Page 35 of Taken By the Savage Highlander

“You could have warned me you were lifting me up!” Margo said, her fingers tightening in his hair.

“Ach, fine! The next time I pick ye up, I will ask for yer permission first,” he replied, widening his stance. Lightning struck overhead again, and the rain began to fall more steadily. “Now, will ye grab the kitten? Or has she run off because of yer shoutin’?”

Swallowing down another argument, Margo focused on her new surroundings. She was up higher in the air than she cared for, but she could see so much more from here. Right in front of her, the kitten perched and watched her with intense interest.

“You are a difficult thing,” Margo said, letting go of Cameron’s hair and grabbing the kitten. With the animal cradled to her chest, she called to him, “You can put me down now.”

Cameron shifted, taking a slow step back from the tree. Margo’s weight on his shoulder was solid, though she was even lighter than she looked. He felt as though he could go through his entire day with her perched there.

“Daenae tip over,” he grunted as he grabbed onto her hips.

“Just do not move too quickly,” she snapped, still fiery despite her precarious position.

“Ye’re the one that’s clumsy, not me,” he replied, slowly lowering her to the ground.

Even after her feet were steady on the ground, Cameron did not let go of her. Where his hands rested, the storm’s icy chill was retreating beneath the warmth of his palms. She didn’t seem inclined to pull away, her focus seemingly on the gray kitten in her hands.

“You should not have done that,” she said, softly chastising the tiny creature. “What would have happened if we could not have gotten you down?”

The kitten mewled in response, wiggling in her arms and getting tucked into her chest. It was then that she seemed to realize Cameron was still holding onto her. She went stiff for a beat before relaxing incrementally.

“We should get back to the castle,” he said, his voice low, as if he did not want to scare the moment off. “The rain is pickin’ up.”

“Right,” she said softly, though she didn’t move immediately.

He dropped his hands from her waist, realizing she might be waiting on him. She turned around then, not stepping away. When her eyes met his, the energy surrounding them surged back, as though the interruption with the kitten had never happened.

“Thank you,” she whispered, her eyes sparkling as lightning lit her face, making her look divine. “For finding her. And for finding me.”

“Ye daenae need to thank me,” he told her, his fingers twitching at his sides with the desire to pull her into another kiss.

It was as if his hunger, now that he had allowed himself to indulge in it, had grown insatiable. Even though the wind was now howling against the cliffs, the only thing he could think of was her lips on his. It would be so easy for him to reach out and pull her in again, to claim her mouth as his once more.

The kitten wiggled again, and Margo laughed. Hearing her giggle was like standing next to a roaring hearth. He had to tear his gaze away from her, swallowing hard as he was trying to find his footing.

“I think she would like to ride in your sweater again,” Margo murmured a beat later, offering her to him. “She is beginning to shake.”

“Aye, so are ye,” he said, accepting the kitten and tucking her against his chest between the layers of wool. The tiny thing shook, nuzzling further against the warmth of his body.

She looked at her own hands, frowning as she stretched her fingers to banish the chill. When she met his eyes again, she said, “I did not even realize I was shivering. I was so focused on finding her.”

“I ken,” Cameron said, turning away from her and the desire to pull her close and warm her up the same way he was warming the kitten. “Now, quit standin’ around. We’re goin’ to be racin’ the storm on the way back.”

CHAPTER SEVENTEEN

“Miss Crusoe is missing again,” Margo said, stopping a maid who was rushing by with a tray of empty plates. “I must apologize for asking, but have you seen her?”

In the last three days, Margo had been fully committed to the kittens. While they hadn’t decided on names for the other four, she’d taken to calling the gray one Miss Crusoe. It stuck amongst all of the castle’s residents, seeing as the little escape artist had taken to exploring fearlessly.

“Ach, they’re gettin’ so big that they arenae satisfied with yer chambers, aye?” the maid said with a grin. She adjusted the tray in her arms, as she continued, “I havenae seen her meself, but I believe that Mrs. Campbell said somethin’ about the wee beast.”

“Thank you,” Margo said before she turned away. Then, as an afterthought, she asked, “Do you happen to know where Mrs. Campbell might be?”

“I believe she should be in Laird MacLeod’s study,” the maid said after a moment of contemplation. “If she’s nae there now, she should be headin’ that way soon. I think she mentioned somethin’ about needin’ to retrieve a basket of linens.”

“Right,” Margo said, heading to Cameron’s study.

She had not come near the room since the day she had gone looking for Miss Crusoe. It was quite embarrassing to remember the way she had thrown all her frustration at him. Though nothing she had said was untrue, she did not think she went about it properly.