Chapter 19
CHAPTER NINETEEN
“Icannae believe ye’re insistin’ on this!” Marissa huffed, glaring at him.
Not that Arthur was looking at her. He’d slept well into the evening. So well, in fact, that Marissa had long since written off any possibility of them going to the loch.
But when he came downstairs as the sun was starting to set and supper was cleared, he’d cried out for her to get up. That they had an outing.
“Water is still water,” Arthur huffed, “even if it’s night.”
“Aye! But we willnae be able to see the damned thing. There’s hardly any sun!”
Marissa was arguing back, but he was not paying her the slightest bit of attention. He just moved forward.
“Ye’ll see it plenty,” he declared. “In fact, it’ll be even bonnier at night. Just wait and see.”
She wanted to yell at him again. Even better, she wanted to go back to the castle and tell him that they’d just go tomorrow. But Arthur seemed incredibly sure that she’d love the loch even at night.
As they reached the trees, Marissa thought she could make out the shimmering water in the not-so-far distance.
“Are ye sure ye remember where we’re headin’?” she asked, knowing that the question would irritate him.
“I’ve lived in this castle me whole life,” Arthur argued, and just as she had expected, there was a note of exasperation in his words. “Of course, I ken where I’m goin’. I swam in this loch before ye were even born.”
“Ah, because ye’re so old. How could I forget.”
He scowled at her but didn’t say anything else.
They crested a small hill, and Marissa’s attention was completely diverted.
The loch was before them. It was bigger than she had expected.
But that wasn’t what had grabbed her attention.
On one edge, not too far away from where they were standing, the earth rose around the water, opening into a cave.
And that cave was glowing.
“Glow worms!” Marissa exclaimed, not hesitating for a second before breaking into a run towards it.
“Ye wouldnae have been able to see that durin’ the day, would ye?” Arthur drawled.
But Marissa was so lost in her wonderment that she didn’t turn to look at him.
It was remarkable. She hurried down the embankment, racing toward the cave opening as quickly as she could before stopping just outside of it.
The blue light of the glow worms sparkled like a thousand stars, glinting off the water. Marissa had never seen so many in one spot.
“They’ve been here me whole life.”
Arthur’s voice came from closer behind her than she’d thought, and she turned. He was standing only a few feet away, his bare feet buried in the sand.
“I cannae imagine bein’ able to come down here and see this all the time,” she murmured, unable to hide the awe that had leeched into her tone.
“Well,” Arthur said, the corners of his mouth ticking up in a grin, “imagine it. Ye live here now, kitten. Ye can come see them whenever ye want.”
She smiled at him, at a loss for words as she turned back to look at the water.
As Marissa was admiring the beauty of the small cave and the glow worms within, a light hand caressed her arm. She turned, finding that while she was watching the glow worms, Arthur had been watching her.
“Alright, kitten,” he said, “I believe it’s time for a swim.”
The air was still quite hot, and when Marissa walked forward and dipped a toe into the water, she found it was warmer than she had expected.
“There’s a small dock right over there,” Arthur said, pointing at something to their right.
Marissa followed his finger. Sure enough, about halfway toward the center of the loch was a well-crafted wooden dock extending far out into the water.
An impish grin tugged up her mouth, and she fisted her hands in her skirts. “I’ll race ye,” she said.
She only had long enough to recognize the gleam of a challenge in his eyes before she took off. Holding her skirts so they wouldn’t tangle around her ankles, she bounded forward.
Racing back up the side of the loch, she could hear Arthur behind her, hot on her heels.
Marissa didn’t dare look back, didn’t want to give the Laird that split second of advantage as she surged toward the dock.
Her feet pounded over it for a split second before she heard his heavy footfalls pounding on the wood beneath their feet. The end of it was drawing closer.
I cannae believe it. I’m goin’ to win. I’m goin’ to beat Arthur at a—
Arthur surged past her in a blur, hurling his body through the air in an elegant arc, his arms raised over his head as he dove into the water. He’d overtaken her so effortlessly that it left no room for doubt he’d been letting her lead. Up until the last second.
His head broke the surface of the water just as she reached the edge of the dock. Marissa had enough time to catch a glimpse of his triumphant smirk before she removed her outer dress. She raised her hands above her head and jumped off the edge of the dock.
