My Fair Lily (33 page)

Your father won’t.

He rolled up his sleeves and slowly began to rub the soap over her hands. Waited for her to take it from him and ask him to turn away. She didn’t. She wasn’t going to. He was her missing half. He rubbed the soap up her arms. He lathered her shoulders. Lathered
her breasts. Was very thorough with her breasts. He cupped one in his hand and slowly slid his thumb across its taut nipple. Lily let out a soft gasp. “Do that again.”

He did, this time with his tongue.

“
Crumpets!
I had no idea it could ever be like this.” She demanded more, closing her eyes and allowing him access to every inch of her beautiful, pink body, driving him over the edge with her
breathy
moans and innocence. He lathered her everywhere, rinsed her off, and lathered her again. He licked and tasted, ate about half of that soap lather because men were stupid that way, never stopping to
think
about anything but sex, and a hot, lavender-scented Lily tasted
better than anything he’d ever tasted in his entire life.

He dropped the soap and dipped his finger between the junction
of her thighs. “Ewan!” She arched her back and gazed at him in wondrous confusion. He kissed her, parting her lips with his tongue
and gently plundering her warm, inviting mouth as his finger plundered her nether lips, gently stroking her swollen essence, encouraging her to
move against the pressure, and watching her beautiful face, the graceful arch of her body, the glorious peak of her nipples as her body exploded in pleasure. She clung to his shoulders, called his name in achingly sweet ecstasy. “Ewan.
Ewan.
”

When she’d calmed, she was his Lily again, the beautiful bluestocking with trusting blue eyes and a smile as bright as
sunshine. “I never knew baths could be quite so... interesting.”

He grinned despite the rock-hard pain between his thighs. “Are you hungry?”

She nodded, her smile so sweet and radiant, he wanted to swallow her up in his arms, haul her to the large, neatly made up
bed, and bury himself inside of her again and again, as often as possible before his
heart gave out from the intense excitement of repeated ecstasy.
Death
by sexual frenzy. He wondered how many male baboons died that
way.

Lily licked her lips. “In truth, I’m famished. But also curious.”

When was she not?

“Do you know any interesting sexual tricks with food?”

He hauled her out of the tub, grabbed a cloth to dry off her perfect, pink body, wrapped the large cloth around her, and carried her to the small table where the maid had set out their food. He kicked out the stool beside it. “Sit down and eat while I wash up. No damn tricks with food.”

She looked disappointed.

He set her on the stool more urgently than intended and took a step back. He wasn’t merely hot and hard. He was on fire and about to erupt with the force of a volcano. “Lily—”

“Before you lecture me about what we should and should not be doing, I want you to know that I liked it.”

“I know, lass. I liked watching you.” His throat constricted, an effect of the heat radiating from his loins. “But I’m not made of stone.”

She glanced at the hard, throbbing bulge of his groin against his
trousers.

“I don’t despoil virgins. We’ve already crossed the line.”

“What line?”

“Any line. Though we needed to stop at this inn for your sake, I ought to have taken another room. I shouldn’t be in here. With you.”

She reached out and took his hand. “Ewan, I’m glad you’re with
me. Here. Now. I was scared and frantic a few hours ago, and now I feel as though I’m in heaven. You make me feel this way. The whole time I was at Sparrow Hall, I thought of you. I knew you’d come for me, and that knowledge kept me sane and breathing. I loved the
touch of your hands on my body as I bathed, the hungry warmth of your lips on mine. You washed away the stench of my ordeal.”

“Och, Lily—”

“Ewan, I love you.”

His heart shot into his throat. Lord, those words. Simple words.
I love you.
They felt so right and natural, and all the more wonderful because they came from Lily. “You’re overwhelmed right now, lass. You only think you do because you believe I saved you. I didn’t. You had already escaped on your own.”

“You did save me. I wouldn’t have made it very far on my own. I know the difference between love and gratitude. I love you. I’ve felt this way for quite some time.”

