The Swede

by Maureen Smith

  “Do you have a boat?” Scarlett asked curiously.

  “I’m buying one.” Viggo nuzzled her hair. “I can’t wait to spend a lazy summer here with you. Going swimming and canoeing. Napping on the hammock together. Watching sunsets every night. Making love for hours. All that good stuff.”

  She sighed, practically levitating with happiness. “Sounds like heaven.”

  “Absolute heaven.” He snuggled her closer. “We need to discuss wedding dates, baby.”

  “Yes, we do.” Her smile felt ridiculously goofy. “Of course, the date will depend on the availability of the venue. That castle is probably a popular wedding spot. It could be booked through next year.”

  “Fuck, I hope not. I can’t wait that long to marry you.”

  “How soon were you aiming for?”

  “Before the end of the summer.”

  “Wow.” His urgency sent a thrill of pleasure through her. “That soon?”

  “Not soon enough,” he growled.

  She giggled and then sighed. “Reid and Nadia’s wedding is June twenty-fifth, so that month is out. I’ll be on tour part of July and you’ll be deep into your offseason training. Honestly, we have a pretty small window of opportunity for a summer wedding.”

  Viggo turned her to face him and slid his hands up to her cheeks. His fingers were warm against her skin. “We’ll make it work,” he promised her.

  “Yes,” she agreed. “We absolutely will.”

  He leaned down and kissed her forehead, a tender gesture that swelled her heart. As he pulled away, she smiled up at him. Sunlight filtered through the surrounding tree branches, highlighting the golden tips of his lashes.

  “I wanna have your baby,” she blurted.

  His entire face lit up. “You do?”

  “I do,” she said ardently. “I mean, not right now, obviously. I’d like to wait a few years before we start a family. But I definitely want one. You’re the only man I’ve ever wanted to have children with, Viggo, and I know you’re going to be an amazing father.”

  He framed her face with his hands, his eyes sparkling with joy and excitement. “You don’t know how happy you’ve made me today.”

  She gave him a big grin. “That goes both ways.”

  He bent his head and took her mouth. Her heart hammered as she leaned into him, winding her arms around his neck and clinging to him. The heat of his kiss and the velvety stroke of his tongue melted her from the inside out and turned her legs to pure jelly.

  Slowly he lifted his mouth, their breath mingling as he rested his forehead on hers and stared into her eyes. “God, I love you,” he said fiercely. “I can’t wait to spend the rest of my life with you.”

  She smiled tenderly. “I feel the same way.”

  He wrapped his arms around her, holding her close as she laid her head against his broad chest and absorbed his warmth, his strength, his permanence. Her heart was melting with so much emotion she could hardly stand it.

  They stood gazing at the stunning seascape, enjoying their own little slice of heaven.

  “I’ve been fantasizing about this,” Viggo murmured.

  “What?”

  “The two of us at our summer cottage. I’ve fantasized about this moment so many times, Scarlett. Having you here…it’s even better than I imagined.” He kissed the top of her head. “Now we just have to add four kids to the picture and we’re all set.”

  She choked out a laugh. “Four?”

  “That’s what I envisioned.”

  “Um, we might need to tweak your vision a little.”

  A soft laugh rumbled out of him and into her. “C’mon, baby,” he teasingly cajoled, pointing at the snow-dusted lawn. “Look down there. Can’t you just see our four beautiful children running and playing tag on a warm summer afternoon? Can’t you just see their little faces smeared from eating the blueberries we picked that day? Can’t you just see them—two budding hockey players, a singer and a drummer?”

  The picture his words painted had her ovaries crying out. “Dammit,” she grumbled. “You don’t play fair.”

  He laughed warmly and gathered her closer, wrapping his arms tightly around her. She burrowed into his chest and sighed, perfectly content to stand there cuddling in the cold. He didn’t seem in any hurry to move either.

  “Viggo?”

  “What, baby?”

  She lifted her head off his chest to look up at him. “What’s the Swedish word for bliss?”

