Page 16 of Bound to a Highland Beast
“Would ye like some assistance?—”
“Tiernan, get out!”
Tiernan all but fled the room, his footsteps echoing down the hallway as he retreated. Suddenly, Isabeau was alone, but her embarrassment didn’t fade one bit.
What did fade a little, though, was her fear of him.
CHAPTER EIGHT
Once Isabeau was properly dressed, with her entire torso covered, and Tiernan returned to the room after she gave him permission, he removed his clothes and sank into the tub with a sigh. By then, the water was getting cold, but he didn’t mind. He rarely had the luxury of a hot bath anyway and he was used to much worse than this.
Besides, the memory of what he had seen kept him warm enough. It wasn’t often that a woman had such an effect on him, but when Isabeau had opened the door to let him in and he had seen the way that bodice barely held onto her torso, revealing the swell of her breasts and the soft pink of her nipple, he had almost gone mad with desire.
He supposed part of it was the forbidden aspect of it. Isabeau was a lady, the kind of woman he could never touch, the kind of woman no one could ever touch unless they were wedded to her, and even then, it would feel indecent. He doubted anyone but her closest assistants had ever seen this much of her body, andthe knowledge that he was very likely the only man to have ever seen her like this shifted something inside him.
Much to his dismay, his body was taking an interest to the images his mind was unhelpfully conjuring. He could imagine undoing those traitorous laces entirely, slipping the bodice off her to reveal the full swell of her breasts, cupping them in his hands, sucking those hardened nubs into his mouth. Before he even knew what he was doing, his hand snaked down his torso and his fingers wrapped around his length, giving his manhood a firm stroke.
Then he let go as though he had been burned, sitting up in the tub, the water sloshing over the rim.
What am I doin’? This isnae right.
It was true that he could imagine all that, but at the same time, he could imagine Isabeau finding out that he had been touching himself while thinking of her. He could imagine her disgust, her shock. He could imagine her slapping him and declaring that she never wished to see him in front of her eyes ever again.
That last thought was a little amusing, he had to admit. He couldn’t believe Isabeau could slap anyone, though she had come awfully close earlier, when she was furious at the innkeeper.
Once he had scrubbed the blood and grime off his skin, Tiernan got out of the tub and dressed. Just as he was putting on hisshirt, there was a knock on the door and, figuring it was Isabeau, he called for her to come in.
But when she entered, she paused at the door, quickly averting her gaze when she caught a glimpse of him shirtless. He couldn’t help but chuckle; it hadn’t occurred to him that even such a simple act would embarrass her, but there was something endearing about the way she seemed to always blush, the faint pink of her cheeks perpetually visible.
“Did ye eat?” he asked her as he put on his shoes.
“Nay,” said Isabeau. “I was waitin’ fer ye.”
“Ach, ye didnae have tae dae that, me lady,” he said. “Like I said, I’ll go search fer any information I can find.”
“Me name is Isabeau, nay me lady. And, ye need tae eat,” Isabeau insisted. “Ye havenae had any food in a day. I’m surprised ye’re still standin’.”
“I’ll eat while I ask around,” Tiernan assured her. He needed to get out there quickly and figure out a way to Constantine. The more time he wasted, the more danger he and Isabeau would be facing—especially Isabeau, who knew nothing about survival. Tiernan had to find a way to send her back to the castle soon. Not only was she in danger while she was there with him, but she could also become a risk to him if she was taken by Beag or if something else happened to her.
“I must find a way tae send ye home,” he told her, just so that they would been the same page, but the relief he was expecting her to show never appeared on her face. Instead, Isabeau crossed her arms and looked at him sternly, shaking her head.
“I’m nae goin’ back home,” she declared. “I’ll stay with ye an’ help ye tae the best o’ me abilities.”
Tiernan looked at her as though she had lost her mind—and perhaps she had, since she was even suggesting such a thing.
“Ye cannae help me,” he said. “An’ ye willnae stay here. Ye’re in danger. Surely, ye can see that. Ye’ll be safe back home an’ ye willnae have tae concern yerself with any o’ this.”
“I told ye, I’m nae leavin’,” Isabeau insisted. Out of all the times to decide to be stubborn, this was perhaps the worst, Tiernan thought as he mimicked her posture, facing her with his arms crossed.
“I willnae hear it,” he said firmly, standing his ground. He wasn’t going to let her convince him of this. It was foolish, too dangerous, and Isabeau didn’t know what it was that she was getting herself into. She had no experience with such things. She didn’t understand just how much danger she was in. “Ye will go back tae the castle the moment ye can.”
“I will nae,” she insisted, much to Tiernan’s chagrin. He sighed, running a hand through his hair and trying to resist the urge to pull it.
Why daesnae this lass listen?
“Ye promised me ye would listen tae me,” he reminded her. “Ye said ye would dae as I say.”
“An’ so I will,” said Isabeau without missing a beat. “When there is real danger. So far, I’m nae in any danger.”
