“Indeed, I am,” she answered, fighting to keep her tone light and easy. “Although it matters less now that I have enjoyed a warm bath,” she casual y added. “I feel quite rejuvenated and ready to take on the world.”
“As do I,” he replied, splashing in the water. “And I must confess, the pleasure of lying here in this warm tub—with the lingering scent of your sweet naked body surrounding me—
has cured the ache in my head.”
She crossed the room, listening.…
“So you’d best be on your guard, lass. You’re in more danger than ever.”
Her heart began to pound, and she hated the fact that he could evoke this anxiety in her. And he was doing it intentional y. Of course he was.
“You know,” he continued, “I can’t help but wonder where my head was back at the fort, when I tore your shift from your body and tossed that skirt at you in such a hurry,tellingyou to get dressed. I let the moment pass without paying you the proper attention you deserved.”
Pressing her ear to the curtain, she strove to keep her voice steady and composed. “I assure you, Duncan, I would not have welcomed your attentions in the least. So there is no point in punishing yourself. There were no missed opportunities. You can be sure of that.”
She heard more sounds of water splashing; then the front door opened suddenly. Beth walked in with a basket of eggs and stopped dead in her tracks. She raised her eyebrows at Amelia and gestured toward the curtain, as if to say she knew exactly what she was doing and that she understood.
Thatyes,Duncan was a superb specimen of manhood and it was only natural for Amelia—or any woman for that matter—to try to steal a peek at him while he was bathing.
Furious with herself for being caught in such an embarrassing position, Amelia exhaled sharply.
Beth set the basket of eggs on the table and walked out again. The door swung shut behind her, which caused the curtain to flutter. There was now a space between the curtain and thewall, which suggested a person in Amelia’s position could peer through the crack. That was to sayifa person was tempted.
She heard the watery splashes of Duncan rising up out of the tub.
Quickly she peered through, and could just as easily have been looking at a sculpted statue of sleek, shiny bronze, like Neptune rising out of the sea. Water dripped down the length of Duncan’s spectacular muscled form in clean silver rivulets.
She’d never seen a naked man before. She’d seen works of art, of course, but never a true flesh-and-blood masterpiece of virility. And Duncan was most definitely that.
Lips parted, she stood gazing at his narrow tapered waist, his solid, firm buttocks and broad thighs. Her pulse burned with both shock and fascination, and even when she knew she should turn away, she could not. She was rooted to the floor, staring through the narrow space between the curtain and thewall, powerless to evenswallow or blink.
Then, as the gleam of water streamed over the brawny bands of muscle on his shoulders and upper arms, she noticed the scars. Some weresmall, like tiny nicks in the flesh, while others were thick and deep. One was as long as her arm, from wrist to elbow, carved in the shape of a half-moon.
How many battles had this man fought and survived? Was he made of steel? He seemed invincible. No wonder he was such a legend. No one could crush orkillhim, not with knife or sword or stone.
For some unbidden reason, she imagined him naked with a lover.We’re not afraid to grunt and thrust and use ourmouths to pleasure our women.
Her insides burned with heat. She had not forgotten those words, or how he had pressed his body to hers and pinned her to the ground on the morning of her abduction.
He had grunted and thrusted. She remembered every heart-stopping moment of it—every movement, every sensation.…
Duncan reached for his shirt,pulledit on over his head, then donned his tartan and belt, fixing the brooch in place over his shoulder. He was just reaching for his weapons when Amelia shook herself out of her stupor and realized he would soon push through the curtain. She backed away, looked around for something to do, nearly knocked over a milk jug with her elbow—then crossed to the basket of eggs on the table. But what to do with them?
The curtain swept open with a barely audible swish, but she did not turn. She could do nothing but listen to his light footsteps across the floor, coming closer … closer …
approaching from behind.
The scent of himfilledher head. It was not rosewater shesmelled, however. It was just him and the muskysmellof his clothes, the plaid and the leather. It was thesmellof Scotland.
She felt his presence—so close, his chest touched her back. His hands came to rest on her hips, and her skin erupted in gooseflesh.
“You were watching me, weren’t you?” he whispered in her ear.
There was no point in lying. He would know. “Yes.”
Her bones seemed to melt beneath the sudden scorching heat of her skin.
“You’ve not seen a man naked before?”
