Passion: His Savage Embrace

by Bobbi Smith

  Brage had been waiting as patiently as he could, knowing that she was undressing behind him. He had been fighting a battle to keep his word to her while she undressed. He had heard her toss the sodden garment aside and had known at that moment that she was standing nude in the midst of the forest. An image formed in his mind of Dynna appearing the nymph, a woodland creature, silken and beautiful in the glade.

  The fantasy almost brought a groan from Brage. The thought of Dynna unclothed standing so near to him, set a fire deep within him. He remembered her kiss, the softness of her against him as she had slept, and the smile she had bestowed upon him when he had given her the dry clothing. Brage wanted her with a burning hunger that tested his control.

  He tried to fight down what he was feeling for her, concentrating instead on keeping watch over the open lands for Edmund and his men. When that did not work, he tried to distract himself with other thoughts. He realized then that his shirt was wet, too. He pulled the offending garment over his head and spread it over a bush nearby. The day was warm, and he would suffer no chill to be bare-chested.

  Brage had just finished laying out his shirt when Dynna stepped out into the open.

  “I am changed,” she announced.

  At the sound of her voice, he could wait no longer to feast his gaze upon her. He turned to face her, and they stood staring at each other, each suddenly, breathlessly aware of the other.

  Brage would not have thought that seeing her clad in the men’s tunic and trousers would be arousing, but it was overwhelmingly so.

  Dynna stared at Brage as he stood before her naked to the waist, and her heartbeat quickened. She told herself it was ridiculous to feel this way. She had bathed him and nursed him for days on end and had not felt this way before, but there was something so appealing about the wide expanse of his muscled chest that she found she wanted to touch him—not in a healing way, but in a loving way as she had with Warren.

  “The clothes will do?” Brage managed.

  “Yes, thank you. Though I wonder if you have ever seen a woman in a man’s trousers before?”

  “I have not, but I do not find the view unpleasant,” he said in a tone that was rich with meaning.

  Dynna blushed at his words. “Your shirt was wet, too?” she stammered.

  He nodded. “Give me your things and I will spread them out with mine while we eat.”

  She gave him her sodden garments. After he quickly laid them on the bushes in hopes that they would begin to dry, they sat down and he brought out the bread and cheese. He tore off a thick piece of the bread for himself and one for Dynna. He then broke off chunks of cheese for them both before rewrapping what remained for later.

  Dynna took the proffered nourishment with eagerness. Though the food was of the meanest of fare, Dynna thought the meal one of the most delicious she had ever eaten.

  She found herself watching Brage as he ate, and she noticed that he did not favor his wounded shoulder at all. He acted as if he were completely healed, and she marveled at his strength and recuperative powers. “You are feeling well?” she asked.

  “Indeed. You are a good healer. I doubt I would have fared so well at the hands of another.”

  “It is a talent I learned from my mother.”

  “Then I am thankful that your mother taught you so well.”

  Their gazes met as he spoke, and neither looked away. It seemed an eternity passed as they stared spellbound at each other. They were no longer Viking warrior and Saxon woman—enemies sworn. They were now man and woman, and the recognition seared their souls.

  Brage spoke first. Ever the warrior, he could not forget that danger was just a breath away. While he was drawn to her as he had never been to another, he knew her safety was the most important thing. They had to stay far ahead of Sir Edmund in their flight to safety. He could think of nothing else for now.

  “Come, we must move on. No doubt Edmund is already riding the fields looking for us.”

  His mention of Edmund jerked her painfully back to the present, and Dynna stood up. “You are right. We have rested here long enough.”

  She took the food and went to gather their damp clothing while Brage carried his shield and sword. They moved off, their pace quicker now that they had eaten.

  They walked on through the afternoon, never resting, ever heading toward her home. The sun finally broke through the clouds late in the day.

  Dynna was relieved that they encountered no one on the way. She realized now that if she and Matilda had followed this route the first time, she would have long ago been at home with her parents.

  At the thought of her maid Dynna wondered how the young woman had fared in the face of Sir Edmund’s fury. She was sure Lord Alfrick and Edmund had been outraged when they discovered she had fled with Brage, and she hoped they had not taken their anger out on Matilda. Once she was home with her parents, she would send for the loyal servant. Until then, she just prayed that things went easily for her and that she could stay out of harm’s way.

  “You are worried about something?” Brage asked glancing back at her and seeing her darkened expression.

  “My maid Matilda. I fear that some misfortune will befall her because I left her behind to bear the brunt of their anger.”

  “Does the wench know where we have gone?”

  “No. I told her nothing of my plan. It was safer for her that way, but I know how cruel Edmund can be when he has been thwarted.”

  “It is you he wants. He will not waste time with her once he is certain she cannot help him.”

  “That is my hope.”

  “And that is why we will keep walking until after the sun has set. The next few days will be the most dangerous.”

  She nodded. “Do not fear that I will fail you. I have said that I will match you and I will.”

  Again, Brage had to admire her courage, and the look he gave her told her he was pleased with her answer. They trudged on, heading farther and farther away from the demons that chased them.