The water, as warm as it had been when she’d dipped her toes into it, was still a shock to her system. And as her body broke the surface, the press of it sent a thrill through her.
By the time her head broke the surface, she was feeling more awake and alive than she had in quite some time.
Arthur was floating only a few feet away, treading water effortlessly.
Her curls were plastered to her head, dripping water into her face.
“Damned hair,” she murmured, using one of her hands to swipe it away.
The action, however, caused her to bob in the water. She heard Arthur chuckle, and a moment later, strong arms wrapped around her.
“What do ye think ye’re doin’?” Marissa gasped.
“Holdin’ ye so ye can do whatever ye want with yer hair,” he answered, as if it were obvious.
She glowered at him but didn’t refuse the help as she swiped her sopping wet hair out of her face. She felt his body shift and sway as he used his powerful legs to propel them through the water.
He was bringing them toward the cave, into much more shallow waters. Eventually, his movements became more steady, letting her know that his feet had finally made contact with the lakebed.
But even though she was more than capable of standing if he let go of her, he still held onto her.
The blue glow of the worms inside the cave reflected off his face, making him look ethereal.
“I like ye like this,” he said, his voice rough and thick with something that Marissa couldn’t quite place.
“Like what?” Her voice was barely above a whisper.
Her heart, entirely of its own accord, had begun to hammer. She was suddenly hyper-aware of all the places his arms curved around her body and the way the water felt as it caressed her skin.
“With yer hair wet,” he answered, staring at her with dark eyes. “And yer clothes clingin’ to ye.”
She wondered if he could see her blush. The sun had now fully dipped below the horizon, the orange and yellow hues giving way to the dark of the night. The first stars twinkled above them, filling the sky with an echo of the glow worms that danced mere feet away.
Her stomach twisted in knots, and she pressed her thighs together. Her skin suddenly felt too tight. She was too aware of everything, and even though Arthur’s arms were still wrapped around her, she feared it wasn’t enough.
She gulped, using an unsteady hand to extricate herself from his hold. She needed to think. Needed to be able to sort out for herself if she wanted to move forward with him.
And she couldn’t do that with him pressed against her. Because if he stayed like that, and the burning in her belly kept up, she knew that she wouldn’t be able to hold herself back for much longer.
She could feel his eyes on her as she moved through the water, the weight of his gaze following her every move.
Marissa only turned to look at him when the water was at her knees, feeling there was enough distance between them that she could think clearly.
Oh, how wrong she had been.
When she turned, her breath caught in her throat.
Arthur’s eyes were ablaze, roving over her body with a desire that tugged on something primal within her.
She glanced down at herself, seeing the way her dress clung to her skin.
Even through the fabric, she could see the swell of her breasts, her nipples hard from the chill of the water.
She could see the shape of her thighs and the juncture between them.
Glancing back at Arthur, she felt her control slip entirely. And he seemed to sense it.
Prowling forward, more of his body became visible. Just as her dress clung to her, so did his shirt and clothes cling to him.
She’d already seen him shirtless as he’d climbed into bed the night before, but there was something different about him right now.
The night before, he’d only wanted to sleep. But now, he was filled with purpose, striding toward her with intent and lust lingering in the depths of his gaze.
By the time he reached her, she was panting, her thighs flexing of their own accord so that she might get some friction.
His hand came up, cupping the back of her neck.
“If ye dinnae want me to continue,” he said in a gruff voice, “ye have to tell me now. Because I dinnae ken how much longer I can hold meself back.”
Marissa shook her head, leaning into him slightly. “I dinnae want ye to stop.”
His eyes went wide with feral delight just before his mouth crashed into hers. Marissa couldn’t stop the moan that rose in her throat as she pressed her body against him. The hard planes of his chest melded to hers, the curves and valleys of their bodies fitting together perfectly.
Arthur bent, his strong arms sliding under her buttocks to lift her.
Water sloshed around them as he hiked her skirts, wrapping her legs around his waist. Something hard and firm pressed into her center, and she bucked her hips, some intrinsic part of her knowing that was exactly what she sought.
He chuckled darkly in the back of his throat.
“Nae just yet, kitten,” he murmured into her mouth, never once breaking their kiss. “I will feast on ye, first.”
Feast on me?
Marissa hadn’t the slightest idea what those words meant, but she knew without a shadow of a doubt that she wanted to find out.