‘You are such a gift to me.’ His mouth had moved to her ear, both of them too lost in the other to keep up the kissing.
‘Please, Aevir. I ache for you.’ Her body clenched and throbbed, searching for more. She found it when he gently parted her flesh and eased first one, and then a second broad finger into her. A moan tore from her lips when he moved them in a slow rhythm as his thumb traced over the swollen nub he had found earlier.
Pleasure rose in her, both hotter and fiercer than she had ever felt before. This was more than she had imagined was possible. ‘Please, please, please.’ It was a mantra as she twisted beneath him, searching for something she did not know.
His mouth found her nipple again and she might have jumped out of her body. Everything was sensation and want. There was no cold, no hunger. Nothing but Aevir and his hands and mouth.
He rose over her, leaning on an elbow placed on the ground above her head. He stared down at her and she might have had the presence of mind to be embarrassed if she thought he could see her face. His fingers slipped out of her, but she didn’t have time to mourn her loss as they came to rest on that aching part of her.
‘I love you,’ he whispered.
‘Aevir.’ She shook her head, trying to find breath for what she wanted to say. ‘Join with me. Please.’ She did not want this night to end without becoming one with him, even if it were only for the night.
His fingers stopped teasing her, holding firm pressure against the swollen ache. ‘When I join with you, Ellan, it will be to make you my wife.’
Her breath came in desperate, gasping breaths. Elswyth had explained to her that the Danes did not believe a man and woman were truly married—even after their wedding—until the couple were joined...one body...and they share the special honeyed mead. She didn’t want to go home without knowing what it was like to be with him in that way. No matter what happened—if Lord Vidar somehow found a way to keep them apart, if Aevir decided not to choose her after all—she wanted this to hold on to.
His breath stopped, as did his fingers. ‘Ellan.’ The thumb of the hand near her face stroked her brow in reverence as he asked again, ‘Do you want to be my wife?’
‘Aye,’ she whispered. She wanted it. She simply did not trust that it would happen.
He let out a breath as if he had been uncertain of her answer and fell over her. She almost cried out, bereft as his fingers left her aching body. ‘There are stories from the old days,’ he said, ‘that if a bride’s parents disapproved of the match, then her warrior would take her away for a month, filling her belly with his seed and sharing his mead with her every day and night. They could return in a moon and everyone would acknowledge them as husband and wife.’
‘It sounds barbaric,’ she whispered. ‘And lovely.’
He smiled and she imagined the crinkles forming near his eyes that she loved so much. ‘If you’re to marry me, then you should know that I’m only half-tame.’ The hand that had been between her thighs came up to cup her breast, giving her nipple a loving pinch.
‘Half? I wouldn’t have guessed so much.’
His smile widened. ‘I’ll take you beneath me tonight, but it will mean you’re my wife. Do you want me?’
He ground his hips against her, driving his hardness against her need. With only the cloth of his trousers between them, the pleasure was nearly unbearable.
‘I love you, Aevir. I want you as my husband.’
He groaned and kissed her again. Reaching down, he took hold of her leggings and pushed them down her further. She practically vibrated with anticipation as she helped him, kicking them down her legs until she could free one. His own hands were shaking. She could feel them brushing against her as he tore at the fastenings of his own trousers. And then he was free. That part that she had wondered about so much rose up hot and hard against the inside of her thigh.
Reaching down, she took him in her hand, marvelling at how smooth he felt in her palm. He let out a soft groan of what she hoped was pleasure.
‘Guide me to you, love.’
So she did, amazed at how her body had readied itself for him. He seemed so large, but the moment she notched him at her opening, he eased inside a bit and she stretched to accommodate the invasion. Her hands went to his shoulders, holding on as he took her thigh in his hand and opened her wider. Drawing back, he eased in a little more. She felt full already, the stretching becoming slightly painful.
‘I don’t think I can take more of you,’ she whispered.
Face in her neck, he said, ‘You can take it all, but I’ll stop for a moment.’ He sounded distinctly pained and she started to wonder if this had been a mistake. The earlier pleasure was fading and, while she very much wanted to finish, she was doubtful. His thumb found that place he had worked earlier, the one she hadn’t even known existed until he’d touched her, and made slow circles, gently fanning the flames of her earlier pleasure.
She let out a little moan as her hips raised to ask for more. He slipped inside a bit deeper. His thumb kept up the pleasure until he was fully seated within her.
‘How do you feel? Did I hurt you?’
How could she tell him that there was pain but there was also pleasure? The dual sensations twisted and tightened until she couldn’t figure out where one started and the other ended. All she knew was that she wanted. Needed. Had to have everything he could give her.
‘Aevir.’ She grabbed his shoulders and pulled him to her.
‘Ah, Ellan.’ His breath warmed her neck as he pulled back his hips and gave a little thrust. Testing her.
‘More,’ she demanded.
He chuckled and pulled nearly all the way out, so that when he pressed forward he drove the pleasure budding within her higher. Her nails bit into his shoulders, but she couldn’t seem to stop herself.
‘You feel so good,’ he was saying. ‘I knew that it would feel this way with us, but I didn’t know...’
He drove in again, robbing them both of breath.
