Chapter 29
CHAPTER TWENTY-NINE
The water had long since cooled, but Elaina had not moved. She was sitting still within the bath, with her arms resting loosely along the edges and her fingers trailing faintly through the surface as if the gentle ripples might quiet the unrest within her.
They did not.
Steam lingered faintly in the air, carrying the soft scent of lavender she had added without thinking. It should have soothed her. It always had.
But that night, nothing did. Elaina closed her eyes. Her thoughts returned to Duncan. She could still feel the closeness, the warmth of him, the way the space between them had disappeared so easily, as though it had never truly been there at all. And she remembered how she had not stepped away.
Her breath faltered. She had not meant for it to happen. She had not meant for anything between them to become what it was now, something deeper, something harder to deny and something she could no longer pretend was temporary.
Her fingers stilled in the water.
Because that was the truth of it. That… whatever that was between them, it was not fleeting. And that was precisely why she had to leave.
She forced herself to open her eyes, staring at the faint distortion of her reflection in the water.
“Ye ken what must be done,” she whispered softly, though there was no one there to hear it.
She did. She had known it from the moment she woke beside him, from the moment she saw the bandage on his arm and understood, fully, what her presence here meant.
The thought had barely settled, when the door opened without a knock.
Elaina startled sharply, the sudden sound breaking through the fragile stillness she had been holding onto.
Her hands flew instinctively to herself, drawing inward and shielding what little modesty the water allowed as she turned toward the door.
“Duncan!”
Her voice came out sharper than she intended, but that was because her pulse was quickening for an entirely different reason now.
He was standing just inside the room, as though he had not expected her to be there in such a state, though something in his expression suggested that was not entirely true.
“Elaina…” he began, then stopped, dragging a breath through himself as though trying to regain control.
“Ye… ye…” she gasped, fighting the rise of warmth in her cheeks. “This is,” she gestured vaguely, unable to finish the thought, “entirely improper!”
“I ken,” he said at once, and his words disarmed her.
There was no argument in them, no attempt to excuse it. There was only acknowledgment of what he had done.
Yet, he did not leave. That, more than anything, made her heart stutter, while she was still acutely aware of the fact that she was naked.
Fortunately, her body was mostly hidden inside the deep, copper bathtub, but her embarrassment could not be hidden.
Nor could her curiosity regarding his utterly unexpected and improper visit.
For a moment, neither of them moved. The very air between them felt charged.
Duncan took a step forward. Then, stopped himself, which was a rare break in the composure she had come to know so well.
“I ken I shouldnae be here,” he said, but his voice did not carry any conviction.
Elaina swallowed, her fingers tightening slightly against the edge of the bath.
“Then… why are ye?” she asked more softly.
The question lingered. He met her gaze. And this time, he did not look away.
“Because I cannae stop thinking about ye.”
The words fell between them, like thunder on a bright, sunny day. They made Elaina’s breath catch.
“I tried,” he continued, and his voice was somehow steadier in its honesty than anything he had said before. A faint, humorless breath left him. “But all I could think about was ye.”
His words found that most vulnerable place inside of her, and they nestled there.
She watched him as he stepped closer, with her trembling fingers pressing against her beating heart.
He did not near her enough to close the distance entirely, but enough that the space between them felt thinner and more fragile.
“I ken this isnae right,” he said. “I ken what is expected of me, what I should do.” His gaze held hers, unwavering. “But I also ken this…”
He paused, as if endeavoring to listen to the frantic beating of her heart, which seemed to hasten its rhythm with every spoken word.
“I need ye,” she heard him say.
They were not the grandest words she had heard, they were not polished. But they carried the deepest truth she had known, one she could not ignore.
“And I’ve decided…” he added slowly, as though the admission itself was something he had only just allowed, “that whatever time I have with ye, however long it may be…” Another small pause. “I will nae waste it.”
Duncan drew a breath, as though steadying himself not from uncertainty, but from the weight of what he was choosing to say.
“It feels…” he began, searching for something he did not often need to name, “as though we left something unfinished.”
Elaina’s breath caught softly.
“I will leave,” he told her tenderly, “if ye ask it of me.”
The words were clear. It was an offering, a choice placed entirely in her hands.
“But if ye dinnae,” he continued, and as he spoke, his voice softened in a way that made her heart swell, “if ye allow me tae stay…” He paused, and her heart ached for him, for his closeness, for the rest of his thoughts laid bare before her. “I will cherish ye, every moment, every day I am given.”
Elaina felt the words settle somewhere deep within her, unraveling what little certainty she had left.
This was the moment. This was the choice she had been trying to hold onto: leave and protect him or do what she believed was right. All she had to do was tell him to go.
Her lips parted, but no words came, because her heart had already answered.
