Chapter 32
A few minutes passed, and a couple of maids came in carrying buckets of hot water, as promised. They filled up the copper tub in the corner, arranging a towel and even going so far as to add oil and dried petals.
Thalia watched them work, and as they slipped out, she let loose a quiet, “Thank ye.”
They closed the door behind them, and she was alone again.
She stood, crossing the room to dip her hand into the water. It was hot, close to boiling, yet she found she did not have the energy to undress and step into it. She sank to the floor as the first wave of sobs climbed up her throat.
The sobs wracked her body. She choked on them, coughing as she struggled to breathe through the tears. She should be happy that she had managed to escape her fate, but it was as if her body was now feeling every ounce of fear and despair that she had been burying for the last two weeks.
A knock sounded at the door, and whoever it was did not wait for her to answer. Finlay stepped into her room, closing the door quickly behind him before racing to her side.
She curled against him instinctively, and he wrapped his arms around her. Her tears soaked his shirt, but that seemed to be the least of his worries. He ran his fingers through her hair, murmuring as he did.
“Ye’re safe now, Thalia. I took care of it for ye. Ye daenae have to worry about him ever again.”
Once she finally started to calm down, she pulled out of the embrace, hiccuping as her tears subsided.
“Thank ye,” she whispered. “For comin’ to check on me. But I think I can take it from here.”
He kept his hand on her hair, his eyes darting across her face. “Are ye sure?”
She nodded, moving to stand, before her legs gave out and she was on the floor again.
He sighed. “Let me help ye, lass. Do ye want to get in the bath?”
“Aye.” Her voice came out weak and pitiful. She did not want to be like this. Not in front of him.
Slowly, he moved to help her out of her dress. He unlaced the back, letting her bodice sag. He put his arm under her armpits so he could help her stand, and this time her legs remained steady. The dress fell to the floor, and he tugged off her stays and shift until she was naked before him.
Thalia didn’t have the energy to be embarrassed. Besides, he had already seen her almost completely naked before. He kept a firm grip on her as she tentatively stepped into the bath. The warm water welcomed her, enveloping her such that she couldn’t stop a sigh from escaping her lips.
Finlay leaned over the tub, brushing his knuckles against her cheek. “Do ye feel a bit better?”
“Aye,” she said, her voice coming out stronger.
“Good,” he murmured.
Without waiting for her to ask or for her permission, he grabbed the cloth from the table beside the bath. He dipped it into the water and began to run it along her skin.
He washed her arms, before dabbing gently at the cut across her clavicle. She winced at the sting, but let him continue cleaning her. It was nice and comforting. She knew he was just trying to help, but she was happy to let him take care of her for the moment.
He grabbed the extra pitcher from the table and dipped it into the water until it was full.
“Lean yer head back,” he commanded, and she did.
She raised her chin higher, and he poured the water over her hair. He used the cloth to wipe her face. Each move was so precise and gentle that it was almost enough to make her want to cry again.
After another few minutes, she couldn’t take it anymore.
“Why are ye here?” she asked.
He furrowed his brow. “I want to help ye get clean.”
“Nay,” she sighed. “I mean, why did ye come here?”
“I told ye, I couldnae stand by and let ye marry him,” he replied.
She turned away. “Because ye kent he was dangerous.”
“Aye.” He hooked his finger under her chin, lifting it so that she was looking at him again. “And because I realized how stupid I have been. The thought of ye marryin’ someone else was… it was too much to bear.”
She blinked at him, unsure if she was hearing him correctly. “Someone… else? Does that mean…?”
“Thalia,” he rasped. “I’m crazy about ye.
I have let me stubbornness and me pride rule me for too long.
I thought I kent what was best, but ye’ve helped me realize that I’ve just been hidin’ meself away.
I ken now what it is like to be in love, because I’m in love ye.
I will do anythin’, be anythin’, so long as it means ye will stay by me side. ”
She shook her head, still unable to believe it. She was tired, maybe delirious. There was no way he was saying these things to her now.
“What happens when ye change yer mind? What happens if ye decide to push me away again?” she demanded.
He frowned and reached into the tub to pull her out. She yelped, wrapping her arms around his neck as his arms cradled her to his chest. He carried her to the bed, not caring that she was dripping water all over him and the floor. Gently, he lowered her onto the bed and slid in next to her.
“Ye daenae understand how much I want ye, lass,” he murmured, his hand resting on her stomach. She shivered as his fingers splayed over her skin. “I’d do anythin’ for ye. Even become a better man.”
Her heart felt close to bursting. She rolled onto her side so that they faced each other and placed her hand on his cheek. He leaned into her touch, pressing a gentle kiss to her palm.
There was nothing but complete honesty on his face, and Thalia finally let herself accept it. He loved her, and he wanted to be with her. It was more than she could have ever hoped for.
“I daenae ken.” She grinned at him. “Ye’re nae such a bad man now.”
She pressed herself against him like she couldn’t get close enough. Finlay’s hands roamed over her body, grasping at every dip and curve. She shuddered against him, mewling as his hand slid down to cup her breast. His answering groan stoked the heat gathering between her legs.
“Thalia,” he growled, trailing his lips down her jaw, her neck. “Thalia, I daenae think I can hold back any longer.”
