Summer of the Viking

by Michelle Styles

  ‘You thought she might be pregnant with your husband’s child.’

  ‘She swears not.’

  He raised her chin and she found only sympathy. ‘Then it might not have been your fault. Men as well as women can be barren. This is well known where I come from. Why it should be any different in Northumbria, I have no idea. It takes two to make a child. And two to make a happy marriage bed.’

  She gave in to impulse and laid her head against his chest and listened to the steady beat of his heart. Did it really matter that he was going in a few weeks? She needed the comfort of his arms now.

  Overhead she could hear the distant coo of wood pigeons. The faintest of summer drizzles bathed her. He gently moved them under an oak’s spreading branches.

  For how long they stood there with her head against him, she could not say. His arms came about her waist and gathered her closer.

  She glanced up and there was something in the depths of his eyes.

  Her hand went around his neck and brushed back his hair from his face. Groaning, he lowered his mouth and claimed her fully.

  This time she was more than ready to meet him and this powerful urge which grew inside her. She opened her lips and accepted him, drawing him fully in and rejoicing in the clean taste of him.

  The nature of the kiss changed. It became far more urgent, calling to a dark place within which she had not known existed until his mouth touched hers. She moaned in pleasure as the heat blossomed inside her.

  ‘Shall we stop? Shall we go back into the hall and sit amongst the others speaking of nothing of consequence, pretending we are strangers?’ he murmured, pulling back slightly so she could see his passion-filled eyes.

  Her heart expanded. He was giving her a choice. But she also knew if she refused him this time, there would be no going back. She knew then that she wanted to go forward. She needed more than a simple meeting of lips. She wanted his touch on her skin. She wanted to be made new. The last thing she wanted was for him to stop.

  ‘Why should we? No one can see us here. We were strangers once, but not any longer.’

  She touched the high planes of his face. His flesh was sun-warm and infinitely exciting. He nibbled her fingers, one by one.

  ‘But your pledge? What of that?’

  She gave a shaky laugh. ‘My pledge of not kissing you seems feeble. Barely a day has gone by and I’ve broken it. Utterly and completely. I want more from you. Madness, I know, to hope, but there you have it.’

  ‘Madness?’ He kissed her palm. ‘You are maddening, but it is not madness to want you.’

  ‘You want me? I thought...’

  ‘Everything you thought before was wrong. The world has been reborn for me. For you. Out here in this garden, it is only Alwynn and Valdar, no one else.’

  ‘Truly?’

  His eyes turned serious. ‘You have nothing to fear from me. Ever. We go at your pace.’

  ‘I know that.’ As she said the words, she knew they were true. He might be a warrior, but there was an inner goodness and strength in him. ‘I have never feared you.’

  ‘My fair summer lady.’ He pressed kisses against her cheeks and brow. Little nibbles that made her feel alive. She arched towards him, encountering his hardened arousal. He wanted her! All the poison Theodbald had whispered seemed to be drawn out of her with each new touch of his mouth. She had never imagined it could feel like this to be touched. So alive and on fire. She had been encased in ice and stone before.

  Now she understood why poets spoke of love and maids whispered in corners with shy smiles and longing glances towards their lovers. But she didn’t want to be just the recipient of his kisses and touches as she had been up until now. She wanted to participate. She wanted to make him burn.

  ‘I want this to be different.’ She cupped his face with her hands and returned the kiss. This time her tongue traced the outline of his mouth, demanding entrance. She tasted and explored.

  ‘Different is good,’ he growled.

  ‘I’ve dreamt of you,’ she confessed, ducking her head. ‘Each night. The dreams grew.’

  ‘Good dreams or bad?’

  ‘Interesting and intriguing dreams.’

  ‘Then you should see me.’ He undid his cloak and pulled his tunic over his head. His skin gleamed golden in the late afternoon and was far better than any of her dreams.

  Several silver scars decorated his torso, but they added to it rather than detracted. She ran her forefinger along one of them, tracing it from start to finish. The muscle was firm but pliant, making her want to explore. Always before she had wanted things to be over with as quickly as possible, but with this man she wanted to linger.

  His nipples puckered. She rubbed her palms over them, marvelling how they felt and how the burgeoning heat deep within her increased.

  His faint scent of pine and something uniquely him rose about her and held her within its intoxicating embrace.

  Her breasts ached for his touch and the secret place deep within her burnt with an all-consuming fire. All her hard-won control seemed to be slipping through her fingers like water through a sieve. She drew a low breath and tried to bid the dizziness to go.

