In Bed with a Highlander (McCabe Trilogy 1)

“I am ever obedient, husband. If you command me not to die, then I will of course not deny your wish.”

Ewan grinned and as he looked down at her she saw such relief in his eyes that her breath caught in her throat.

“ ’Tis a sin to lie, wife, but ’tis God’s truth that I don’t think He or I will mind this one untruth.”

She hmmphed. “I try to be obedient.”

“Aye, lass, I did command you not to die, and it was very accommodating of you to obey me this once. I’m so pleased that I might consider not shouting at you the next time you see fit not to obey me.”

“The both of you are daft,” Caelen grumbled.

Alaric moved closer to the bed and reached to squeeze her hand. “Welcome back to the land of the living, little sister. You gave us all quite a scare.”

She laid her other hand over her stomach. “I feel no pain. ’Tis quite odd, really, but I’m hungry.”

Ewan laughed and then leaned down and pressed his lips against her forehead for the longest time. He trembled against her skin and smoothed his hand over her hair as he slowly drew away.

“You should be near to starving, lass. You’ve been abed three days and you emptied the contents of your stomach on day one.”

“Three days?” She was appalled. Utterly appalled.

“Aye, lass, three days.” His tone grew more serious and the lines reappeared in his face. He looked … tired.

She reached up to trace the lines at his brow and then let her fingers fall to his cheek. “You look tired, husband. I’m thinking you need a bath and a shave and then a long rest.”

He cupped his hand over hers, trapping it against his cheek. Then he turned his mouth inward and kissed her palm.

“Now that you’re awake, I will indeed sleep. But don’t be thinking that just because you’ve awakened that you’ll be scurrying all over the keep. You’ll stay abed until I say you can get up and not a moment before.”

She gave him a look of disgust but held her tongue. It wouldn’t do to start an argument with him the moment she awoke. After all, she could be accommodating on occasion.

Ewan laughed. “Aye, lass, it would appear that on occasion you can be very accommodating.”

“I really must learn to control my tongue better,” she muttered. “I can’t go about blurting out my every thought. Mother Serenity said I’d rue the day I ever began such a terrible habit. I’m thinking she has the right of it.”

Ewan leaned down and kissed her again. “I’m thinking your tongue is perfect.”

Both Caelen and Alaric laughed and Mairin was scandalized. “Ewan!”

Mortification tightened her cheeks and she yanked the blankets up to cover her head. Ewan joined in their laughter while she huddled there wishing the floor would open up and take them all.

Ewan eventually shooed everyone from their chamber and then ordered food brought up to them both. He sampled every bite of food himself before he passed it along to her.

In truth, it scared her spitless. She didn’t want him to die for her and she told him so.

He didn’t look impressed with her concern. “ ’Tis my duty to watch over you, lass.”

“And a fine job you’ll do if you die in the process,” she grumbled.

After they ate, she lay back on the pillow and closed her eyes. She really was quite weak, and it was the truth that the food didn’t settle all that well in her stomach. After three days of not eating, she supposed it was only natural.

She started when she heard the door open, and a parade of serving women came into the chamber bearing pails of hot water.

“I thought you might like a hot bath,” Ewan said.

In that moment she wanted to throw herself around him and hug him until he had no breath. And she would if she didn’t find that evenoving her arms was incredibly taxing. So she lay there like a pile of useless flesh and watched with mounting excitement as steam rose from the almost-full tub.

When the last of the water was poured from the pails, Ewan bent over the bed and began to unlace the ties on her sleeping gown. She didn’t have enough energy to protest, not that it would have done her a bit of good anyway. Soon enough he had the gown off her body and he gently gathered her in his arms and carried her over to the tub.

He eased her down into the hot water, and she moaned in delight as the heat lapped over her body.

Instead of leaving her as she’d anticipated, he knelt beside the tub. He reached for the pitcher on the floor and filled it with water before pouring it down her back to wet her hair.

When his fingers dug into the strands to wash her hair, she closed her eyes at the simple pleasure of having him take care of her needs. She was weaker than she could have ever imagined she would have been after her ordeal, and she was grateful for his regard.

She moaned softly as he turned his attention to the washing of her body. He took his time, rubbing her shoulders and her arms. His hands plunged into the water and he cupped her br**sts, rubbing his thumbs over the hard tips.

He didn’t tarry overlong but continued his relentless quest to wash every inch of her body. By the time he reached her feet, she was shivering with raw pleasure. He picked up one foot and water sluiced up her leg. Then he began a meticulous massage of each part of her foot, going from bottom to top. When he reached her toes, she tried to jerk her foot away and shrieked at the tickling sensation.

He laughed but grabbed hold of her ankle so she didn’t slip away.

“I had no idea you were so ticklish, lass.”

He held her foot in both hands and ran his hands over her ankle and then, to her shock, he kissed the arch of her foot. He caressed a path up her leg, over her knee, and down to the juncture of her thighs.