Highlander’s Winter Rose by Fiona Faris
Chapter Eight
Rosallyn woke up that morning in a good mood. The events of the day before left her feeling as though a weight had been lifted off her chest. After the warmth and laughter that had come in the morning, she had decided that it would be alright to ask him about her father. She had been wanting to do so but held herself back because he seemed lost in his own thoughts most of the time, and they were not particularly close to each other.
So, it had been a welcome development when he began to play with her and even offered to help her brush her hair. She took the chance to ask what she wanted and clear her head and her heart. Now she felt as light as a butterfly as she went about the house doing her usual chores.
“Is there anythin’ that I can help ye with? I dinnae feel comfortable lettin’ ye dae all the work while I just sit in bed all day.” Maximus’s voice startled her as she swept the drawing room. She turned in surprise to find him leaning on the door to the bedroom. She dropped the broom and hurried to help him, draping his arm over her shoulder and leading him to sit on one of the chairs.
“Maximus, what are ye doin’ out of bed? How did ye even get out here?” she asked worriedly as she lowered him to sit.
“I hopped,” he said with a small smile. She blinked, trying to picture him hopping out of bed all the way to the door.
“Why would ye even… Ye should have just called for me,” she muttered. Now that he was better, he probably wanted to move around a bit more. Deciding that it was time, she went into her grandmother’s room and brought Maximus one of the wooden canes her grandmother owned.
“Ah, an actual cane? I had expected a stick at best, but this…” His eyes lighted up as he caught sight of the simple stick that would be providing him with mobility. She smiled at his excitement. She somewhat understood. He was an active person who had been bedridden for days. Of course, he would be glad to move around again.
“It belongs to me grandmother. It is one of her longer ones, so it should be perfect for ye,” she said.
Using the cane as a support, he got to his feet, bearing most of his weight on his good leg and only a bit on the bad one. He hobbled around the room, happiness shining in his eyes, and she smiled, leaving him to go continue her sweeping. He was still hobbling around when she finished, and she poured two cups of ale and took a seat, dropping the second cup on the table for him.
“Where are ye gettin’ all this energy?” she asked. Noticing the cup she had set down for him, he finally came to sit beside her.
“Well, I havenae been doin’ anythin’ for the past few days. I have a lot of energy to burn. Besides, I also want to get used to usin’ the cane,” he responded as he joined her to drink.
He looked more handsome when he was happy, she noted. His brown eyes were more alive, and they made his whole face twice as appealing. He glanced her way in the middle of a sip of ale and caught her staring.
“Why are ye lookin’ at me like that?” he asked, lowering his cup.
“I was just thinkin’ that ye look much more handsome when ye’re happy,” she admitted, then gasped when she realized that she had spoken the unfiltered truth without thinking. He raised his brow at that and gave her a grin.
“Oh, I- I meant…” she stammered, struggling to find any words that might make sense, but failing.
“It certainly is nice to ken that ye find me handsome,” he joked, causing her to roll her eyes as her cheeks flushed.
“Stop mockin’ me, will ye? As if ye didnae already ken that ye were good lookin’,” she said.
“Eh, but I didnae. Nay one has said that to me before,” he said, feigning innocence with exaggerated puppy eyes. She gave him a narrow-eyed look, glaring at him.
“Ye filthy liar,” she spat judgmentally, grabbing the throw pillow between them and smacking him with it. Unfortunately, her timing was bad, and she hit him just when he moved to raise his cup again.
They both gasped in horror as the pillow hit the cup and his ale spilled out of his cup, drenching the front of his shirt. He hobbled to his feet quickly using the cane, so the excess dripped to the floor instead of onto the cloth of the chair. Rosallyn jumped to her feet as well, her hand over her mouth as she carefully put her cup on the table and checked the chair to make sure nothing had gotten on it.
“Is the chair alright? It is safe, right?” he asked, standing awkwardly as the sticky beverage slid down his frame, glancing behind him to make sure that the chair was spotless.
“Oh, my goodness, I am so sorry! I should nae have hit ye!” she said, scrambling off to get a rag, which she wet and used to wipe the ground. As she wiped around his legs, he began to laugh. Seeing the humor in their situation, her lip began to twitch.
“Dinnae laugh. I shouldnae have hit ye. I just created a problem,” she said.
Maximus continued to laugh. “Good God, me reflexes are wonderful. I moved so quickly and somehow managed to avoid ruinin’ the chair,” he praised himself.
She sighed and got up, leaving the wet rag on the floor.
“I will go prepare a bath for ye, just wait,” she said and quickly went to do just that. After filling the bath and preparing the washcloth and soap, she called for Maximus, going to help him and wiping the floor after him as he limped with the cane towards the bath, still dripping ale. She showed him the way since the last time she had brought him, he had been unconscious.
He hobbled towards the large wooden bath, and she followed him, dragging the wet rag behind him. He stopped in front of the bath and dropped his cane, hopping on one leg and unbuttoning his shirt.
“Let me help,” she said instinctively, her hands already at his buttons before her mind caught up to what she was doing.
