Ross quickly set the flask down and pulled Cassie into his arms, kissing the top of her head. His anger had evaporated on the spot. He only hoped she would not realise that he was laughing.
But she had. 'You rogue,' she wheezed as soon as she had a little control of her voice again. 'You're laughing at me.'
'Well, you did rather remind me of a frog.'
'Oh? I'm happy to admit that I am wet and cold, as frogs are, but I didn't think I was green.'
He laughed again, but this time she was laughing with him. 'You may indeed turn green if you stay as wet as you are. Seriously, you must get warm. I dare not build a fire, just in case. So we shall have to make the best of what we have. Lie down here with me. My coat can cover us. It's heavier than your cloak and perhaps not so wet on the inside.'
She did as he bade her, apparently without a qualm. Most other ladies would have had a fit of the vapours at the thought. But most other ladies would not have been alone with a man in the first place.
He pulled her body close against the length of his own, trying to warm every inch of her. He tucked the coat around her as best he could. His boots were sticking out, but her poor injured feet were, mercifully, covered.
'Are you feeling any warmer now?'
'Yes. Much,' she whispered. 'I can certainly feel the effects of the brandy.'
'Good.' He held her even closer. 'Try to go to sleep if you can.' He tucked her head under his chin. Her hair had come down around her shoulders in a mass of damp, tangled curls. Exactly like the first time he had ever seen her. A sodden gown and a mass of tangled hair.
She moaned a little.
'Cassie?'
'It is nothing. Truly.'
This time her body was betraying her, for she had started to shake uncontrollably. The noise of her chattering teeth was incredibly loud in the dark silence.
'This is no good. We must get you out of those wet clothes. There's no other way.' Ignoring her stammering protest, he threw off the greatcoat and pulled her up so that he could start undoing her gown.
'Sir, you cannot—' she managed between shivers.
'This is no time for propriety, Cassie. If we don't get you dry, you'll never recover from this.' He was running his hands down the back of her gown as he spoke. 'Dammit. Where are the fastenings on this confounded garment?'
'I can do it.' She started to fumble, somewhere at the front, under her breasts.
Cassie managed to make her trembling fingers obey her for long enough to undo her gown and petticoats, though she could not prevent Ross from helping her out of them. She tried not to think about what she was doing. If she did not get dry and warm, she was going to be very ill. And then she would never reach her godfather's. Compared with that, what was a little impropriety?
'Now your stays, Cassie.'
Cassie gulped between shivers. 'You will have t...to help me. The laces. At the back.'
She felt his fingers struggling with the damp laces. And failing to undo the knots. 'I can k.. .keep them on,' she said faintly.
'No. They are just as wet as your gown.'
She felt his fingers on her back and then her stays gave way. Heavens, he had used that knife to slit them!
'You will have to arrive at Sir Angus's without stays, I'm afraid. But it's better than not arriving at all.' He rose. 'Stay there. I'll try to hang up your things, or spread them out at least.'
Cassie picked up the greatcoat and huddled into it.
In a moment, he was back. 'Now your shift, Cassie.'
'Wha—? No. No, I cannot.'
He reached across and took a handful of the material. 'It's thin enough. It will dry if we spread it out. But if you keep it on it will help you to freeze.'
For a moment, Cassie thought he was going to pull it from her body. But he did nothing. He simply waited. Then, 'Be sensible, Cassie. It is for the best. You know that.'
He did not need to force her. He knew exactly how to make her comply. With a slight shrug, Cassie wriggled the shift from under her bottom and took it off. At least he could not see her naked body in the dark.
'Thank you.' He took it from her and moved to spread it out. 'Now, lie down on the hay and we'll try to get you warm.'
Cassie waited for him to spread the greatcoat over her. He did not. Instead she heard some sounds she could not place, and then he was lying beside her once more, pulling her against his big body and covering them both. She gasped. 'Sir, you—'
'My clothes were as wet as yours, Cassie. They had to go, too.'
