He leapt to his feet and padded to the stool next to the blazing fire where her towel awaited. Aila laughed. “Nay, no’ quite yet. This is the first full bath I’ve had in over a week. I mean to enjoy every second of it until the water is too cold to bear.”
Full bath was a bit of an exaggeration. The metal slipper tub had a nice high, curved edge on one end for her to recline against, but it wasn’t large enough for her to stretch out. Nor had it been filled as much as she’d like. As a result, her knees rose high above the lukewarm water if she slid down far enough to cover her breasts. Nevertheless, after days of making do with a basin of water, a bath was a bath.
The days themselves, beyond the worry and frequent frustrations, had been lovely. Niall’s illness had been nominal in comparison to Effie’s. With rain enough to stall work on the new castle, Finn, and Ian as well, had spent the last couple of days in the nursery. They’d talked about everything under the sun. Travel, books, theater. Their company was far more pleasant than those first nights in solitude.
Better than most nights she could remember for the longest time. No mindless hours lost to social media or the telly. No nightclubs or rowdy parties. Their conversation was more engaging. Far more intellectually invigorating. The isolation from constant stimulus made her more introspective and appreciative of her surroundings.
Her time here had also taken on a somewhat worrisome aspect as the spectrum of her affection for Finn expanded beyond simple physical attraction. An intimacy blossomed between them that had nothing to do with sex.
The previous night, she’d been sitting on the floor in front of the fire, leaning back against a hassock while she read aloud to him. He’d come to sit next to her, invited the simple pleasure of a solid shoulder to lean against. That sense of connection was more profound than the deepest kiss.
It spawned the awareness of just how long she’d been deprived of bodily contact. Why, in the months prior to her break-up with Kyle, they hadn’t even hugged. Years of therapy weren’t as cathartic as a warm embrace.
Soon, it would all be over.
The children were recovering. The supposed mystery of the Boyce treasure solved. As soon as she was able to return the necklace, there would be no more reason to stay. Unfortunately — it was unfortunate, right? — her walks to the mill these past several days hadn’t accomplished the deed. The mill had been locked up tight, no light or Boyce visible through the windows. Aila learned today that he had a cottage on the western edge of the village and she meant to check in on him the next day.
For now, she was content to shed the chill and mud carried in from her walk and cuddle with her dog for a while before bed. She’d never had a dog before. Never known what she was missing. Gah, it would be difficult to return Rab to Donell.
There was so much that would be difficult to give up once she went home. A pang of sorrow clenched her chest and she rubbed it away with the soapy sponge. There would be time to think about that later.
Plenty of other things were more pleasant to consider.
“I’m talking about the bath. Nothing more,” she admonished Rab aloud. As if that made any sense.
Aila scrubbed the sponge down her arms, up her neck and back down. One leg then the other. She would have given anything for a razor to stave off the hairy beast she’d become. Her level of feminism had never extended to goingau naturalin that regard. She could try to wield Finn’s straight razor….
Aila chuckled at the thought. Aye, if she didn’t mind the risk of slicing off a good bloodletting in her attempt. At least she’d moved beyond prickly stubble.
She rather liked the scruff along Finn’s jaw. Five days without shaving had only served to make him even sexier. Or was it five nights without him that had done that? Five nights of longing for his touch, for the magic of his tongue. The rough slide of his chest against hers. Her thighs wrapped around his hips as he thrust into her….
With a ragged sigh, she closed her eyes and leaned back against the tub. These were the most pleasant thoughts of them all. Often beyond pleasurable. Some were hot, carnal fantasies waiting to be played out in real life. As always, the merest thought was almost as arousing as the real thing. Running her hands up her thighs to her knees, she skimmed them back down toward the pulsing juncture between them. Imagined them as Finn’s hands, caressing. Teasing. Seeking….
Her sigh turned to a groan, her hands slipped up until she clasped first her elbows then shoulders in regret. She could fantasize as much as she liked, probably chug herself until dawn, and not provide herself an ounce of the satisfaction Finn could in a single touch. Nothing could match how he made her feel.
And she was incredibly afraid nothing ever would again.
What a daunting thought.
Without opening her eyes, Aila stretched an arm out toward Rab. “I’ll take that towel now.”
The cloth touched her hand. “Are ye certain yer finished?”
Her eyes popped open to see Finn standing next to the tub with a towel in his hands. His face taut, lips compressed. It wasn’t anger that darkened his hazel eyes until they were practically black. His chest lifted with a labored breath.
“I thought ye were about to…”
His scorching gaze dipped southward far enough for her to understand his meaning. To her surprise, a blush warmed her neck and crept up to her cheeks. In her defense, she’d never had a man watch her pleasure herself before. “I considered it.”
The flush became a flame. She’d never confessed as much before either. God knew Kyle hadn’t a clue how she entertained herself during the long weeks of his frequent absences. Or that those moments were more satisfying than he was.
Finn’s Adam’s apple bobbed with the effort to swallow. “Why did ye stop?”
“Because I ken I cannae deliver what ye can.”
Gah, this wasn’t the moment for her rusty filters to fail due to nonuse! If she didn’t bite her tongue now, who knew what else might escape her lips. It was the truth, nevertheless. There was nothing to compare with Finn.
His head cocked to one side before a wicked grin jerked at the corner of his lips. “I confess there’s a part of me that would love to see ye try. I’ve never watched a woman —” He swallowed again and when he continued, his brogue was thick with desire. He fell to his knees next to the tub and caught her outstretched hand. “’Tis perhaps the most erotic sight I’ve ever seen in all my days.”
