The Morrigan: Damaged Deities (9 page)

In the low light, she could see his hair was a deep mahogany, his eyes just as dark brown. 

Just like her dream. 

But as her eyes roamed, she took in the hard muscles of his long body, biceps bigger than her torso, abs ripped and leading to the planes by his pelvis, those muscles she had always had a weakness for.  Resting below that was the magnificent erection she’d just had in her hand, pulsing and growing.  Growing impossibly larger.  She almost gasped.

“Have me memorized now?” he asked, having watched her study him, propping up on his elbow. “Take off tha’ wee top then, it’s my turn.”

In response to his order, her nipples hardened into small nubs.  Her sex clenched with need, curling her toes.  She bent her knees, her body coiling like a spring.

“I see yer body wants me tae study it.” Kade focused on her chest and grinned. 

Of course he had dimples, too! 

Kade could be dangerous…

Morrie remembered herself then, remembered the promise she’d made to herself long ago and remembered who she was. 

It was men who fell to their knees at her feet, men who would trade their lives for one moment of her in their bed, men who killed for the chance to be with her. 

The goddess of sex was not the one to surrender to her uncontrollable desire.  At least not until now.

She tried to snap out of this inexplicable state of lust and attraction she now found herself in.

“I apologize, Mr. MacLeod,” she said, slipping from the bed while wishing she hadn’t taken her jeans off.  In only her white tank top that now felt too see-through and sheer panties that definitely were, she felt exposed. “I must have chosen the wrong room last night when coming to bed.” 

“A likely story,” he teased. “But let’s make it the right room and ye stay.”

A hint of arrogance had found his voice and his eyes were filled with more amusement than Morrie cared for as he rested back, hands behind his head, muscles bulging in his arms while he reclined still shamelessly uncovered.

“Let’s not.”

Searching the floor frantically, Morrie turned from him, finally spying her jeans and bent over to pick them up. 

She could actually feel his eyes on her ass.  And it only made her sex ache for him more.  She bit down and snatched up her jeans.

A low growl from the man behind her, his deep voice rumbled. “And now ye definitely should stay.”

Blushing bright red—she never blushed!—Morrie straightened up, lips pressed tightly closed as she tried to control her breathing, ignoring the way her body had reacted to that sexy rumble and focused more on her growing annoyance. 

“Again,” she spit out, “I apologize.”  Without another look back, she opened the door. “Good night, Mr. MacLeod.”

“G’night then, luv. Ye know where tae find me, should ye change yer mind,” he said as she shut the door behind her. 

Clutching her jeans to her chest, Morrie waited for the tremble in her body to subside. 

With a deep breath, she looked to her left, seeing the open door of her room and scowled. 

“
Masters
,” she mumbled to herself, cursing that insufferable Lorna as she stalked back to the right room.

There was no way Kade was falling asleep now.  Not with the way his cock pulsed and ached, needing the release that only a wee lass named Morrie could provide. 

W
hen a strange wind seemed to call him home, Kade hadn’t know why. 

Not until he found the lass in his bed like a wicked Goldilocks, her perfect body curled up on her side, snuggled up in a small ball beneath the covers as though waiting just for him.

The sight of her had frozen him in place, standing in the dark and watching her like a stalker.

He couldn’t say what drove him to slip into bed with her; conscious thought was lost in his overwhelming lust and need at just the sight of her smooth thighs and tiny waist, instinct taking over and moving him. 

When her little hand whipped out to snatch him like a snake, he should have been shocked, but instead her touch had felt so good, warm and soft and strong, that it was all he could do to not start bucking into her palm right away.

The lass had intrigued him—an innocent face contrasted with a sultry pout and wide eyes that seemed to hold ancient secrets. 

As Kade pulled a pair of jeans on over his tender cock, he wondered what he could do to get Morrie’s hand on it again. 

Better yet, her lips. 

At the thought, he bit back a groan and tried to not picture her plump lips wrapped around his shaft while she gazed up at him with her big, blue eyes as he fisted that thick, luscious hair. 

Kade had no idea what brought the lass to his home or what arrangement she had made with his brother, but with another surge of jealousy he shrugged on a t-shirt and bolted his room with the intent to find out.

The house looked the same as he left it with a few updates like the rugs in the hall and the wallpaper.  The banister had been re-stained.  The ground floor seemed deserted, but also had not changed over the years. 

How many had it been now?  Kade was no longer sure.

Light spilled beneath his brother’s bedroom door.  Even at this late hour, he knew Kamden would still be awake, either working or worrying.

Kade opened the door without knocking, his brother looking up with slight surprise, an eyebrow arching.

“And the storm arrives.”

Kade opened his mouth, but stopped at both his brother’s odd greeting and the sudden realization that he had no way of asking about Morrie without admitting their unconventional meeting.  He knew his brother would tell him anyway, he just had to wait.

“Hello tae ye, too, lil’ brother,” Kade said, entering the room. 

