“It’s what happens when ye’ve had so much pleasure that yer body shakes an’ waves of ecstasy ripple through ye,” he explained as he pressed more kisses to her hand, using one of his hands to caress the small of her back and draw her closer to his chest.
Her eyes fluttered shut as she nodded her head. “Then yes, that has never happened to me before now,” she replied. “This was the first time that I’ve ever experienced that.”
“Good,” he said with relief and placed his forehead against hers. “There’s a dinner party tonight with a few esteemed guests. I need ye to go an’ wash up ‘afore coming downstairs,” he instructed her in a husky voice before helping her off the desk and making sure that she was steady on her feet. It seemed to him as if she were still trying to recover from her orgasm.
Leaning into him slightly, she took a minute to breathe in his scent before taking her hands away from his and opening her eyes. “I’ll go and have a bath. Do I need to put on a nice dress?” she asked in a daze. “I can put on my nicest one.”
“Aye, that would be nice,” he said, placing a finger under her chin and tilting her face toward his. “I’ll see ye for dinner.”
Melissa glanced at his lips before drawing away and walking toward the door. Suddenly, she stopped and looked at him over her shoulder. “I’ll see you at dinner,” she said in a husky voice, then left.
Daniel leaned back against the desk and shut his eyes as he tried to convince himself that he hadn’t just gone too far. It wasn’t as if Melissa could fall pregnant from what he had done. Yet, he could still feel the sting of his vow being broken in the back of his mind.
I dinnae love the lass.
He attempted to reason with his inner voice that he’d only done what he’d done because of lust and nothing more.
But I wanted to do more…
The thought echoed in his mind as images flashed in his mind. Images of him removing her clothes and kissing the softness of her skin, breathing in the heat of her silky curves, and going all the way.
It wasn’t just the physical act of slaking his thirst that he had craved, but the intense desire to draw her into his arms and caress her after feeling her tremble from his touch. He hadn’t so much as looked at another woman since Melissa had become his wife, a fact that had been bothering him for quite some time.
Taking a deep breath, he pushed himself off the desk and rubbed his eyes. There wasn’t any time to speculate whether or not he had feelings for his wife, his guests were more than likely on their way. And, if he was right, he would be having a tricky evening, given the guests he had invited.
Lifting her leg in the air and allowing the soapy bubbles to glide down her skin, Melissa thought of Daniel and what had happened between them in the library. Her skin was still hot from his caresses, sending a tingling sensation down her spine. It wasn’t just about the things he had done to her that made the pleasurable sensations course through her body, but the gentle way he had kissed her hand and spoken to her in the moments after.
There had been a different, gentler side to him that she hadn’t thought existed before. The tender way he had held her hand and kissed her knuckles made her realize that she felt more for him than she cared to admit. He wasn’t just the insufferable rake she had married out of convenience anymore.
“Are ye ready to get out, Me Lady?” Isla asked her as she held out a towel at the side of the tub.
Things had taken a pleasant turn between Melissa and the head maid since Meidra had paid them a visit, a fact that Melissa was grateful for now that she felt like things were once again changing in her life.
“Yes, I think I’ll get out now,” Melissa answered as she was drawn from her thoughts. Placing her hands on the rim of her tub, she pushed herself from the water and stood, accepting the towel from Isla, and covering her body before stepping onto the rug.
“Some of the guests have already arrived, Me Lady. But ye dinnae have to concern yerself, Me Laird said to take yer time an’ come down when yer ready. He will ensure that everyone is seen to.”
“Do you know any of the guests that will be at dinner tonight?” Melissa asked as she stepped behind her dressing screen and dried herself off, removing the final remnants of soapy water and suds.
“I dinnae ken their names,” Isla answered. “But there is a young gentleman an’ his sister that have long been a favorite of the Laird’s. I’m given to understand that they will be joining the party this evening.”
Melissa paused for a second with the towel on her legs as she thought of the young woman. She wondered if she was pretty and if Daniel had ever shared anything more with her in the past than just friendship. He had, after all, been an infamous rake for many years, so there were bound to be a few women who had been his lovers in the past. Even ones that would make an appearance from time to time.
“Ye dinnae have to worry, Me Lady,” Isla called to her once again as if she could read her thoughts. “The laird would never have had anything with one of his friends’ sisters. If anything, there would have been a harmless flirtation an’ naething more.”
Melissa listened to the maid’s explanations before pulling up her undergarments and stepping from behind the screen so that Isla could help her with her corsets.
“Daniel is a man of his word,” Isla said as she pulled the laces of the corsets a little tighter, causing Melissa to wince as she sucked in her breath and placed her palm on her abdomen. “He made a vow to ye that he will keep. He may have been a rake ‘afore ye came along, but that disnae mean that he hasnae changed his ways,” she said confidently. “I’ve seen a change in him since ye have come to the castle.”
Melissa wondered about her words and the instructions Daniel had given her on the day they had been married. Obviously, the maid would not know of the agreement between them, but Melissa wondered how much weight her words carried in light of what had just happened between them in the study.
“Here ye are,” Isla said kindly as she came forward with the bright blue dress and helped her mistress to step inside before pulling it up over her shoulders and doing the laces at the back. “All we have to do now is brush yer hair, an’ ye we will be the bonniest lass on this side of Scotland.” She gave an approving smile. “The color of yer dress brings out yer eyes an’ yer skin.”
Smiling to herself, Melissa watched as the head maid fussed over her like a mother hen, readying the things for her hair and ensuring that she had everything she needed to get on. It was funny to her how quickly the woman had changed her opinion and altered her behavior.
If it’s possible for Isla to change her ways in the space of a few days, then perhaps Daniel can change as well.
She felt a spark of hope igniting in her heart as the maid fussed with her hair and gestured for her to sit.
