East of the Sun, West of the Moon

by Carole Bellacera

  Out of the corner of her eye, she gazed at him. Was he making an attempt to shrug off his moodiness? But he didn't speak again on the short drive back to the cabin. As soon as they arrived, Erik started a fire in the grate and placed a huge pot of water on the wood stove to boil. Leigh huddled near the fireplace, trying to get warm while he prepared a concoction for her cough. Outside the stone walls of the cabin, the wind howled as a mixture of sleet and snow beat against the windows.

  "Here, try this.” Erik handed her a mug of hot liquid. “It's lemon tea with honey and a dash of aquavit."

  She thanked him and tasted the tea. It wasn't bad, in spite of the heavy dose of aquavit. It pleasantly tingled her insides as it went down. By the time she finished it, the water was hot for her bath.

  "Won't you join me?” Leigh asked as she headed toward the bathroom.

  He looked at her, an implacable expression on his carved Nordic face. “I have to go out and bring in more wood for the fire tonight."

  Leigh shrugged and stepped into the bathroom, irritated by his coolness.

  In the tub, the caressing warmth of the hot water seeped into her chilled bones; she stretched out and closed her eyes, allowing all conscious thought to flow from her mind. The sound of the wind was muffled inside the tiny bathroom, lending a womb-like tranquility to the atmosphere. But as the water cooled, reality returned and Leigh sat up to soap her body. As her hand moved over her nipple, she experienced a rush of heat between her thighs. An overwhelming longing for Erik rushed through her.

  It was almost as if he read her thoughts. Only a few seconds later, he stood at the door of the bathroom, holding another kettle of hot water. His smoldering eyes roved hungrily over her.

  "I thought you might be ready for more hot water."

  "Yes. It's starting to cool off.” Her eyes issued an invitation to him, but he chose to ignore it. She moved toward the head of the tub to allow him to pour in the water. He turned to go.

  "Erik?” Her heart pounded, her breathing shallow.

  He stopped. “Ja?"

  "Don't go."

  He turned back to face her. She could see him wrestling with his emotions. It was obvious he wanted to stay, but for some reason, he was fighting it. She held out a supplicating arm, whispering, “Please, Erik..."

  Slowly, he moved toward her, his hand reaching down to curl into the soft tendrils of her damp hair. “I've got to learn to resist you,” he said almost angrily, a fire in his eyes.

  Leigh smiled with satisfaction and trailed her wet hand up the front of his crotch, lightly caressing the rock-hard bulge evident under the thick denim. She got to her knees in the bath water and brought her other hand up to unzip his jeans. But abruptly, he pulled away from her, his face stony.

  "I must go see about the fire.” Before she could speak, he was gone.

  Leigh sank back into the water, baffled. Was this a new game of his? Did he think if he withheld sex, she would change her mind and stay with him? Surely he wasn't that immature! With a grunt of exasperation, she pulled the plug from the drain and stood up, reaching out for the towel that hung on a rack nearby. It was time to have it out with him.

  The fire glowed brightly in the small living room. She found Erik busily making up the sofa bed.

  "Oh, good. We're going to sleep in here near the fire."

  He straightened up. “You'll be sleeping in here where it's warmer. I'm taking the bedroom."

  Leigh stared at him in amazement. “Are you serious?"

  His eyes flicked to her for a second and then back to the comforter he was smoothing. “Quite serious."

  That did it. The fragile control on her anger broke. “Well, shit, Erik! What is wrong with you all of a sudden?"

  Icily, he stared back at her. “Nothing, that I'm aware of. You are the one that seems to have a problem. You've decided you want nothing more to do with me. You're going back to the states in a few days and we'll never see each other again. So, why should you want to sleep with me?"

  "Because I love you. And I want you. Besides, you've known about my decision for the last few days, and that hasn't stopped you from making love to me. Why now?"

  He shrugged. “Perhaps I've finally realized you don't love me. I don't think you ever did. Maybe I was just a convenient excuse for you to leave your husband."

  Leigh stared at him a long moment, not quite believing she'd heard him correctly. He gazed back, a challenging light in his eyes. Her breath exploded from her in an exasperated sigh. “You know something, Erik? You really act your age sometimes."

  His face paled, but he didn't speak.