Kamden remained sitting a moment behind his desk, his hands clasped on top of his work.  After a pause, he sighed and stood up. 

Crossing the room in two strides, he faced Kade.  The brothers hugged, slapping each other on the back.

“It’s good tae see ye again,” Kamden said when they finally broke a part. “I’ve missed ye.”

He returned to his desk while Kade sat in the chair across from him.

“Ye look older,” Kade grinned at his brother.

“I imagine five years would do that,” he replied without looking up from his paperwork. 

Kade’s grin fell.

“How many?”

Kamden fixed his gaze on him, as stormy as his irises.  “Five.”

Letting out a low whistle, Kade scratched the back of his head. “That long?”

“Aye,” his little brother grunted. “And ye’ve been busy in the meantime.”  Kade wondered how much had traveled back to his brother, likely he knew more about Kade’s exploits than Kade did.

Hoping to avoid the inevitable lecture on a topic Kamden knew Kade could little control, Kade steered the conversation around. “And yerself? What have ye been up tae?”

“Running
yer
business.  Keeping an eye on
yer
finances, as always.  Though yer presence would have been appreciated.”

“Ye know I canna help that,” Kade answered, subdued.

“Aye.” His brother didn’t seem to really agree, but should have known better.  Should have known that Kade spoke the truth.

But Kade didn’t want to delve into that right then; he didn’t want to resurrect the painful past.  He had come to his brother’s room with more attractive inquiries.  It was just a matter of drawing them out of Kamden without tipping his hand. 

He had no idea what Morrie meant to his brother—though the possibilities nagged at him—and didn’t want to get her or himself into any trouble.  But if the two were romantically involved in any way, he may just have to kill the man.

“How’s Lorna?”

“Good.  She worries.”

“She’s lonely.  She…doesnna have any friends, any companions?” 

Yeah, that didn’t sound obvious at all, Kade thought to himself with an inner eye-roll.

His brother shrugged, flipping through some forms.

“And the rest of the manor?  It looks like it’s being kept up well.”

Again Kamden was no help. “Lorna works hard.”

“She always has,” Kade agreed, eyeing his brother for some sign of an in with the topic he wanted to discuss. “But she’s older now.  Do ye no’ think she needs help?”

“She manages,” Kamden shrugged.

“How about yerself?  What’s new with ye?”

“The same as always.”

Kade grew impatient at Kamden’s unwilling involvement in the conversation.  He sighed, slapping the arms of the chair before standing up.

“Right then, we’ll I’m off tae bed.”

His brother looked up, stopping his work. “One thing before ye go, we have a visitor.”

Finally!

“Oh?” Kade feigned innocence.

“She’s in the room next tae yours, so be sure ye don’t go stumbling in there by mistake.” 

Kade made a face of fake surprise, implying she hadn’t already done just that.  And put the hand of an angel on him. 

He grew hard again. 

Down boy
.

“And she is?” Kade hovered by the door, crossing his arms over his chest. 

“I’ll introduce ye in the morning, though I think I’ll just send her home now.”

“Why is that?”

“I don’t know how much good she’ll do.  Anyway, get some sleep. Lorna will be wantin’ tae air out yer room first thing tomorrow, now that yer back.”

With a furrowed brow, Kade waited a moment longer but it was clear his brother had fully returned his attention to his work. 

A nice greeting after five years away, but Kade expected nothing else from his cold-hearted brother.

C
HAPTER
N
INE

“Beware the toils of war…the mesh of the huge dragnet sweeping up the world.” Homer, The Iliad

The thought to call Bev and tell her about her late night bedroom encounter had crossed Morrie’s mind while she dressed the next morning.  Her sister would have gotten a big kick out of Morrie being brutally reminded of the lusty creature she was and the awkward way in which it was done. 

Bev would also have pointed out that the Highlands had always and would always bring that side out of Morrie. 

But instead she was in a hurry to find the elder MacLeod, show him the horse, collect her money and get the hell out of Scotland. 

There was no rain that morning, but still the ever-present fog persisted with a chill that seemed to cut through her clothes. 

Instead of her normal flannel shirt, Morrie shrugged on a tight black turtleneck and pulled knee-high leather boots up over her jeans. 

In all her eras, she would admit she preferred the fashion of the current one to the flowing skirts and binding corsets of days gone by. 

Having completely put her encounter with Kade behind her—far behind her where she did
not
think about his naked body or the feel of his flesh every few minutes—Morrie entered the dining room to find both MacLeod brothers at breakfast. 

Godsdamn it. 

He was even more handsome in the daylight. 

Though it was nothing compared to his naked glory, his clothes fit him like he was a model. 

Dressed in a snug gray thermal that clung to his massive biceps and broad back, his chestnut hair had been mildly tamed to a messy style; the perfect bedhead.  Dark, thick lashes hooded his rich, chocolate eyes and in the morning light, Morrie noticed a hint of flush to his cheeks.  He didn’t look much older than Kamden, maybe three or four years but had fewer laugh lines about his eyes.