Page 64 of The Cruel Highlander's Bride
Maybe he was right about this whole frivolity thing…
And once she hit one ball past his hulking frame, then they could really enjoy this game. She was starting to wish that he was just a little less honorable and would let her get one shot in.
“Ye’re goin’ to let me shoot ever?” Magnus teased.
There was no need to tease her about that. Because he surely would make every shot against her if he was given the chance. Those muscular arms were definitely not just for show.
As if he knew exactly what she was thinking, he flexed those arms a little. Her eyes caught on the rippling muscles.
Tearing her gaze away from the distraction, she smiled sweetly while narrowing her eyes. It was her best derisive look. Then she hit the ball towards him as hard as she could.
Laughing, he managed to stop it.
Irritatin’, massive man.
“Ye’re gettin’ better,” he said.
Despite the sincerity in his words, they riled her up.
“I’ll show ye better,” she muttered, but the laugh that reached her ears let her know she wasn’t quite as quiet as she had intended to be.
Oh, well.
Ciara made shot after shot. She still missed… a lot, and Magnus blocked all of them, but some got dangerously close to the goal. With each one that got close, her excitement built, and it took the sting out of the ones that she missed completely. She was still tempted to break the caman in half more than once, but she was getting better.
She could do this.
The sun dipped below the horizon as they played. It had already been late when they started. And even with the frustration and Magnus’s teasing, Ciara was feeling a small bit of enjoyment. Not that she’d ever likely admit that to him.
Not once during the whole afternoon had those thoughts from this morning crept back in. She didn’t think of the threat, the clan, or her confusing relationship with the man she’d married. And that was a victory in itself. Her whole focus was on scoring justonce.
Finally, Ciara made a particularly good shot and watched as it whizzed right past Magnus and between the two wooden posts.
For one brief second, she just watched the ball roll away behind him. Maybe he’d been distracted or it was the wind or something, but she didn’t care, because she had done it!
She let out a loud whoop, dropping the caman, and jumping up and down. With another cheer, her jump turned into a little dance, as she spun in a circle. It was silly, and it was just a game, but she had set her mind to something and accomplished it, even with Magnus in her way.
He was cheering, too, and then he was running towards her. Catching her in his arms mid-twirl, he spun them both around in a circle.
Squealing and laughing, Ciara let him spin her around and around until their laughter died down.
Slowly, he lowered her back to her feet, her chest sliding down against his. Her breath caught in her throat, and their gazes locked. When her feet hit the ground once more, he reached out and tucked a stray strand of hair behind her ear.
“See, lass? Was that nae enjoyable?”
* * *
The twinkle in Ciara’s eyes was still there, but when her breath caught in her throat, her smile dropped as well. The air between them was charged as they watched each other, still chest to chest.
She didn’t reply, but Magnus knew she had enjoyed herself, even when she was grumbling and muttering to herself.
Even though all he’d done was stand in the goal, it was more fun than he’d had in a very long time. Watching her determined face and the way she never gave up made him even more in awe of her.
There were no stray strands now, but he made the motion of tucking one behind her ear anyway. She shuddered slightly as he ran his fingers through the soft strands. Those fingers itched to grab her by the back of her head and pull her towards him, but he held them still.
With flushed cheeks from their game, his wife looked like she wanted the exact same thing. Their breaths seemed to synchronize, their chests rising and falling at the same time. He moved his head imperceptibly closer and took in all the little specks of color in her eyes.
Out in the fading light, he could see her blue eyes were not just blue. They were an array of blues and greens and even some grayish tones. As he inspected them, he realized her gaze had dropped to his lips, and he was helpless to do anything except the same.
