Page 76 of The Icy Highlander's Bride
"Of course." He laughed. "I am sorry it has taken me so long to say it."
Lana laughed through her tears, and suddenly Daniel's mouth was on her own. He kissed her sweetly, and she melted into his chest, letting his arms engulf her.
"I love ye," Lana murmured into his chest. "I love ye like I love the sun."
"The sun?" Daniel echoed, smiling. He pulled back, holding her at arm's length. "It isnae me who has brightened this castle. It isnae me who has shone light on all the dark places. It is ye, Sunshine."
Lana reached out and grabbed his shirt before pulling him back to her. Her mouth crashed into his, and she laughed as she pulled him toward the bed.
"Well now," Daniel teased, "I guess we have nay more need for yer rules."
"Nay more rules." Lana laughed. "Let us see what life is like without them."
Daniel kissed her, and she got swept up into the wonder of kissing a man she loved and who unequivocally loved her back.
EPILOGUE
"Nae fair!" Daniel cried as he shielded his face from the water.
Lana laughed before she brought her hand down to the water again, delighting in splashing him. "What will ye do about it?" she teased.
Daniel closed the distance between them as she splashed water on his hair and face. When he was close, he took hold of her wrist.
"What did I tell ye about splashing?" he asked.
He held her arm over her head, which meant they were face to face, their bodies dangerously close. He was nearly mad with desire upon seeing the droplets of water on her lips and the pink flush on her moist cheeks.
"It isnae me fault ye cannae duck," Lana whispered.
Daniel jumped, and she squealed as he pushed her down beneath the water. He spun her around quickly, and then they both emerged, laughing and spitting water, their hair soaked.
The trip to the loch had been Lana's idea. The week had been filled with meetings with the council and interviews with tutors for Skye. They were overwhelmed with the dinners they planned for nearby landowners and the changes to their bedchambers that Lana had insisted on.
With all the commotion, Lana knew they needed a break.
And so Daniel had arranged for their horses to be saddled. Mary had been all too willing to pack them a picnic basket, and they had already stuffed themselves with the bread and cheese she packed for them. They had spent a few lazy hours staring up at the fluffy clouds that floated overhead. It was only when they got too warm that Daniel suggested a swim.
"Shall we go home?" Lana had asked. "This sun is baking me like one of Mary's loaves."
"Too warm?" Daniel mused. "Perhaps a dip in the loch will satisfy ye."
He had been surprised by her enthusiasm.
Lana bolted up with a mischievous expression on her face, and suddenly she was reaching around for the laces on her gown.
"Help me," she said, and soon they were both undoing ties and buttons.
They stripped each other of their clothes until Lana was in her shift and Daniel was in nothing but his breeches. They laughed as they looked across the lake in front of them.
"Let's go, Sunshine," Daniel boomed, and he took off running.
Lana followed him, quickly overtaking him, and they crashed into the water together, kicking and splashing until their feet were off the ground and they were swimming.
"It's beautiful." Lana smiled, treading through the water as she looked around her.
They were the only two people in the lake, and the hills and grass that surrounded this lake were lush with green and the smattering of wildflowers. They were isolated here, in the same spot Daniel had taken Lana to all those months ago, when their marriage was still a future wish and not a certainty.
"Ye are beautiful," Daniel murmured.
