The Morrigan: Damaged Deities (21 page)

Kade never stopped his inspection of Morrie’s mouth, his fingers never ceased their gentle exploration. 

Nodding one last time, the waiter left them alone again.

“What’s on yer mind, lass,” Kade gripped the stem of the glass and moved it, swirling the wine inside.

Morrie sat up and twisted so she faced him fully and put a little distance between them. 

The distance was good.  She had to pull herself together.

“What happened earlier…in the bathroom and,” she rolled her eyes at herself, “on the helicopter…that can’t happen again.”

“Why no’?” he looked at her, his head tilted slightly as he took a sip of his wine.

“Because it was unprofessional.  It was wrong of me and I’m sorry for that.” Morrie grew more and more uncomfortable with the conversation and Kade wasn’t making it any easier with his hot hand exploring her back and neck in lazy paths.  “It can’t happen again.”

“Well, I’m no’ sorry and I doona agree.”

Morrie frowned. “You don’t agree?”

“No,” he slid his hand further down, resting at her lower back. 

His long fingers wrapped around her waist as his thumb massaged the muscles there. Her eyes almost rolled back into her head.

“Ye gave me a taste of tha’ perfect wee body o’ yers in the bathroom.  I’ll be consuming the rest.  Now, drink yer wine.”

Morrie blinked and tried to get her thoughts straight. 

She took a sip of the wine—not because Kade had ordered her to, but because she
wanted
to—letting the dense woody liquid rest on her tongue before it slipped down her throat.  It gave her time to combat Kade’s stubbornness. 

But his wicked fingers began to draw slow circles low on her back, their reach widening to slip inside her gown and skim her waist and she couldn’t think of anything but how good it felt.

Closing her eyes, Morrie tried to control her breathing even as it grew heavier.

“This isn’t a discussion, Kade,” she didn’t open her eyes, barely able to focus while his hand ran up along her side. “This is business.”

“Bullshit.”

Her eyes snapped up at him at his hard reply, opposite to his touch. 

He leaned further in, his nose brushing hers as his lips drew close.

“I doona believe ye,” he whispered, so close to her. “I know ye feel for me the way I feel for you.”

“I feel nothing,” she couldn’t even convince herself with her weak reply.

“Ye’re a terrible liar,” he growled, cupping her face as he launched his attack on her mouth, claiming her lips aggressively, the way he had claimed her all night. 

A soft whimper escaped her throat and gods help her she couldn’t hold back, inching closer as she grabbed the back of his neck, the other hand clutching his muscled bicep. 

Tangling his tongue with her own, he tasted of expensive wine and deep desire.  Every feeling Morrie knew coiled tightly in her core, ready to explode.

His tongue made a compelling argument and for a brief moment, Morrie reconsidered her plan. 

She wanted this from Kade; she wanted him in her bed, inside her. 

Morrie whimpered at the thought and the sound encouraged Kade’s ravishing, his talented tongue deepening the kiss.

A throat cleared, barely breaking them apart. 

Kade still held her face close to his with her neck firm in his unbreakable grip, his eyes now black as they looked into her own, their heavy breathing mingling.

“Sorry, sir,” the waiter offered, plates clattering as they were placed hurriedly on the table.  But thankfully, it made Morrie remember herself. 

Leveling that dark and dangerous gaze on her as though he had read her mind, Kade growled at the poor boy. “Leave it, lad, and get the fuck out.”

The noises stopped almost instantly and they were left alone with nothing but the fading sounds of the restaurant and the haunting aroma of what smelled like a variety of shellfish and melted garlic butter.

“Where were we?” he leaned back in, but Morrie held up her hand, stopping him.

“We were discussing that this cannot happen again, Kade.”

She hoped her harsher tone would get through to him and then maybe she could believe it herself.

“This is happening, lass,” he countered, rebellious and aggressive. 

So opposite of Chulainn. 

The Celt had never pursued her, she’d had to use magic and trickery to lure him to her.  Had she spurned him just once, he would have walked away. 

Kade seemed to have her in his sights and wasn’t backing down.

“Ye may no’ know it yet here…” he touched softly on her forehead with one finger. “But ye know it here…” the hand moved to settle between her breasts, her heartbeat pounding through to meet it. “And ye know it here—,” the hand moved lower still and slipped between the high slit of her dress, forcing her crossed legs apart to cup her hot need.

Morrie gasped and barely kept from moaning as his palm touched her flesh—damn her for not wearing any panties.

“Christ, Morrie,” Kade closed his eyes and bit out, “What are ye doin’ tae me?  Ye’re so wet.  Tell me this is no’ what ye want.”

“It’s…it’s no—,” Morrie closed her eyes, unable to think any longer as Kade glided two fingers along her slick opening, swelling at his touch. The pads of his fingers tracing down her smooth, sensitive flesh.

Up and down, up and down, hypnotic. 

Her breathing grew labored as that inner coil tightened even more.  She didn’t even care that they were in public.

“If ye want me to stop, lass,” Kade murmured close to her ear, his lips brushing her lobe, “then jus’ say so.”

Her fingers digging into the edge of the table in a hardened grip, Morrie could barely speak.

“Don’t…don’t…”

What had she been saying?  She could think of nothing but Kade’s hands as his fingers played her like an instrument, brushing along the seam of her inner thigh, running along her sleek slit. 

