Page 85 (1/2)

His hands touchedtouches that brought my newly thawed flesh to life I shivered, but let the quilt fall toon the side of the kettle, and the roo, in a pleasantly conversational tone, various things he would have liked to do toon froe, and Jainative in matters of either violence or sex Whether hethat I didn’t understand everything he said

I could feel the heat of the fire on ainst my back The loose fabric of his shirt brushed my skin as he leaned across to reach a bottle on the shelf, and I shivered again He noticed this, and interrupted his tirade for a moment

"Cold?"

"No"

"Good" The sharp s e hand had seizedme in place, while the other rubbed slippery oil firmly into my chest

"Stop! That tickles! Stop, I say!"

He didn’t stop I squirer than I was

"Be still," he said, inexorable fingers rubbing deep between my ticklish ribs, underbound for the spit

"You bastard!" I said when he letI reeked of pepperloith heat frohly unrepentant

"You do it tohis hands on the towel "Grease for the gander is grease for the goose, aye?"

"I have not got an ague! Not even a sniffle!"

"I expect ye will have, out all night and sleepin’ in wet clothes" He clicked his tongue disapprovingly, like a Scottish housewife

"And you’ve never done that, have you? How h?" I demanded "Good heavens, you lived in a cave for seven years!"

"And spent three of theic "Had ye not better put on your night rail, Sassenach? Ye havena got a stitch on"

"I noticed Wet clothes and being cold do not cause sickness," I infor about under the table for the fallen quilt

He raised both eyebrows

"Oh, they don’t?"

"No, they don’t" I backed out fro the quilt "I’ve told you before, it’s gerer it like a ot a fine, fat arse! Why do folk have er absurdly self-conscious, I spread the quilt, ain Before I could wrap rabbed me by the arm and pulled me toward him

"Co, he had smacked my bare backside so, and I alrabbed er sternly down his nose "I willna have ye fallin’ ill, and that’s all about it Now, hop yourself directly into your gown, and to bed with ye!"

He felt awfully good in ainst the heated glow of reased brsts, and while the wool of his kilt was hs and belly, the sensation was by no ainst hi a trifle less stern

"M it reasonably obvious that I didn’t htly I supposed that he o, the movement merely exacerbated the situation between us

"Mht Intoxicated as I was, it hadn’t escaped ht on the hearth rug, Ian on the trundle And while I was feeling so didn’t extend quite that far