‘I didn’t know it would be so perfect.’
Another thrust. The pleasure twisted even higher, getting tighter, definitely outshining the pain now.
‘That we would be so perfect.’
‘I knew.’ She gasped at how he filled her, so tight, but so good.
‘Aye, you did.’ He looked down at her, so close that his nose brushed hers. Buried deep inside her and holding himself still, he said, ‘My sweet Ellan, I take you as my wife. I offer you my protection and loyalty. I pledge to you that I will give my life before allowing any harm to come to yours. From now until eternity, we are one.’
Those were the ceremonial words a warrior said to his wife. Rolfe had said them to Elswyth when they had wed. Her fingers slid into the hair at the back of his head, pulling him close, and she repeated the words she knew she was meant to say. ‘I accept you as my husband.’ Then she added her own. ‘I love you, Aevir.’
A groan escaped him as he covered her mouth with his. There was no talking after that. Everything was too much. There were no words, only sounds. She moaned as he settled into a rhythm, rocking into her with near desperation. She could only hold on to him, riding the wave higher and higher until it crested and crashed. The pleasure burst open inside her in white-hot pulses. She might have screamed his name, she didn’t know if the echo was only in her head. But then he was saying her name and it was followed by Norse words she couldn’t understand. His hands tightened on her hip and her hair, holding her down as he pumped into her. Finally he let out a harsh, guttural cry as he pressed his face hard into her neck and spilled his seed within her.
In the aftermath, they lay there too overcome and breathless to move. His grip on her was so tight that it was very nearly painful, but that was fine because she had wrapped her arms and legs around him just as tight. Her body hummed still as she tried to comprehend how something so amazing and beautiful cou
ld exist in the world.
‘Aevir.’ Her voice was filled with awe.
He raised up as if to see her and she cursed the fact that he couldn’t. She wanted to see his face clearly, to see more than a shadow looking down at her. Touching his face, she tried to see his expression with her fingers. He kissed her palm and said, ‘You are mine, Wife.’
It still didn’t seem real, as if she’d wake up in the morning to find herself on the back of the horse and this had all been a dream. ‘I’ve always been yours.’
He gathered her against him and rolled to his side, slipping out of her. Kissing her again, he fumbled with his bundle of clothing and ripped off a small section of his linen undershirt. He reached down and gently cleaned her before pulling her leggings back on. Then he saw to himself and fastened his trousers, holding her close again after.
‘Sleep, love. I’ll watch over you.’
‘How can I sleep now?’ But already her eyelids were beginning to feel heavy. His heart beat below her ear. ‘Can we do that again?’
His hands stroked up and down her back, one of them moving further down to cup her bottom. Heat curled through her belly. ‘Every day for the rest of our lives.’
‘Promise.’
‘Aye, nothing can keep me from you, Wife.’
‘Husband.’ For once, she felt peace. For once she felt as if she were exactly where she was meant to be.
Chapter Twenty-One
Aevir had held her that night as if he was afraid to let her go. The truth was that he was a little afraid. Now that he’d finally realised it was too late for him—she was a part of him whether he accepted it or not—he couldn’t get over this terrible fear that their struggles weren’t over yet. Would he lose her somehow? Would he ever feel at ease again? Probably not.
But to hold Ellan like this was worth it.
* * *
The grey light of dawn was only starting to penetrate the tent when he opened his eyes to the beautiful sight of her. The wind had stopped howling less than an hour before, which meant it was time to be on their way. He brushed his lips along her cheek to the rim of her mouth. His hands couldn’t leave her. They travelled up and down her ribcage and across her belly, savouring the silky skin beneath his palm. Pushing up on an elbow, he raised over her and tugged the fur out enough to see her better.
Her nipples were erect. The light was too dim to make out the colour, but it outlined their shape. He didn’t need light to remember how pink they were. ‘Wake up, Wife.’ His voice held a husk that had as much to do with looking at her naked breasts as with the early morning hour. Unable to resist, he cupped one, feeling the weight in his palm before plucking the plump nipple. She moaned in response and his blood became weighted and hot. His mouth watering, he leaned down and took the rigid tip into his mouth, determined to suck her into wakefulness.
‘You must obey your husband,’ he teased her, switching to her other one.
‘Aevir.’ She gasped as her eyes flew open. Her hands came up to hold him to her.
It was with much regret that he released her nipple and smiled at her. ‘Good morning.’
‘Good morning.’ She returned his smile and her fingertips traced over his mouth. ‘I can see you better.’
‘The sun will break soon.’ Giving her face and then her breasts a longing look, he said, ‘We must get going.’
‘Not yet.’ She pressed her thigh against him where he was already hard with want for her. ‘Please. Once more.’ She bit her lip.
‘Ellan.’ Her name came out of him on a breath of air and he leaned down to kiss her deeply. His hand splayed over her soft belly. ‘We have to go. There could be trouble behind us.’ He couldn’t forget the way he had felt when he’d seen that dark forest rising ahead of them yesterday. They had ridden into the night and the storm, long after they should have stopped, but they wouldn’t truly be safe until they were in Alvey.
