Page 100 of Taming Ivy
“No, I'm enjoying this immensely.” She slanted him a glance. "If I rode in breeches it would be a great deal cooler.”
"And a great deal more dangerous.”
"Dangerous? For whom?”
Sebastian’s brow rose. "For you. Myself. The mere thought of you in breeches does horrendous things to my sanity. I would ravish you before you stepped foot outside our bedroom. Should you make it downstairs or - God help me - outside, well, I have a vast appreciation for those I employ. To slaughter a man because his eyes lingered on you would greatly disturb me.”
Ivy waved her hand in disbelief. "You exaggerate, of course.”
He gave her an odd half-smile. "Do I?"
Unfastening three ivory buttons on the delicate shirt, she closed her eyes in delight when a slight breeze discovered the newly exposed skin. "Nevertheless, were it any warmer, I would happily risk your displeasure to defend the poor servant, whomever he might be.” Smiling, eyes still closed, Ivy swayed in cadence with Spring’s even gait. “I’d visit you in the Tower before you swung for murder and plead very prettily for your life.”
When no response came, her eyes opened to see Sebastian leaning forward in the saddle, his gaze bright with speculation and riveted on her bare skin.
"I have the solution.” He grinned.
"Unless you’ve an extra pair of breeches and a shirt hidden somewhere, I fail to see this situation improving. I cannot believe how warm it is. We barely had a spring.” Ivy squinted up at the sun from under the brim of her hat.
"My intention is that you remove articles of clothing. Now, the path is around here somewhere...” Sebastian studied the trail ahead, considering trees and the vegetative twists in the overgrown path. Ivy watched in bemusement as she rode silently behind him.
A gnarled, century-old oak tree with low, sweeping branches brushing the ground grew about twenty feet from the path, served as the landmark for their unexpected detour. "Come along,” he directed, nudging Raven into the overgrowth.
Ivy gave Spring her head, allowing the mare to delicately pick her way through the soft underbrush and knee-high dark green grass. "Where precisely are we going?"
"You'll see.”
They passed the huge oak, the terrain growing steeper the further they ventured into the forest. Very soon after locating the trail Ivy heard rushing water. The mare’s ears pricked up in confirmation just as the woods opened to reveal a wide stream. It did not seem deep but the water plunged from a much higher rise of huge rocks and boulders, the fall creating a crystal clear pool which appeared bottomless. The stream meandered to the banks, snaking between larger boulders gleaming ghostly white in the sunshine. The water was quite shallow and gentle around the boulders then gained momentum to tumble noisily around the bend. Where it flowed from there was beyond Ivy’s view.
A mixture of elms and river oaks hugged the banks along with clumps of wildflowers and lilies, the blooms a mixture of buttery yellow and white. In a broad swath of sunlight, a bleached sand beach stretched like a glittery ribbon. A few of the boulders in the middle of the stream were flat enough for two or more people to climb up and lay on.
Ivy slid from Spring’s back, giving Sebastian a pleased smiled. "You own a magical, secret water garden?”
"I’ve heard it said fairies cast love spells from such places. This looks as though such creatures might reside here, doesn’t it?” Dismounting, Sebastian took the reins from Ivy’s hands to lead the horses a few feet downstream. He allowed them to drink their fill before tying the mounts to the low branch of an oak. As he removed the saddles, he glanced back at Ivy. "I thought you would want to wade in the water. Take off your boots, sweetheart. There’s no one to see you other than myself.”
“I couldn’t possibly…” Ivy stammered.
The heat in Sebastian’s stare interrupted her protest more than his response. “Of course, you can. Take off your boots.”
Dropping to the soft grass, she did as he asked then ventured into the water, the coolness of the stream swirling around her ankles eliciting a sigh of pure pleasure. "Oh heavens, that feels good.”
Sebastian chuckled, tossing his own boots aside. A second later, his shirt landed on a low tree branch, his fingers already working the buttons of his breeches.
"What are you doing?" Ivy’s voice trembled.
“Cooling off. Remove your clothes too, Ivy.”
"You - you're going to be naked?" She squeaked. “Outside?”
"It is as remote now as it was when I last swam here. Do you recall my mention of a stream I hoped to show you one day? I promise, my vision did not involve you wearing so many damned clothes. Now, do as I say and remove that hot, scratchy riding habit.”
Toes wiggling in the stream’s sandy bottom, skirts bunched in her fists to keep them high above the clear, cold water, Ivy shook her head. "I'm feeling refreshed, thank you.”
Sebastian peeled his breeches off and Ivy felt pinned to the spot when he swept her with a heated glance, from head to bare toes.
It was so very hard to gaze at the blatant, male beauty of her husband without thinking of him making love to her. To recall the touch of his hand on her skin, thinking they might make love by this stream was dangerous. It was reckless, wondering what it might feel like to make love in the warm sunshine...
Her husband waded into the water then dove with graceful precision toward the emerald pool where the waterfall pounded and splashed the rocks in an unsteady rhythm. Ivy watched as he swam through the current, his golden shoulders bunching and lengthening with movement. Reaching the falls, he hoisted himself onto a submerged ledge. With the water hitting behind him, his head tilted back so it could drench him.
