Page 115 of Bride of Fire
He raised the bow and drew back the string in one smooth, practiced gesture.
Beneath his taut sleeves, she could glimpse his formidable, well-muscled arms. She was instantly reminded of the way those arms felt around her. Powerful. And protective.
Because the bow was light, he was able to hold the arc steady for a long while as he challenged the target with his gaze.
She’d seen that challenge in his eyes before. There was a penetrating force of will in his gray-green-golden gaze that would make any but the strongest adversary tremble.
His fingers, curved against his swarthy jaw, held the string with the perfect grip. Firm yet flexible.
Her breath caught as she realized the way he gripped the arrow reminded her of the way he held her when they’d made love. Tightly enough to maintain control, loosely enough to set her free at the right moment. A surge of desire rose up in her as the memory of her own passionate release assailed her.
Then her thoughts were abruptly interrupted by a bewildered cry drifting down from the bedchamber window. “Morgan?”
His wife.
Chapter 51
Startled, Jenefer gasped.
Alicia’s voice apparently rattled Morgan as well. When his arrow sprang from the bow, it missed the target completely.
“What are you doing,amor meu?”Alicia asked in plaintive tones.
Jenefer saw the pleasure vanish instantly from his face, replaced by shame and defensiveness.
“I’m takin’ care o’ things,” he assured her.
“Are you?” she asked. Her question was innocent enough, but Jenefer detected a sharp edge to her voice.
“Aye,” Morgan said. “I’ve got the matter well in hand.”
Jenefer scowled. Matter? What matter?
Alicia clasped a hand to her bosom as she leaned out the window. “I’m sorry, Morgan,” she said in dulcet tones. “I’m afraid, since the kidnapping, my trust has been…damaged.”
Morgan colored at her remark. His jaw tensed. He lowered his gaze.
As for Jenefer, righteous indignation boiled up in her like a cauldron of molten iron on the fire.
Lady Alicia knew very well the guilt Morgan must feel over what had happened. How he must blame himself for allowing her to be taken from him. Damaged trust? The woman was intentionally jabbing at his wounds.
Jenefer itched to tell the vile wench just what she thought about her treachery. She had the weapons in her verbal arsenal to send the woman recoiling from the window.
But her ire was tempered by pity for the Highlander.
So instead, she rose to defend him.
Pushing away from the wall, she shook her head in wonder. “Oh m’lady, be at ease. I’m certain you could have no more trustworthy a guardian than Morgan.” She intentionally called him by his first name, knowing it would aggravate Alicia. “No kidnapper could slip past his keen eye a second time. Not without somehelp.”
Jenefer could feel the wave of rage Alicia sent her way. But in the next instant, the woman recovered, as if she’d donned a coat of chainmail that hid her malevolent underbelly.
Alicia affected a smile of sympathy, “No man is perfect. I’m suremy husband,”she said pointedly, “did the best he could.”
“Morgan is a valiant warrior,” Jenefer replied. “You couldn’t hope for better.” She didn’t have to lie about that. It was the truth. Then she drew her brows into a puzzled frown. “’Tis perplexing how an abductor slipped past him the first time. Even more bewildering is how the villain knew the exact day of your labor.”
Her remark unnerved Alicia, but only for a moment.
“I suppose he lay in wait nearby,” she said.