  "And how dare you try and turn this around on me?” She bristled anew. “You're the one who is in the wrong here, and you know it. I came here because I love you, and because I thought you loved me. Well, maybe you do, but it's not enough, Erik. Not if you're going to marry Margit. There's no place for me here. By this time next week, I'll be out of your life.” She took a deep shuddering breath, trying to calm herself. “We only have a few days left together. It's up to you. Do you want to spend them going around in circles like this? I'm not going to change my mind. So, wouldn't it be better if we just enjoy what little time we have left together?"

  He eyed her somberly, his jaw tight. “Don't you see, Kayleigh, every time I make love to you, it breaks my heart. I cannot do it."

  He walked out of the room, closing the door firmly between them.

  Chapter 17

  The firelight cast an eerie glow on the wood paneled walls of the cabin. In the corner of the room, a grandfather clock ticked monotonously. Leigh lay stiffly in the warm bed and stared up at the ceiling. Useless to try to sleep, she thought. It wasn't just the horrendous sound of the wind or even the occasional mournful howl of a faraway wolf that was keeping her awake. In her mind, she kept hearing the tone of Erik's voice. Scathing, bitter. She simply couldn't believe he'd chosen to stay in that cold bedroom, when she was right here, alive and warm and wanting him so much. Didn't he realize they only had a few more nights together? Abruptly, she turned on her side and drew her knees up toward her chest. She had to try to get some sleep. They planned to leave early for the trek to Reiardsfossen.

  Outside, there was a sudden hush as the wind took a momentary respite. Suddenly, the quiet was broken by an eerie howl from just outside the cabin. Leigh's heart paused in mid-beat and then galloped. When her momentary paralysis subsided, she sat up, trembling, and threw off the covers.

  "That does it,” she muttered. “I'll be damned if I'm going to sleep alone when there's a hungry wolf on the doorstep."

  Her feet whispered across the icy wooden floor. A few seconds later, she stood at the door of Erik's room, experiencing an odd sense of “deja vu” as she remembered that snowy January morning when she'd also hesitated outside his door. Hard to believe almost a year had passed since that day. But this time, she was no married housewife, wrestling with her conscience and berating herself for lusting after a younger man. This time, she was downright horny and more than a little resentful of his sudden attack of conscience. Where was his conscience when he slept with Margit? How dare he refuse to sleep with her—the woman he professed to love? What kind of affair was this anyway?

  "Damn it, Erik!” She waited until her eyes adjusted to the total darkness in the room and then moved toward the bed. “Erik?"

  She couldn't believe it. He was actually asleep! He obviously wasn't having any trouble with his hormones tonight. Shivering in her sheer nightgown, Leigh stared at him as he lay flat on his back, a contented expression on his face.

  "You shit,” she whispered, then quickly slipped under the down comforter and snuggled up to his warm body. “Stubborn Viking ... you can't ignore me like this."

  Her fingers slid through the bristling hairs on his chest and down his flat stomach to his navel, while her lips nibbled at the sinewy cords of his throat. He made no response, but when her roaming hand reached the band of his briefs, she imagined she heard a slight intake of breath
. She lay still against him and continued her exploration of his body, skipping over his groin to run her hand lightly over his powerful thigh muscles, conditioned by years of cross-country skiing. Slowly, almost imperceptibly, she moved her hand back up until once again, it was at the band of his underwear. This time, she didn't hesitate, but slid her hand under it and found, as she'd expected, a healthy erection.

  "It isn't polite to call someone a shit,” Erik said. In a lightning movement, he turned over, pinning her flat to the bed. “You don't take no for an answer, do you?"

  Leigh smiled up at him, just happy to be in his arms again. “You really didn't want me to, did you?"

  He pulled away slightly. “Let's get that damn thing off you.” He yanked at the nightgown and Leigh heard it rip.

  "Erik! I just bought that at Saks!"

  "I'll buy you another. Fordamme! I love your breasts.” His mouth devoured her hardened nipples, even biting one until she yelped.

  "Babe, you're hurting me!"

  "You make me want to hurt you,” he mumbled, but he became gentler, his tongue trailing down her firm torso to her belly. The fires inside her erupted into sweet spasms of pleasure as his expert tongue brought her to a quick climax. As she struggled to bring her erratic breathing under control, Erik slipped out of his undershorts.

