The Lady and the Earl (44 page)

“Yes, but
—
”

“You we
re the one who invited me, remember?” he said cutting her off.  “I just showed up a little late.”  He grinned at her playfully. 

“
Declan
, please.  I a
m starting to get cold.” 

He pulled off his shirt, exposing his muscular chest and arms, and started wo
rking on his breeches.   “
Well then, g
ive me
a moment, and I will come warm you.” 

She made no comment, which surprised him, so he glanced up to see what she was
doing.  She was staring at him;
no, at his chest.  “See something you like
?” he
asked casually.  Her eyes widened and she looked away quickly, blushing fiercely.  He laughed.  How had he not noticed her attraction to him?  No, he
had
noticed, but he
’
d thought it an act after hearing the rumors.  Well, that gaping
was not
an act.  He was going to enjoy this. 

He fumbled with the buttons on his trousers, wanting to simply tear them off rather than take the time to unfasten them. 
What i
s
the matter
with these buttons?
h
e
thought as he fought them.   

“Fine!” s
he cried, causing his head to jerk up in surprise.  She began swimming toward him. 

He stopped everything he was doing and stared at her in surprise.  He
wasn’t
expecting her to come to him. 
This was a pleasant surprise indeed. 

He sat down on the edge of the blanket and leaned back on his elbows to watch.  His mouth curled up in a smile as he watched her slender body become clearer with each stroke she
took.  His body hungered for hers.

Allana reached shallow water in a matter of seconds.  She kept eye contact with
Declan
as she glided toward him
.  He was certain she did so to make
sure he
didn’t
do anything unexpected like come in after her.  As she got closer to the shoreline where she could touch the lake’s bottom with her hands, she reached down and pulled herself slowly closer to shore, keeping her body underwater as much as possible.  She was
still several
feet from shore when she paused, tucking her body underneath into a crouched position while staying submerged in the water
.  She looked as if she were contemplating what to do next. 

Declan
saw what he thought was hesitation in her eyes.  Was she going to keep coming, or had she changed her mind? 
I wi
ll wait
just
a bit longer to see what she does,
he thought. 

She smiled wickedly at him
, making him wonder what she was planning.  Then she
stood up in the water, giving
Declan
a clear view of her glorious body.  He was a little late in noticing the giant rock she hauled out of the water with her.

“What the
devil
—
,
” he started to say as she raised the rock high above her head. 

Declan
watched in disbelief as his beautiful, slender wife heaved the rock in front of her.  At first he thought she was throwing the thing at him, but if she was, she was a
terr
ible aim.  Instead the rock
dropped
short, landing right at the edge of the lake, sending a large flurry of water soaring in his direction.  He rolled to the side, trying to dodge the cascade, but it was too late.   Cold water splashed across his bare chest and back, soaking his trousers and causing him to inhale deeply from the shock of it.

*
             
*
             
*

Allana cried out in delight as she watched her husband shrink away from the
cold
water.  Now was her chance to make a break for her clothes.  She burst toward them, tripping from the
mass of the water, yet
she continued
to crawl and scamper toward shore in hopes of obtaining in the least her shift.

Declan
was drenched and looked rather shocked by what had just occurred.  Allana saw him glance up at her in disbelief.  When he saw her
tearing through the water toward her clothes,
he jumped to his feet and snatched them up, d
angling them in front of him.

“
Very nice distraction,
” he said with amusement.

She stopped in her tracks and stared coldly at him.  Why was he doing this?   

He
tossed her clothes to the side.  “If you want them so badly
,
you can have them
.  B
ut
you’re
still going to have to come and get them.” 

She stared at him
,
unsure what to do next.  It was too late to try to hide her naked body
;
so
,
resolutely
,
she stood up tall and proud and
tried to gracefully walk the remaining distance to her clothes.  She felt completely humiliated, but she
wouldn’t
allow him to see it.  She was determined to show him he could
no
t push her around. 

She could feel his eyes on her.  She
refused to
look at him.  It was difficult enough putting one foot in front of the other with her head held high.  She felt too
exposed and indecent.  Why hadn’t she just stayed in the water?  She
knew her
face burn
ed
red from humiliation, but she
couldn’t
stop now.  Her clothes were right in front of her
.  Oh, but they still seemed so far away! 
T
his
was
the longest distance
she
ha
d
ever walked
!
 

