Page 44 of Taken By the Ruthless Highlander
“Nae ye. Ye stay. Nathan can take his leave and bury the hatch he keeps holdin’ over yer head.”
Morgana froze at the door. She slowly turned back to face Ryder once more. There was a hint of fear in her eyes.
“I swear to ye, I didnae kill the former Laird McKenzie,” she whispered, her voice barely rising above the crackling and popping of the fire.
“Dinnae think for one moment that I believe ye,” Nathan sneered.
“Enough,” Ryder growled as he rose from his desk and moved around it. Leaning back against the edge, he folded his arms over his chest and fixed Nathan with a cold look, daring him to say another word. “Ye came in here pryin’ about the state of my marriage, and I presented ye my wife, who has confirmed our union. I’ll nae hear another malicious word against her. Yer case against her is finished. Is that clear?”
“I dinnae understand,” Morgana said. “How could ye think I would ever do such a thing? The Laird was a beast, compared to me.”
“And frail,” Nathan interjected. “Everyone kenned that the man could barely hold his goblet up, and yet the night of the weddin’, when he was to consummate the marriage, ye find him dead.”
“Did ye forget the blood on the balcony? Or the fact that everyone had to break down the balcony door to step outside because his body was blockin’ the way? Tell me, please, how could I do that from the wrong side of the door?”
Ryder’s eyes widened. If he ever had a doubt about her, she had just put it to rest. The fact that the doors swung out and she couldn’t open them told him everything he needed to know.
His fatherwasmurdered, but it wasn’t the innocent creature standing before him who did it.
A great weight lifted from his shoulders.
Pushing off the desk, Ryder circled Nathan like the prey he was.
“This will be the last time ye accuse my wife of such a crime,” he warned. “She is the lady of this clan, and ye’ll treat her with the respect she deserves.”
“Ye’re makin’ a mistake. She shouldnae be trusted,” Nathan insisted.
But Ryder had heard enough. He grabbed the man by the collar and dragged him to the door. It was clear that no matter the evidence Morgana presented, Nathan would only ever see her as a murderer.
“That is enough,” Ryder snapped. Mustering his strength, he shoved Nathan out of the room and slammed him against the adjacent wall. “Ye’ll nae speak to my wife again. If I find out ye even looked at her the wrong way, I’ll have yer head.”
“My Laird—” Nathan started, but Ryder simply stomped back into the study and slammed the study shut, cutting him off.
“I should have his head for bein’ so disrespectful,” he grumbled as he moved to the fireplace.
“Mercy is always the better choice,” Morgana said.
Her voice rattled him. He hadn’t expected her to be close. He glanced over his shoulder and stared at her hand on his arm. Her touch was searing like coal, but he couldn’t shrug it off. It was a burn that kindled his desires.
“That’s a very Utopian thing to say,” Ryder mumbled. He turned around slowly so as not to startle her. “But sometimes violence must be used.”
“And shovin’ one of yer councilmen out of yer study was the right thing to do?”
“Ye heard him,” Ryder countered. “Or have ye forgotten he was the one who wanted to see ye hang?”
“Is that why ye called me in here? To confronthim?” Morgana asked.
A shadow flashed across her face, rattling him. He shook his head and brushed the loose strands of her hair from her shoulders. How he adored the curve of her neck—so elegant and graceful.
“Nay,” he answered, his voice softening as his eyes drifted over her body.
A smile tugged at the corners of his lips as he envisioned her standing bare before him. A flush rose to her cheeks, making his body stir. Instinctively, he cupped her face in his hand, wishing he was the cause of that flush.
“Then why?” she pressed.
He pulled in a long, deep breath, drinking in her floral scent. He closed his eyes, savoring the moment a bit longer.
Pulling back, he opened his eyes and arched an eyebrow. The pleasantries were over. As much as he wanted to prolong the moment, there was just too much to do.
