Page 39 of A Scottish Lord for Christmas
Chuckling, he waited for her to dry herself off and then he dropped the towel to the floor again.
“My bed, now,” he ordered, and the slight edge to his tone sent a flutter of excitement through Rowena that shocked her.
She padded over to the big bed and climbed beneath the blankets, pulling them high up to her chin. Quinn rolled his eyes.
“One of these days, you’ll learn not to be so modest, Wife.” He eased down onto the bed beside her. His good side was closest to her and he lifted his arm to curl it around her waist and pull her against him.
“Quinn, we shouldn’t do anything, your arm.”
“Hush, lass, we won’t. I just want your full attention. Having you bare keeps your mind on me.”
She almost laughed. How could she not think of him? Rowena stared at him, a little shocked and amused and definitely scandalized. “Very well, you have my attention.” She cuddled closer, her bare legs sliding over his trouser-clad ones beneath the blankets.
“What you said before, about my first wife.” In the time it took him to pause, Rowena’s stomach clenched in dread. A moment ago, she’d been comfortable enough to relax, and now there was no way she could handle this. He was going to tell her he couldn’t love her again.
“Please, don’t tell me. I don’t need to hear it.” She tried to escape his arms, but he kept her firmly in his hold.
He covered her lips with his, silencing any further protests.
It was a sweet kiss, but his lips took their time exploring hers, and when they finally broke apart, he was smiling at her. The affection in his expression stole her breath.
“Youneedto hear this. And I need to say it. I’m not a man for speaking from my heart, but there are things I must tell you now.”
She glanced away, unable to face him in case he broke her heart again.
“I will always love my first wife. But that doesn’t mean I can never love another woman again. I thought that I couldn’t. But I was wrong.” He was silent for a long moment and Rowena held her breath.
“You have me, Rowena. That’s what I’m trying to say.” He stared at her, all seriousness as he met her gaze.
It wasn’tI love youbut it was something close enough that the hope she’d buried resurfaced. Love might come after all. His eyes were full of light and affection; none of the guilt and regret she’d grown accustomed to was there. It had vanished. She was afraid to wish what he was saying was true, and yet her love for him began to burn through her, like a star in a winter sky, brightly shining through in piercing clarity.
“Do you forgive me? I was a bloody fool, trying to stay away from you. You needed me, needed my love and I failed you.” He glanced down at his arm in the sling. “If it wasn’t for this arm, I’d be showing you how sorry I am.”
Rowena pressed her cheek to his shoulder and rubbed her face against his shirt. His scent was masculine and clean with a hint of the woods.
“We can talk in the morning,” she murmured, and pulled the blankets higher.
“Agreed, but first you’ll eat. They brought up supper while you were bathing.” He nodded at the tray of food in the corner of the room. He left the bed to bring it to her. Rowena ate, a little shy at Quinn’s fixed fascination. There was a reverence in his expression toward her that made her blush and it was mixed with puzzlement.
“How did you find me in the storm?”
Swallowing, she peered up at him. There was no way she would tell him the truth. That a woman, or some type of vision, perhaps a dream, led her to him.
“I got turned around somehow. I heard someone calling me to follow and I found you. I cannot really explain it.”
Quinn didn’t say anything to that but when she finished eating, he carried the tray away from the bed, turned down the oil lamps, and then climbed back into bed with her.
“Come here, wee one,” he teased softly, and tickled her bare waist. It was scandalous to be completely naked in bed while he was still halfway dressed, but Rowena reveled in the decadence of the soft sheets against her skin and the muscled lines of Quinn’s body beside her.
“Christmas is only a week away. What do you want as a present, Wife?”
Rowena kissed his cheek, fighting back a quivering emotion in her chest. “Just you.”
Quinn chuckled. “Very well, I’ll have to guess, then, won’t I?”
A little smile curved Rowena’s lips. “Perhaps.” At that moment she had no need or desire for anything else. Quinn was all she wanted.
***
