Page 79 of A Virgin for the Vicious Highlander
Four – I want to look into yer eyes as I slide into ye and have nothin’ between us anymore. Nay barriers or distance or doubts.
Five – I want to sculpt yer likeness while ye pose for me. I cannae sculpt clothes very well.
She chuckled at that one, but her laugh turned into a soft, enchanted gasp as she read the next entry.
Six – I want to start a family with ye. As many bairns as ye please.
There were twelve in total, the other six stirring up pleasant thoughts and recent memories that she had struggled to push deep down into the recesses of her mind.
In truth, those memories were the reason she had been pacing and staring out the window so often, not to mention getting very little sleep. But number six stood out like a beacon, heralding the change she had thought impossible.
She raised her gaze and smiled at him. “I’d be happy to complete the list with ye, my love.” She stepped closer to him, pressing her palms to his chest. “But I should start with the most important one, which ye’ve neglected to add.”
He frowned adorably. “Should I fetch a quill and inkpot?”
“There’s nay need,” she replied. “I’m certain ye’ll be able to remember it.”
“Go on…”
“I love ye too,” she whispered, peering up at him as her sore heart swelled with happiness.
His wolfish eyes widened behind his mask. “Ye do?”
“I wouldnae say it if I didnae mean it,” she insisted.
“Nor would I.” His hand came up to cradle her cheek. “I love ye, wife. I love ye, Cecilia. I love ye, Lady Moore.”
She grinned. “Now ye’re just showin’ off.”
He dipped his head and kissed her softly, with a gentleness that surprised her. Then again, that had been part of his list, to be more gentle. She kissed him back in kind, reveling in the slow sensuality of it and the relief that swept through her after all.
She had a husband, she had a home to return to, and she had free rein to visit those she cared for whenever she pleased. It was more than she could have asked for.
Pulling back slightly, she gazed up at him and murmured, “Love, take me home.”
He smiled for the first time since she had met him, the curve of his lips warming the stony color of his eyes.
He still wore his mask, but it was as if he was finally showing her a glimpse of his true self—the man hidden underneath that mask. A man who had chosen to set aside old grievances to make room for love and, hopefully, untold happiness.
“With pleasure,” he replied, swooping her up into his arms and carrying her out of the hall, with Dipper hot on his heels. The beginnings of a family, heading for their future together.
EPILOGUE
Cecilia’s heartsoared as Castle Moore came into view, the glow of lanterns in the windows welcoming their Laird and Lady back home. Snow had begun to drift down from swollen clouds in light flurries, though it would not be long before it started to tumble from the heavens more thickly, no doubt blocking the roads and isolating the castle from the rest of the world once more.
“We timed it well,” Murdoch said, his arm around her waist, holding her against him as he led the stallion up the winding road to the castle. “If we’d lingered longer with Camden and Paisley, we’d have had to take shelter somewhere.”
Cecilia smiled. “A huntin’ cabin in the woods, maybe?”
“Or a warm inn with a hearty stew and pleasant chambers,” he suggested, for not all their memories of cabins were good ones.
She groaned. “Well, ye make that sound better. We should turn around.”
“Another time, perhaps,” he said softly, bending his head to kiss her shoulder.
Paisley had been overjoyed by the news that her dearest friend was returning to a place where, at last, she belonged.
Of course, Paisley had been sorry to say farewell to Cecilia, but they had promised to meet soon and to write to each other often. As for Camden, he had been thrilled that Murdoch had finally succumbed to the gift his fellow lairds had already received—love.
