The Hawk (Highland Guard #2)(62)

“What are those for?” she asked.

He shook his head. “So impatient. You’re supposed to wait until the end, but I can show you now if you wish.” She nodded. “Stand right here.” He led her to the middle of the stone floor over what appeared to be a small opening. “Close your eyes.”

“Why?”

“Do you want me to show you or not?”

She made a face and closed her eyes. She could feel him beside her, and her senses flared with awareness, wondering what he would do. Part of her hoped—

“Ready?” he asked. She could hear the laughter in his voice and started to suspect …

But it was too late. A moment later, a bucket of cold water was dumped over her head.

She stood there in a moment of stunned shock, letting the water drip over her. The small opening at her feet was obviously a drain. From behind the curtain of hair, she could hear him rolling with laughter.

“I’m sorry,” he said. “I couldn’t resist.”

She pulled her hair back from in front of her eyes, sputtering angrily—which only made him laugh harder. Realizing how ridiculous she must look, her mouth started to twitch and she couldn’t help but join him.

Now that the shock had worn off, she realized how refreshing the water had felt. It would be even more so, she suspected, after sitting in the heat for some time. She squeezed the water from her hair and shook out her chemise. At least her hair and skin no longer felt caked with salt.

She eyed the other bucket. “May I?” she asked.

He grinned. “It’s all yours.”

It was heavier than it looked and she needed him to lift it over his head, but a few moments later a deluge of cool water gushed down over him like a heavy spring waterfall. He shook his hair, spraying her with water, then raked it back from his face. It was amazing how gorgeous he looked even sopping wet.

“Ah, that felt good.” He pointed to the lower of the two benches set in the earthen wall. “Sit. In a few minutes you’ll be wishing for another bucket.”

He was right; her skin was already dry, though her hair and chemise would take awhile longer. She did as he asked and sat on one of the benches, not surprised when he sat beside her. It was strangely relaxing. Sitting beside him in comfortable silence, enjoying the cleansing heat. When it grew too hot, he tossed a cup of water on the rocks and the room filled with a wonderful cool steam.

Dampness gathered behind the heavy weight of her hair. Bundling it up in a knot, she tucked it behind her head and leaned back against the second bench. She could fall asleep like this. She heaved a sigh of utter contentment. “This is heaven. I never want to leave.”

He chuckled. “The rocks will cool off soon enough. But we have a few hours.”

She opened her eyes, hearing something in his voice. “I wasn’t serious,” she said.

He gave her a look that melted her bones, telling her exactly how they would like to spend the next few hours. “I was.”

His gaze held her and she felt that strange stirring of awareness that made her tingle all over. “Did you bring me here to seduce me?”

He seemed amused by her bluntness. “Do you want me to?”

“No.” She shook her head with more certainty than she felt. “I can’t.”

The glint of amusement in his eye was replaced by a spark of something else. Steely determination. She had a horrible feeling the seductive dance of the past few days was over.

He hadn’t moved. He was still leaning back with his back to the bench, by all appearances relaxed. Then why did she have an image of a coiled snake ready to strike? He leaned toward her and her pulse shot through the roof of her heart. “Why not? Aren’t you curious, Ellie?”

She shook her head. He looked just like the predator he was named for, and she felt like a tasty hare.

His eyes slid over her body, lingering on her br**sts. Her ni**les hardened under the weight of his heavy gaze. His eyes darkened dangerously. She knew what he was going to do, but was helpless to do anything but wait—unable to breathe—until he did.

He reached out and grazed her arm with the back of his finger, stroking with the barest touch. Her breath hitched harder in lungs that seemed to have forgotten how to work.

Her heart pounded and her senses flared as his finger traced along the curve of her hip, to her waist, and to the gentle swell of her breast.

Oh God. Her entire body quivered in anticipation.

Her breath released in shallow little gasps. She could feel the heat of his hand through the thin linen of her chemise. So close. She whimpered, and her body shuddered when he finally touched the place she wanted him to, circling the throbbing tip of her nipple with the hard pad of his finger.

“I can make you feel pleasure, te bheag. More pleasure than you ever dreamed.”

She was feeling it now. Her thighs pressed together against the tingling, against the dampness, as her br**sts grew heavy and hot and her nipple strained against the pleasure of his big hand.

His seductively light touch was driving her mad. Desire licked her body with flames of liquid heat. She was hot. Restless. Needy. Every nerve ending clamored for the pleasure he promised. She wanted his hands all over her, grasping, gripping, and marking her with passion.

She wanted to give in to temptation.

Pleasure for pleasure’s sake. Nothing more. Could she forget about everything else and just enjoy the experience?