Instead of letting him go when he pulled back, she tightened her arm around his neck and reached between them. He stifled a groan as she caressed him through his trousers, squeezing gently. ‘By the gods, woman.’
‘I thought a husband was supposed to see to the care of his wife.’
Squeezing his eyes shut against the exquisite pleasure, he pressed his face to hers. ‘And I will. In a bed. When we’re safe.’
‘Now. I ache for you. We can do it fast.’
‘We must be safe.’ But even as he said those words, his hands were already pulling at the ties on his trousers.
She squealed in delight and pushed down her leggings. When she would have pushed them off, he stayed her with his hands. This had to be fast and they couldn’t waste precious time undressing. He gently rolled her over, whispering, ‘Trust me, Wife.’
To his surprise, she seemed to trust him implicitly, putting up no resistance as he pressed her to her belly and arranged her hips. ‘Are you even ready for me?’ he asked.
‘Aye. I’m always ready for you.’
And she was. ‘Ellan,’ he whispered in reverence and amazement as his fingers found her damp and as eager as she claimed. He silently thanked whichever god was responsible for sending her to him.
Guiding himself to her, he gently pressed inside. She was warm velvet, gripping him with her heat and demanding more. He bit off a groan as she pressed back, offering herself to him so sweetly. After a few gentle nudges he made a way for himself and felt the resistance lessen. When he sank into her to the hilt, she moaned so loudly he was certain even the animals in their dens could hear.
He covered her mouth with his hand and said into her hair, ‘Shh...the others will hear you.’
She nodded and, flexing his hips, he drove into her hard and chuckled when her moan matched the strength of his thrust. Thankfully he hadn’t removed his hand so most of it was muffled.
‘I can’t help it,’ she whispered through his fingers. ‘Keep your hand there.’
Curling himself around her, his other hand found its way between her thighs in the front so that he stroked her from both sides when he moved. Of course this only seemed to make her louder. She covered his hand with her own and he couldn’t stop laughter from rolling through him.
‘Please, Aevir. You’re getting distracted.’
‘You’re so demanding.’ He was still smiling as he kissed the back of her neck, his fingers moving in a languid rhythm over her aroused flesh. He increased the pace of his hips, making certain to take her hard and deep. ‘Is this better?’
She hummed in the back of her throat and something about that sound crawled inside him creating a well of tenderness for her. He would remember it for ever. The sound of his wife coming apart in his arms.
After it was over, his body drained of pleasure, he lay gasping against her. She had reached back and put her hand in his hair and her fingers were lightly stroking him. He wanted to lie there for hours with her, for a day. ‘The next time we do this will be in a bed where it’s warm with much light so I can look at you as I take you.’
‘And I can be as loud as I want?’ She grinned at him over her shoulder.
‘The louder the better. Let everyone know you’re mine.’ He nipped her shoulder and moved off her, taking one last glance full of longing at her round backside as he helped her pull her leggings up. Arranging his own trousers, he pushed out of the furs and into the chill of the morning. He hurried to help her dress before pulling his undershirt and tunic over his head. He had kept his boots on all night, but he paused to make certain they were laced. ‘I’ll be right back. I’m going to check on the men and get some food.’
The world had been turned to white overnight. Branches were heavy with snow and it lay in a peaceful blanket over the ground, making the spaces between the trees seem wider. Dawn had not yet broken, but it was too light. He cursed under his breath, but couldn’t contain his smile. He should not have taken Ellan again. It had been s
elfish and had made them lose time.
Footprints marked a frenzied path to Oleif’s tent as if someone had already left and come back. Instinctively reaching for his sword, he cursed again when he realised he had left it in the tent with Ellan. The woman was a beautiful distraction. A horse snickered in the distance, but he didn’t immediately see the horses which had been sheltered closer to the moor.
‘Oleif.’ He kept his voice low so that it wouldn’t travel and break the peace of the morning. There was no answer from the tent.
Bending and sitting back on his heels, he grimaced at the ache in his thigh and pushed the tent open to find that it was empty. A flare of panic rose inside him, bringing him to his feet. He whirled to hurry back to Ellan, but a sword stopped him in place.
* * *
Ellan hummed softly as she tried to plait her hair. Aevir liked to bury his hands in it during their bed-play and had made a mess of it. She smiled to herself as she remembered how she had once cautioned Elswyth to kiss a man before marriage because it would tell her how good or how bad he’d be at bed-sport. Little had she known about that particular topic. Thankfully, her advice had turned out to be right.
Her body ached everywhere from overuse. Her breasts, especially her nipples—she had never once imagined that his mouth on her could feel so good—and that secret place between her thighs felt slightly bruised. But even remembering the feel of him there made her blood thicken and a pulse of longing beat through her. She didn’t know how she was going to sit on a horse, but already she was anticipating the night to come.
She didn’t allow herself to wonder what might happen to them when they arrived in Alvey or afterwards. Lord Vidar would likely be upset. She didn’t know how angry he would be that Aevir had chosen her. She didn’t even really know how legitimate their marriage was. But she didn’t care. To her, they were married. To Aevir, they were married. Certainly it was too late for Lord Vidar to intervene.
Longing for Her Forbidden Viking Page 19