A Beautiful Lie (The Camaraes) (72 page)

Lachlan used his thumb to swear away a bubble of soap that was on Muira
’
s cheek as he shook his head. 
“
Muira, you don
’
t know what your saying, lass, you
’
re still so young,
”
he said gently.  She drew a sharp, hurt gasp, but he continued regardless. 
“
You can go home.  You can be surrounded by a whole clan of people who love you again.
”

“
But- but my home
’
s here with you,
”
Muira sobbed, throwing her arms around Lachlan
’
s neck, not caring that she soaked his shirt and sent water spilling out over the edges of the bath.

“
You hate it here,
”
Lachlan breathed difficulty.

Muira pulled back, and looked at him with teary, swollen eyes. 
“
But I
’
d hate it anywhere without you,
”
she whispered shakily. 
“
You can
’
t send me away,
”
she begged, clinging to him with all her might. 
“
You
can
’
t
!
”
she wept.

Lachlan felt his whole body sag.  He couldn
’
t keep fighting this; he couldn
’
t keep pushing Muira away, not when she seemed so desperate to stay with him at Eilean Donan.  His arms locked around her body, crushing her fiercely against his chest.

“
Do you mean that?
”
he asked urgently. 
“
Do you
really
mean that you
’
ll stay here with me?
”

“
Yes!
”
Muira gasped. 
“
Of course I do!
”
she cried, as if she feared for his sanity.

“
But- after what I did to you?
”
Lachlan breathed difficulty.

“
You won
’
t do it again,
”
Muira gasped, still clinging to him, almost as though she was afraid to let him go.

“
Never,
”
Lachlan swore. 
“
Never,
”
he repeated, pressing his lips to her forehead, and breathing the promise over and over again against her skin.  He loved her.  He loved her to distraction.  He felt properly alive for the first time since that awful, fateful night.

“
Oh Lachlan,
”
Muira sighed, going slightly limp in his arms. 
“
I
’
ve been so unhappy.
”
  She was obviously exhausted, spent, from her exertions and her illness no doubt, and in light of her delicate state, for the first time, Lachlan felt his lust abate, and felt himself soothed by only the most tender, the most pure, sensations of love.

He shushed her gently. 
“
It
’
ll be all right, lass.  I
’
ll look after you,
”
Lachlan whispered softly, gently turning her around so that he could continue washing her body.  Muira very quickly relaxed under his hands, hands that were imparting comfort and not passion for once. 

After working over every inch of her, Lachlan finally lathered his wife
’
s thick auburn hair with soap, rinsing it thoroughly before declaring that he had finished.  Muira had almost fallen asleep until his gentle care.  She blinked up at him drowsily, smiled sleepily and then stepped into the towel he was holding open for her.

“
I think it
’
s time for bed for you, princess,
”
he purred, patting her dry.  Muira gave a little start, and looked up at him with an uncertain blush that made Lachlan chuckle. 
“
To sleep, that
’
s all,
”
he assured her, dotting a kiss on the end of her nose. 
“
Just so long as you let a poor old MacRae tanist sleep on a mattress tonight?
”
he teased.

Muira reddened prettily at Lachlan
’
s playful banter. 
“
Aye,
”
she said softly. 
“
I think we can allow that.
”
 

Lachlan grinned widely as he pressed another kiss against the top of Muira
’
s damp head.  The past week had been utter hell, but now he felt as though he
’
d step out of a dark tunnel into the light on the other side.  He couldn
’
t begin to describe the relief he felt.

“
To bed then lassie,
”
he yawned, trying to shoo her in that direction, but Muira seemed rather too content to linger in his arms. 

She gave a squeal of laughter when Lachlan patted her cheekily on the bottom to get her moving.  Muira darted out of his reach and poked her tongue out at her husband, before then going to find a clean nightdress while Lachlan began to strip out of his own clothes.  His shirt and kilt were both sopping wet, not that he cared in the slightly.  He couldn
’
t wipe the smile from his face.  All of Lachlan
’
s other problems suddenly seemed so much smaller now that he had Muira back.

He
’
d slipped between the covers long before Muira had finish with her toilette.  Lachlan didn
’
t think that he
’
d ever been so pleased to simply lie on a soft mattress before.  He had to be getting old.  He
’
d spent weeks at a time sleeping on the cold hard earth during battles and skirmishes with other clans, and now he couldn
’
t manage seven nights in an armchair? 

He watched Muira comb out her hair
…
he didn
’
t really think that it was the armchair, which had caused him to sleep so badly, of course.

“
You
’
re staring,
”
Muira whispered softly.  Lachlan blinked.  He hadn
’
t realised it himself, but his lips twitched and he continued quite unashamedly even now that he
’
d been caught.

“
You
’
re beautiful,
”
he murmured in reply, in explanation, causing Muira
’
s pink cheeks to flush a deeper shade of red.

“
And you
’
re terrible, Lachlan MacRae,
”
Muira scolded, but she was beaming as she finally crawled into bed beside him.  She gave a deep, satisfied sigh as he instantly reached to hold her in his arms. 
“
I missed you so much,
”
she confessed, snuggling just as close to her husband as she could possibly manage.

“
Not possibly as much as I missed you,
”
Lachlan whispered, shifting slightly so that he could kiss her cheek.  Muira gave a little indignant huff, and twist around so that she might correct him- only to find her lips were being suddenly, deliciously, smothered beneath her husband
’
s own.

It could only be a kiss.  Lachlan forced himself to keep his earlier promise.  But it could still be an exquisite, soul-stirring kiss.  He poured everything that he could into it.  He tried to convey with his lips, his tongue, his teeth, every drop of love, of adoration, that ran through his body, praying that Muira could not help but feel how completely he worshiped her.

And he was still gazing loving into his wife eyes long after they had been forced to break apart for air. 
“
Are you feeling better now?
”
he asked huskily.

“
So
much better,
”
Muira sighed dreamily, and then she reached for him, and kissed him again.

“
Muria,
”
Lachlan murmured thickly, doing his damnedest to keep his body under control. 
“
I thought you were tired?
”
he sighed against her lips, dotting kisses against their plump sweetness whenever he wasn
’
t speaking.

“
Mmm, so did I,
”
Muira whispered. 
“
Only now I
’
m not so sure,
”
she giggled, throwing one of her legs over her husband
’
s hip and twining their bodies even closer together.