He turned. She stood in the doorway wrapped in a robe of pale wool, her hair brushed back, her face calm save for the faint flush that lingered high on her cheek. Whatever had passed a moment ago was locked behind her poise.
“What are ye daein here?” she asked, her tone quieter now, though he could still hear a faint tremble in her voice.
“Yer braither sent this. I thought it urgent.”
He lifted the letter towards her and the parchment slipped from his fingers as she took it. Silence followed, broken only by the faint lapping of water in the tub. He saw her eyes scanning the words, the same ones that had burned through him only moments ago.
When she finally spoke, her voice was quiet but steady. “I’ll respond tae mw braither.”
Aidan’s jaw clenched. “And what will ye say?”
“That is between me and him.”
Her hair was still loose, heavy and damp, spilling over her shoulders. A single droplet slid down the curve of her neck and vanished beneath the collar.
His pulse lurched. He shouldn’t have looked, but the image from before lingered behind his eyes, sharper now for the memory of what lay beneath the robe. Pale skin, the line of her shoulder, the faint rise and fall of breath. The kind of vision that could undo a man if he let it.
He tore his gaze away, every thought in him turning to ash. She was Tòrr’s sister. And yet all he could think of was the way the morning light had touched her skin as though it belonged there.
“This concerns me as well,” he said, the words coming harsher than he meant.
Her head lifted sharply. “Daes it?”
“It daes if ye’re thinkin’ o’ marryin’ a man who nearly cost us our lives.”
She turned to him fully now, eyes bright with defiance. “And what business is that o’ yers, me laird?”
He faced her then, because he couldn’t stand not looking at her. “Ye ken well what business. Tòrr asked me tae speak wi’ ye. I gave me word I would.”
“And ye always dae what ye’re told?”
Aidan took a slow breath, fighting the heat rising in him. “When it comes tae protectin’ those under me roof, aye.”
Her arms folded over her chest, the movement drawing his attention before he could stop it. He tore his gaze away, forcing his eyes to the floor. “Damn it,” he muttered, half to himself.
Catherine’s voice was soft, but sharp as glass. “What is it tae ye what I dae?”
He met her eyes “Ye’re under me protection.”
“Because I’m yer best friend’s sister,” she said, her tone cutting. Aidan’s hands curled into fists. He took a step toward her. The space between them shrank until the scent of her filled his lungs. Her lips parted slightly, though she didn’t back away. He didn’t answer, because she was right to ask—he was standing there, watching her, when every piece of sense in him told him to turn and walk out.
Her eyes searched his face, as though trying to read the thoughts he refused to voice. “So that’s what I am tae ye then? An obligation. Yer friend’s sister. A duty ye have tae fulfill.”
“Dinnae say that.”
“Why nae? Is it untrue?”
Aidan’s control finally slipped. He turned fully, closing the distance between them in two strides. “Because ye’ve nae idea what ye’re sayin’,” he said, his voice low and rough, threaded with something darker than anger.
“Then tell me,” She challenged, breath catching.
He stared down at her, the heat between them thick enough to taste. Steam coiled through the air, wrapping around them like a living thing. He could see everything: the quick rise and fall of her chest, her pulse beating hard at the hollow of her throat, a rhythm that pulled at something primal inside him.
“Ye’ve nay idea what ye’re daein’,” he said again, softer this time, though the warning had no strength left in it. He shut his eyes, drew a ragged breath, and forced himself to step back. The movement hurt. His body rebelled against it. The pulse in his throat pounded like war.
“I shouldnae have come here.” He reached for the handle, his voice rough. “And I’m sorry fer barging in. Fer seein’ ye like this.”
She exhaled, something unreadable passing through her eyes. “I suppose that means we’re even now, then. Since I saw ye the other night.”