  He smiled down at her. “Lycksalighet.”

  “Lycksalighet.” She stared into his face, saw the pure love in his eyes and whispered dreamily, “Yeah. That works.”

  Epilogue

  Viggo

  You Make My Dreams Come True

  * * *

  Viggo never thought life could be so good.

  Two weeks after getting engaged to Scarlett, he was still on cloud nine—hell, cloud one hundred. She’d made him the happiest man on the planet, and the best was yet to come.

  Their mothers couldn’t wait until June for the two families to meet. So Viggo and Scarlett arranged a Skype introduction shortly after they got back from Sweden. Scarlett had been nervous about her mother blurting out all sorts of embarrassing things. But she needn’t have worried. The introduction went well, and their parents took an instant liking to one another.

  During the lengthy Skype call, plans were made for the Warners to join the Sandströms at the family’s summer cottage after Reid and Nadia’s wedding. It was shaping up to be a pretty busy summer.

  The Rebels had moved into first place in the Western Conference, and Viggo was still favored to take home his second Hart Trophy. Becoming the league’s MVP would be a nice honor. But winning the Stanley Cup and marrying Scarlett were all he cared about. Nothing else mattered.

  Three days after they returned from Sweden, Off The Grid landed a record deal with Black Kross’s indie label. It was the big break Scarlett and her bandmates had been waiting for and they were super excited. But they didn’t want to give up too much control over their work, so Cara negotiated a contract that satisfied all parties. Although the label execs loved the band’s new album, they wanted to make some tweaks, change the album artwork and line up some distribution deals. So the release date got pushed back a few months.

  The band wanted to celebrate their new record deal with their family and friends, so they were throwing a big party at Viggo and Scarlett’s place. They’d pulled out all the stops and hired a full-service caterer that would supply servers, a bartender and a DJ.

  On the morning of the party, Viggo left practice and broke every speed limit rushing home to Scarlett. Although she was as much of an adrenaline junkie as he was, she’d made him promise not to drive fast when their kids were in the car. Just thinking about their future children made him break into a huge grin.

  He was still grinning like an idiot when he walked through the front door, dropped his hockey bag and called out, “Baby, I’m home!”

  There was no answer, which meant Scarlett was probably taking a shower.

  Grinning harder, he shucked off his boots and pulled his sweater over his head, tossing it on the floor as he bounded up the staircase. By the time he reached the master bedroom, he was butt naked.

  He followed the sound of Scarlett’s voice to the bathroom doorway and then paused to watch her inside the large glass shower stall. She was rinsing shampoo from her hair, eyes closed, head tilted back to the water spraying from multiple jets. She looked like a Nubian nymph bathing in a waterfall. He could watch her all day, just like this, and never get enough.

  She was singing “A You and Me Thing,” a song she’d written about him a while ago. The title was inspired by the very same words he’d spoken to her that night in Detroit when they had their first kiss. The lyrics referenced cappuccinos, chocolate croissants and intoxicating kisses.

  Needless to say, it was his favorite new song. It was also a big hit with fans, racking up thousands of downloads on Spotify and other str
eaming services. The label execs were thrilled and planned to drop another single soon to build anticipation for the album’s release.

  Viggo smiled as he stood there listening to Scarlett. When her voice trailed off into a soft hum, he sauntered to the shower and opened the door, letting out a cloud of honeysuckle-scented steam.

  Without opening her eyes, she gave him a lazy smile. “What took you so long?”

  He grinned as he stepped inside the marble-tile enclosure and closed the door. “You know I got here as fast as I could.”

  “Does that mean you didn’t shower before leaving practice?” she teased.

  “Umm-hmm.” He prowled up to her, watching rivulets of water stream down between her breasts, over her stomach and between her thighs. “Why take a shower in some sweaty locker room when I can come home and enjoy a long, steamy shower with my beautiful fiancée?”

  She opened her eyes, took in his jutting boner and bit her lip. “Oh my.”

