"Are ye nae gonnae defend yerself,Murdoch?" she pressed. "Are ye nae gonnae tell me how I'm a foolish woman who doesnae ken what I'm sayin'? Are ye nae gonnae say I dinnae understand?"
"Ye dinnae understand a thing," Christopher growled.
Morag's eyes flashed. She took a step closer to him, so close that he could have touched her. She tilted her head up to glare into his face.
"I understand that I've caught ye. I understand that if I tell me father what I've discovered, it's over for ye. Ye're at me mercy now,Murdoch.Or should I say,Chris?—”
Christopher grabbed her wrist and pulled her hard, holding her flush against him as he leaned down and hissed his next words in low, urgent panic.
"This isnae a game, do ye understand? People willdieif I do nothin'."
She narrowed her eyes, but before either of them could say more, the sound of voices and thundering footsteps outside the library door caused them both to freeze in place. Ian's voice echoed through, loud and commanding, as he barked indistinguishable orders over the sound of the noise.
Ice flooded through Christopher's veins. Ian was back. He'd been too late. There was no way that he could explain away being here, no way that he could act that would stop everything from falling apart.
The library door started to open. Christopher looked down to Morag, who was staring back at him with wide eyes.
Then her expression changed to one he did not understand. She swept her foot to the side, dragging the map under her cloak, then wrapped a hand around Christopher's neck, tangling in his hair.
"What—" Christopher demanded.
"Be quiet," Morag hissed.
The door swung open and she yanked his hair, pulling his head down and pressing her lips hard against his.
CHAPTER SEVEN
The world froze around Christopher, everything narrowing to the unyielding pressure of Morag's kiss. Her body was somehow both soft and hard against him, her lips both gentle and fierce, her entire being a burning flame of contradiction that bewitched and captured him.
Without thinking, his free arm slipped around the small of her back, his hand splaying there and pulling her closer, his other hand tightening around her wrist. At that moment, she was all there was in the world and the only thing his senses were aware of.
Morag pulled back, breaking the kiss, and a breath of air rushed into Christopher's lung. His brain was still frozen, though his heart pounded so hard against his ribs that he could hear it beating a pattern almost like a bruise against his chest. Morag arched her eyebrow as she looked at him, then gave a dramatic gasp and spun around to face the door.
As if in a dream, Christopher focused on the doorway. The ice shattered as he saw Ian standing there, the heir's eyes narrowed in suspicion, and the reality of the situation came crashing down around Christopher's ears.
There was a tense moment, so thin that it was like stepping on the first ice of winter. Then Ian grinned, his eyebrows raised.
Morag blushed and stepped away, stammering in a way that was very unlike her. She tripped as she moved, and, though Christopher moved forward to help her, she waved him away.
"Forgive me for me… improper timin'."
Christopher noticed her sweep something from the floor into her inner cloak pocket before she straightened up.
"I… oh, may I be excused?"
"Ye may," Ian said.
Morag did not look back at Christopher as she murmured thanks and rushed out of the room. Once she was gone, Ian entered the library fully, closing the door behind him and folding his arms.
"Well?"
Christopher's mind was still reeling, the panic of being discovered, anger of being confronted, and exhilaration from the unexpected kiss all battling for dominance in his mind and heart. His skin was covered in gooseflesh, his throat dry. He reached for Murdoch, for his mask that had kept him safe all this time, but he could not find him.
"I…" he started. "Morag, she…"
Ian shook his head. "Ye ken I must scold ye. Keep yer dalliances out of the war room, Murdoch. If Father had discovered ye here, it would have gone much worse for ye."
All Christopher could manage was a stiff nod as the understanding of what Morag had just done for him truly hit. Why would she protect him? And to do it in such a way! He could not comprehend what had just happened. For the first time since he had arrived here, he felt truly out of his depth.
