Her breath faltered. She had not meant for it to happen. She had not meant for anything between them to become what it was now, something deeper, something harder to deny and something she could no longer pretend was temporary.
Her fingers stilled in the water.
Because that was the truth of it. That… whateverthatwas between them, it was not fleeting. And that was precisely why she had to leave.
She forced herself to open her eyes, staring at the faint distortion of her reflection in the water.
“Ye ken what must be done,” she whispered softly, though there was no one there to hear it.
She did. She had known it from the moment she woke beside him, from the moment she saw the bandage on his arm and understood, fully, what her presence here meant.
The thought had barely settled, when the door opened without a knock. Elaina startled sharply, the sudden sound breaking through the fragile stillness she had been holding onto. Her hands flew instinctively to herself, drawing inward and shielding what little modesty the water allowed as she turned toward the door.
“Duncan!”
Her voice came out sharper than she intended, but that was because her pulse was quickening for an entirely different reason now.
He was standing just inside the room, as though he had not expected her to be there in such a state, though something in his expression suggested that was not entirely true.
“Elaina…” he began, then stopped, dragging a breath through himself as though trying to regain control.
“Ye… ye…” she gasped, fighting the rise of warmth in her cheeks. “This is,” she gestured vaguely, unable to finish the thought, “entirely improper!”
“I ken,” he said at once, and his words disarmed her.
There was no argument in them, no attempt to excuse it. There was only acknowledgment of what he had done.
Yet, he did not leave. That, more than anything, made her heart stutter, while she was still acutely aware of the fact that she was naked. Fortunately, her body was mostly hidden inside the deep, copper bathtub, but her embarrassment could not be hidden. Nor could her curiosity regarding his utterly unexpected and improper visit.
For a moment, neither of them moved. The very air between them felt charged.
Duncan took a step forward. Then, stopped himself, which was a rare break in the composure she had come to know so well.
“I ken I shouldnae be here,” he said, but his voice did not carry any conviction.
Elaina swallowed, her fingers tightening slightly against the edge of the bath.
“Then… why are ye?” she asked more softly.
The question lingered. He met her gaze. And this time, he did not look away.
“Because I cannae stop thinking about ye.”
The words fell between them, like thunder on a bright, sunny day. They made Elaina’s breath catch.
“I tried,” he continued, and his voice was somehow steadier in its honesty than anything he had said before. A faint, humorless breath left him. “But all I could think about was ye.”
His words found that most vulnerable place inside of her, and they nestled there. She watched him as he stepped closer, with her trembling fingers pressing against her beating heart. He did not near her enough to close the distance entirely, but enough that the space between them felt thinner and more fragile.
“I ken this isnae right,” he said. “I ken what is expected of me, what I should do.” His gaze held hers, unwavering. “But I also ken this…”
He paused, as if endeavoring to listen to the frantic beating of her heart, which seemed to hasten its rhythm with every spoken word.
“I need ye,” she heard him say.
They were not the grandest words she had heard, they were not polished. But they carried the deepest truth she had known, one she could not ignore.
“And I’ve decided…” he added slowly, as though the admission itself was something he had only just allowed, “that whatever time I have with ye, however long it may be…” Another small pause. “I will nae waste it.”
