Page 19 of Christmas at the Scottish Lodge
‘I’m sure he’s going to be okay, lad,’ Jed said, rising so he could kneel in front of her too. He peered into the blanket and smiled.
‘He’s stopped shivering,’ she commented as her stomach grumbled.
‘I’m sorry I’ve got no snacks for us,’ he said. ‘I’ll go and see if I can find us something to eat outside.’
‘I’d rather you stayed here,’ she replied as the wind battered against the door. ‘Unless you think you might be able to track down a chocolate bar?’
His eyes lit. ‘Quinn and I once buried a tin of them out in the woods, but I’m not sure I’d remember where now. Do you still have signal, maybe we can try calling for help?’
Mairi pulled her mobile from her pocket, trying not to disturb the puppy. ‘I’ve got nothing.’ She glanced up. ‘Sorry.’
Jed shrugged. ‘We might get one later if the wind dies down.’
‘What are we going to do? Your aunt’s going to be frantic when I don’t come back.’
Jed shook his head. ‘You’ve sent a message, Aunt Effie will know you’re with me and that I’ll keep you safe.’
‘Aye,’ Mairi said quietly. But who would keep her heart safe? Just being around Jed again was making her feel things. Things she was trying to let go of.
‘How’s the ankle?’ he asked after a few moments of charged silence.
Mairi glanced down. She’d almost forgotten about it. ‘I need to take off my boot, but I’ll have to put the puppy down first.’
‘Let’s put it in front of the fire,’ Jed said, carefully transferring the snoring bundle to a warm spot where Bear joined it.
‘Can I help?’ Jed asked as Mairi started to undo her boot.
‘It’s okay.’
‘If it’s swollen, we should pack it in ice.’ He jerked his chin towards the door and gave her a shy smile. ‘There’s definitely no shortage of it outside.’
‘True.’ She watched Jed edge closer, felt her stomach curl when he knelt again and took hold of her foot, then finished unthreading the straps. She forced herself not to cry out as he tugged it off. Then he gently eased her trouser leg up.
The instant Jed touched Mairi’s skin, her insides quivered. She swallowed and directed her gaze towards the fire so he couldn’t see how much he affected her. It was blazing, the dogs were both sleeping and the room was starting to warm.
‘Can I take off your sock?’ Jed whispered and Mairi nodded without looking at him.
She felt the slow slide of the material as it came off, the heat from his hands as he began to explore her skin with the rough pads of his fingertips. She bit her lip.
She’d craved Jed’s touch for months – but had hoped that time and distance would have muted her reaction to him. It was clear now it hadn’t.
Heat flooded through her, starting at her toes and ending at her scalp – and all the nerve endings in between began to sing, a chorus of need.
Jed cleared his throat as Mairi let out a gasp. ‘It hurts,’ she croaked, hoping Jed would believe her. She’d humiliated herselfenough over him – he didn’t need to know her whole body was begging him to continue.
‘It’s swollen.’ His voice was rumbly like he’d just got out of bed. She jerked her chin around so she could stare into his eyes and her stomach fluttered, because they were as dark as the clouds outside and twin flames of pink had flooded his cheeks.
Was he affected by her? Was that even possible?
She shifted on the chair as his fingers continued to move, rhythmically stroking their way up her calf.
‘Um, so is there any hope for me?’ she asked lightly, caught midway between wanting to challenge him on what he was doing and wanting to beg him to continue.
‘Aye, it’ll probably be fine by tomorrow,’ he rasped.
Mairi nodded as Jed continued to stroke her skin. She couldn’t bring herself to ask what the hell was going on. Why he seemed to be affected by her. He didn’t want her. She had to remember that. Jed blamed her for the accident and just because he didn’t want a divorce right now – that didn’t mean he had feelings for her. She had to keep her hopes under control, had to stop herself from wishing for something she couldn’t have.
She had to remember Harry. He wanted her. She itched to draw out her mobile so she could read one of his messages and remind herself of that, but her brain wouldn’t cooperate. Instead, she let out a soft hum as Jed continued to explore. She couldn’t pretend this was all about her ankle because now he was stroking his way upwards, and even someone with a basic knowledge of anatomy would know they’d strayed off track.
