Page 17 of Married to the Icy Highlander
Alone again with her wine, Ceana took a sip from her glass as she swept her eyes over the dance floor. She spotted her husband leaning against the doorframe, speaking with another laird she didn’t recognize. He held a glass of her whiskey in his hand, and the muscles in his arm flexed even with the slight movement.
A shudder rippled down her spine as her face flushed. As if sensing her gaze, Neil glanced up, catching her eye for only a moment before she turned her head away so quickly that she was sure she looked like a fool. If she had not been blushing before, she certainly was now.
Maybe his daughter was right.
“Aye, he is veryman,” Ceana muttered under her breath.
7
The moon was high in the sky by the time the guests started to head up to their rooms. Ceana’s body was aching and hot from dancing. She was one of the very last few on the dance floor when her husband came up behind her and whispered in her ear, “Are ye ready to retire to bed?”
Her heart lurched. All the anticipation sank to her core as his hand found her waist, pulling her back against his chest so she could hear his voice above the music.
Ceana dipped her chin, but she couldn’t seem to force the words out of her mouth no matter how hard she tried.
“I will wait for ye in yer bedchambers. Dinnae be late,” he added in that husky voice that almost made her quiver. His hand tightened on her hip for a moment before he released her and walked out of the Great Hall.
The lightness that had been keeping her on her feet started to dissipate, and the reality of her situation sank in—she knew what was coming next. She was rooted to the spot, curling her fingers into her skirts as the remaining couple moved around her slowly.
Well, if her husband was waiting for her… then she ought to join him. She had promised to be available to him, after all.
Of course, it was going to be tonight—it was their wedding night. The sooner she conceived, the sooner she fulfilled her end of the bargain.
She bowed to the remaining guests, Emily, Freya, and their husbands, and then she kissed her mother and Ersie on the cheek before ruffling Peter’s hair. The boy was curled up on one of the chairs in the hall, fast asleep.
“The Laird made rooms available to all of ye. Ersie can take ye there,” Ceana said with a smile, hoping that her nerves weren’t showing on her face. She kissed her mother on the cheek once more.
“Ye are a beautiful bride, daughter.”
“Dinnae speak as if I am goin’ away. We will see each other all the time.”
“Ye will have so many duties now that ye are a wife and a Lady,” Ida continued, taking her daughter’s hand in her own. “Yer time will nay longer be yer own.”
“Well, I dinnae care. I will make time for ye. I always will. Send for me if ye need anything at all,” Ceana insisted.
She turned to leave before her emotions got the better of her. This would be the first time in her whole life that she would spend the night so far away from her family. They would sleep under the same roof tonight, but tomorrow would be an entirely different story.
Up the stairs and through the halls, she focused on nothing more than stepping over the smooth stones and rugs as she made her way to her wing. She had thought that she would feel dread or a sense of duty, but she felt… almost excited. The anticipation of what it might be like to lie with her husband was… well, perhaps it was immodest or indecent, but she thought that it might be the better part of the bargain for her.
Ceana walked into the room, before closing the door behind her and latching it. Her heart hammered in her chest, and her hands were shaking slightly. She turned around slowly as she smoothed down the front of her gown, acutely aware of her body when she looked up and found the Laird sitting on the edge of her bed.
He looked wholly unbothered, his palms resting on his spread knees as he watched her with that intensity that warmed her core in a way she had never experienced before.
She stopped in the center of the room, unsure if she should wait for him to tell her how this was supposed to go down or if he wished to undress her. Should she take control and do it herself? Perhaps if she weren’t so nervous, she might have taken matters into her own hands. He was a very handsome man, at least. She could have done much worse for herself. Objectively.
That was the logic she was going to follow.
There was absolutely no part of her that was willing to admit that she might be just a wee bit attracted to him.
Neil pushed off the bed, his hand moving to his belt and unbuckling it while he pulled his white linen shirt from beneath his kilt. She could hardly breathe as he closed the distance between them, towering over her. She had to crane her neck to look up at him.
“Ye’re so bonny,” he whispered.
She wanted to touch him. Her hands itched to move. But was it allowed?
“I dinnae think I could have made a better choice for a wife.” He raised his hand and curled his fingers around her chin, tilting it up ever so slightly to look deeper into her eyes.
Ceana stepped into him and rested her hands on his chest, her fingers curling into his shirt. “Ye arenae so hard to look at either, M’Laird.”