  "I want to be inside you,” he said hoarsely.

  "No. Not yet.” Slowly, Leigh slid down his hard body and cupping him in one hand, she stroked him with the other and took him into her mouth. He groaned, arching his body as her tongue worked magic on him. It didn't take him long to reach the peak. After his shuddering had stopped, he pulled her up to him, entwining his legs around hers, his semi-hard penis wet against her bare stomach. She snuggled against him, suddenly feeling more fulfilled than she'd ever been in her life. Even the black thought of her departure didn't diminish the glow of the moment. As their heartbeats settled to a normal rate, the frosty temperature of the room chilled their sweat-soaked bodies. Erik pulled the comforter up around them.

  "Don't you dare fall asleep now,” he said, as Leigh felt her eyelids grow heavy. His hand moved caressingly to her breast. “I'm not done with you yet."

  And he wasn't. This time, their love-making was slow, poignant, bittersweet. In a way, it reminded Leigh of that night in New York when he'd loved her so desperately, as if he were a doomed soldier leaving for battle the next day. When finally, they lay spent in each other's arms, she felt a teardrop track down her face, yet she couldn't bring herself to speak, to share her pain with him.

  It was as she was falling asleep that she heard his voice. But perhaps she was already dreaming because his words didn't make sense.

  "Damn you, Kayleigh. You're poisoning me."

  * * * *

  A violent coughing spell woke Leigh the next morning. Even through the thickness of the down comforter, she felt the penetrating chill of the room. She burrowed down in the bed, dreading the thought of throwing the comforter off and getting up. But finally, the coughing forced her to sit up and put her feet on the icy floor. Erik appeared in the open doorway, dressed in jeans and a thick turtleneck sweater. He held out her heavy fleece robe and slippers.

  "Better get in by the fire. I've prepared some more cough remedy for you."

  Growing warm now that she was beside the fireplace, she sipped the hot doctored tea while Erik arranged a platter of sliced meat and cheese for breakfast. Her eyes roved to the beautifully-polished rifle hanging above the mantle. “What do you use that for?"

  He glanced up from slicing a loaf of dark bread. “The rifle? I don't use it at all. It's Far's. Occasionally, we have a problem with fox raiding our garbage.” He brought the platter over and placed it on the table.

  "Oh, no! He doesn't shoot them?” She reached for a slice of mykost, the creamy brown goat's milk cheese she'd tried with some trepidation at his parent's house. Surprisingly, she'd found it sweet and delicious.

  Erik shook his head, biting into a bit of the inevitable gammelost. “Fires over their heads to scare them off. There are no hunters in my family."

  The scent of Erik's pungent cheese wafted over her and Leigh clutched her stomach, suddenly nauseous. She stood up and hurried to the bathroom. The cold of the room helped to settle her stomach and after a moment, she felt almost normal except for the warning twinges that signaled the onset of a headache. She swallowed two Tylenol tablets and returned to the living room. Erik watched her as she dropped the pain reliever bottle into the side pocket of her purse.

  "Headache?"

  "Just beginning. But I think I caught it in time.” A paroxysm of coughing shook her.

  A worried frown creased Erik's brow. “Maybe we shouldn't try to go to Reiardsfossen today. Your cough is worse."

  "I'll be okay. I haven't finished the tea yet.” Leigh sat down near the fireplace and picked up her cup. “Besides, you know how much I want to see the waterfall."

  "I know. But it's very cold outside. It won't be good for you to be out in it."

  Leigh glanced out the window. “It's almost stopped snowing. Come on, Erik, you said it isn't far. We won't have to be outside too long."

  Erik shrugged. “Okay. If you are sure..."

  Leigh realized he hadn't smiled once this morning. It looked like he was in another of his moody spells. What was with him? Did he think he was the only one who was hurting?

  It had been a mistake to come to Norway. Yes, it was wonderful to be in his arms again, but was it worth it? The pain of their first separation would be magnified many times over when the final break came, only a few days away. Tomorrow was Christmas Eve. They were leaving for Oslo on the 26th. She hoped it wouldn't be too difficult to get a flight back to the states. Staying with Erik in Oslo would only prolong the agony.