She gasped as his teeth grazed the soft skin where her neck met her shoulder. “I daenae want ye to. I want all of ye. Finlay…”
As soon as his name left her lips, he rolled her on her back. He loomed over her, his hands holding her wrists down, but she wasn’t scared. His knee came up to rest between her thighs, and the slight pressure made her breath hitch in her throat.
“Do ye want this, lass?” he asked, his eyes blazing so hot she was sure they could burn her. “If ye do, I willnae promise I can be soft and gentle.”
Thalia’s heart skipped a beat. “I want ye, all of ye. Whatever that means. I trust ye, Finlay.”
He swallowed, his throat constricting with the action.
Without wasting another moment, he sat back on his heels and yanked his shirt over his head. Thalia lay back, admiring the view of his muscular chest. He had earned a few more scratches, and she secretly hoped a few would scar. They would be a permanent reminder of today.
He slid off the bed, unbuckling his plaid and letting it fall to the floor.
Thalia sat up, and she took in the sight of his naked body.
His wide shoulders, his strong chest, the way his chest hair grew thicker and curlier the further down it went.
Every inch of his body was made of muscle.
He was a warrior, the Highland Wolf, and he was hers.
Her blood thrummed with excitement, even as her stomach flipped a little in anticipation. She was nervous, but it all vanished the moment he climbed on top of her again. His body seemed to envelop hers, and their quick breaths mingled as he leaned down to kiss her again.
Her thighs parted obediently for him as he settled between them, but he didn’t enter her straight away as she thought he would. Instead, he moved his hand to her warmth and stroked her like he had that night in the cabin.
She moaned, arching into him as his fingers slid in and out of her.
“I need to get ye ready for me.” He flashed her a wolfish grin.
She would have told him that she was ready if he hadn’t brought his thumb up to tease her small bundle of nerves.
Pleasurable jolted through her, and she cried out as the wave continued to build inside her.
Warmth flooded her body as her arousal grew, licking up her spine so that it became her only focus.
With his free hand, he kneaded one breast and then the other. His fingers pinched her nipples, teasing them into hard peaks as if it was his given right to do whatever he pleased with her. She supposed it was. She would let him do whatever he wanted to her.
Hands fisting in the sheets beneath her, she squirmed as the sensations consumed her.
Her hips bucked as if they had a mind of their own.
They thrust up to meet his hand, urging him to slide his finger deeper.
She felt that familiar heat swell in her belly.
Pleasure exploded within her, and her resounding cry was cut short as Finlay’s mouth came down on hers.
He tugged her bottom lip between his teeth as she shuddered and trembled beneath him. He swallowed her whimpers as he brought her back down. Pressing one more kiss to her lips, he withdrew his hand and lined up his length with her entrance.
Her body jerked as she felt the tip of him slide against her wetness, and she wrapped her arms and legs around him as tightly as she could.
“This is going to hurt,” he warned.
She shook her head. “I’m nae scared.”
He grinned again, and with one thrust, he sheathed himself inside her.
She cried out, this time in pain as he broke through her maidenhead. She squeezed her eyes shut and bit her lip, willing her body to get used to the new sensation. She felt strangely full.
Finlay pressed a kiss to each eyelid. “Ye all right?” he whispered.
Her eyes fluttered open, and she stared up at him. There was nothing but utter adoration in his eyes, like she was the only one he ever wanted to look at.
“Aye,” she said. “Keep going.”
He didn’t need to be told twice. He thrust into her again, and she dug her nails into his back as pleasure twice as great as before soared through her. He was hitting deeper and harder than before, and each thrust wrenched a cry from her throat.
They were panting, hot and heavy breaths mingling. Thalia locked her ankles together behind his back, pulling him even closer and lifting her hips to assist him. He groaned, obliging her.
He pounded into her so hard that her body was pushed further up the bed. She was sure her head would have smacked against the headboard were it not for his hand between her head and the wood.
Her release was close. She could feel it building again, only this time it came from a deeper place inside her. She groaned, clenching tighter around him to urge him to thrust faster. He moved his free hand to her bundle of nerves and stroked it again.
“Aye, aye!” Thalia cried out as she fell over the edge, release shooting through her entire body like nothing she had ever experienced before.
She didn’t know it could get better than the last time, but as it turned out, it could. So much better.
A heartbeat later, Finlay climaxed. He grunted, a guttural cry tearing out of him as his pleasure roared through him and into her. He collapsed on top of her, and they both took a moment to catch their breath.
He fell onto his back next to her, throwing his arm around her waist to pull her closer to him. She sighed, snuggling into his side.
How strange that she felt so happy now, when just this morning she had been utterly miserable.
She lifted her head to find him looking content and pleased as well.
“I suppose ye’ll have to marry me now.” She grinned.
Finlay laughed. “Aye, I will.” He pressed a kiss to her temple. “I love ye, Thalia.”
“I love ye, Finlay,” she whispered. “I cannae wait to go back home.”
Back to MacAinsley Castle. That was her true home now. It was where she and Finlay would spend the rest of their lives.
“Finlay?”
He hummed in response, running his hand through her hair.
“How is Daisy?” she asked.
She had hardly let herself think of the young girl. It had all hurt too much, but now that she knew they would be reunited, she could not keep from asking after her.
Finlay smiled. “She’s good. She’s been going out into the gardens every day. She misses ye, and I ken she’ll be so happy to see ye again.”
Thalia returned the smile. “Aye, I cannae wait to see her again, too.”
Finlay leaned in and gave her another passionate kiss.