Bound by Wish and Mistletoe (Highland Legends #1.5)(33)
Uncertain where Robert had gone, but exhausted from everything he’d demanded from her body, she eased back onto the floor and stretched. He must’ve stoked the fire in the hearth, because a strong heat emanated from it, and its glow illuminated more of the cozy room she’d been given.
She looked up at the large space from her low vantage point. The perfectly made bed had intricately carved bedposts. Two armchairs and a table sat beside the hearth. Next to the bed, a small stand held the ceramic pitcher that Brigid had used earlier to wash Susanna’s hair, and a shallow ceramic basin sat beside it.
A muffled sound from the hall drew her attention before the door opened. Robert appeared, his plaid draped around his hips, his chest bare. In his hands and arms was a bounty of food and a wineskin. He held a fierce expression, brows drawn together as he focused on holding all the items steady while he shoved the door shut with a hip. His gaze instantly softened when he caught her watching him, and he smiled. She moved to help him, but he shook his head.
“Stay there a moment, Susanna.”
She did as he asked, watching from below the foot of the bed as he spread the feast out over the bedcovers. He went over to the wash basin, poured water over a fresh linen square, and held it between his hands as he walked over to her.
“Spread your legs for me,” he said.
She blushed at his words, the gruffness in his voice and his furrowed brow catching her off guard. She bent her knees and eased her thighs apart, looking up at him all the while.
Had she realized only for the first time earlier today that Robert was handsome? He’d suddenly grown even more attractive to her. Two shining braids at his temple held his raven-black hair off his face, but it fell forward as he bent over her. His prominent cheekbones and dark brows had always given him a harsh quality, but now they were beautiful to her. Those full lips...oh what the man could do with those lips...
“I dinna hurt you too badly, did I?” he asked, his voice softening. With care, he cleansed her, wiping the cloth over parts that indeed were tender to the touch.
“Nay,” she replied, smiling as warmth bloomed in her chest. “’Twas the most amazin’ thing, Robert.”
He left the cloth beside her and gazed at her naked form. To her surprise, she hadn’t wanted to cover her bared body. Perhaps, although she’d escaped on her own, she’d now been set free. Robert had done that for her.
“Come, we must keep your energy up. I’ve surely worn you out.” He took both of her hands into his and pulled her up from the bearskin.
The bed’s enormous size amazed her; she’d been relegated to a tiny cot her whole life, her Mama given a narrow bed. This bed was three of each put together. The bedchamber itself was a palace compared to the cramped quarters they’d had to live in.
With the aromatic banquet Robert had brought, the luxurious bed with its silken sheets, and accommodations fit for a king, she felt spoiled. In the company of a man like she’d never in all her life expected, she felt blessed.
Robert pulled back the coverings, and she climbed under, the crisp coolness of the sheets shooting chills through her body. He removed his plaid and joined her under the covers.
“What’re your favorite foods, Susanna? I dinna know what to bring, so I stole a wee bit of everythin’.”
She grinned wide. “You brought all of this for me?”
Robert leaned over, staring into her eyes before kissing her tenderly. His lips brushed along her jaw up to her ear. He murmured, “Aye, love. I’d slay a dragon if you wanted just one scale.”
“Mmm...” She leaned into his enchanting touch.
As he shifted toward the foot of the bed, she scanned over her choices. The end of a fragrant loaf of braided rosemary bread lay on one end, and she pulled off a small piece and popped the herbed morsel into her mouth.
Two kinds of cheeses, one hard and the other softer, sat beside a bowl of dark stewed cherries. He’d also brought a plum and a pear.
“What is this one?” She pointed to a pale orange, pear-shaped fruit.
“Quince.” He halved the soft fruit with a dagger, sliced the inside into sections, and speared a piece, offering it to her.
She pulled the bite-sized piece off the blade and tried it. It had a mild, barely sweet flavor.
“And those?” She pointed to dark-brown, wrinkled fruits.
“Dates. A delicacy that tradin’...and raidin’...brought us from the Middle East.” He plucked one up and held it before her. She wrapped her lips around the date, glancing at him as he watched her reaction with interest. Its unique nutty-sweet flavor filled her mouth.
“Where is the Middle East?” she asked as she chewed.
“’Tis a country far away, across the sea, in another part of the world. Crusaders brought back dates from their battles and travels. We had...an encounter...with them.” He smirked. “We relieved them of many precious things that day.”
She picked up another date between her fingers and offered it to him in the same manner.
He shook his head and scrunched his nose. “I doona like dates. Too sweet.”
She tilted her head, examining a man she knew intimately, and yet, knew very little about. “Tell me what other things you doona like.”
He picked up the wooden bowl full of stewed cherries, dragged his fingers through them, and held the tart fruit to her lips. She opened her mouth and wrapped her lips around his two fingers, sucking and licking them clean. He growled low, a look of mischief and desire flickering in his eyes.