Chapter 17
CHAPTER SEVENTEEN
Theo’s boots echoed dully off the stone floor as he entered his chambers, his shoulders hunched with fatigue. The door creaked shut behind him, and he let out a slow, weary breath.
He had ridden hard, fought harder, and his limbs ached with the weight of responsibility that came with every decision he’d made that day.
But then he paused.
The warm scent of lavender and pine filled the room, carried by the steam that drifted lazily from a copper tub near the fireplace. A small fire crackled there, soft orange light dancing across the walls.
In the light and shadow, he saw her.
Lavina.
She was kneeling near the hearth, her fingers coaxing the wick of a candle to life. Her hair, half-fallen from her braid, glowed like honey in the firelight.
She hadn’t noticed him at first, her face calm, almost reverent as she lit one candle after another. But the quiet scuff of his boots against stone made her whirl around.
Her eyes widened, startled. “Oh! Ye’re back.”
Theo blinked, still processing the unexpected softness of the scene. “Aye. I didnae expect…” he trailed off, glancing toward the tub. “Ye did this?”
She nodded, standing up and smoothing down her skirts, suddenly uncertain. “The water’s still hot. I asked the maids nae to let it grow cold.”
His gaze flicked to her face. “Why?”
Lavina hesitated, but then lifted her chin with that quiet bravery he was coming to recognize in her. “I wanted to… well, I wanted to say thank ye.”
“I gave ye me word that nothing would happen to ye or yer sister, that I’d protect ye,” Theo said, feeling the guilt drop on him like dirt on a grave. “I failed.”
“Ye didnae,” she corrected, reaching for his arm. She shook her head, and the movement made her hair bounce down her shoulders. “Ye kept an eye out for trouble. It wasnae yer fault that it found us. And then ye… ye brought her back. Thank ye.”
She lowered her head as Theo wiped away the tears rolling down her cheeks.
“Dinnae worry yerself so. Everything turned out well in the end, did it nae? Maisie is with Amber, and ye’re here with me.” He paused as he took her in.
She wasn’t the feisty woman he had tricked into marrying him. No, she was a beautiful, caring woman to be cherished.
“Aye, that is true.”
“Then why the tears? Ye’ve nothing to cry about.”
“I was wrong on so many things, and I ken that I cannae thank ye enough for bringin’ Maisie back.”
“Why dinnae ye go on and check on her,” Theo suggested. It was the third time she’d mentioned her sister; keeping her any longer from her was just cruel. “I’m sure she’ll have a story or two to tell ye.”
“She’s already asleep. I lay with her until she closed her eyes.”
“Aye, but it’s the dreams that she’ll wake up from that ye’ll need to be there for. The mind is a wicked battlefield where even strong men fail.”
“She’ll be fine,” Lavina answered, staring up at him through her long lashes.
Her gaze was direct and startling. Longing lurked in the depths of her eyes, threatening to drown him. If it weren’t for the cool breeze dancing with the flames of the torches, he would have been trapped under her spell.
He glanced at her hand as it moved up his arm and settled on his chest. Her touch was hotter than the branding iron he would use on cattle.
For a moment, he couldn’t help but wonder if she had lit him on fire. He held his breath in fear of getting swept by her intoxicating scent.
“Ye dinnae have to thank me,” he muttered, mustering every ounce of his strength to step away from her. “Maisie’s family now. ‘Tis me duty to keep her safe, and that’s what I’ll do.”
“Aye,” Lavina murmured, drawing closer.
Theo dared not cast a glance at her. Not when he craved her as he did. Out of the corner of his eye, he caught her reaching for the hem of his shirt. He snatched her wrist gently, restraining her from going any further.
“Lavina…” he said, his voice husky with emotion as he lowered her hand. “Ye dinnae have to do this. I dinnae demand it, and I dinnae blame ye. But yer sister needs ye tonight more than I do. Ye should go be with her.”
“Are ye sayin’ ye dinnae want me?” Lavina asked, her lips curling into a heartbreaking pout. Her eyebrows knitted together, and hurt flickered in her eyes.
