Page 164 of Bride of Ice
“But we didn’tknowthat.”
“Still, ’tisn’t a bad way to start a marriage, with honor.”
“Pah!” Jenefer spat. “Hallie and Morgan? They’ve spent a lifetime doing the honorable thing. Don’t they deserve something more?”
While Morgan and Jenefer continued their skirmish, Hallie let her gaze slide to the man lying on the bed, who was looking at her with bemused adoration.
“I love ye,” he silently mouthed.
She bit her lip. This wasn’t going to be a marriage of honor or convenience or duty. This would be a union based on respect and generosity. Honesty and patience. Forgiveness and devotion.
Reaching across the bed, she took his hand. He lifted it to his lips and kissed the back of her hand with genuine affection.
“I love you too,” she mouthed back.
Epilogue
It was time. The wedding feast was over. Hallie had gone upstairs.
Even if this was the bride’s second marriage, Colban knew Morgan wasn’t about to spare his right hand man the indignities of the wedding night ritual.
A mob of rowdy mac Giric men hefted Colban up on their shoulders and bore him up to her bedchamber, threatening to remain to witness the consummation. Colban feigned to be mortified that they would wish to gaze upon his wife as she lay in their bed.
But when he opened the door to the gleeful shrieks of the Rivenloch ladies guarding his bride, one glance at Hallie made him glad his clansmen could feast their eyes on the prize he’d won. And then it made him want to get rid of them as soon as possible.
“That’s enough, ye greedy sots,” he chided, winking at Hallie. “Out with ye.”
They crowded around the door to steal a glimpse, cursing in mock complaint when Colban pushed them back.
Hallie dismissed her ladies with a grin, and after they all dutifully filed out, Colban closed the door.
Then he took a moment to look at his stunning bride.
He still couldn’t believe she was his. That the stars had aligned and everything had worked out right.
The clans had agreed it was wolves that had killed Archibald Scott.
The king, made aware of Hallie’s condition, had granted her request to wed Colban.
Now Colban was going to be Morgan’s neighbor. He was getting a second clan. Brothers and a sister. And the most beautiful woman in all of Scotland as his wife.
He would be her helpmate, her right hand man, her champion. No longer would she have to shoulder the burden of leadership alone. No longer would she have to face the prospect of raising a fatherless child. No longer would she be forced to wed a man she didn’t love.
He intended to cherish his wife for the rest of their years. Starting tonight.
Hallie’s shining hair, crowned by a silver circlet, fell like pale satin over her lovely shoulders. Her lips, full and ripe, curved up in the slightest hint of a smile. Her eyes beckoned him with sultry blue promise.
“Are you going to stand there all night, Highlander,” she murmured, raking his body with her gaze, “or do you want to show me what you can do with your trusty blade?”
Giving her a smoky grin, he pushed off the door, unbuckling his belt.
Hallie shivered with anticipation. Though it had been months, her body remembered well the thrill of coupling with him.
This time, however, it was different. More thoughtful. More tender. There was more than wild passion in their lovemaking.
Together they crested the rise of their desire with their eyes locked, their hands clasped, their souls entwined. A deeper bond secured them, promising an infinite well of joy and love in the years ahead.
As their bodies glided together in the pursuit of pleasure, the pressure growing inside them was more than physical. It was the blossoming of something more. A union as powerful and everlasting as metals forged into steel.
