Page 24

24: I COULD LOVE HIM

STANDING BY THE hearth, Bonnie watched as three husky lads, Murdo’s sons, entered the chamber.

The young men hauled heavy pails of steaming water.

The two serving lasses who worked downstairs followed them inside, with more water—and soon the iron tub was filled.

Alone with Iver once more, Bonnie glanced down at where steam rose from the bath.

Another sigh escaped her.

The hot water looked delicious.

Despite that she’d been seated by the fire in the common room, her toes and fingers were still chilled.

“Go on.” The smile in Iver’s voice made her glance up.

He’d seen the longing on her face.

“Ye take yer turn first … I’ll bathe once ye are done.”

Bonnie tensed as realization dawned.

She was a married woman now and was about to strip naked in front of her husband.

Of course, they’d already been intimate—yet on the night of the masquerade ball, she’d been in disguise.

There was an intimacy about this situation that made the nerves in her stomach twist tighter.

Sensing her anxiety, Iver’s smile softened.

“Don’t worry, I shall turn away while ye undress and get into the tub.”

Bonnie flashed him a relieved smile in reply.

She felt a trifle foolish, especially after what they’d done just a few nights earlier.

Nonetheless, she appreciated his gesture; it put her at ease.

Aye, she was Iver Mackay’s wife now, but she didn’t feel any different on the inside.

All day, an odd lingering guilt had dogged her steps—she’d even found herself worrying about who was going to service the chambers she usually took care of.

It shouldn’t have come as a surprise to Bonnie that she couldn’t change a lifetime of habits in just one day—yet she found it discomforting, nonetheless.

And after Sutherland’s disgusting insults, she still felt like an imposter—a chambermaid playing at being a lady.

Iver turned away then, hanging their cloaks up behind the door before seating himself on the bed with his back to her.

Seizing the moment, for she didn’t want the bath water to cool, Bonnie quickly disrobed, wriggling out of her kirtle and léine.

And when she stepped into the bath, her breathing caught.

Hades, it was hot—almost scalding.

Biting down on her bottom lip, she lowered herself into it, careful not to slosh water over the sides.

The tub was deep, and the water completely covered her, rising to just under her armpits.

For a moment, Bonnie just sat there, letting the heat seep into her chilled limbs.

She wasn’t used to spending all day in the saddle either, and the hot water soothed the aching muscles in her back, backside, and thighs.

What luxury it was to immerse herself into steaming water like this—she’d always envied those who got to enjoy the baths she helped prepare at Stirling Castle, and her first experience of one didn’t disappoint.

A cake of soap sat on a chair next to the tub, and she picked it up, holding it to her nose and sniffing.

Her mouth curved. Lavender .

The only soap she’d had access to over the years was a coarse block of lye soap she borrowed from the laundry.

However, this was something else.

When she ran the soap over her arm, she found it smooth, and as she began to bathe, the scent of lavender rose up, enveloping her.

Bonnie’s smile widened, a little of the wretchedness that twisted her inside loosening.

I could get used to this.

Her courses had just ended the day before, and although she’d done her best to clean herself with a bowl of lukewarm water and a linen cloth, it was wonderful to be able to wash properly.

She quickly cleaned her body before ducking her head under and lathering up her hair.

“Are ye enjoying yer bath?” Iver asked then.

“Aye,” Bonnie sighed.

“It’s my first.”

“I thought it might be.”

Her cheeks warmed then.

Of course, he’d realized a humble chambermaid wouldn’t have access to such luxury.

Sliding forward in the tub, she leaned back into the water and rinsed off her hair.

Straightening up, her gaze went to Iver once more.

He still had his back to her.

Admiring the breadth of his shoulders under the thin léine he wore, Bonnie murmured, “It’s all right … ye can turn around.”

Her modesty was protected by the water, after all.

He did as bid, his gaze traveling directly to her, and the melting look he gave her made Bonnie’s breathing hitch.

“What a sight ye are,” he said, his voice roughening slightly.

“So lovely it hurts me to breathe when I look upon ye.”

His words disarmed her.