  It was just at dusk when they heard the roar. Dynna knew a terrible sinking feeling as she recognized the sound of the stream flowing fast and deep. She had known there was another stream to cross, but she had not thought it would be running this high. The rains to the north must have been even heavier than the ones they had suffered.

  Dynna and Brage made their way to the bank and stared at the rushing water. Brage studied the banks on both sides, trying to pick the safest place to ford the waist-deep stream. The current looked dangerous, and he knew if they lost their balance, it would be difficult to regain their footing.

  “Should we camp on this bank and cross the stream on the morrow?” Dynna asked, hating the prospect of getting wet again. As fast and deep as it was, there was no way she could stay dry in the crossing. By the next day, the level should drop and make crossing easier.

  “There is still enough daylight left for us to ford now.” He answered without glancing at her, so he did not see her concern. He had been born and raised with streams like these. He knew it would not be an easy crossing, but he knew it could be done if they were careful.

  He left Dynna standing on the bank as he scouted the stream to find the safest place to ford. It took him a few minutes in the fading light, but he finally found it. The bank was steep, but the current looked less threatening there. He returned to get Dynna and led her to the site.

  “Follow me,” he said as he slid down the bank and readied himself to enter the rushing stream.

  Dynna was dreading getting all wet again, but knew she had no choice. Staying away from Edmund was more important than any temporary misery. She started down the steep slope to join Brage. Dynna had not counted on the bank being so slippery, and she half-slid down the incline to the water’s edge.

  “Stay there,” he ordered as he worked his way across the stream, testing to make sure it would not be too dangerous for Dynna.

  He moved slowly and carefully through the rushing current, keeping his shield and sword
out of the water. He was glad the water level did not rise above his waist. The opposite bank was not as steep as the one he had entered from. He left his weapon and shield there and went back to guide Dynna across.

  “Take my hand and I will help you,” he told her as he neared the bank where she waited for him.

  He held out his hand to her as he stood in the thigh-deep water. Though it was not dangerously deep here, the current was strong, and he did not want to take any chances with her safety. As she reached out to take his outstretched hand, juggling the bundles of food and clothes, she slipped and lost her footing, almost falling into the water.

  Brage reacted instinctively, sweeping her up into his arms and clasping her to his chest, safe and dry out of the water. “Are you all right?” he demanded.

  Dynna gazed into his eyes, breathless from his rescue and more . . . “Yes.”

  He stood there, the cold stream rushing around him, unaware of anything save the precious weight of Dynna in his arms. He looked into her eyes and could see the longing there that matched his own, and he could not stop—not this time. He bent his head to her, his lips seeking and finding hers in a passionate claim.

  Thirteen

  The kiss kindled the long-banked fire of Brage’s need, and the flame of his desire flared hotly to life. Dynna responded without reserve, linking her arms around his neck and returning his kiss full measure. The heady embrace left them both stunned by its power.

  They gazed at each other in passionate wonder as Brage strode across the stream, taking care to keep Dynna out of the cold water. He had little recollection of the fording, for his eyes were only on Dynna. They reached the other bank, and he did not pause but walked straight to a tree-sheltered area where he laid her down upon the bed of soft, sweet grass.

  Brage stretched out beside her, his mouth taking hers again in a bold proclamation of his need. Dynna moaned softly. Warren had been a kind and gentle lover, but his kisses had never roused her this way. When Brage suddenly drew away from her, she opened her eyes wondering at his abandonment and ready to plead with him not to leave her.

  “Brage?” She said his name in a husky whisper as she held out her arms to him in entreaty.

  It was all he could do not to forget his mission, but he stood firm in what he knew he must do. “I will be right back.”

  Dynna was all Brage wanted and needed but in wanting her and needing her, he had to protect her. Ever vigilant, he returned to the bank to take up his shield and sword from where he had left them. He quickly returned to her side.

  Dynna watched Brage as he returned to her in the dying light of the day, and a thrill of anticipation filled her. He was tall, broad-shouldered, and almost savage-looking as he came to stand over her with his sword in hand. His jaw was shadowed by a new growth of beard, giving him an even more dangerous appearance. Her pulse quickened. Brage was man—all man. His pants, soaked from crossing the stream, clung to his long, powerful legs like a second skin. Learned in the ways of men, there was no mistaking for Dynna the desire he felt for her. Yet far from feeling embarrassment over the proof of his need, she was pleased. As he laid his weapon aside within arm’s reach, though, the thought of their danger threatened the building passion she was feeling.

  Brage saw the flicker of fear in her eyes and dropped to his knees beside her. “You are safe with me. Nothing will harm you while I have breath in my body,” he vowed, his gaze searing hers with the intensity of what he was feeling.

  “I know,” she said softly.

  “I know not what the morrow brings, but we have this night . . .” he began.

  She lifted her hand to his cheek. “Let us share it fully.”

  Brage’s breath caught in his chest at her gentle touch. He shed his wet clothing, not wanting to dampen hers, and then groaned in male appreciation of her feminine softness as he drew her near. He stared down at her in the darkness of the hour and could see the desire in her expression that matched his own.

