Page 83 of Taken By the Ruthless Highlander
Ryder choked on his chuckle. He didn’t want to be thinking of Morgana at the moment or how fantastic she looked and felt last night. No. He wanted to be outraged and irked. He wanted to feel hell’s inferno raging within him. But just the thought of Morgana’s tender lips on his quelled the flames.
“Wait, was that ye? Ye scoundrel, have ye finally bedded yer wife?” Felix asked, a wicked grin stretching across his face. “I’ve got to say, it’s about time. Just say the word and I’ll have the castle eagerly awaitin’ the arrival of a wee one.”
Ryder’s eyes widened as he contemplated the idea, and then he nodded. “Do it.”
“With pleasure. But am I still leavin’ for Inverness? Or would ye rather have me around here?”
Ryder rubbed his temples and let out a heavy sigh. “Stay, but dinnae make it seem like yer mission to find Feya is over—just delayed for the day. Ye can use Morgana’s cèilidh as an excuse. I think she may be on to somethin’ here about Feya bein’ closer than we think, and yer leavin’ could just be another wild goose chase.”
“Ye’re puttin’ a lot of stock in a theory yer wife told ye,” Felix remarked.
Ryder returned to the desk and sat down. The knot in his stomach wouldn’t ease. If anything, it only twisted tighter.
“Somethin’ just doesnae seem right. Stay close to the castle. I’d hate it if this rumor turns out to be true. But I’d rather be safe than sorry.”
29
Morgana’s heart fluttered as she stared at her reflection in the mirror. She ran her hands down her dress, smoothing out the wrinkles. Then, she made one final adjustment to her hair before turning to the door.
Tonight was about showing the clan a united front, that her marriage wasn’t a sham.
And as she made her way down the corridor and waited at the landing for her husband, it dawned on her that she was in love with him. There would be no need to pretend.
Everything she had been through and learned over her short time at the castle pointed to one thing—she loved Ryder. He wasn’t the man she had thought him to be, but someone she never would have been able to dream of in her wildest dreams.
“Dinnae ye look stunning,” he murmured, joining his wife as a smile tugged at his lips.
Morgana glanced down at the floor as heat rushed through her. She didn’t know if it was her frayed nerves from all the planning to get the cèilidh off without a hitch, or if it was the realization that she was madly in love with him.
“Ye clean up fairly well if I do say so myself…My Laird.” She let his title roll off her tongue in a purr.
She loved watching it slide down his back like hot oil. There was a pleasure to be had in tormenting him so.
“I thought ye wanted to go to this event,” Ryder said as he escorted her down the second flight of steps to the entrance hall.
“Aye, what makes ye think that I’ve changed my mind? Do ye have any idea how hard it is to get into a dress like this? Nay, if I wasnae comin’, I wouldnae have gotten dressed at all.”
“Ye’re nae makin’ a very good case for yerself. If I wasnae in my right mind, I’d have hoisted ye over my shoulder and carried back to yer chambers, where I’d peel every layer off ye,My Lady.” He paused to kiss her hand.
Morgana couldn’t tell if he was playing with her, or if the spark of playfulness was there to tease her into submission.
“Would ye look at this,” a husky voice drawled from behind them.
Morgana shifted her gaze to that voice. Her eyes widened as she saw a boisterous fellow strolling through the double doors with a lovely woman on his arm. For a moment, she found herself curious by the new arrivals.
“I never thought I’d see ye married, and yet here ye are.”
“Damon?”
Morgana smiled as she watched the elegantly dressed man stepping up to Ryder with open arms. There was no mistaking the camaraderie between them.
“I was so hopin’ ye’d come,” Ryder admitted, giving him a firm pat on the shoulder.
“Aye, well, when we heard the news, we werenae sure it was real and had to see it for ourselves,” Damon said, before turning to the beauty at his side.
Morgana stood taller as the woman flashed her a warm smile.
“And here we are,” the woman added in a sing-song tone.