  “You got that right.” He cupped and fondled her lush breasts, making her shiver and arch into his touch. The feel of her in his hands was like a drug he couldn’t get enough of. So fucking addictive.

  As he slicked his palms down to her hips, she said in a breathy voice, “Can’t do a long shower today. I have a bunch of errands to run before the party.”

  “Yeah?” He cupped the swell of her ass and pulled her close, his hard cock sliding against her wet belly. “I thought we could go to lunch and just hang out before the party.”

  “But I’ve got—”

  He leaned down and kissed her, his mouth gliding wetly over hers, lips nibbling and sucking.

  She sighed, melting against him. “You really don’t play fair.”

  His husky laughter echoed inside the stall. “Never said I would,” he drawled before slipping his tongue into the sweet haven of her mouth.

  She moaned softly and gripped his shoulders as they stood kissing beneath the pulsating rain shower. After that morning’s rigorous practice, the hot water felt good on his muscles. But not as good as the feel of her warm, slick curves pressed against his aroused body.

  She threaded her fingers through his wet hair. “I’ll run my errands tomorrow on one condition.”

  “Name it.”

  Her lips curved against his. “Since you have a stretch of home games coming up, you can binge watch Vikings with me.”

  He laughed. “You and that damn show.”

  She giggled. “It’s a good show, and I appreciate it even more now that I’m marrying a Viking descendant. I want us to watch it together and discuss what happens every week.” She smiled up at him, stroking the hair at his nape as water dripped off her lashes like tiny diamonds. “So, do we have a deal?”

  “Ja. We have a deal.” He gripped her ass and picked her up, shuddering as she wrapped her legs around his waist. As they stared at each other, he slid deep inside her in one slow, slick thrust that made them both groan.

  As he began stroking in and out of her, she tightened her arms around his neck and leaned her forehead against his.

  “God, how I love you,” she whisper-moaned. “Why do I love you so damn much?”

  “You didn’t have a choice,” Viggo said, smiling into her eyes. “You can’t fight fate….”

  Dear Reader,

  I hope you enjoyed The Swede as much as I enjoyed sharing the story with you!

  Completing this novel was truly a labor of love. Along the way I had surgery, lost my beloved dog and companion, and lived through Hurricane Harvey. I went through a rollercoaster of emotions, and there were days I despaired of ever finishing The Swede. But writing has always been my refuge, and this time was no exception.

  Writers don’t live in a bubble, insulated from the realities of the outside world. We’re impacted by the world around us as much as everyone else. As a writer, I’ve always tried to inject some reality into my stories. I believe it’s my artistic responsibility to entertain, enlighten, educate, and provoke conversation. Some may feel that as a romance author, I should steer clear of “political” or “taboo” subjects.

  But where’s the fun in that? I enjoy tackling controversial topics that may cause discomfort while simultaneously sparking discussion. But I totally understand that my “realness” might not be for everyone. Above all else, I have to be true to my voice.

  After completing Wicked Games in 2015, I looked forward to delving deeper into Lennox Warner’s character as a closeted gay man. I’m so glad I was able to tell his story and give him the happy ending he deserved.

  I’m a research junkie who thoroughly enjoys learning new things and expanding my understanding of the world. If you’d like more information about Black Women in Europe™, please visit the blog at http://blog.blackwomenineurope.com

  I loved Viggo and Scarlett so much, it was hard to let them go (hence the lengthy book, lol). I’m very passionate and excited about the Denver Rebels series. These characters are really speaking to my heart and making my muse come alive. When my world is buffeted by the storms of life, finding pleasure in my work is a precious gift that I hold dear.

  A happy muse is an inspired muse.

  Finally, as you may have noticed, most of the book’s chapters were named after a song because music was an integral component of Viggo and Scarlett’s relationship. Please turn the page to check out the playlist for The Swede. Happy listening!

  The road to the Stanley Cup continues with Logan’s story. Please stay tuned!

