Page 9 of Taken by the Ruthless Highlander (Taken by Highland Devils #6)

9

E very inch of Morgana’s body tingled as heat coursed through her, as if her passion was lava racing down the face of a cliff. How were Ryder’s lips so tender and soft, when not more than five minutes ago, they were tight and stern?

Morgana’s head swirled as she sank deeper into his embrace. She hadn’t noticed when the world had disappeared, or when the room had vanished. All she cared about was the feel of Ryder’s strong arms around her, holding her to him as if she could slip and fall at any moment.

Somewhere in the distance, she heard the sound of air whooshing into the room. It rattled her to her core, causing her to jerk back. Gulping in the air, she tried to clear her thoughts, but it was hard enough just trying to comprehend where she was and what they were doing.

Pressing a hand to his chest, Morgana tried to resist him, but how could she, when his frantically beating heart mimicked her wild pulse?

“Ye have nay idea how I’ve longed to ken what ye taste like,” Ryder whispered.

The way his teeth grazed her ear caused her skin to tingle and stirred her desire even more. Chewing on her lower lip, Morgana knew if she didn’t get out of the room soon, she’d succumb to his allure.

“My Laird, please, I thought…” she trailed off, her thoughts shifting and spiraling quicker than she could keep up.

Why did he have to be so desirable?

As Morgana fought the urge to kiss him once again, she swallowed hard and eased back. Ryder’s embrace tightened, refusing to let her move even so much as an inch from him.

“Tell me what ye thought,” he said. “Did ye think that yer absence wouldnae be missed? Or that there would be nay consequences for disobeyin’ me?”

Panic shot through her, mingling with her longing and yearning. It was an odd struggle, one she was certain she’d never experienced before. How could she want someone so badly, when they irritated and frustrated her to no end?

“Consequence?” she managed to get out.

A wicked, mischievous grin spread across Ryder’s lips. A spark of playfulness and longing danced in his eyes. Morgana swallowed hard as he arched an eyebrow and his fingers curled around her wrists. Before she knew it, he had clasped both her hands into one of his.

“Aye, but seein’ as how this is yer first offense, I promise I’ll be gentle,” he purred, his eyes gleaming with a wild playfulness she had never seen before.

Her heart racing, she dared to glance around the room, hunting for an escape. But there was no clear path for her to follow that would get her to the door quickly.

“My Laird, please,” she gasped as a tremor of fear cut through the fog in her mind.

He pulled her to him and crushed his lips to hers once more. There was a hunger in the tenderness of his lips. As if he knew this might be the last time he kissed her lips.

“When I ask ye to have dinner with me, I expect ye to show up,” he said as he pulled away.

“That was yer rule if I recall correctly,” Morgana snapped back.

“Aye, it was,” Ryder hissed as he stumbled into the table, his thigh knocking into the edge.

Morgana couldn’t help but feel a prick of satisfaction. But it wasn’t enough to calm the ire brewing within her.

“Then why were ye allowed to break it? Or is this just goin’ to be one-sided? Where ye can do as ye will and break the rules as ye see fit, while I am stuck havin’ to pick up the pieces. That’s nae fair, and ye ken it,” Morgana scoffed.

She couldn’t help but notice the shift in his gaze. His calculated, stoic expression eclipsed his longing and desire. It was as if he simply set such matters aside and resumed business.

“Ye’re right,” Ryder relented, as if saying such a thing was like swallowing glass. “I set the rules and broke them. But that doesnae give ye the right to disobey yer Laird.”

“Is that how ye see it, then? I’m nae a wife, just a subject ye can order about at yer whim.”

“Aye, that is exactly what ye are—a subject,” Ryder snapped, his ire breaking his composure. He exhaled sharply as the rage escaped through his limbs. “And ye’re my wife. Ye should show me a bit more grace. So, tell me, where were ye? What was so important that ye couldnae meet me?”

“I had to see my family,” she explained. “ Ye have to understand, I hadnae laid eyes on any of them since I was dragged out of yer dungeons. Eloise, poor thing, had gone mute. She had to ken that everythin’ was well. So I spent the time wit’ them.”

Morgana studied Ryder ashe. He let out a deep, heavy sigh as if from the depths of his being. She watched him consider his answer.

“I cannae fault ye for that,” he conceded, his voice softening. A gentleness touched his eyes as he drew closer to her. The silence between them was electric, like a storm brewing on the open waters, daring any vessel to crash against its waves. “But ye need to ken that I’ll be gone tomorrow.”

“Why are ye tellin’ me? I thought I wasnae to ken yer plans,” she said, trying not to pay attention to the way his lips moved as he spoke.

“Perhaps I thought it best nae to stir more animosity between us,” Ryder answered, his voice as smooth as silk.

Morgana found herself fantasizing about how he might take her against the plush sofa. How she longed to feel his lips on hers.

“Communication is the cornerstone of all great relationships, is it nae?”

What is he sayin’? Somethin’ about great relationships and rocks? Why does he have to be so seductive? Is it wrong of me to want him? I shouldnae, but I do.

“I cannae say when I’ll be back,” he continued.

But Morgana had already tuned him out. All she knew was that he’d be gone for an undetermined amount of time.

Questions popped into her head, one after another, but none of them managed to escape her lips as she watched him sit behind his desk. When had he moved so far from her? And why didn’t she notice?

The way he was toying with her was driving her insane.

“I’m sure ye’ll do yer best for the clan in my absence?” Ryder prompted.

The sternness of his tone snapped her out of her fantasy.

“Aye,” she answered absentmindedly as she tried to comprehend how he could so easily turn off the flames of his desires.

He had promised never to touch her, yet all he had done was torment and tease her. Was it nothing but a game to him?

The thought frustrated Morgana more than she wanted it to. But it was clear from the way Ryder quickly turned his attention to the ledgers and papers on his desk that she was no longer needed.

Stepping back, she found her footing and cleared her throat. She wiped her sweaty palms on her skirt and pulled in a deep breath to steady her nerves.

“Enjoy yer time away from the castle and Godspeed,” she muttered, before turning on her heels and marching out of the room.

She couldn’t understand how the man could be so hot and smoldering one moment and ice cold the next. The control he had over his passions was more than she could comprehend. All she was left with was frustration and a yearning she couldn’t quench.

She slipped into a nook, hiding herself from the world for a moment. Flushed, she closed her eyes and let the moment crash through her.

What had just happened? It was a whirlwind she had not been expecting.

Chewing on her lower lip, Morgana could still feel Ryder’s tight grip on her wrists. His heat still lingered enough that she thought he had come back for her.

Her eyes popped open with expectancy, only to be greeted with disappointment. Ryder didn’t have a reason to come after her. He had made their arrangement very clear, and the rules were precise. If anyone was trying to bend them, it was her.

The realization stung. Was it because he told her he’d never touch her that made her want him that much more? Or was it the fact that he, too, was breaking his rules? After all, he kissed her. He carried her to his study. And it was his seductiveness that she craved more than anything.

Unable to hide in the nook all night, Morgana rolled her shoulders back. How could she be so selfish when she had her siblings to look after? And it wasn’t like they had anyone to look after them but her.

The thought of getting swept away by Ryder was enchanting and tantalizing, but the truth was that Morgana wouldn’t abandon her siblings to chase after her passions.

She wouldn’t be able to live with herself if she ever found out that their lives were worse than hers. No, she should be more like Ryder—calculated and stoic.

It was right then and there that Morgana sealed away her passions. Ryder wouldn’t get a second chance to stir them again.