Oh. 

Professional. Business only. 

Riiight
. 

But then her damned traitorous hips had to go and rise to meet his touch. “Don’t stop.”

As if they’d been waiting for her command, he slipped a finger just inside her swollen folds, traveling along the edges of her opening. His other hand gripped her neck, keeping her in place.

He was taking it so slow and while it felt incredible, she needed more. 

“Fuck, Morrie,” Kade exhaled, letting his forehead rest against her temple. “Ye’re so soft, so wet. Ye feel like heaven.” His labored breathing grew to match her own and his words came out strained. “Ye have the power tae stop me, lass.  I will no’ go further if ye doona want.”

“Please,” Morrie whimpered, needing his touch more than air in her lungs. 

She’d forgotten how good this felt and wondered if it had ever even felt like this. 

Swallowing against her dry throat, she gripped his coat lapel, inched closer to him, and held fast. “Please, don’t stop.”

“Aye, lass,” he rumbled and those wonderfully wicked fingers slid deep in her channel. 

Morrie gasped and sat up straight, arching her back to resist moving her hips.  While his fingers pumped her need, his thumb pressed against the swollen nub of her clit.  All those wonderful feelings, all the fireworks of sensation came crashing back in such an undeniable way, Morrie wondered how she’d gone without it for so long.

“How ye bewitch me, Morrie,” Kade whispered, his voice husky. “I canna get enough of ye.  I canna stop touching ye. Ye have me under yer spell.” 

His lips brushed across hers and though he had her on that edge, Morrie couldn’t help the slight frown worrying her brow. 

Bewitched. 

He felt this way because he was supposed to; he was a mortal man in the presence of a goddess—the goddess of sex.  How she wished he felt this way because of her and not what she was.

But what was her excuse?

Those worries died at the splendid twist of his fingers, knuckles brushing the ceiling of her sex. 

Morrie’s mouth opened to let out a sound of ecstasy but the noise was caught in Kade’s lips, held captive by his tongue and as her inner muscles clung to his fingers, he brought her to the precipice, a hurricane of an orgasm building to only come to a crashing halt when he stilled suddenly and pulled his hand free.

Eyes opening wildly, Morrie almost grabbed his hand and shoved it back where it belonged.

Breaking the kiss, Kade held her gaze with a regret-filled look.  He kissed her frown and sat back, seizing his wine glass with the fingers he stole from her.

It was then Morrie sensed the presence and realized why he’d stopped, just before she heard the greeting purred.

“Kadence.”

Kade focused on his wine, his hand still clinging to Morrie’s neck.  She peered around him at the woman standing to his left. 

A small thing, she had bleached blond hair piled high on her head in perfect curls filled with jeweled combs and ribbons, almost as though she’d been styled by the 1800’s.  Her skin looked as pale as her hair, her lipstick as dark as her deep purple gown, striking against the pallor of her complexion.  Her heavily lined eyes studied Morrie with a strange intensity. 

Something odd stirred inside Morrie concerning this newcomer—something about the lines on her face, the age that weighed unevenly on the form, as though it had been purposefully placed there and didn’t really belong.

“Mother,” Kade finally replied, forcing a strained smile on his face.

Morrie jolted at the revelation. 

This was Kade’s mother and if she hadn’t already intuited his feelings about her from earlier conversations, she would have known undoubtedly by the cold distance between the two now. 

He hated her.

“Are you going to introduce me to your friend?” his mother asked.

“If I must,” he sighed and readjusted in his seat. He glanced at Morrie with what looked like an apology. “Morrie, this is my mother, Bradana MacLeod.  Mother, this is my date, Morrie Brandon.”

“Nice to meet you,” Morrie said, leaning forward and slightly self-conscious of the flush still on her cheeks, the heaviness of the air around them.

“Charmed,” Bradana purred with disinterest before focusing back on her son with a grin. “Snagged yourself an American this time? What a lovely addition to your collection.” Her feline gaze slid back to Morrie. “I do hope you last longer than the others.”

“Mother…” Kade growled the warning, his dark gaze on the woman. 

She offered him a false smile and a slight shrug.

Kade took a deep breath that seemed to do little good.

“I’m surprised tae see ye out, mixing with the common folk.  I thought these gatherings were always beneath ye.”

“I had to make sure you didn’t make a mess of things.”

Shaking his head, Kade knocked back the rest of his glass of wine, a muscle working in his jaw.

“Well I haven’t so ye can go back tae yer lair now.”

 “Hmm.” She offered him a painted on smile, bringing a fur stole up around her shoulders. “The night’s still young yet and we both know you work quick.  But I suppose I’ll leave you to it. Nice meeting you, pet,” she nodded at Morrie and disappeared. 

Morrie watched Kade in silence, staring at his empty wine glass.  Her lusty need had been replaced with concern, deepening due to the look on Kade’s face.

“Why do you two not get along?” she asked, placing her hand over his.  With a weak smile, he turned it over and laced his fingers through hers. 

It took him awhile to answer, instead staring at their entwined fingers for a pause.

“She blames me for my brother’s death.”  Dark eyes met her own and Morrie knew Kade didn’t want to discuss the matter further. 

And she no longer wanted to be in the stuffy restaurant.  She wanted to make Kade’s hurt disappear, she wanted that look of guilt weighing so heavily on his shoulders to go away.