She held her breath. Was it possible that a man like him would favor her of allpeople?
“But…”
“Aye?” she pressed when he remained quiet. “But what?”
“Are ye always so bold, lass?” he said, not bothering to cover up his pleasure in her.
“Aye, my lord,” she countered with satisfaction glinting her eyes. “Nothing is gained by being a delicate flower.”
“That is true,” he agreed, stepping in front of her and walking backward around the bend. “But in the right hands, a delicate flower will thrive and bloom.”
That was the instant Ismay knew she could love Constantine Cameron, one of the most powerful clan chiefs in the Highlands. To prove his declaration true, he stepped out of her way and revealed an inlet arrayed in the colors of autumn, with a cascading waterfall, larger than the one at home that flowed into the clear loch.
Her eyes widened on the paradise as she stepped forward. She wanted to go to it and feel the cold water on her toes. “Is it deeper near the waterfall?”
“Aye,” she heard him tell her.
Perfect, she thought, moving closer to the edge.
“Miss Drummond…?”
She turned to cast him an anxious glance.
“If ye want to go in now, I willna look until the water covers ye.”
When she paused, he continued, “Trust me.”
Aye, she wanted to go in now. In a few more days, it would be colder.
She watched him turn away, and then she began to undress. She did not look his way again. He had asked her to trust him. She did.
She gasped and sucked in her breath as she stepped into the water. Exhilaration filled her as she waded deeper, closer to the waterfall. The sound of the water moving all about her was deafening. She dipped beneath the surface then came up to her shoulders and let her eyes search for him.
She found him watching her swim. From where he sat on thestump of a tree, she could see him smiling at her.
Her belly flipped, and her body followed, dipping under, then bobbing back up, soaking her hair and washing away a month of grime, grief, and fear.
When she was done, she motioned to him to turn away while she left the water. He obeyed and her heart swelled when he gave her all the time she needed to dress without turning back to face her—even for a moment. She knew, for she watched him the entire time. Not to test him but because it was difficult to look away from him once her gaze had settled. The back of him was no less virile and appealing than the front. His long legs encased in woolen hose, his slender hips and flare of his shoulders all captivated her. None of the suitors who had tried to win her favor were fashioned like the Cameron Lochiel. Even if they had been, it would not have mattered to her if his heart were rotten or vile.
No one would ever convince her that he was either of those things.
She finished dressing and went to him. When he moved to face her, she turned her back on him and presented him the untied laces of her bodice.
“Tie them please,” she said. “I canna reach.”
She squeezed her eyes shut when his finger brushed her the nape of her neck. She trembled. Did he feel it? She felt as if her feet might leave the ground. He used gentle pressure to pull the laces tighter. She held her breath as more of his fingers fell against her ribs. She lifted her hand to her brow and wiped the bead of sweat that had gathered there at his touch.
If she were truly bold as he claimed, she would turn around and press her body to his and hope he would respond by taking her into his tender embrace.
But she was not sexually bold—the thought alone made herheart pound.
She stepped away when he finished tying.
“How was it?” he asked about the stream.
“Exhilarating,” she replied about his touch. “Thank ye fer keeping yer word.”
He nodded, slipping his hands behind his back. “Should we head back?”
