The Enchanted Land (42 page)

She hesitated.

“Oh, no, you don’t. If you don’t bathe, I promise I won’t rape you.”

She scurried out into the cold mountain air, throwing him a look that made him catch his breath.

At the water’s edge, she turned to him. “What about these?” She held up her tied hands.

He reached for his knife. “On second thought…” He sheathed the knife.

“Seth, they hurt.”

His eyes relented for a second. “I don’t believe you. Remember, you’re my prisoner. Most husbands would have left the gag on.”

“Seth.”

“If you don’t hurry and get your bath over, you’ll freeze. Now I’m not sure how to do this. I’d hate to ruin a good pair of boots. Aha! I have the perfect solution.”
Quickly, he removed his clothes and boots, and Morgan had only a brief glimpse of his magnificent body before he pulled on her bound wrists. “Come, slave.”

She gasped as the water touched her. “It’s too cold.”

“That’s all right, you’ll be warm soon.” He began rubbing soap on her, mixing it with some fine sand he carried in a little bag. He scoured her vigorously, all over, until she thought her skin was going to come off. He didn’t listen to her pleading. He rinsed her body, then soaped her again, gently this time. He stopped abruptly and began soaping himself.

“You aren’t going to leave me soapy, are you?”

Without a word, he pulled her to him and held her close. The soap on their bodies felt good. They rubbed together, their lips drawn to one another. Morgan’s tied hands touched his manhood, and when she felt him shudder and heard his sharp intake of breath, she tightened her grasp. Their kisses became serious.

Seth stepped away from her to his clothes, and quickly cut the rope that bound her hands. He gently laid her down on the sweet grass near the stream.

He entered her with an urgency that Morgan more than met. The long-denied passions carried them to a violent wave.

After their first frantic passions were spent, they clung to one another, their hearts pounding in unison, their panting breaths drowning out all other sounds. Morgan felt a great release from tensions she hadn’t even realized she carried.

Seth rolled from her. They lay side by side, not touching or speaking. Twilight gathered around them, and the stars were beginning to show.

“You know, when they find us here together, our bodies frozen, they’re going to wonder what the hell that white slimy stuff is all over our bodies. Let’s wash this off. And I’m starving. After I eat, I want to start all over again.”

“You mean with the blindfold and the gag?” she teased. “What was that heavy thing you threw over me? I thought it was going to break my neck.”

“Heavy thing?” He looked puzzled and then laughed. “That was a quilt!”

“It couldn’t have been just a quilt. I thought I was dying of suffocation.”

“You’re going to die of the cold if we don’t go inside.” He pulled her into the stream and they rinsed quickly. Together, they washed Morgan’s abundant hair.

Seth grabbed her hand and pulled her to the cabin. “One minute I can’t get you to take a bath, and the next I can’t get you out of the water.” When they were inside, he pulled her close. “Did I ever tell you I love you?”

“Never.”

“Not once?”

“Not a single time.”

“Good, because I don’t love you. I worship you. You’re my … wife. Yes, my wife. Morgan,” he said seriously, “do you feel anything for me?”

“Only a passing fancy.” She saw the hurt look in his eyes. “Seth, I’ve loved you from the moment I saw you at Cynthia Ferguson’s ball, and I guess I’ll always love you, no matter what.”

She watched as he walked toward the door. His naked body was bronze in the firelight. His broad back tapered to a slim waist and trim hips, all on those muscular legs that Morgan had first noticed.

“Where are you going?” she asked.

“To get my clothes, and chop some firewood. There’s food in that cabinet.”

“Food?”

“Of course. You do remember how to cook, don’t you?”

She put her chin up. “I’m a valued prisoner. I do not do menial labor.”

His eyes narrowed. “If that food isn’t started by the time I get back, there’ll be big trouble.” His eyes caressed her body lingeringly. “I have a lot of work to do tonight, and if I know my ‘business partner,’ I’ll need a lot of strength.”

He left, shutting the door behind him.

Morgan leaned against the back of the chair and inhaled deeply of the evening air.

How very far she had come in just a little time. Her old dream, a solitary life in Trahern House, no longer meant anything at all. She needed no more dreams. She had all she could ever want … a home, her son, and her Seth.

She turned toward the cabinet. It was time to prepare the first of many meals.