Are ye mad, Rosallyn? I ken that ye have undressed him several times already, but it is different now! He’s awake!
Her mind was reeling as she helped him pull off the shirt. She dropped her hands when he raised his arms, pulling the shirt over his head and giving her ample view of his bare chest. Her throat was suddenly dry, and she struggled to swallow as he put his arms back down, the movement causing his muscles to flex as he dropped the stained shirt on the floor.
Wanting to avoid his gaze, she squatted immediately, going for the shirt he had dropped.
“Ah, I should take this to wash it…” she was saying, only for her words to vanish in her throat as his kilt came down as well, dropping around his ankles. Heat stormed up her face from her neck, and her heart pounded as a violent tug pulled at the walls between her thighs. He stepped out of the kilt slowly, as though daring her to look up.
Rosallyn stayed where she was, frozen in place, with one hand still reaching for the shirt he had dropped. He was naked. Right above her, Maximus was gloriously naked, and the thought drove her insane. She had seen him naked before, and even then, when he was unconscious, it had caused a fire in her loins. Now he was very much awake and every bit aware of what they both were doing.
“Rosallyn,” he said slowly, his voice tempting. “I cannae get into the bath on me own with this leg. Can ye help me?”
She was a complete mess at his words, his voice as smooth as honey with the full intent of seduction. Her throat was dry, but the place in between her legs was steadily growing wet. How could he incite such a strong physical reaction from her with nothing but a few words? His power over her was too great.
“Ye are messin’ with me, are ye nae?” she said, taking the shirt and kilt that he had dropped.
“Perhaps I am,” he admitted, his voice just barely a growl. She closed her eyes and held on to the clothes before getting to her feet, only opening her eyes when she was standing again and looking at his face. His eyes were aflame with that emotion again that she did not recognize, like he meant to gobble her up whole.
“And ye claim to nae ken that ye are handsome. Ye ken very well the effect that ye have on women,” she said, helping him to balance as he stepped into the bath, making sure that she kept her eyes everywhere but on his nakedness. He chuckled at her behavior.
“I was nae completely lyin’. I did nae ken that I affected ye since ye have seen me at me worst as me healer,” he confessed.
She rolled her eyes, finally looking at him now that he was submerged in the water. So, he was only teasing her because he wanted to know if she was affected by him as a man despite being her patient.
“Well, I hope it does good for yer ego to ken that I am indeed affected by ye, despite being yer healer. Ye are a very handsome man, and I havenae been exposed to many handsome men. I am defenseless against yer charms,” she said as she handed him the soap and washcloth. He grabbed her hand as he took the washcloth and fixed her with his gaze.
“Ye are awfully honest today, so I suppose I will be as well. I have been exposed to many bonny women, but there is none that I have wanted to charm as much as I want to charm ye. To me, ye are the bonniest woman I have seen in my life.”
Her heart, which had just begun to calm down now that their sexy altercation had been avoided, sped up again at his provocative words. Her jaw dropped, the place where he held her hand sending shockwaves through her body. Her mouth opened and closed like a fish as she struggled to find the words to respond with.
Maximus was not playing fair in the slightest as he leaned forward to kiss her knuckles, not once taking his gaze from hers.
“Dae ye mind that I am charmin’ ye?” he asked but did not give her the chance to respond as he took her finger in his mouth. Her knees went weak immediately, and she gasped, grabbing the edge of the bath to keep herself from falling. The clothes she had picked up were right back on the floor again.
His tongue was caressing her finger slowly and deliberately. He was breaking her expertly, tearing through all of her defenses like a storm. Her thoughts were a mess as everything spun. She could not form a single coherent thought. All that she knew was the sensation like lightning that was jolting through her body from her finger that was in his mouth. He did not pity her inexperience and stoked the flames of her desire expertly.
“I believe I asked a question, Rosallyn,” he said. She searched her mind, trying to remember what it was that he had asked her and coming up blank. Seeing how lost she was, Maximus finally let her go, patting her hand in a friendly manner before releasing her.
“Thank ye for yer help,” he said innocently, despite sporting a devious grin. She continued to gape at him, completely thrown off by the pleasure he had brought her and unable to get out of the moment as quickly as he had.
”Ye… did ye just…” she stuttered. He hid his smile behind his hand and instead soaked the washcloth and wrapped it over the soap, beginning to wash himself. All hot and bothered, Rosallyn snatched up the clothes she had accidentally dropped again and marched out of the bath house, hoping that being away from him would help cool her down.
It did not work that way, unfortunately. She went to wash the clothes, but she could not concentrate. Her mind was full of images of him.
“Rosallyn, I cannae get into the bath on me own with this leg. Can ye help me?”
His voice was in her head again, seducing her as though he were standing behind her and whispering the words into her ear. Something was burning between her legs, and it needed relief. She pressed her thighs together and a soft moan left her lips, her hips rocking back and forth, looking for friction.
What is this?
