and shift. To his delight, she meekly sat back down and allowed him to roll down her stockings before raising her arms above her head so he could take off the shift.

The sight of her slim, pale body was arousing, but he pushed down his urges. The important thing was to make Alana feel safe, to help her get over the ordeal she had just been through. So, he gently lifted her in his arms and carried her to the tub.

"Dip in a toe and see how hot it is," he suggested, dipping her down so she could test the temperature.

"'Tis just right," she told him, so he lowered her in gently, lifting her hair out of the way so it would not get wet. She sighed happily and closed her eyes as she relaxed against the back of the tub. "Thank ye, that feels wonderful."

"I'll let ye have a wee soak, and then I'll help ye tae wash. In the meantime, I think we both could dae with a nip of the amber nectar." He stood up, and as he strode across the room to where the whisky was kept, he took off his boots and took off his weapons belt.

He poured them a dram each, realizing he felt terribly weary after the beating he had weathered. Although he was trying to do his best to soothe Alana, he was hiding how much pain he was really in. It felt as if all the bones in his face had been broken, and he had a raging headache. He knew she would get him something for it if he asked—more of the vile-tasting willow tea, no doubt—but he wanted to wait until after she had bathed and was more settled.

Carrying the two drams, he returned to the tub and knelt next to it, handing her the whisky. "Get that inside ye and ye'll feel better at once."

"Thank ye, Tadhg. But what about ye? Ye need tendin' tae as well," she told him, taking the dram from him and sipping it. "Ah, that's warmin' me up already."

"Aye, it gets right intae yer bones, eh?" he said, tipping the whisky down his throat in one go. Immediately, it coursed through him, leaving a pleasant, invigorating heat wherever it passed. He shuddered as it spread through him, giving him strength and soothing the pain in his head. "Truly, whisky is the water of life, as folks say."

"Indeed," she agreed, smiling at him over the rim of her glass.

"So, are ye ready fer a wash?" he asked, picking up a clean washcloth and a bar of soap.

"It looks like I'm gettin' one whether I want it or nae," she said jestingly, making no move to stop him as he dipped the cloth in the water and proceeded to work up a lather with the soap.

"Looks like it," he replied, starting with her neck, shoulders, and arms. She laughed softly, her eyes resting on him, letting him wash her.

"Well, this is surprisin'," he said, her beautiful body starting to distract him from his throbbing head. "The last time we were here, ye hid behind the curtain rather than let me see yer ankles. And now here ye are, stark naked, lettin' me bathe ye without a care in the world," he said, lifting each of her arms in turn to wash them.

She finished her whisky and handed him the glass. He put it aside as she went on, "Aye. But after what happened last night, there seems nae point in false modesty."

"Hmm, last night. What did happen exactly? I thought I must have dreamed it. A bloody fine dream it was too. The best I've ever had." He gently eased her forward so he could wash her back.

"It wasnae a dream. Two people cannae have the same dream at the same time."

"So, it was real then? We really did all those things?" The memory was deeply titillating.

Again, she gave the soft little laugh, her eyes on his. "Ye're very amusin', with yer wee jokes," she told him mildly. "Aye, we did all those things." She gave a sharp intake of breath, and her lips parted slightly when he ran the cloth over the rucked peaks of her breasts. They hardened instantly, and so did he.

"Well, if ye leave out the gettin' kidnapped and watching ye gettin' half beaten tae death, it feels wonderful," she replied huskily.

"Wonderful?" he repeated, a huge smile breaking out on his face. "So, are ye sayin' that I made ye feel wonderful?"

She hissed and arched her back slightly as he continued to soap her breasts, cupping them gently to wash beneath them. "I am."

Her words and the feel of her soft globes, all soapy and slippery in his hands, sent a wave of lust coursing through him. Controlling himself, wishing to extend the moment as long as he could, he lathered up the cloth and began washing her belly.

"It was special fer me too. I've been waitin' years fer ye, Alana. But tell me,

why did ye choose last night?" He rubbed the cloth in a circular motion, gradually going lower and lower.

"I dinnae ken. It just seemed right. Ye've been lookin' after me so well, and then ye even taught me how tae fight. Ye've shown me in a hundred little ways how much ye truly care about me since we set out on this trip. And I suppose… I couldnae hold out against me own feelins fer ye any longer. I mean, I didnae want tae."

She paused, closing her eyes when he soaped the hair between her thighs, opening them slightly. "I wanted ye. I want ye, Tadhg. I've always wanted ye. But after what happened before, I couldnae trust ye. That was the trouble."