“We’ve only known each other a month.”

“I know. But these feelings I have for you seem eternal. They’re
powerful and deep, as though existing since the beginning of time. I don’t know how else to explain it.” She cast him a poignantly hesitant smile. “They’re not always good feelings. When I saw you with Callie—”

“She means nothing to me. Not anymore.”

“But she did once,” she said quietly. “I’d never experienced
jealousy before. It’s such an ugly sensation. I didn’t want her to have you. I wanted you all to myself, no sharing with anyone else. My feelings were little different from what Ashton screamed out.
You’re
mine. No one else
will ever have you.
Of course, I know that you’re free to choose
whomever you wish to love. I would never have acted upon my feelings as he did, not in that ugly way.”

Her lips began to tremble and tears welled in her eyes. “I’ll always love you, Ewan. No matter what happens once we’re back in London. I know you’ll leave soon. I may never see you again. I wanted this precious time with you. I wanted your hands on my
body and your
lips on mine... I wanted the magical experience that my married sisters told me about. I want all of it. Now. With you. I can’t imagine
it being magical with anyone else.”

Her words were like arrows shot straight through his heart. She loved him, or so she thought. Lily knew books. She didn’t know life.
He’d taken advantage. He’d told the innkeeper she was his wife. Had Lily mistaken it as a declaration of his love? He was a miserable cur. “Lass, get some rest. We’ll speak of it later.”

She shook her head and frowned. “Oh, I see. You feel responsible for me. You think I don’t know my own mind and will regret it later.
You think I’ll blame you and expect you to protect me from my own
mistakes. You mustn’t feel any obligation on your part. None whatsoever.” A tear slid down her cheek.

Thwack!
Not just an arrow through his heart. A damned
harpoon. The sort that brought down whales. “Those are your terms? I’m to show you a good time without facing any of the consequences?”

She nodded.

He wasn’t a London gentleman, but Highlanders had their rules of honor. She was his, whether or not she realized it yet. He’d sealed their fates the moment he’d called her his wife and asked for a single room. He’d said it out of a need to protect her. He’d said it because he couldn’t bear to have her out of his sight. The damn, rotten thing about it was that calling her his wife had felt great. Felt right. He’d talk to her father. No question about it, they’d have to set a wedding date. “We have a deal.”

“We do?” She didn’t seem quite so sure of herself now.

“But I’m adding one requirement to this arrangement. You can say no at any time and I’ll back off.
At any time, Lily.
You’re safe with me. I’m not taking you against your will.” He wanted her now, was
on-hands-and-knees-begging desperate to have her. But he’d wait until their wedding night if he had to. He wanted to make Lily happy. Seeing her shed tears of regret would kill him.

She pursed her lips, obviously contemplating his proposal as though negotiating a contract. The girl couldn’t see the forest for the
trees. She didn’t realize that he was negotiating for her heart. “Seems only fair to agree to reciprocal terms, Ewan. You can say no as well and I’ll stop whatever it is I’m supposed to stop.”

He let out a groaning laugh. “No, lass. I’ll no’ wish to stop.” He knelt beside her to caress her cheek. “It’s you who must be free of doubts.”

She leaned forward, her damp hair spilling over her shoulders in
glorious disarray, and kissed him lightly on the mouth. She drew back smiling. “I’m sure. You’re giving this far too much thought. I
suppose it’s what makes human males different from baboon males. When the male baboon feels the urge, he relieves it. Did you know that female baboons have their own tricks to attract a male and heighten his pleasure?”

He gulped. “No, Lily. I didn’t.”

“If you ever get me into that big, comfortable-looking bed, I’ll show you.”

LILY DIDN’T KNOW
how to make it any clearer to Ewan that she wanted him, wanted his arms around her, his lips on her mouth and breasts and any other place on her body he thought appropriate... or highly inappropriate. She’d leave this business of lovemaking to him since he seemed to know what he was about. She liked what he’d done to her in the tub.