Swallowing, Bonnie’s fingers tightened around the block of soap she still gripped.

She didn’t doubt his sincerity; yet, once again, shyness prickled her skin.

“I can’t wait to get ye home,” he continued.

The sensual promise in his tone tightened Bonnie’s chest; suddenly, she felt short of breath.

“Who’s looking after yer broch, while ye are away?” she asked, eager to steer the conversation onto an easier, and safer, topic.

“Kerr,” Iver replied, his mouth lifting into another half-smile.

“He heads my Guard … and if any issues arise, Brodie is there to assist him.”

“Do ye have many problems at Dun Ugadale?”

He shrugged.

“Some crop up from time to time. A handful of my tenants have long-standing feuds … and there’s been an increase in sheep and cattle rustling of late.” His expression sobered then as he paused, a hush drawing out between them.

“I’ve let all three of my brothers take too much responsibility in recent years … while I cut myself off from everyone to brood on my lot in life.” Iver’s dark-blue eyes glinted then.

“But when I return home, with ye by my side, that will change.”

“I’m sure yer brothers don’t mind helping out.”

He pulled a face.

“Perhaps not, yet I worry they will eventually become resentful. My brothers are too important to me.” He paused then, his gaze shadowing.

“And Lennox is already vexed.”

Bonnie tensed at the mention of Lennox.

Silence fell between them before she asked, “And what are Kerr and Brodie like?”

“They are both fair-minded men, and loyal ones too.” Iver met her eye then.

“Do ye fear that they will respond to ye in the same manner as Lennox has?”

“Aye,” she admitted softly.

He sighed. “They will be shocked … but give them all time, lass, and they will fall under yer spell.” His mouth twitched then.

“As I have.”

Her lips curved into an answering smile, her mood lightening once more.

“So soon?” she asked, her tone teasing.

“Aye, it feels as if we’ve known each other for longer than just a few days, does it not?”

Bonnie slowly nodded.

He was right, it did.

“I’m nervous this eve,” she admitted then.

“Yet I feel safe with ye. I did from the moment we first met.”

“There’s no need to feel anxious around me,” he rumbled.

“I’ll not take anything ye don’t wish to give.”

Her pulse quickened.

“But it’s our wedding night.”

“It is … but there’s no rush.”

Bonnie placed the soap on the chair once more and rinsed the suds off her fingers.

To her surprise, she found her hands were shaking.

“Ye had better take yer turn in the bath,” she said shyly.

“Before the water cools.”

Iver nodded and rose from the bed.

He then picked up one of the large drying cloths and shook it out, holding it up like a curtain before him as he approached the tub.

He then averted his gaze.

“Come on, lass … I’m not looking.”

Bonnie gripped the sides of the tub and pulled herself up.

Stepping out onto the sheepskin rug before the fire, she took the cloth from him and wrapped herself in it.

Flashing him another shy smile, she then padded barefoot over to the bed.

“It’s all yers.”

She settled down on the edge of the bed, deliberately keeping her back turned.

Behind her, she heard the rustle of fabric as Iver undressed, followed by splashing as he climbed into the tub and lowered himself down.

And when he let out a contented sigh, Bonnie smiled.

“It’s blissful, isn’t it?”

“Aye,” he murmured.

More splashing ensued, and when Bonnie imagined him running the soap over his wet, naked body, heat flushed over her.

Biting down on her bottom lip, she reached for another drying cloth and began toweling off her hair.

The moments stretched out, and the splashing eventually ceased.

Bonnie couldn’t help it; she glanced over her shoulder at Iver—and her heart jolted against her ribs when she found him watching her, his gaze hooded.

He was much taller and broader than Bonnie, and so the water didn’t cover him as well as it had her.

His muscular arms were braced on the sides of the tub, and his knees protruded from the water.

The firelight gleamed on his wet skin and broad chest.

Bonnie noted the silvery scars that traced his chest and arms—marks of a warrior.

His hair was wet and slicked back from his face, highlighting his proud bone-structure: an aquiline nose, strong jaw, and high cheekbones.

