Page 55 of The Cruel Highlander's Healer
“What is this?” she asked, her voice rising with excitement as she whirled to face him.
“I meant what I said to yer maither,” he said, voice solemn and filled with sincerity. “I appreciate ye helpin’ me. I appreciate ye healin’ the bairns, and helpin’ the people in this town. And, I figured the least I could do was get ye somethin’ clean to sleep in tonight.”
Eliza’s throat bobbed. “Thank ye.”
Conall nodded. “I’m goin’ to head downstairs to get us some food. I had the barmaid bring up fresh water earlier,” he pointed to the washbasin. “It’ll be a little cool. But it’ll do the job. I’ll be back in a bit. Make yerself comfortable.”
She was at a complete loss for words, and so she said nothing as the Laird pushed himself off of the bed and strode out the door. Standing in the middle of the room, she listened as his heavy footfalls grew more and more quiet as he descended the stairs.
In the room farthest away from the ground floor, the sound from the kitchens and the eating space was faint. The space around her filled with mostly silence.
For what felt like the first time in days, Eliza was well and truly alone.
She clutched the nightgown to her chest, hands bunching in the soft fabric. Perhaps it was the exhaustion, perhaps it was the fact that she was so incredibly excited to have new clothes to change into. Either way, Eliza felt overcome by emotion.
It’s truly a lovely nightgown.
With gentle hands, she laid it down on the bed, readying it for when she was done washing. She moved slowly to the washbasin.
Exactly as Conall had said, it had been filled with clean water. She undressed, her stiff tired fingers struggling to untie her gown.
When she had loosened it entirely, it pooled down around her feet as she tugged her underthings over her head.
She stood bare before the washbasin, preparing herself as she reached into the basin and grabbed the large sponge that was sitting in the middle of the water.
Just as she’d expected, the water was cool to the touch. The shock of it rocked through her, invigorating her and waking her up anew.
She hummed lightly to herself as she wrung it out, the water splashing gently as it dripped back into the bowl. Running the sponge over her skin, Eliza groaned.
It was nothing short of luxury to be scrubbing two days' worth of dirt and sweat from her skin.
She was so lost in her meticulous, luxurious scrubbing that she didn’t hear the heavy footsteps in the hall beyond the door. She did not notice that they were getting closer. She didn’t hear the small rap of knuckles against the door.
Eliza was still humming gently when the door opened and Conall stepped into the room, finding her standing naked before the mirror.
Her eyes shot up, widening with surprise as they met his in the reflective surface. Eliza froze, not knowing what to do as he surprised her.
Conall’s body had frozen as well, but his eyes had not. Eliza watched in the mirror as his gaze darkened, sweeping over her exposed backside with a hunger she had never experienced.
“I knocked,” he said, his voice thick with barely restrained desire. “Ye dinnae answer. I thought ye had fallen asleep.”
Eliza dropped the sponge and glanced toward the bed. She didn’t dare whirl, didn’t dare expose herself fully to the man standing behind her.
Her nightgown was on the other side of the room, waiting for her on the bed. It was of no use to her now.
The sound of the door clicking closed grabbed her attention again, and Eliza’s gaze darted back to the mirror. His jaw flexed as he gritted his teeth, his movements slow and measured as he set the tray of food down on the writing desk.
Heat pooled in Eliza’s belly, desire coursing through her. She pressed her thighs together, working to control herself as Conall turned his gaze back toward her.
She hadn’t turned to face him. She didn’t need to. Not as he kept his gaze fixed on her through the mirror.
“Eliza.”
The sound of her name on his lips was her undoing. Need coursed through her fast and hard, and her own gaze darkened as it held his.
“I cannae do this anymore,” he growled, stalking toward her with quick, powerful strides.
He crossed the room quickly and then was upon her. His hand fell on her naked shoulder, turning her so that she was facing him.