Slowly, almost imperceptibly, she shook her head. It wasn’t to show refusal, but surrender. Duncan did not move at first, as though giving her time to change her mind, to take it back.
She did not.
He stepped closer and the distance between them disappeared. Elaina’s breath got caught in her throat as he knelt beside the bath, the edge of it no longer a barrier but something easily crossed. The warmth of the water shifted as he moved nearer, the air between them changing once more.
His hand lifted, slower this time. It came to rest gently against her cheek. Her hand rose instead, resting lightly against his wrist, as though she needed to be certain he was truly there.
Then, he leaned in. The kiss was slow, and Elaina melted into it.
She could feel the tension she had been carrying all day slip away piece by piece as she allowed herself to feel him.
The warmth of the water, the closeness of him, the quiet certainty in the way he held her… all of it blurred together.
Her fingers curled slightly against him, her breath softening as she leaned closer, no longer holding herself apart. She did not think of leaving. She did not think of danger. She did not think of what came next.
All she could focus on was him.
With his lips still pressed to hers, she felt his arms wrap around her wet body, holding it tight. She smiled against his kiss as he lifted her from the bathtub and into the air. Her open palm pressed against his muscular chest. She pulled away only for a moment.
“Duncan, what—” she started, but she wasn’t allowed to finish.
“Shhh,” he whispered seductively. “Let me show ye how I want tae cherish ye…”
His lips toyed with hers with devotion and almost reverent tenderness.
It was that exact tenderness that made her believe that he meant every word he had spoken to her, and more.
It was as if he were promising himself to her over and over again with his lips and his tongue, as he slowly walked toward the bed with her in his arms.
Finally, she felt him lower her onto the oak bed, and the chilly coolness of the sheets stood in stark contrast with the heat of his body pressed against hers. He pulled away only for a moment, sliding his shirt off of him in one effortless movement, then he sent if flying to the floor.
The sight made her chuckle. He gazed at her then.
“I love that laugh of yers,” he murmured softly.
“It is because of ye,” she whispered back.
She wanted to tell him how he brightened her world like the sun itself, how he knew how to make everything right, but she couldn’t think of a single thing to say when she felt his lips upon hers again.
His hands traversed every inch of her body, as if he wanted to remember every curve, every slope, every inch of her skin with just the tips of his fingers.
She closed her eyes when his lips traveled down her neck, kissing an invisible line downward to her nipples, taking one of them into his mouth.
“Oh…” she gasped, biting her lower lip.
Warmth washed over her. Her nipples hardened under his tongue, and she could feel his fingers sliding even lower, passing her bellybutton, only to stop between her thighs. The place deep down inside clenched with heat. She felt as if her entire body was on fire, pulsating with yearning.
He slid between her wet seam, awakening every nerve inside of her.
She had never felt more beautiful, more desirable than when she was in his arms. Every sense was heightened.
She could smell his skin, she could taste his lips, and she could touch him.
She couldn’t stop gripping him, grabbing his hair, pulling him closer to her, as if letting go meant she would never have him in her arms again.
When he slid his finger inside of her, she inhaled deeply, closing her eyes.
“Dae ye like this, darling?” she heard him ask.
How could she not? Everything he did was enough to drive her mad with desire. He knew exactly what he was doing, the wicked man. And she loved him for it.
She felt his manhood pressing between her thighs. To show her how much she did, she spread her legs wider, wrapping them around his waist, keeping him even closer.
“Take me, Duncan…” she moaned softly.
They locked gazes as he claimed her. She felt him inside of her, slow and full, claiming every inch of her. His handsome face stood before her, even more handsome in restraint, as he tried to be as gentle as the first time.
He lowered his forehead to hers, not taking his eyes off of her.
Just like before, everything changed in an instant.
One full buck of his hips was enough to make her fully his.
She felt that same throbbing, that same heat and wetness.
Her mind was a blank, and all she could do was thrust her own body upward, toward his, offering herself up to him.
“More,” she dared to whispered, and he smiled in a way that made her insides clench.
“Whatever me lady wishes,” she heard him respond, and he slid inside of her deeper than before.
He groaned, aiming for his lips, kissing her through the groan.
The sensation that spread throughout her body threatened to unravel her, but she kept on moving, following his rhythm.
She welcomed his tongue in her mouth, and his manhood into her wet heat.
She felt his finger playing with the slick nub of her center, adding to the pleasure.
She couldn’t resist any longer. Clenching around him, she let go and fell into the abyss of ecstasy, relinquishing all control of herself and her body. He was thrusting faster now, and a moment later, he followed, tensing inside of her, only to roll to the side, still breathing heavily.
He didn’t take his arms off of her. Instead, he pulled her closer to himself and she pressed her ear to his chest, listening to the frantic drumbeat of his heart.
She had no idea when she fell asleep, or when he covered her with a blanket so that she wouldn’t be cold.