The Morrigan: Damaged Deities (20 page)

He would have a beautiful woman on his arm and as confounding and frustrating as she could be, he looked forward to the challenge of figuring her out.

Kade was adjusting the onyx and platinum cufflinks in his sleeves when the bedroom door opened. 

He turned around.

Fuck
.

The personification of all his deepest desires stood in the doorway in head to toe red lace. 

The floor-length gown hugged Morrie’s perfect little curves, enhancing her tiny waist and the flare of her hips.  The fit was snug, despite the high slit running up the center and ending just below the place Kade had imagined burying his face in. 

He scrubbed his palm over his clean-shaven jaw and inhaled deeply.

The bright red color of the dress flamed against her porcelain skin.  The low, round neckline dipped just below her collarbones, bringing Kade’s gaze to the hollow at the base of her neck.

Her dark brown hair was piled on top of her head in a messy, but beautiful way with a few locks falling just across her thick, black eyelashes. 

Letting his inspection roam across the artistry of her face, something feral within him stirred when Kade stopped at her lips.  Already red and plump, they needed no aid and Morrie knew this, leaving them bare of any makeup.

Clearing her throat, Morrie ran a hand down her side and seemed to fight a frown.

“Is this alright?” she asked and Kade could have kicked himself for his stupor.

He blinked and tried to recall how to speak.

“Aye. Yes,” he answered, his voice husky. “Perfect, lass.  Ye look perfect.”

With a small smile, she moved across the room with a soft rustle, joining him at the bar.

“Would you like a drink?” he asked, still unable to tear his eyes from her.

“Yes, please.  Whatever you’re having.” He poured a second glass of wine as she turned away towards the windows. “Such a beautiful view.”

Fuck!

Kade couldn’t suppress the growl that rumbled from deep in his chest at the sight of her completely bare back, the dress ending barely above the top curve of her ass. 

With a look of surprise, Morrie glanced over her shoulder at him.  But Kade couldn’t focus on anything else but the expanse of flawless skin.  Nothing else filled Kade’s mind than the need to trace his fingers down the slope of her spine, following the path with his tongue. 

In fact, it was his plan.  One he’d be achieving that night.

But his undoing nearly came when tucked behind the deep V of the gown’s cut, a black raven tattoo peeked at him, its wings spread.

“I doona remember seeing this before,” he ran his fingers across the tattoo.  He was rewarded with a shiver that seemed to travel her entire body.

“No?” she turned to face him again, ripping from him the glory of her naked back and it took all of Kade’s strength to not turn her back around and bend her over the counter.  Instead he handed her the glass of wine. “You didn’t see it when oggling my ass the night we first met?”

Grinning, Kade met her intense glare. “I must have still been affected by the memory of yer wee hand gripping my cock.”

A beautiful blush blossomed across her cheeks, which only made Kade want to tease her more. “But we have all night for me tae familiarize myself with every inch of ye.”

Blinking, Morrie looked lost for words, biding her time with a few sips of her wine. “Look, Kade, there’s something we need to talk about.”

The doorbell rang, signaling the arrival of their transportation.

“Hold that thought, lass,” Kade said.  He took the wine glass from her, placing it on the counter and handed over her little red clutch. “Our ride’s here.”

F
uck!

Morrie continued cursing in her mind throughout the short ride to the restaurant.  It had started when she opened her bedroom door and saw Kade standing like a GQ model in his black tux. 

The cut made him look taller and leaner and...powerful. 

The man had been chiseled from marble by Michelangelo, himself. 

The lines of his suit highlighted that perfect backside of his, the sight of which did things to Morrie she thought she’d never feel again.  His dark hair was still unkempt, but in that way stylists actually create and though she liked the stubble he’d worn up until then, his clean and smooth face placed his beauty on a new level. 

But it was when he turned to look at her…that dangerous flash of his dark eyes…

Morrie’d had to remind herself how to walk. 

The way his gaze had traveled her body…even Chulainn in all his primitive lust and lack of inhibition had never made her feel so wanted with just a look.

And now they were walking up the steps of the restaurant—some ultra modern structure with glossy dark wood and sleek stone steps and lots of windows—and yet she barely noticed any of it because her body leaned into the hard muscles of Kade’s torso while his hand rested at the very exposed base of her lower back. 

Even the flashing lights of the photographers’ cameras and the questions yelled at them from reporters and other observers couldn’t distract from how right it felt to have Kade’s possessive hold on her.

It all really mucked up her plans to tell him that they needed to keep things strictly professional. 

The more they moved around together, the way he introduced her to those they encountered while never letting her go, the harder it was for her to stick to her plan. 

Because Kade’s touch was an addictive thing, whether he kept his hand on her lower back or rested it on her hip or wrapped it around her neck Kade had her in his clutch. 

And she didn’t want him to let go.

“Oh, I’m in trouble,” Morrie whispered to herself when they found themselves temporarily separated by the crowd of guests only for Kade’s hand to find her back again.

“What’s that, lass?” Kade asked, smiling down at her.

