Connor reached out, as if to take her hands in his. But he glanced down at his bandaged hands, realizing he couldn’t. He lowered them.
‘Is that the curse they speak of?’
She shrugged. ‘I know not if I am cursed. Some days it feels as though I am.’ She wiped her tears away, using the corner of her shawl. ‘My father wants me to marry again. Perhaps the gossip about the curse will disappear if I do.’
‘Whom would you wed?’
She shook her head. ‘Few men would have me, save Riordan.’
‘I don’t see why that would be so. You’ve a pretty face and you’d make a man a good wife.’
Her face reddened at the mention of her face. ‘Don’t tease me. I know I am not comely.’
‘Yes, you are,’ he said. Drawing closer, she could smell the musky scent of forest and man. His eyes turned smoky. ‘And aside from your cooking, any man would be lucky to bring you into his home.’
‘My cooking?’
‘Completely inedible. One would think that a woman with your herbal skills would know what to do with meat.’
‘There is nothing wrong with my cooking!’ She couldn’t believe he would insult her so. ‘You were not well enough to eat anything, save pottage.’
‘The mutton you cooked for my brothers was not bad, that I will grant you. But the fish soup was enough to make me want to crawl into a grave.’
She swatted him with the drying cloth. ‘You are a wicked man, Connor MacEgan.’
‘Prove yourself to me, then. Cook a sumptuous feast.’
Her lips curved. ‘I might.’
Aileen noticed that Connor ate every morsel of thecraibechan, though he teased her by pretending to choke. She had to feed him the mixture, but he’d refused the spoon.
‘Why?’ she demanded. ‘Do you wish to eat like a barbarian?’
‘I learned my lesson the last time,’ he said softly. ‘You burned my mouth when you fed me with a spoon. If you use your hands, then you can’t burn me, can you?’
Her cheeks flushed. She’d been angry the last time, while they dined with his brothers. ‘I won’t burn you.’
‘Use your hands,’ he directed again.
‘So be it. But I warn you, it will be messy.’
‘You can bathe me afterwards.’
A flush of desire sparked at his words. She fed him a small bit of the meat and carrots. The touch of his lips against her fingertips sent a shiver through her.
The predatory shadow of a beard lined his cheeks, and his mouth was firm and sensual. She tried to eat as well, but her appetite had gone. With each morsel of food she gave him, her traitorous body reacted.
By the gods, this man tempted her. She wanted to lean forward, to kiss him the way he’d claimed her mouth years ago. Never had she forgotten the way he’d made her feel, the way her body surrendered beneath his as he’d filled her.
When she fed him the last bite, she jumped to her feet, furious with her own lack of control. She cleaned up the dishes, and reached for her broom to sweep the hearth. Though the floor was already clean, she swept it to clear her mind free of him.
‘Aileen?’ The rough edge to his voice pulled her sensibilities into pieces. ‘I would like that bath now.’
‘Of course.’ She hung the heavy cauldron above the fire and went outside to fetch water. The cool breeze eased her flaming cheeks while the sky held clouds of moisture. It would rain this night. She took deep breaths, calming the storm of anticipation. Connor did not want her. He stayed only for her healing skills. To think that he might desire her was naught but foolish longings better suited to a young maiden.
She carried two wooden buckets to the stream, wishing she could plunge into the icy water to calm her feelings, so long had it been since she’d lain with a man. Time had not lessened her desire for Connor. Now that he was here, it only grew stronger.
She made several trips to fill the cauldron, then stoked the flames to bring the water to a boil.
