Page 31 of Taken By the Vicious Highlander

Her fingers touched the buttons of his tunic almost manically. Within seconds, Damon had scooped her up into his arms. Her legs wrapped around his waist possessively, and for the first time, she felt his rock-hard length press deliciously against her slick core.

But just as the kiss deepened, Damon’s shirt almost fully unbuttoned and Lilith ready to ask him to take her to bed, a sharp knock sounded at the door, shattering the moment.

“Me Laird!” Finley’s urgent voice called out from the hallway. He knocked again. “Me Laird! Apologies, please?—”

Damon pulled back, his breathing ragged, his forehead resting against hers but his grip on her tight, holding her in place.

“What is it?” he barked, his frustration evident.

“There’s been another attack, Me Laird—this time at Branloch. We can see the smoke from here.”

Lilith’s heart sank, the urgency in Finley’s voice pulling her back to reality.

Damon’s jaw tightened as he slowly set her down and stepped away, his expression hardening into that of the Laird once more.

“Stay here,” he ordered, his tone brooking no argument.

Lilith straightened, her resolve hardening. “Like hell I will.”

Their eyes met, and despite the dire circumstances, a flicker of amusement crossed Damon’s face.

“Of course ye wouldnae,” he muttered, grabbing his sword. “Then stay close, wife.”

With that, he was out the door, Lilith hot on his heels.

8

“It’s going to be dangerous, lass,” he barked over his shoulder, in an obvious attempt to convincer her to stay before they got to the courtyard.

“I’m comin’ with ye,” she stated firmly. Her skirts swished around her legs as she quickened her pace.

“Ye should stay here,” Damon urged as he stretched his steps further and further apart, but she only increased her pace to match.

“Ach, forgive me,Me Laird. I didnae realize me husband’s idea of marriage was to order me around.”

Damon glanced to her, his blue eyes sharp with irritation. “Dinnae make this more difficult than it already is.”

“Ye are the one makin’ it difficult,” she shot back, her cheeks flushed as much from anger as from the exertion of keeping upwith him. “Ye cannae seriously expect me to stay behind while ye run off to God kens what kind of danger.”

“Exactly,” he said, rounding a corner. “Because it’s dangerous.”

“Precisely why I need to come with ye,” Lilith argued, her voice rising slightly as her boots thudded against the stone floor. “These are me people, Damon. They trust me.”

He let out a low, exasperated sigh as they neared the Great Hall. “They dinnae trust me. Ye think draggin’ ye into the middle of a fight and puttin’ ye in danger will make them trust me more?”

“If anything,Iwill be draggin’ye,” she quipped, lifting her chin. “Ye might be their Laird, and they’ll listen to ye, but I’m the one they’ll actuallyhear.”

A hint of a smile spread across his lips, though his expression remained firm. “Ye certainly think highly of yerself, do ye nae?”

Lilith stopped in her tracks, her hands planted firmly on her hips. “And ye clearly think very little of me if ye believe I’ll just stand by and twiddle me thumbs while ye go gallopin’ off to save the day.”

Damon halted as well, turning to face her fully. His towering frame cast a shadow over her, but she didn’t flinch. If anything, her spine straightened further. Heat throbbed low between her hips as images of their kiss flashed in her mind’s eye.

“This isnae about what ye want, lass,” he said, his voice low and rough. “It’s only about keepin’ ye safe.”

“Ach, spare me,” she snapped, swiping her hand through the air between them, then stepping closer to jab a finger in his chest. “Ye dinnae get to decide what’s best for me. I’m yer wife, not yer?—”

The word ‘daughter’ died in her throat as she recalled their discussion about heirs.