Before long she was leaning against the wall panting as slick wetness came out of her. She knew by instinct that she needed something to touch her center, where it ached, and having nothing else, her hand went there on its own.
A beautiful pleasure burst out like a blooming flower in her belly when her fingers found the source of her ache. She sunk down to the ground, her legs giving out, unable to hold her up any longer. Small drops of sweat formed on her brow as her head fell to the side, her hips bucking in reckless abandon.
Behind her closed eyes, she saw him. His muscular frame just slightly visible in the water, his hungry eyes fueling her passion, and the feel of his tongue around the very finger that she now had pressed to her wetness. It was like nothing she had ever felt before, but then again, she had never done this before.
As her hips moved faster, she knew that she was chasing something, a pleasure that would no doubt trump all that she had already felt and quell the ache in her center. She wanted it, wanted it so desperately. She imagined that it was his tongue sliding against her, instead of her finger, sliding around her nub just like it had done her finger, and that was enough to tip her over the edge.
She came hard, the force of her orgasm sucking the air from her lungs and making it hard to breathe. The image of his face between her thighs stayed with her, even as her center began to pulse against itself hungrily. She lay on the floor when she was done, her skin flushed and every inch of her sensitive.
What did I just dae?
…
I was nae sure before, but now I ken. Ye are absolutely insane, Maximus. Ye have completely lost it.
He turned slightly as he washed himself, watching Rosallyn stomp out of the bath house, very obviously shaken. He had definitely taken things too far. It was not because of her reaction that he thought so, but because of his rock-hard member in the water. He had let her go because although his intention had been to tease her, he had ended up stirring himself up.
Her facial expressions were just downright sinful and honest. She was so cute that it made him want to do even more dirty things to her, just to see how she would react. He had not meant for things to go that far, at least not when they were still in the house.
He left the room that morning because he could hear her sweeping the drawing room. The house was big, yet she went through the routine every day of cleaning it. He felt like a useless lump, and so he had gotten out of bed with the full intention of helping her do at least one thing. Since she had already taken him out of bed the day before, he decided that it would be alright and hopped out of the room on his good leg.
He had fully expected her concern, but he was not expecting to get an actual cane and not just some stick he could lean on. He had been excited to test it out and ended up walking around a lot more than was necessary, and he did not notice when she left him to finish her chores. He had underestimated how excited he would actually be to be back on his feet and how much he disliked being bedridden.
He had been somewhat bashful when she talked about it, so he sat immediately to join her to drink. Things had still been innocent at that point, but things had taken a complete turn for him when she said he was handsome after he caught her staring. He had begun to tease her to hide his own shyness. She had made the first move, something that he should have done.
He thought that the moment was gone after she accidentally doused him with ale, but the heat that rushed through him as she helped him take off his shirt told him otherwise. His heart had begun to race, with all of the blood going south. He was teasing her, but he was the one more affected by his actions.
Her little gasps were ingrained in his mind, and he continued to hear them now, even after she had left him to himself.
Ye should nae have done that.
He somewhat regretted his actions; he had wanted to be more innocent about his confession. He had been unsure how exactly he was going to tell her that he was interested in her, but it had happened now, completely unplanned.
“Well, I hope it does good for yer ego to ken that I am indeed affected by ye, despite being yer healer. Ye are a very handsome man, and I havenae been exposed to many handsome men. I am defenseless against yer charms.”
The memory of her words caused his loins to stir. If anything could be garnered from her words, it was that she was interested in him as well. He had been worried before about whether or not she would see him as a man after caring for him as though he were a toddler while he was ill and injured. It was a huge relief to know that even through all that, she still found him attractive.
The only problem was that knowing that she was affected by him only increased how much he was affected by her. Just watching her reaction to his tongue on her finger had caused his erection, despite the cold water. Her face continued to flash in his mind, her mouth slightly open and her eyes unfocused, her cheeks flushed as she gasped, completely dazed by his ministrations.
He swore darkly as he got more and more aroused, his member feeling like a beacon in the water. He wanted her, badly, but he was in no position to be thinking such thoughts. It was in no way the time.
Ye have more important things that ye have to dae, Maximus
He chided himself, but his body was not listening. He wrapped his hand around his length, feeling the heat that rivaled the cold water. It was beginning to ache, and he desperately needed relief. If left alone, he could possibly bring the water to a boil with how hot he was. He moved his hand slightly and shuddered as the pleasure flashed through him, his hips jerking in response.
Would it really be all right to do this? But then it did not seem as though his member meant to calm down any time soon. He moaned, using his hand more firmly, stroking up and down. When was the last time he had gotten any form of sexual relief? He actually could not remember. He was a busy man, and women were not his top priority. It had been months since he had felt an urge like this.
It had been building up, and now that he had suddenly been thrust into a situation with a woman he was deeply attracted to, his need had snapped. His hand moved faster and faster as images of her rushed through his mind. Her supple body in his arms, the thickness of her hair, her flushed cheeks and innocent eyes.
As his arousal reached its peak, and he came crashing down in pleasure, Maximus knew that he was completely whipped.