“Nay,” Theo said softly, his voice trembling with desire. “I do want ye.”
“I want ye, too.”
His breath caught. Her words were simple, but the truth in them struck deeper than any sword ever had.
He searched her face as uncertainty swirled within him. Could he trust her? She’d tried to run from him the first night they were together. She had turned a cold shoulder to him and swore there could never be anything between them.
So why, then, couldn’t he ignore the lust in her gaze as well? It matched the intensity of his own.
Years of rejection had brought him to this point, where he could stare into his wife’s face and question her desire for him.
“I dinnae want ye to do this if ye think ye owe me. That’s nae how I want our marriage to be. I willnae have ye thinkin’ ye have to reward me.”
“That’s nae why… I dinnae ken why I’m here. I just ken that I owe ye far more than I can give. All I can offer ye is meself.”
“And what if that’s enough?” Theo asked, arching an eyebrow. “What if I dinnae want anything but ye?”
Lavina smiled and rose on the tips of her toes. His hand curled around her head, cradling it tenderly as he pulled her to his lips.
Suddenly, she recoiled, her nose twitching.
“Perhaps after ye bathe…” she teased, a spark of mischief in her eyes.
Her hands moved to his chest once again, slowly undoing the ties of his shirt.
Theo didn’t stop her. He didn’t care that he smelled of horse and mire. All he could focus on was her fingers grazing his bare chest.
“I’m nae a gentle man, Lavina,” he warned, his voice husky.
She lifted her face to his, her lips a hairsbreadth from his own. “Then be rough if ye must, but let me be yers.”
Out of the corner of his eye, Theo caught sight of his reflection in the window. His jagged scars were a stark reminder of the monster she saw.
Instantly, his body stiffened, and his jaw locked tight. Shame surged hot beneath his skin. He looked away as if the very sight had burned him.
“Come, the bath is still warm,” she said as she moved to the tub.
Theo watched her dip a hand into the water and pull it out steaming. Her gaze fell on him, full of lust and yearning.
Moving to the tub, Theo stood as still as a statue as her hands slipped under his shirt. Her touch left a hot trail as she pulled the fabric over his head and tossed it aside.
Standing half-naked before her, he studied her. He adored the way she bit her lip as she ran her eyes over his body and peeled each layer off him.
“Oh, my.” The words lingered in the air between them, rattling his nerves. His body tensed. “There are just so many…”
“Ye can go. I’ve bathed meself a thousand times, and I’ll do it a thousand more. Ye dinnae have to pretend that I’m a handsome man. I’m nae.”
“I meant nay offense.”
“Pity, then? Ye think I’d be comfortable receivin’ that from ye? Nay, I dinnae want it.”
She looked down, hurt evident on her face.
Theo’s heart stuttered. He didn’t want to hurt her, but he couldn’t stand the way she was looking at him.
“I was merely wonderin’ how ye got them,” she mumbled. “I cannae wrap me head around the cruelty of mankind. Ye were just a child.”
“It was a long time ago,” Theo said. He hooked his hand under her chin and drew her gaze to his. “And we dinnae need to speak of such things. I just dinnae want ye to do anything ye dinnae want to.”
“What if I want ye?” she asked. “What would ye do if I asked ye to take me?”
The question was like a dagger to his heart. He arched an eyebrow as he brushed back her hair from her shoulder and took her in.
She trailed her fingers over his arm, sending shivers through him. Her touch sent every inch of his being into a frenzy.
He wrapped his arms around her and crushed her body to his. His lips moved against hers as he picked her up, cradling her to him as he moved swiftly to the bed.
Easing her down on the mattress, Theo nipped her neck as he tugged at the laces of her corset. Her breasts spilled into his hands as he peeled off her corset and tossed it across the room.
“Do what ye will,” Lavina whispered, raking her nails through his hair, driving him wild.
He didn’t need to be told twice.
“Close yer eyes and lie back. I want ye to enjoy this moment.”