Page 16 of Married to the Icy Highlander
Ceana’s giggles drifted to his ears, and his eyes darted back to where she was dancing as if she was never going to run out of energy. He had made mistakes in his first marriage, and whether his second marriage was a contract or not, he wasn’t about to make the same mistakes again.
“Aye? And what sort of ‘measures’ might those be?” Arthur asked with a wet laugh, finishing off the contents of his glass.
“They are none of yer business,” Neil retorted. “Unless ye want to see what happens inside me bedchambers—in which case we’d need to have another conversation.”
Arthur scrunched up his face as if he had sucked on a lemon and shook his head. “Absolutely nae.”
“I’m nae sure about that.” Neil grinned into his cup.
He never did fancy himself much of a dancer, nor did he particularly enjoy it, but he wasn’t going to be the only man in the room not dancing with his wife. He downed his drink in one large gulp and then thrust the empty glass into Arthur’s chest.
“Careful. If ye step on her feet, ye might break her,” Arthur teased.
Neil was certain that if he did somehow step on Ceana’s feet, she would give back as much as she had gotten. He didn’t have to know her well to know that she wasn’t a woman who tolerated nonsense from anyone.
“Ye’re mistakin’ me dancin’ for yer own,” he said with an eye roll. It was better to do this now before he talked himself out of it. “Ye’re the one with the two left feet, nae me.”
With that, he moved toward the dance floor.
When the Laird moved, the guests parted for him like the Red Sea. Ceana had a strong feeling that it was not just his clansmen who moved out of the way when they saw him coming. When he stopped a foot away from her, she stopped too.
The dancers moved around them to the upbeat music, swirling in and out like the blooming petals of a flower. Ceana itched to resume dancing, but perhaps he had come to tell her that it was time to retire for the night.
Shockingly, he reached for her hand.
For a warrior, the Laird was surprisingly light on his feet. A man as large as him should not have been an accomplished dancer, but he was.
“Thank ye again, for the dress,” she said over the loud music as he moved closer to her.
The Laird’s eyes roamed hungrily over her dress, and then lower. When he was close enough, he wrapped his hand around her waist and whispered in her ear, “Do ye remember the rules, wife?”
Her whole body seemed to flush as his words washed over her. She did not doubt that her face was red, yet again.
Honestly, what was it about the way he looked at her that made her feel so… whatever this was? She knew that she was beautiful, and plenty of men had looked at her as if she were more appealing than their next meal, but this was something… more.
“Do ye remembermerules, M’Laird?”
Neil smirked.
Eventually, the song drew to a close, and he stepped back and disappeared into the crowd. Ceana stepped off the dance floor to find herself a drink. Wine called her name, begging for indulgence that she was only too happy to provide.
Once she was at the refreshments table, she poured herself a glass and quickly lifted it to her lips. However, her hand paused midair when she felt something tugging at the skirt of her gown. She spun back to find Jeanie standing before her, looking up at her happily.
“Ye dance so prettily!” Jeanie gushed. “Will I dance as prettily as ye when I’m older?”
“Och, I think ye’ll dance far better than I when ye’re grown.” Ceana laughed as she hiked up her skirts and knelt down in front of her. “Me maither taught me how to dance when I was but a wee lass of five years.”
Jeanie’s eyes widened in shock. “But I’m seven! I havenae learned to dance at all!”
“Well, I can help ye with that while I’m here,” Ceana offered. Perhaps they could bond during the dancing lessons. After all, raising the little girl was her husband’s first rule. “Would ye like to learn to dance with me?”
“Aye!” Jeanie nodded enthusiastically. “Me faither is always so… man. He never pays attention to the things a lass might like.”
Man? Ceana had no idea what to say to that.
Mercifully, a maid came to take Jeanie to bed. No doubt the little girl had been avoiding her bedtime to spy on the festivities as best as she could.
“Five more minutes!” Jeanie pleaded, even as she was dragged away by the maid.
