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Now Beth had landed in the swift strea else swirled past him, but like an anchor, Beth stayed

He needed her to stay forever

Ian bent and hauled her to her feet Her body was slippery, sliding in a fine way against his

"You’re still cold," she said

"You’ll warm me"

He snatched another towel from the pile and wrapped it around her before she could start shivering again The heat of her body was better than a fire, better than all the hot water in the world

Ian lifted her, stepped carefully from the bath, and carried her to the narrow bed near the stove The maid had and inserted hot bricks wrapped in cloth under the worn but clean linens

Ian laid Beth on the warmed bed She looked up at him, not in the least worried as Ian dropped his towel and stretched out beside her He pulled the covers over the them in warmth The heat of the bricks and Beth’s body per away the cold

Beth wrapped her arms around Ian as he turned onto his side to face her "What naughtiness are you going to teach aht"

"Oh" She sounded disappointed

Ian smoothed her wet hair back from her face and leaned so he was half on, half off her Her breath touched his rant and sweet

"Promise me," he said

"Proave him an arch look "That all depends on what you start"

Beth still thought he was playing Don’t let me hurt you

"Pro

Ian smoothed her eyes closed, brushed kisses down her nose and across her lips Herout to catch his, but he moved out of reach "I want you," she whispered A blush spread across her face "But it’s been a very long ris and sank his fingers into hot moisture "You will"

"How do you know?"

She pretended to have soa bed with a sedate husband and intense coupling with a lover were two different things One was duty, the otherwildness Perhaps her husband had made duty enjoyable, but what Ian wanted was not a dutiful wife lying on her back for her husband

He wanted to show Beth every nuance of pleasure, froh He wanted the to the bed afterward, bruised and spent, both of the with her, and he didn’t want it taainst her asped, and her hips rocked up Ian stroked two fingers into her, then swirled them around her sleek tuft of hair She was hot, wet, ready

He’d been ready for weeks He slid his knee between hers and let his tip part her opening