She returned the smile and shook her head, shrugging it off. 

Flashing his perfect, pearly white smile at her, he wrapped his arm around her, his hand secured high on her ribs and pressed a long kiss to her temple.  She interpreted it to be his way of thanking her for coming with him.  It was a move he repeated often throughout the night and Morrie had to admit, she loved it more and more.

Quite soon Morrie understood why Kade was the one of the MacLeod family to head public events. 

Everyone who faced him looked utterly enchanted, held captive by his commanding presence, prisoner to his winning smile, and affected by his deep voice and charming words. 

Under low lights and among thick crowds, Kade led Morrie through the rigorous steps of a restaurant opening party—chatting up the mayor and local celebrities, talking up the finer points of the new restaurant.  Each busty young starlet tried her hardest to capture Kade’s attention but he never tore his gaze away from Morrie; she was his star.  And that touched her deeper than any carnal stirring. 

Through it all he kept his arm around her, kept her close to his side and with each new introduction or witty reply she gave, she earned another lingering kiss to her temple. 

But most importantly, Kade made it perfectly and publicly clear—he had claimed her. 

She was his. 

And anyone dumb enough to not see that and approach Morrie to ask for her attention received a dark look and brisk brush-off.

C
HAPTER
E
IGHTEEN

“The supreme art of war is to subdue the enemy without fighting.”

Sun Tzu

After they had met with the head chef and were treated to a preview of the night’s menu, Kade led Morrie to a private booth tucked away in a far, dark corner of the restaurant’s second level with only candles and floor to ceiling windows to offer light. 

A low wall of oak and slate protected them from the rest of the bustling diners. 

Kade stood aside as Morrie slipped across the leather bench facing the nighttime city lights outside. 

When Kade lowered himself next to her, rather than across, she stifled a look of annoyance and scooted further in.  She needed to set their parameters, but couldn’t do it with him so close. 

With familiar ease he rested his arm along the back of the bench behind her, bringing his hand to rest on her shoulder. 

“That wasna so bad, was it now?” he asked, rubbing his thumb across her shoulder, sending shivers down her torso.

“No, it wasn’t.  It—,” she turned to him only to find his face too close to her own. But she couldn’t back away, didn’t want to.  Her words stuck in her throat for a beat. “It was actually fun watching you work the crowd.”

Grinning, his gaze dropped, focused on her mouth, and shrugged. “Part o’ the family business, I suppose.”

“Good evening, Maister MacLeod,” a stiffly poised waiter said at Kade’s shoulder. “What may I start you and your guest with to drink, sir?”

“Bring us the Cantenac Brown Margaux, please,” Kade answered him without looking away from Morrie.

“Yes, sir,” the waiter nodded and hurried away.

“Ye’ve tormented me all evening,” Kade murmured to Morrie, once again brushing his fingers along her neck, twirling a stray curl near her ear around his finger. 

It felt as though electrical currents pulsed off of him, firing every nerve in her being, but yet he kept touching her despite what it did to her.

“How is that?” she asked, distracted by the fluttering wings of…
butterflies?!
and falling deeply under the spell of his dark eyes and glistening lips. 

She felt like some sheltered maiden, blushing and affected—like it was her first time with a man.

“Ye look utterly breathtaking,” he tucked the lock of hair behind her ear, letting his touch trail down the shell to her lobe. 

In response her breasts grew heavy, her nipples puckering painfully against the material of her dress and it felt as though he touched so much more than just her ear. “I’ve wanted tae both show ye off and punch any bastard fer looking at ye.”

“That wouldn’t have gone over well,” Morrie smiled wryly.

His gaze fell to her mouth again where he ran his thumb gently over her bottom lip. “No, I suppose no’.”

“I think,” Morrie craned her head around him to put some distance between them and look out on the restaurant, “that your opening was a success.”

He offered the crowd an indifferent glance and small shrug before returning his attention to her. “Ye’re my good luck charm.”

“That would be a first,” she laughed. 

She clung to the bench at her side, her arms stiff as her posture; it was everything she could do to keep herself contained.

“Ye—,” his lips pouted as he frowned at her, thoughtful, selecting his words with care. “Ye’ve never been someone’s…charm before?”

“No, I haven’t.  And it’s been a very long time since I’ve put on a formal gown for anyone.”

Kade’s eyebrows rose with surprise and he smiled in a way that melted Morrie’s insides.

Drawn to his mouth, Morrie fought the pull to lean in and kiss him. She just stopped herself from doing that.  Instead, she spoke weakly, “Kade, I need to talk to you.”

The waiter reappeared with a dark bottle and two glasses; Morrie offered him an annoyed glance. 

Placing the glasses before them, he then uncorked the bottle and sat it down to let it breath.

“Do you know what you would like to start out with, sir?” he asked, standing in a straight-backed position.

“Whatever the chef wishes us tae eat,” answered Kade with a dismissive wave. “Surprise us.”

“With pleasure, sir,” the waiter bowed then took up the bottle, pouring its dark red contents into each of their glasses.