"But ye trust me now?" Very excited by the way things were going, he ditched the washcloth and instead soaped his hand. He slid it between her thighs, stroking her rosebud, letting his fingers wander between her legs, soaping her folds.

"I suppose I must dae," she breathed, watching him through slitted eyes. She drank the last of her whisky and handed him the glass.

As he put it aside, she laid back in the tub, lifting her knees and opening herself to his ministrations. "I cannae seem tae resist ye." She gasped and gave a little moan as he put his fingers inside her. The sound was like fuel to a fire, and his erection was throbbing almost painfully.

"That's good because ye ken I cannae resist ye either," he told her, driving his fingers deeper into her.

"Och, Tadhg," she moaned his name, inflaming him even further, but still he held back.

"I've never bathed a woman before," he said. "'Tis turnin' out tae be the most erotic experience of me life. Maybe we could dae this more often."

"Maybe we should," Alana replied breathily, raising her hips from the water, a clear signal she wanted more of what he was doing to her.

He willingly obliged. "Ye like that, eh?" he asked, so excited by the sensation of her inner walls closing around his fingers as they thrust in and out of her, he did not know how much longer he was going to be able to hold on before he simply lost control and ravished her.

She squirmed beneath his hand, thrusting upwards, encouraging him to delve into her deeper still. Her head moved from side to side against the tub. "Ah! Ah! I love it, I love what ye're doin' tae me now, Tadhg, what ye did tae me last night. The things ye made me feel… I dinnae ken I could feel that way. But now, I ken better, and I dinnae want ye tae stop."

He sensed she was close to the edge, and he was determined to take her there before he did anything else. She was his woman now for sure, and he was going to give her everything she wanted.

"Please, dinnae stop," she repeated.

"I'm nae gonnae stop," he assured her, leaning over and kissing her hungrily, his hand working her faster, rubbing her rosebud, his fingers plunging in up to the knuckles as she pressed against them, opening herself wider, urging him on.

"Tadhg!" she cried, throwing back her head, letting out a loud moan of pleasure as her body shuddered in ecstasy, while water splashed all over him and the rug.

While she recovered her breath, Tadhg, who could wait no longer, ripped off his clothes. When Alana saw his erection bursting out of his trews, she climbed to her knees in the tub and said provocatively, "'Tis yer turn now."

Her boldness surprised and delighted him. "Ach, I've died and gone tae heaven fer sure," he sighed happily as she cupped him in her palm and began stroking his length, bringing the tip to her lips and playfully nibbling and licking at it. "Oh, dear God, that's so…" he groaned, burying his hands in her hair. He held her head as she teased him with her tongue and lips, running her tongue up and down the shaft.

When she took him into her mouth, tasting him and toying with him as he did with her, he thought he would explode with pleasure. "Jaysus, Alana, that's just so…" he muttered, reveling in the sensation of her hot mouth enclosing him, her tongue flicking over his tip, her teeth grazing him until it was driving him made with wanting.

Tides of incredible pleasure were washing over him, and he knew he had to act soon, or he would not be able to hold back. He slipped out of her mouth and

lifted her out of the bath easily.

"Och, what are ye doin'?" she asked, giggling as she flung her arms around his neck and wrapped her legs about his waist. His hands enclosed her buttocks, and he raised her up, cradling her behind in his hands.

"This," he answered thickly, angling his shaft at the slick entrance to her sex and slowly lowering her onto it.

"Och, that feels amazin'," she murmured, her voice as well as her whole body bouncing in time to his ever more frantic thrusts.

"It surely is," he agreed with a groan, knowing he had only a very short time before he reached his peak and wanting to satisfy her again too. So, he tried to think of something to help hold him back, but then he felt her tensing around him and realized she was about to climax too, so he let go.

At the height of their mutual ecstasy, which was a magnificent, dizzying sensation he had never before experienced, they fell against each other, panting, their naked skin slipping and slapping and sliding until they shuddered to a gradual halt.

The kisses they shared then as they clung to each other were so sweet, so intense, he knew in his bones he would die if he ever had to part from her.

"Tadhg?" she murmured against his shoulder when he slowly pulled out of her.

"Aye, me bonny lassie?" he replied, breathing in the heady scent of her hair and thinking he had never been so happy.

"I want ye tae ken that I've forgiven ye. Fer leavin' me I mean. I forgive ye, and I want tae be with ye. I want us tae start again."

He could not help chuckling. "There was me just thinkin' I could never be happier than I am at this moment," he said joyfully, whirling her around until she was laughing too.

He looked into her lovely blue eyes, which were shining with innocent happiness, his heart overflowing with love for her.

Yet despite his elation, he could not help thinking of what he would lose if she ever found out how he had been lying to her for so long.