  After helping him clear away the remains of breakfast, she pulled on her clothes before the fire. Stepping outside with Erik, she glanced up at the dark gray sky. Stray snowflakes floated down half-heartedly, but the wind had eased. It didn't feel quite as cold as yesterday, Leigh thought.

  Before stepping into his skis, Erik attached a bright red cord around Leigh's waist and another around his own. “In case of avalanche,” he explained. “It trails along behind you. Should you get buried, the end of it will probably be above the snow. That way, the rescuers know where to dig."

  Leigh stared at him. “Are you serious?"

  "Quite.” Erik said grimly, clamping his ski boots into his skis. “Ready?"

  She nodded, her mind still on the threat of avalanche. Surely, he wouldn't take her out if there were any real danger. He was just being cautious. Feeling somewhat awkward on her cross-country skis, Leigh followed Erik as he skied through the giant pine and spruce trees in a southeasterly direction. She tugged the wool cap down over her ears and gamely tried to forget about the throbbing of her head. It was only the third time she'd been on cross-country skis and it took all of her concentration to follow Erik's lead. Just as she thought they'd never find their way out of the silent forest, Erik slid to a stop in front of her.

  He turned with a smile and said, “Listen..."

  Then she heard it, too. The deep roar of water cascading down a rocky gorge.

  "It's not far now. Come on."

  Five minutes later, as the music of Reiardsfossen grew deafening, they broke out of the forest into a clearing, and there in front of them, Reiardsfossen fell straight down in an icy plunge from the top of the mountain to the river below. On the other side of the waterfall and directly below, nestled the village of Ose. It looked very close, but Erik told her it was still several miles away by skis.

  "My brothers and I like to ski down to the village for sport on winter vacations."

  "Why don't you go by the road past the cabin?” asked Leigh.

  "The grade is too steep. This is the only way down to Ose by cross-country skis."

  "But how did you cross the river?"

  "That's part of the adventure. About a mile from the village, there's a narro
w ford. It's not too dangerous, except in spring, of course."

  A sudden rustling came from the woods behind them.

  "Kayleigh,” Erik whispered. “Quietly ... look behind you."

  Leigh turned and gasped. A beautiful red fox stood frozen in startled caution, eyeing them from the thickness of the trees. Involuntarily, she took a step closer to Erik. At her movement, the fox bounded off into the forest. Erik laughed and reached for her hand.

  "Well, what do you think of Reiardsfossen?"

  Leigh's eyes returned to the thrilling waterfall. “So, this is where old Reiard fell to his death,” she joked.

  "And where Ann followed him to hers.” A shadow passed over his face. He dropped her hand. “Perhaps she had the right idea."

  "To kill herself?” Leigh said. “It's romantic, but stupid."

  "Maybe so. But if you don't have anything to live for, why not? When she saw Reiard die, she knew she couldn't go on."

  Leigh flashed a quick look at him. He sounded so grim. “Erik, you're just being melodramatic, aren't you? You're not ... I mean, you wouldn't..."

  "Kill myself?” Erik permitted himself a cynical grin. “No, I wouldn't kill myself. Actually, I was thinking about pushing you off. It might be easier to think of you dead rather than living in America with some other man."

  "That's not funny.” Leigh glared at him. “You really have a sick sense of humor sometimes.” She would've gone on, but a fit of coughing interrupted her admonishment. When it passed, it left her head throbbing with an even greater intensity than before.

  "Come on, let's go back.” Erik pushed off on his skis.

  "Are you sure you know the way back?” Leigh called, following him. Snow fell from the sky, more steadily now, and the visibility was diminishing. “It's so confusing."

  "It would be easy for a stranger to get lost in this area,” Erik called back to her. “But I've been coming here for years. I'll get us back to the cabin."

  The snow blew directly in their faces, making it almost impossible to see. Even so, Leigh had complete trust in Erik's ability to guide them back to the cabin. He was a seasoned outdoorsman, accustomed to hiking and camping. She just wished they'd get there soon. Her head throbbed. Again, a wave of nausea assaulted her. She coughed, and for a moment, her lungs felt like they were on fire. A vision of the warm bed near the fireplace played in her mind, and for once, it wasn't because Erik would be in it with her. She just wanted to sleep, to rest.