Finally, she was within reach of her clothes, but before she could pick them up,
Declan
clasped her hand in his, preventing her from further action.  She stood as defiantly as she could, trying not to panic.  She was losing confidence quickly
.  She was too vulnerable.  He could have his way with her, and there was probably nothing she could do about it. 
Fear spread through her as she remembered the abuse
she’d
suffered from Lucas.  She looked into
Declan
’s
deep, blue
eyes
with uncertainty
and saw warmth there that spread to her own freezing body.  He was nothing like Lucas
. 

Declan
would never hurt
me
, she realized, softening under his gaze. 

Suddenly, she
felt the strongest need to be close to him and feel his touch on her
cold
skin.
  She wanted him, wanted him to love her in
all
ways.
  She felt her cheeks redden.  Could he see
the
desire within her eyes?  Could he see how much she
yearned for
him to claim her?  Quickly
,
she looked away from his s
earching gaze.
  Rejection now would be unbearable.
 

“Allana,” she heard him whisper. 

How could she tell him?  How could she explain how much she needed him? 
She looked up into his eyes once more.  “
Declan
, I—
”

His mouth covered hers, silencing her words in a wild, passionate kiss that threatened her sanity.  No thoughts could emerge from her helpless mind, and all she could feel was the undying need to be close to him.  She stepped into his arms eagerly, melding her body to his
, and lost herself to the passion
. 

Declan
held
Allana
in his arms, caressing her gently, savoring the bliss they
had
just shared.  He was in awe.  Making love to her had proven her virtue.  The evidence was clear.  He
was
her first, not Lucas.  She was his and his alone.  He laughed out loud.

“What are you laughing at
?” she
asked suspiciously, raising herself up on her elbow to look at him.  Her lovely hair spilled down her shoulders and to the ground. 

“I was laughing at how foolish I’ve been these past f
ew
weeks,” he said, leaning in and
kissing her gently. 

“And how have you been foolish
?” she
asked curiously.

He looked at
her seriously, “Oh
, Allana.  I’
ve been a jealous lout, and I’ve treated you
very
poorly.  I am
deeply
sorry.
  I thought…,
”
he trailed off
, unable to finish
.
 

“It i
s forgotten,
Declan
.  There’
s no need to apologize,” she replied quietly, trying to brush
aside
his apology. 

“That’
s very
kind of you
.  B
ut
truly, Allana, d
o you think you will ever be able
to forgive me for the pain I’
ve caused yo
u?  It was unfair of me, and I’
m
truly
sorry for it,” he finished with feeling.

She looked at him with contemplation.  “I
don’t
know,” she began, and he nodded sadly in understanding.  “You may have to repeat the past hour before I can forgive you.”  She smiled shyly at him, blushing furiously when his eyebrows shot up in surprise.

He grinned widely.  “I’
m certain
I can accommodate you,” he said gruffly, rolling her over onto her back and kissing her hard.  “It might not be a full hour this time, though.”  She giggled at his words then sighed in pleasure as he proceeded to make love to her for the second time that day.

*
             
*
             
*

They slept through lunch in each other’s arms while their horses grazed along the lake
’
s edge.  Finally, Allana woke, feeling overcome with emotion when she felt him lying next to her.  Was he really here?  She leaned up on her elbow to watch him and felt a flash of love pour through her. 
She belonged to him completely now. 
A sigh of joy escaped her lips as she recalled the earlier events of the day.  It had been everything
she’d
hoped for and more. 

She looked down at
Declan
again.  He
truly
was handsome.  She picked up a blade of
grass and tickled his ear, giggling as he groggily swatted at it.  She moved the blade across his face
,
getting the same response.  What else could she do to wake him?  Leaning close to his body, she blew gently into his ear then leaned in and nibbled the lobe.

“Keep that up, and you may get more than you bargained for,” he said. 

She giggled
and climbed to her feet, watching him for any movement.  He was still too tired to open his eyes to discover her plot.  She grinned as she tiptoed into the water
. 

“Where did you go
?” he
asked
, feeling for her blindly.

She bent and splashed water his direction. 
It sprayed across his bare body as she’d hoped, causing him to shoot
upright with a yelp.
  That opened his eyes
!
 
 

Allana
laughed relentlessly from the edge of the lake. 

“Oh.  We’
ll see who has the last laugh
!”  He pounced toward her, receiving a squeal in reply as she
dove
toward the middle of the lake.  He chased until he caught her, picking her squirming, laughing body up out of the water and dunking her into the lake
’
s depths.  She emerged sputtering but still laughing.  He grinned at her as he moved toward her.

She eyed him playfully, the laug
ht
er dying down.  “See what you’
ve missed these past four weeks
?” she
teased.