'But—'
'Sleep now. We have a fair way to go, as soon as it is light.' He sounded very firm, almost matter of fact. Which was very strange, coming from a man who was naked from the waist up.
Ross lay still for a long time, holding Cassie until the shaking stopped. She was certainly much warmer now. At length, she drifted into sleep and he dared to let out the breath he seemed to have been holding for hours.
It was not easy to hold a naked girl in his arms, trying to prevent his body from reacting to the temptation she offered. And Cassie Elliott—even wet and shivering—was a luscious armful. He had told himself that he could not remove his damp breeches because he did not dare to remove his sodden boots. That was true. As far as it went. But it was only half of the story. He could admit now that he was afraid to lie naked with Cassie in his arms.
He tried to divert his thoughts, to plan what they should do when dawn came. He would have to find some way of binding up Cassie's feet. Bits of her stays, perhaps, tied up with string? No, absurd. But he might be able to hack off part of the tails of his greatcoat and use those. The cloth was fairly thick. It might fit the bill, for a while. If only he knew how much further they had to go. And whether they dared to seek help.
Cassie moaned softly against his chest, but did not wake.
That settled it. It would be inhuman to ask her to walk. He would have to seek help, no matter what the risk. He still had money enough, a purse of guineas and some slightly damp banknotes. If he could find someone in this godforsaken landscape, he would offer them a king's ransom for a horse, or a cart.
'Ross?' Her voice sounded drowsy. And tempting.
'You're safe, Cassie. Go back to sleep. It's still dark.'
'Mmm.' She snuggled up against him, rubbing her cheek against his bare skin.
He managed to suppress a groan. But his body was reacting, no matter how much he willed it to behave.
'Mmm. It feels so warm, so safe.' She turned slightly in his arms. 'Ouch!' She sat up. If she had been half-asleep before, she must be wide awake now.
'What is it, Cassie?'
'Something bit me. I think.'
It was still too dark to see so Ross ran his hands over their makeshift bed. He pulled out a piece of sharp straw and touched it to her hand. 'Not a bite, I think, just a piece of straw. But if you wait here a moment, I will fetch your shift. It should be dry enough now and it will protect your skin.'
Cassie sat hugging her knees while she waited. She felt so much better now, having slept a little. Her feet still hurt, but she was determined to ignore that. Besides, she had been enjoying the extraordinary sensation of being naked in the arms of the man she loved.
She gasped aloud.
'Cassie, what is it?'
'N.. .nothing.' She swallowed hard. She was burning all over. Did she really love him? How had that come about? She barely knew him. These tangled thoughts continued to tumble around in her brain while he sat down beside her and helped her into her shift.
'You will feel better now that you are at least partly clad,' he said with a smile in his voice.
'Thank you,' she murmured automatically. But something inside her wanted to shout No! No, I want to be as we were. Breast to breast and skin to skin. Good God, she was clearly a total wanton. She shivered a little at the thought.
'Cassie, you are getting cold. Come back under the greatcoat. Let me warm you.'
How could she let him hold her now, now that she knew? She slid back
into his arms, nonetheless. It would be foolish to do anything else in the chill of the night. He drew her close and tucked her head against his shoulder. His scent was all around her, caressing her skin like a silken wrap. She could feel the rasp of his stubble against her temple. Deliberately, she moved to feel it more. It was proof positive that he was here, and that he was real. It might be all she would have, for if James caught them, he was bound to kill them both. Cassie was sure of that. She wriggled a little, trying to bring Ross even closer.
He groaned. 'Cassie, please.' His voice sounded deeper than normal, and hoarse. 'Please try to keep still.'
'Oh. I beg your pardon. Am I stopping you from going to sleep?'
He groaned again. 'I.. .er... Cassie, it is.. .not easy for a man to sleep with a woman in his arms, especially one like you.'
What did he mean? 'I don't understand. Am I hurting you?'
'Oh, Cassie.' He laughed softly. 'I had forgotten what an innocent you are, in spite of your soldier's courage. My dear, when a man has a beautiful woman in his arms, it can be...er...a struggle to control his body. Forgive me,' he added quickly. 'I do not mean to embarrass you.'