  Love,

  Maureen

  The Swede Playlist

  For your listening pleasure…

  BRING ME TO LIFE by Evanescence

  I KNEW I LOVED YOU by Savage Garden

  I WANNA BE WITH YOU by Mandy Moore

  DESPERADO by Rihanna

  DIAMONDS AND PEARLS by Prince

  THE GLAMOROUS LIFE by Sheila E

  IN HIS TOUCH by Celine Dion

  LIVING ROOM FLOW by Jhené Aiko

  MOTIVATION by Kelly Rowland

  YEAH, I SAID IT by Rihanna

  I MISS YOU by Adele

  ’CAUSE I’M A MAN by Tame Impala

  EVERLONG by Foo Fighters

  HANDS TO HEAVEN by Breathe

  I COULD FALL IN LOVE by Selena

  NEW PERSON, SAME OLD MISTAKES by Tame Impala

  SAME OL’ MISTAKES by Rihanna (remake)

  I MISS YOU by Klymaxx

  FAR AWAY by Nickelback

  LAST STAND by Adelitas Way

  IF I HAD A HEART by Fever Ray

  INVINCIBLE by Adelitas Way

  AT THE BEGINNING by Richard Marx (feat. Donna Lewis)

  BEAUTIFUL by Meshell Ndegeocello

  MOBY DICK by Led Zeppelin

  Swedish Glossary

  Det finns inget dåligt väder, bara dåliga kläder — There’s no bad weather, only bad clothes

  Dra åt helvete — Go to hell

  Du är min — You are mine

  Farfar — Paternal Grandfather

  God morgon — Good morning

  Hej — Hi or Hello

  Hon är mycket vackert — She’s very beautiful

  Hur är det med dig? — How are you?

  Ja — Yes

  Jag älskar dig — I love you

  Jag älskar dig så mycket — I love you so much

  Jag förstår — I understand

  Jag var bara ett barn — I was just a child

  Jävlar — Fuck or Damn it

  Jesus Kristus — Jesus Christ

  Kanelbullar — Cinnamon buns (plural)

  Knäckebröd — Crispbread

  Lycksalighet — Bliss

  Min själ — My soul

  Nej — No

  Okej — Okay

  Prata svenska — Talk Swedish

  Så vad gor hon med dig? — What is she doing with you?

  Skål — Cheers, Good Health (a salute or a toast)

  Skit — Shit or Damn

  Skitstövel — Fucker or Asshole

  Vacker tjej — Beautiful gir
l

  Vad i helvete? — What the hell?

  Vänta — Wait

  Vill du gifta dig med mig? — Will you marry me?

  Vi vill ha barnbarn, okej? Låt oss inte vänta lange — We want grandchildren, okay? Let’s not wait too long.

  About the Author

  Maureen Smith is the USA Today bestselling author of over 30 novels and five novellas. Over the course of her publishing career, she has garnered critical acclaim for her sensual romances and heart-pounding romantic suspense. She has won a Romantic Times Reviewers’ Choice Award (nominated for seven total) and numerous Emma Awards. She also writes sexy women’s fiction under the pen name Naomi Chase.

  * * *

  Before becoming an author, Maureen interned with a former U.S. presidential candidate, worked at the famous Watergate complex, and did a stint as a reporter and freelance writer. She now lives in Houston, Texas with her husband and two children.

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  Visit Maureen’s website and join her mailing list to receive updates about new books, current projects, and upcoming appearances. She can be reached via:

  * * *

  Email: author@maureen-smith.com

  Website: www.maureen-smith.com

  Twitter: @maureenwrites

  ALSO BY MAUREEN SMITH

  The Wolf Pack Series

  Treacherous

  Inferno

  Taming the Wolf

  Seducing the Wolf

  Recipe for Temptation

  Tempt Me at Midnight

  A Holiday Affair

  This I Promise You

  Oh Baby

  * * *

  Denver Rebels Series

  Wicked Games

  The Swede

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