  “Tonight you are mine,” he said. His mouth sought hers in a hungry kiss.

  Dynna welcomed Brage eagerly. Her hands skimmed over him, memorizing his hard-muscled body.

  With the threat of discovery ever haunting them, she realized this might very well be their only night together, and she was determined to share her passion with Brage. She had wanted him from the first, though she had not freely admitted it to herself until now. They were from two different worlds and would remain so, but for this moment in time, they were together, and that was all that mattered.

  The fire of their need blazed ever higher, and they would not deny themselves. The uncertainty of the future they faced made their coming together all the more poignant.

  With gentle hands, Brage caressed Dynna through the coarse woolen fabric of the peasant’s clothes she wore. As near as he was to her, though, he wanted to be even nearer. He wanted to touch the silken softness of her bare skin. He wanted to sheath himself in the velvet core of her. He wanted to make her his in all ways. With muttered impatience, he shifted away from her just enough so he could help her to undress.

  Dynna was glad to be rid of the clothing. She wanted to press herself against him, to feel the heat of him warming the coolness of her own flesh, to feel his hard chest against her sensitive breasts.

  As he lifted her tunic over her head, she arched herself toward him. She was rewarded when he gave a growl of appreciation as he saw her breasts for the first time. His hands claimed the silken orbs, caressing them, cupping them. His lips sought that tender flesh, and she gasped at the sensation that pulsed through her. She clasped his head to her, enraptured by his intimate touch.

  When Brage laid her back upon their bed of soft grass, Dynna drew him down with her, holding him to her. When he moved from her, she felt momentarily lost, but the look of burning desire he gave her left no doubt in her mind that it would not be for long. He untied the men’s trousers she wore and pulled them from her, baring her slender legs to his view. He caressed her legs, glorying in their supple firmness.

  “You are beautiful, Dynna,” he told her, his eyes intense with passion and need and another emotion he could not yet name. He wanted her more than he had ever wanted any woman.

  “I am glad you think so. I think you are, too,” she said in a husky voice as she reached for him.

  “Men are not beautiful.”

  “You are,” she said in a throaty voice.

  Brage was glad that the frustrating barrier of her clothing was gone. They came together. Dynna caressed him and kissed him, evoking powerful responses from Brage that surprised him with their intensity. They desperately sought that unity of love with each other, hoping to find solace and peace.

  When at last he moved to make her his own, Dynna was ready. She boldly touched him, taking him deep within her as she wrapped her legs around his hips and met him in a passionate mating. She was fire to his flame. Her lovemaking, so freely given, drove him to mindlessness as he sank deep within her and then drew back to claim her again. It was pure ecstasy to be one with her.

  Rapture enveloped them as their lips met. Their hands were never still as he moved with her, and she matched him thrust for thrust. She wanted him. She wanted this. She did not know what the morrow would bring, and right then, it did not matter. All that mattered was Brage.

  Brage had never known passion so wild and free. He did not know if it was the desperation of their situation or the truth of their feelings for each other, and he did not care. He was enthralled, lost in a sea of sensual enchantment that sent him soaring to heights of excitement he had never known existed.

  Brage’s possession was so powerful and so thrilling that Dynna gave herself over to it. The heat of him deep within her stirred her to mindlessness, and she clasped him to her, rocking against him, seeking to give him pleasure. Brage’s expert caresses and kisses created a hot, coiling need within her, and Dynna pressed herself even more tightly to him. When he sought her breast with another heated kiss, the ecstasy that had be
en blossoming within burst upon her fully. She clung to her Viking as the sensations of that perfect peak throbbed through her.

  Brage saw the look of satisfaction on her face and kissed her deeply. She returned his kiss as he continued to move strongly against her, and he shuddered in pleasure as he reached the pinnacle of his own excitement. He held her close, his breathing a harsh, strangled rasp. Never had he known such bliss.

  They drifted back to reality together, clasped in each other’s arms, their limbs entwined. Neither spoke. Neither felt the need to. Their bodies had expressed far more eloquently than words ever could what they were feeling.

  “I did not know it could be so sweet . . .” Dynna finally whispered when she had her strength back.

  “Nor I,” he answered as he braced himself on his elbows to gaze down at her in the darkness.

  His movement brought his hips even more firmly against hers, and they gazed at each other in knowing wonder. Brage would have preferred to remain lost in the haze of her love-making, but with the cooling of his passion, sanity returned. He shifted away from her, positioning himself closer to his sword.

  Dynna did not want to be separated from him, and she moved to lie beside him. She did not want this time of intimacy to end. Brage slipped an arm around her and brought her to rest her head on his shoulder. She splayed her hand out on his chest and felt the heavy thud of his heartbeat beneath her palm.

  “Now I am the one who is glad that I am a talented healer,” she told him.

  He gave a soft chuckle. “You may heal me any time.”

  “It would be my pleasure.” Her voice was throaty with promise.

  “I do have an ache that pains me, woman.”