Cassie might have been embarrassed if it had been light, but here, in the dark, tucked up close beside him, she felt as if they were in a fairytale castle, with high walls all around, protecting them from the horrors of the world outside. Jamie was out there somewhere, prowling with his pistols. But as long as the dark lasted to protect them, he could not come near. She pressed a tiny kiss on the skin at the base of Ross's throat.
She did not want the dawn to come.
'Cassie, please... It is difficult enough already. If you do that, I may not be answerable for my actions.'
She smiled against his skin. And kissed him again. Touching him was magic, too.
'Cassie, you don't know what you are doing. Please stop.' She lifted her head and began to feather tiny kisses down the length of his jaw.
'No!' He threw back the greatcoat and started to sit up, but Cassie would not let him go.
'Don't leave me, Ross. Please. Stay with me.'
'I cannot.' His voice was harsh, and strained. 'If we continue to lie together here, we will end up making love. We must not do that. My duty is to escort you to safety. I cannot dishonour you. It is best if you stay here, under the greatcoat. I will put on my other clothes and walk about. That way we will both be warm. And away from temptation.'
Cassie hesitated for only a second. She could not allow Ross to leave her enchanted castle. The moment he did, Jamie might shoot him down. They had only this one night. And, accepting now that she did love Ross, Cassie was burning for him. She knew well enough what happened between a man and a woman—she was a country girl—and she knew, too, that Ross Graham was the only man she could ever love. She would have none of his notions of duty and honour.
She sat up behind him and wrapped her arms around his waist, pressing her breasts against his naked back. She cursed the thin shift. She wanted no more barriers between them.
'Cassie! Stop! You don't know what you are doing, what you are risking!'
She leant her cheek against his back. She could feel the tension in his muscles. 'I do know, Ross,' she said softly, but very firmly. 'I know exactly. I know that, tomorrow, my brother may shoot me, or both of us. I know that tonight I want to be in the arms of the man I love.'
She heard his sharp intake of breath. His body froze, every single muscle now rigid. She rubbed her cheek gently against his back. 'Do you not believe me? It is true. I understand it now, though I did not before. I want us to be together, Ross. Now.'
He moaned slightly.
To Cassie, it sounded like a rejection. She tried to swallow the sob that rose in her throat. 'I...I had not thought you would not want me. I am sorry, I—'
'Oh, Cassie.' He turned round in her arms and pulled her close. 'You goose. Of course I want you. Desperately. You are proud and brave and beautiful. And I desire you with every fibre of my being. But I cannot.'
Cassie smiled then. She put a hand to his cheek, gentling him. 'There is no dishonour. I love you, Ross Graham. And I give myself willingly. I need you to make love to me.' She drew his head down and kissed him, trying to show him the depth of her passion and to ignite his own.
He moaned again, but this time it was a response. 'You are a witch, Cassie Elliott,' he breathed. It seemed that he, too, had realised that there was magic in this place.
He kissed her until her mind was reeling and her body was screaming for more of his touch. Her breasts had begun to ache. The thin stuff of her shift rasped across her erect nipples like rough-hewn wood on finest lawn. She knew she could not bear it a moment longer. 'I must take this off,' she gasped, breaking their kiss for a second. She ripped the shift over her head and would have cast it aside, but he took it from her hand.
'Sit up a moment, Cassie,' he said. 'There are better uses for this.' He smoothed the shift across their bed of hay and laid her down on it. The shift felt transformed against her skin—from coarsest sackcloth to sheerest silk.
Cassie reached up to pull him down to her. He was fumbling with his breeches. 'They are damp,' she said chidingly. 'You should have removed them before.'
He gave a strangled laugh. 'If I had done so, I would have made love to you hours ago. And if I do so now... Oh, Cassie, it will be too late to change your mind. Are you really sure this is what you want?'
She put her hands over his. 'Yes. I am sure. I cannot see you, but I need to touch you. All of you.'
