Page 11 of Taken By the Vicious Highlander
Damon sat in the large armchair in his study, staring up at the ceiling, his thoughts circling like vultures over the same prey. His marriage to Lilith Flanagan wasn’t supposed to feel like this. It was a matter of duty, an arrangement to stabilize the clan and restore its shattered trust.
She was supposed to be just a means to an end, a sure thing even, but the woman with a sharp tongue and fierce loyalty to her people has proved to be more of a challenge. Making her his bride had been easy, though being her husband was proving to be harder by the second. She was beautiful, her fire undeniable. But tonight, he felt like he’d truly seen her for the first time.
Her words, her defiance—her anxiety—lingered in his mind like the sting of an arrow.
Why does she nae wish to have children? I thought that was every lassie’s dream.
It wasn’t just unusual—it was baffling.
He wore down the floorboards while mulling over what had transpired between them, all that was said.
“What does she mean she willnae have bairns? What is she hidin’?”
He tugged on the bell pull after downing two glasses of whiskey, and within moments the housekeeper, who he remembered was called Smith, appeared at the study door. Her no-nonsense demeanor was a welcome respite. Only, her presence caught him slightly off guard.
He had expected an errand boy to come up—after which he would have ordered more whiskey. But Smith’s arrival dragged him into a new conversation.
“Me Laird, many blessings on yer union. What can I do for ye?”
“Aye, thank ye, Smith.”
Smith stayed silent, patiently waiting for his instructions. She watched as Damon anxiously eyed the empty decanter of whiskey before turning back to her.
“I… Lady McCallum and I will be tourin’ the grounds after we speak with the staff first thing tomorrow morning.”
Smith didn’t bat an eye. “Aye, Me Laird. I will have the horses ready for yer departures. Is there anything else?”
“That is all. The lady and I will be in for the evening. Dinnae wake either of us unless it’s urgent.”
“As ye wish, Me Laird,” Smith said, before turning on her heel and disappearing back into the depths of the castle. Her efficiency was a small comfort in an otherwise chaotic evening.
Alone again, Damon sighed and relaxed back in his chair, his head leaning against the high back. Without any semblance of warning or easing into it, visions of Lilith flashed across his mind. He twisted his neck from side to side in a stretch that was almost painful, trying to rid himself of the thoughts, but they were relentless.
Me name on her lips… Christ.
He couldn’t fathom a woman who wouldn’t want to secure her family’s legacy, especially in a clan like theirs, where lineage and heirs were everything. The more he thought about it, the more the question gnawed at him until, finally, he pushed himself to his feet and sauntered back to his chambers.
Remembering for a moment that he had left her in there alone, his mind shifted, and a knot formed in the pit of his stomach.
Surely she left. Right?
Pushing the heavy door open, he made quick work of scanning the room. Shadows cast by the fire in the hearth played tricks on his eyes at first, but he could tell from the fading hints of citrus and vanilla alone that Lilith had gone.
He tsked. “She was right there,” he said to the empty room.
The memory of her warmth and her intoxicating smell pulled on the tendons in his neck. The way she had looked at him tonight, defiant yet vulnerable made his entire body tighten. He needed a release, and was incredibly frustrated that he hadn’t found it as anticipated.
He remembered the feel of her curves against him, the way her hazel eyes had flashed with determination as she pushed him back, telling him outright that she wouldn’t share his bed even as the taste of her lingered on his lips.
The memory of her stung his pride but also stirred something else inside him—curiosity. She had been right, things just happened for him without him ever needing to ask.
“It doesnae matter,” he muttered to himself. His deep voice barely broke the stillness of the room as he lay down on his bed and watched the shadows dance on the ceiling. “She’ll change her mind. She has to.”
Because if she didn’t, he was doomed. He’d made her a promise, one that was uncharacteristic of him—he would never touch her against her will. He would keep that vow, no matter what.
But what if she never did?
Damon growled low in frustration and rolled onto his side, trying to shut out the thoughts that wouldn’t let him rest. Sleep didn’t come easily for a man burdened with a plan as precarious as his, let alone frustrated as all get-out by the lack of a woman in his bed tonight.
