“Would you…” I hesitated, hoping I wasn’t about to over-step. “Would you like me to cut it for you?” I pointed to the curly strand. “You sometimes act like it gets in your way, or I could at least pull it back?”
He glanced up, his eyes crossing as he made eye contact with the annoying strand. “If ye doona mind, but I wouldna wish to take ye from yer work.”
“Ah,” I waved a hand dismissively. “I’m done with that for now. This seems more urgent.” I reached both hands up, slipping my fingers into his red locks, messing his hair around to get a feel for how it needed to be cut.
I’d cut Cooper’s hair his whole life. Although their shade was different, the texture of their hair was very much the same—curly and, although not frizzy, the shiny curls on both men were not easily ruled, bouncing out of place at their whim. His neck relaxed as I played with his hair, and his eyes closed in pleasure. Men often didn’t get to experience how lovely it felt to have their hair properly messed with.
“If ye insist, I doona have it in me to argue.”
“I do. You’ll feel much better when you get some of this off your neck.” I stood and moved to stand behind him, lifting the hair at the base of his neck. He lay his head back in my hands, and I massaged his scalp as I gathered the strands. “Do you always keep your hair long?”
“Hmm…?”
His head relaxed so that I looked down at his face from above him, and he smiled as his eyes flickered open.
“What did ye ask me, lass? By God, that feels good, Grace.”
“Yeah, a good head massage always does. I asked if you always keep your hair long.”
“Oh, aye, but do what ye wish with it. I doona much care.”
His eyes closed again, and I laughed, tugging on a strand at the base of his neck. “Hey, don’t fall asleep on me. It’ll be hard for me to cut your hair that way.”
He reached his left hand up and grabbed my fingers, bringing them to rest in his hand and on his shoulder, “Oh, doona ye worry, I am verra, verra awake. ’Twould be impossible for me to sleep with yer hands on me.”
I pulled away, pleased for the moment that his eyes were closed so he couldn’t see my heated face. “Stand up and let’s move your chair into the bathroom. I don’t want to trim your hair over the carpet.”
He did as I asked. Once he was vertical, I dragged his chair along onto the tile floor, surprised to find a pair of scissors resting in a small basket on the bathroom sink, along with wrapping cloths, washcloths, and a large jar of a homemade salve. “What’s all this?” I asked as Eoghanan joined me, sitting down in the chair, immediately leaning his head back into my open hands.
“’Tis what Morna applies to me wound each day. Makes it herself.”
“Up you go.” I lifted his head and turned on the faucet, wetting my hands so that I could run them through his hair, re-wetting the strands so I could comb them through. “Have you been doctored today, yet?”
“No. I shall do it meself once ye have finished.”
I examined his scar as I combed his hair. It would be a messy job if he tried to apply the salve himself, and I imagined it wouldn’t feel good on his shoulder. “No. I’ll do it when I’m finished.”
“There’s no need. The sight of me naked from a distance scared ye half to death. I doona wish to make ye see it more closely.” He laughed a little, but there was a question in his statement.
With his head sufficiently wet and combed, I picked up the scissors and set to work, one curl at a time. “The only reason I turned away was because I’d not expected to find you naked, not because it hurt my eyes to look at you. Quite the opposite actually.”
I couldn’t hide the heat that spread up my neck this time, not with him staring up at me from the mirror. I’d truly meant to keep that last sentence inside my head and inwardly I grimaced. What was it about him that made me blurt things out without thinking?
I glanced up to see both corners of his mouth quirk a bit, trying to hold back a smile, but as soon as he caught my attention he let it loose. “Aye? Is that so, lass?” He twisted in his chair to look over his back at me.
Deciding there was no way to answer without embarrassing myself further, I placed my hands on either side of his head and twisted him back around to the front. “Unless you want to end up bald, I suggest you quit squirming in your seat.”
He laughed loudly but obeyed, stiffening his shoulder as he sat up straight. “As ye wish, lass. As ye wish.”
Chapter 10