Page 21 of In Bed with a Highland Brute

Eloise bit her lip to stop herself from laughing, for she had seen over the past two days just how much Fergus relied upon this word to express his happy emotions.

Wait, we are going tae dance?

“I have nae seen ye dance in years, me boy, nae since… well, never mind.” Fergus broke off. Whatever it was that he had been about to say, it made Murdoch’s expression darken and his arm tightened within Eloise’s grasp.

He didn’t wait for his father to say anymore but drew Eloise away, between the tables and toward the dancers.

“When did ye last dance?” Eloise whispered to Murdoch.

“Nay, Eloise. We are nae talking about that tonight.”

“Ye have many secrets.”

“Aye, as dae ye. We have agreed that our secrets shall stay secret though, have we nae?” he asked, lowering his lips to her ear. “I shall nae ask why ye dae this job, and ye shall nae ask why I need ye here so much.”

His words sent a tremble through her body.

He needs me…

“Let us dance, Eloise.” He stood straight and led her toward the floor again. They joined a volta barely after it had begun. Eloise curtsied, ready to dance with some caution, yet Murdoch was no delicate dancer.

When he took her waist and thrust her into the air for the traditional volta jump, it was so high she had to stop herself from yelping in surprise. He gathered her easily in his arms and swept her from side to side, before they backed up from one another, parting and joining the other dancers. Eloise completed a circle of skips with the other ladies, though she constantly looked back at Murdoch as she did so.

He looked at her too, those dark eyes never far away from her. She realized that he was not looking at her face, but at her gown. She glanced down at the deep red silk and how she was having to hitch it above her ankles, so that she could dance easily. It revealed a glimmer of her ankles and her legs. For some reason, she didn’t feel the need to lower the gown. Murdoch’s gaze did not frighten her as so many other men’s looks had done in the past.

When they returned to one another, they circled each other, his hands on her back and hers on his shoulders.

“Why have ye nae danced in so long when ye can dance like this?” she asked in wonder.

“I never said I liked tae dance, Eloise.” Despite his words, he moved with speed and alacrity. He urged her to spin under his arm then caught her with his other arm. It wrapped around her back with his hand nestled on the upper side of her waist, just under her bosom. Those fingers practically caressed the side of her, something she felt even through her corset.

He tilted her back, mirroring the other dancers’ actions, though his face came down close to hers, perhaps bending the rules of the choreography a little. His eyes flitted down to her lips and Eloise looked down at his. Such heat traveled through her body that her hand gripped his shoulders tighter.

“Ye are getting better, Murdoch.”

“At what?” he asked, his eyes still on her lips.

“Pretending nae tae find me so revolting.”

The trace of a smile appeared on his lips as he raised her again and spun her away. Once more, they returned to the other dancers. They performed their circles then came back together, with him assisting her jumps in the air. The last time, he threw her in the air, actually releasing her. Only a couple other men on the dance floor dared to perform such an audacious move. He caught her easily, though she gasped in his ear as he did so.

“I wouldnae let ye fall,” he said firmly, lowering her back down again, torturously slowly, in such a way that their hips brushed together.

“Murdoch –” Before she could say anymore, her hand was snatched by another of the dancers, and she was forced into another of those skipping circles. This time as she glanced back at Murdoch, she found him staring at her face. She could have tricked herself into believing there was a blush on his cheeks, but she supposed it was the heat from their dance, rather than any of those touches.

They returned to one another, where he repeatedly turned her under his arm and tilting her back, his face moving so close to hers that he was close enough to kiss. Her breath hitched as she waited for that feeling, remembering what it had been like the night before when they had been urged to kiss by the crowds.

She had not expected the intensity that had accompanied it, nor the grip he’d had on her hip at the time.

Is it so wrong tae want such a kiss again?

The music ended with the pipers performing their final notes and Eloise was hastily put back on her feet. She tottered for a second, uncertain of her balance, with her hands moving to Murdoch’s stomach to steady herself. It was strong beneath her touch. His hands on her waist helped to steady her too.

“For a minute, I would have said ye thought I was going tae kiss ye again,” he murmured in her ear then released her, stepping back to bow.

Eloise could not find her voice. She bowed her head as she curtsied and didn’t raise her gaze as Murdoch took her arm and led her from the floor.

“Pray, dinnae go back tae demurely avoiding me gaze again, Eloise. I cannae bear it.”