Their stare drew out before Bonnie eventually cleared her throat.

“I hope the water is warm enough for ye.”

“It is.” His gaze glinted then.

“Ye’ll be pleased to hear I have a tub in my bedchamber in my broch … and when we return home, ye can bathe in it as often as ye wish.”

The warmth in his voice made heat curl in Bonnie’s lower belly.

“I look forward to that,” she replied.

It was difficult to hold his eye and not let her greedy gaze trail over the glistening expanse of naked male just a few feet from her.

Did he have any idea what a sight he was?

Aye, she was still nervous, yet the urge to move over to the bathtub, to reach out and trace the lines of his chest with her fingertips, to tangle her hands in his wet hair, was almost overwhelming.

Throttling the impulse, she glanced away.

A brief pause followed before she shifted her attention back to him once more.

“Are any of yer brothers married?”

Iver shook his head.

“Not yet.” His mouth curved.

“Maybe I have broken the curse upon us.”

“So, there are no other women besides servants residing within yer broch?”

“No … there’s my mother.”

Something about the way he said that made Bonnie tense.

“Will she need to be won over too?”

“I fear so.”

Bonnie stiffened at this admission.

The men in Iver’s family would need to get used to the fact their laird had wed a woman far beneath his rank—yet Bonnie instinctively knew his brothers wouldn’t be her biggest challenge.

She knew first-hand how vicious women could be.

And there was nothing certain women hated more than seeing another forget her place.

“Ye don’t believe she’ll welcome me then?”

Iver sighed.

“Not initially, no.” He leaned back against the rim of the bathtub, his gaze lifting to the rafters above.

“My mother is … a force of nature. She’s a good woman, and tougher than any man I’ve ever met, yet certain events have embittered her. She and my father had a difficult marriage. They fought like pit dogs while I was growing up … and when Da found solace in the cook’s bed, their relationship worsened further still.” His features tensed then.

“Of course, when the lass bore Da a son, Ma was incensed. She wanted the woman and her bairn banished from the broch, but Da refused. And to her ire, he raised Brodie as his son.”

Bonnie’s gaze widened.

“Yer youngest brother is …” Her voice trailed off then.

She didn’t want to say ‘a bastard’, for she’d had the name flung at her often enough over the years.

Iver’s gaze dropped to her face, his expression serious now.

“My half-brother , aye … although I’ve never seen him as such. He’s kin, and that’s all that matters.”

“And yer mother accepts him?”

Iver pulled a face.

“Barely.” He sighed then.

“Brodie’s Ma died … around six months before my father’s hunting accident. He took her death badly too, which made my mother even angrier.”

“And yet she didn’t cast yer brother out?”

“She couldn’t. The decision was mine, not hers. I’d never banish him … just as I wouldn’t Lennox or Kerr.” He paused then.

“When we arrive at Dun Ugadale, I shall ensure that my mother takes ye through yer new role with patience and goodwill.” He smiled then, his eyes crinkling at the corners.

“Thanks to ye, I no longer want to shut myself away. Instead, I wish to be involved in all aspects of daily life in my broch and on my lands.”

Their gazes fused, and the warmth that had flickered to life in the pit of Bonnie’s belly during their conversation spread over her abdomen.

They still had so much to learn about each other, and yet every time they’d spoken over the past couple of days, she found herself increasingly drawn to him.

Iver was proud. He had a warrior’s arrogance, but he also possessed a sensitivity he tried hard to mask from the world—a vulnerability that meant he carried emotional wounds longer than did him any good.

And there was strength and decency in him.

He was a man who appeared to care deeply about his kin.

I could love him.

Her initial instinct about this man had been right.

Bonnie hadn’t had much good fortune during her life, but she was lucky indeed that her path had crossed with Iver’s.

Silence fell between them once more, although Bonnie was the one to finally break it.

“I appreciate what ye said earlier,” she murmured.

“About ye being willing to wait.” She flashed him a half-smile, even as her heart started to race.

“But … I just wanted ye to know that I am ready. I wish to lie with ye, Iver … tonight.”