Free The Circle Eight: Tobias by Emma Lang

kissed him.  
    It had been a long time since he tasted her mouth, the sweet essence that haunted his dreams. This bath, traditional or not, was not a good idea. There was no retreat now. She dipped the bucket in the water for rinsing.  
    It was time.  
     

Chapter Five  
     
    Rebecca’s stomach quivered and she willed herself not to shake on the outside. She’d offered to do this, for both of their sakes. He did smell and he did need to be clean to heal as quickly as he could.  
    If only her courage was not flagging in the reality of seeing Tobias without a stitch on. She had seen various parts of men naked, after all she had four brothers and two brothers-in-law, not to mention nephews. That wasn’t what bothered her. It was Tobias. She would have to touch him and his skin. This wasn’t the same as bandaging him or stitching a wound. No, this was far different.  
    She would do this because that was what healers did. They took care of their patients, no matter the circumstances. Now if only her knees would stop knocking.  
    He watched her as she prepared the water and then retrieved the soap from her pocket. The bar was what Mary had on hand, a lye soap that would possibly hurt when applied. She had no choice but to use what was available.  
    “Now let’s get you undressed.” The words tumbled out of her mouth, followed by a laugh that sounded slightly off kilter. She pulled the blanket back and reached for his trousers. Rebecca cursed the tremble in her fingers when she started on the buttons.  
    His body was warm, overly so because of the blanket. She’d already removed his shirt when he first arrived. The bloodstained garment lay beneath the bed, along with Will’s discarded clothes. She would ask Mary to help her launder everything when she was done washing the men.  
    First she had to get through it.  
    As she pulled off his trousers, her breath caught when she discovered he wore no drawers. She averted her gaze, focusing on the hair on his legs, which was dense and dark brown in color. He had long feet and toes, narrow with hairs sprouting in various places. She set the trousers with the other clothes and pulled the blanket up on his naked lower half. Right then, she could not look upon him and not lose herself in memories.  
    Heat suffused her cheeks and she moved away to get a clean rag. She soaked it in the hot water and swiped the soap across it a few times. By the time she turned back to Tobias, she had gained back a bit of her self-control. She still did not look at the blanket, or what lay beneath, although that seemed to be the one thing she wanted to do more than anything else.  
    She started with his hands, sliding the rag between his long fingers and down his wrists. He made a small sound, a contented sigh perhaps. It wiggled its way through her defenses to her heart. The organ she had ordered to stop caring for Tobias Gibson.  
    It certainly didn’t listen to her.  
    She washed his bruised torso, taking care to avoid pressing too hard. He was silent as she worked, but she sensed his gaze on her. Tobias wasn’t one to keep his thoughts to himself. Perhaps he was more injured than she thought.  
    “Are you all right?” She couldn’t help but ask.  
    “Mmm, no, but I deserve the pain. If I hadn’t been such a horrible brother, Will and James would be at home, not here. Will wouldn’t be fighting for his life.” His voice was scratchy, full of sadness and self-recrimination.  
    “No one deserves endless pain, Tobias. Not even you.” She looked at his bandaged forehead and frowned. “I need to wash your hair. Can I move you to the top of the cot?”  
    He grunted and dug his heels into the end of the bed and pushed. His groan of pain made her wince.  
    “I was going to move you, stubborn man.” She pushed the hip bath to the top of the cot and picked up the empty pail. “I need to take the bandage off. This may hurt.”  
    “Just get on with it, Becca. Enough