That was more than Ross could bear. With clumsy fingers, he unfastened his breeches and pushed them down. Then he pulled Cassie close. He expected her to recoil in fright at her first contact with a fully aroused man. But she did not. She moved her body slightly, so that her breasts teased the skin of his chest. It was a most glorious torture. There was no going back now.
He kissed her beautiful mouth, darting back and forth with his tongue until her lips opened to admit him. She was an apt and willing pupil, for soon she was kissing him with more passion than he had ever known from a lover. He put his hands to her breasts, teasing both nipples until they stood in hard peaks between finger and thumb. Tempting. Too tempting to miss.
He moved to take one of her breasts in his mouth and began to suck. Hard. Cassie moaned with pleasure. He smiled against her delicate skin and began to suck even harder, at the same time allowing his hand to drift down her belly to the junction of her thighs. When he cupped her, she did not resist. She opened to him like a flower to the sunshine. Oh, she was beautiful. And so very desirable.
Her hands were on his back now, moving up and down, her nails digging into his flesh with every pull of his mouth on her breast. He moved his fingers into her moist warmth and caressed her. This time the groan came from the depths of her belly and her nails dug deep into his back.
He returned to her mouth and began to kiss her more passionately yet, his tongue keeping pace with the movement of his fingers at the core of her. She had begun to move against his hand, in rhythm with his touch. She was more than ready.
Without lifting his mouth from hers, he moved to cover her fully and made ready to take her. He hesitated. It took all his self-control, but he waited.
She would have none of it. She smoothed her fingers down his back and put her hands on his naked buttocks. Then she pushed, at the same time rising up to meet his thrust.
Her cry was instant, swallowed in his kiss.
He froze. He had hurt her. He must stop.
In that single moment, her body had gone rigid, but now it softened again and she began to kiss him back. Her hands started to stroke the skin of his bottom.
Once more, he moved within her and she responded, more strongly than before, rising to meet his every thrust. Stronger. Faster. And then she cried out his name. A second later, he too reached the moment of ecstasy and collapsed on her quivering body.
Cassie beamed into the darkness, loving the feel of his weight upon
her. Her body was humming with pleasure and sated passion. She had known—somehow—that it would be like this. And this memory of her magic castle could not be taken from her. Not while she lived.
Tentatively, she stroked his shoulder. He raised himself on his elbows. 'Forgive me. I am too heavy for you.' He rolled over on to his side, bringing her with him and holding her close. 'Thank you,' he whispered.
She beamed again. Then, realising he could not see, she tried to think of something to say in response. No words came. Feeling suddenly very shy, she said nothing at all. Instead, she touched a gentle kiss to the corner of his mouth.
'Sleep now,' he said huskily, pushing her head down on to his shoulder. 'We will speak of this later.'
Cassie woke to find that it was still dark. Ross was lying beside her, but he was awake. She could tell from his breathing. There was no other sound to be heard except the dripping of rain outside.
'Ross?'
'Mmm?' He seemed to be staring up into the darkness, his right hand tucked behind his head. His left was still under Cassie's shoulders. She doubted that he could have any feeling left in it.
'What are you thinking?'
'Oh, nothing much. About unanswered questions, I suppose. Who I am. And where I really come from. And how I come to be here. Making love to a beautiful Scottish lass.'
She put her fingers to his lips. She had guessed right. He was smiling. 'Do you really know nothing about your family?'
'Almost nothing. I was sure my father's family was here. I have searched, but... I asked Colonel Anstruther and various others about the Graham family from Dumfries, but no one could tell me anything. One strange thing did happen, however. When I visited the church at Ruthwell, a few days ago, I saw a crest on an old gravestone. It seemed somehow familiar. Unfortunately, the stone was so old and worn that no one could tell me exactly what the inscription had been. Though they were sure that the name had not been Graham. So I am no further forward in my quest. Perhaps I shall find the answer at Longtown. You did say, did you not, that the inn there was called the Graham Arms?'
'Yes. I am sorry you have found so little. It must be difficult to feel alone in the world. And rootless.'
Bride of the Solway Page 16