He turned his attention back to Elizabeth, watching as she continued to study him, not sending her attention to Michael as he’d expected. Her eyes darkened with irritation. “You took on several men?”
Collin shrugged. “I did what needed to be done.”
Elizabeth arched a brow, then turned to Patricia. “I’ll help you get the supplies,” she said, her eyes grazing over him as if categorizing his injury. “I know what to do.” She and Patricia disappeared into the back room.
“I think I’d rather face that monster of a man again than her.” Collin turned to Michael and smirked, but the smile quickly turned to a wince as his eye stung with the movement.
Michael grinned widely enough for both of them at Collin’s comment. “Agreed.”
“Whatever happened, surely there is a story,” Patricia said as she followed Elizabeth back into the room. She carried a basin, while Elizabeth held a pitcher and some rags.
“Do you have any of my honey?” Elizabeth asked over her shoulder as she put her burden on the table.
“Honey? Yes.” Patricia darted back down the hall and returned after a moment. “Here.” She deposited the small jar beside the rags.
Elizabeth sorted through the items and glanced up at Collin, her expression brooking no argument as she addressed him. “You, sit.” She pointed to him and then a chair.
Collin stiffly walked over and sat, his body relaxing. Still, his chest tightened with tension from what he could see of Elizabeth’s face with his one eye. The other had swollen fully shut.
She dipped a rag into the basin of water and wrung it out, then leaned toward him. “So, you didn’t win the fight, I take it,” she whispered, and with a gentler touch than he expected, she started to clean the area around his eye. The scent of beeswax and lemon that he associated with her enveloped him. Having her this close was almost worth the pain.
He considered her question, and as much as he wanted to say yes, he answered honestly. “No.”
“Pity. Was it at least worth destroying your face?” she asked. He watched her lips move with each word.
“Yes.” He wanted to add further information, but given that neither Michael nor Patricia were privy to how familiar Elizabeth was with what was going on, he chose to stay silent.
She wrung out the rag and touched his chin with her other hand, tilting it to the side. She wiped along his jawline, the movement casting a spell over him. She paused with the rag beside his mouth, her gaze flicking up, meeting his. She quickly glanced away, but not before he saw her swallow forcibly, and she continued wiping away the dried blood. The pain forgotten, he was distracted by her perfectly bowed lips and the way her lashes framed her cheeks when she glanced down.
She wrung out the rag once more and set it aside, picking up a clean one. Her eyes met his again, and she wet the rag, then reached forward and pressed it directly on his eye.
He jumped with the pressure she used, expecting a gentle touch. “Good Lord, Elizabeth!”
There was no apology forthcoming; she simply pressed marginally harder. “Remember that there are natural consequences, Collin. You should have learned by now to pick your battles, and besides, this area is still bleeding. You need pressure. Afterward, I’ll apply honey. It will help guard against infection,” she answered succinctly as she removed the rag from his eye. He blinked; a blurry spot was visible through the thin slit of his puffy eye.
“I did pick my battle, and I’d pick it again.” He didn’t back down. “I’m not one of your students to correct.”
“You’re right. If I had taught you, you’d havemade better choices,” she returned. “Heavens above, Collin, you could have been killed. Do you understand this? Clearly not.” She tossed the rag on the table. “This is your skull, your cranium. If you get a bone fracture just at this weak point”—she pressed not so gently against his eye socket—“you can break a piece off that will pierce into your brain. There was a study done—”
“Hang the study, Elizabeth. I’ve been hit plenty of times—”
“All the more reason to avoid it!”
“Elizabeth?”
Patricia’s voice interrupted Collin’s attempt to rebut Elizabeth’s argument, and both he and Elizabeth froze. Understanding washed over him. His temper had removed his rational thought, and they had been having a very intimate fight, publicly. He reviewed the words exchanged, knowing the specific word that would have spoken volumes to both Patricia and Michael, but especially Michael.
Elizabeth’s name.
As he thought of her name, Elizabeth glanced to him, her expression likely a reflection of his own, then to Patricia. “Yes?”
“I… That is… Michael left.” She turned to the door.
Collin closed his eyes, this time feeling the pain was a welcome punishment, but not nearly enough. He needed to talk to Michael, and it wasa conversation that was going to be too little and too late.
“Excuse me.” Collin stood, and Elizabeth stepped back, her eyes wide.
“Should I…” Elizabeth started.