She swallowed hard, recalling the heat of his tongue teasing her
nipple, and the sudden, hot rush of sensation caused her to almost choke on her biscuit.
Cough! Gag!
And if that wasn’t humiliating enough, she topped it off with a sneeze. Well, that was attractive.

Ewan turned to her, his expression worried at first, and then he realized what she’d done. He laughed, still watching her as he stripped out of his clothes.
Blessed saints and burnt crumpets.
It wasn’t
just that he
was stripping out of them, but the manly, Highlander way he grabbed his shirt and raised it up and over his broad shoulders, the way his tall, lean body flexed and strained to accentuate his rock-
hard muscles. Goodness, the man had muscles.

If she were the sort of girl to swoon, she’d be sprawled on the
floor in a faint, spittle drooling from the corner of her mouth.

He strode to the fireplace and set his shirt beside her damp clothes. His back was to her, allowing her to study him as long as she wished. The lively fire cast a delicious glow across his lightly bronzed skin, the delicate firelight washing over his back as he bent
to remove his boots. Handsome didn’t begin to describe Ewan.

The bandage wrapped over his shoulder enhanced his good
looks. There was something strong and primal about men with wounds. It would make for interesting research.

He glanced at her as he began to unbutton his trousers, and then stopped. Grinning, he shook his head. “I’d better keep these on for now.”

“Why?”

“Because you’re looking at me as though I’m a laboratory
specimen and you can’t wait to dissect me.”

She blushed. “There’s nothing wrong with curiosity. You were staring me quite avidly a few moments ago. Do you dare deny it?”

He shook his head and let out a soft chuckle. “Nay, lass. Finish
your tea. Have another biscuit. Try not to choke on it.” He glanced at the large four-poster. “Once I have you in that bed, I’m not letting you out of it for a good, long while.” He came to her side and set his
hands on each side of her body. Still grinning that sexy, dangerous grin of his, he leaned forward and gave her a possessively tender kiss that curled her toes. Then his dangerous grin faded and his eyes turned to hot, green embers.
Crumpets!
She was going to miss him when he returned to Scotland.

He left her side to wash away the dirt and sweat of the night’s ride. He rubbed the lavender soap over his chest, shoulders, and
hair, and
then rinsed himself off in that carelessly manly way, allowing the water to slowly stream in droplets down his neck and across his broad chest. The droplets gleamed against the firelight, and all Lily
could think of as they glistened against his bronzed skin was that being alone in a cozy inn with a hot, wet, almost naked Ewan beside her was the best thing on earth. Even better than membership in the Royal Society.

He returned to her side with the look of promise in his eyes and lifted her into his arms. He smelled of lavender and clean, male heat.

“Finally,” she whispered, circling her arms around his neck. His hair was damp and curling at his nape. Then she was on the bed, naked and curling her fingers in his damp hair as he settled over her, his big body covering hers and his mouth slanted across hers in a kiss that put sparkles in her eyes. Not that she could see her eyes, but the
sparkles were there. Shining as bright as diamonds.

His gaze locked on hers as he unbuttoned his trousers and slipped them off to reveal his long, muscled legs. Lily’s eyes
widened at the
sight of his male hardness. She wanted to reach out and touch him, but he had a glint in his eye that warned he wasn’t quite under control, and she decided not to test him. She wasn’t certain of the consequences.

Then all further thought flew out of her head, for he was atop her again, his long, lean body pressing her down against the mattress, the exquisitely intimate weight of him so arousing against
her skin. He eased her thighs apart and shifted himself between them. “My fair Lily,” he whispered, lowering his mouth to hers and kissing her with a tenderness that stole her breath away. Then his lips moved lower... down the arch of her throat, to her breast. His tongue began to work its magic, flicking across her engorged nipple. She groaned, felt a hot pulse at the junction of her thighs, and almost shot off the bed as he moved lower. He closed his mouth over that hot pulse, teasing and licking the swollen nub between her thighs, evoking sensations she’d never dreamed possible.