Page 32 of Taken By the Ruthless Highlander
“That wasyerrule 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.