  ‘Do I pass? Do I match your dreams?’ he asked with a husky laugh.

  She tried for a matter-of-fact tone of voice, something to help her regain her distance. ‘You have healed very well. No scarring from the battering you took in the sea.’

  ‘I wear my scars with pride. It means I’ve survived the battle.’

  ‘Is everything a battle with you?’

  He captured her hand and raised it to his lips. ‘Most of my life, but it has made me cherish the good times. And you are one of the good times.’

  Her heart fluttered and began whispering dreams. She tried to silence it. ‘I am? I haven’t done much.’

  He smoothed her hair back from her forehead. ‘I know who saved me from the sea. I, too, have dreams. One particularly vivid one of kissing you. Was it merely a dream? I wonder...’

  Her cheeks grew hot. ‘It was to keep you quiet!’

  ‘I want you to always kiss me like that.’ He undid her hair and ran it through his fingers. ‘Silken night is the colour of your tresses. It shone in the fire’s glow, just as it shines now. Beauty personified.’

  A trembling started in her soul. He thought her beautiful. She wanted to believe him. She wanted to believe in the goodness of life again. That her life could be the way she had dreamt it. That the nightmare of the past few years was coming to end. She wanted to believe and it frightened her.

  ‘Stay with me,’ he murmured. ‘Be with me.’

  ‘I am here.’

  He captured her chin with his fingers and held it so she could only look into his unfathomable eyes. ‘Good.’

  Giving in to instinct, she undid her cloak and allowed it to slip to the ground, joining his discarded clothes.

  His hands roamed down her body, tracing her curves and causing her inner place to throb. A small moan escaped her lips. He stopped to cup her bottom, pulling her more firmly against him, allowing her to experience the hardness of him. It was exquisite torment which caused a thousand points of light to explode in her mind.

  ‘May I see you? All of you?’ he murmured against her neck.

  The instant he said it, she thought of how her couplings with her late husband had always been furtive and in the dark and she knew that she wanted something entirely different. She didn’t want to imagine him. She wanted to see every inch of him.

  Unable to speak, she nodded. He tugged at her gown and slowly lifted it. He then took off her undergarments until she was naked. The warm breeze caressed her skin, making her nipples pucker to tiny points.

  ‘I’ve never done this before.’ She gestured with one hand. ‘Any of it.’

  ‘I’m honoured and flattered.’ He ran a hand over her naked shoulder. The simple touch sent hundreds of fiery tingles coursing through her body. ‘Let me show you how good it can be.’

  Her knees trem
bled and he slowly laid her down on the nest of clothes. He loomed over her, golden and warm. All about her, she heard the soft patter of the rain and knew that they were cocooned in this little place.

  His lips moved down her arm to the soft inside of her elbow. He lazily drew little circles with his tongue.

  Her breasts grew heavy and her nipples became tightly furled. She arched upwards, wanting his mouth there rather than where it suckled.

  He seemed to understand and trailed his glorious mouth to her breasts, where he lapped at the nipples. He took each one in turn into his mouth and suckled. Her body bucked upwards and heat seared through her, making her feel reborn.

  His hands slipped down her body, tracing the hills and valleys of her flesh. Her skin seemed to be newly alive. Each touch made heat thrum through her. He moved between her thighs.

  ‘May I?’ he murmured against her belly. ‘May I feast?’

  Not knowing what to expect, she nodded.

  He moved his mouth to the apex of her thighs. His tongue moistened her inner core and her world exploded in a haze of stars. Her body thrust upwards, seeking him, wanting him deeper within her. His tongue probed and teased, sinking inside her and undulating against her. The stars became blinding light.

  Giving a great cry, she collapsed back against the nest of discarded clothes. Slowly the world righted itself. He loomed over her with a very male smile on his lips.

  She blinked up at him, unable to believe what had just happened. Her entire body ached with a sweet longing. She buried her hands in his hair and drew his face close.

  ‘Thank you,’ she whispered.

  He returned to her mouth and she tasted a faint salty sweetness that had not been there before.

  ‘See how good you taste to me?’ he murmured against her ear. ‘Why I wanted to feast on you?’

  She tugged at the waistband of his trousers. His arousal sprang free. Far larger than she considered possible. She put out her hand and wrapped it around him. Hot, silken and heavy. Infinitely exciting.

  ‘Will you allow me to feast?’ She barely recognised her voice. ‘To do to you what you did to me?’

  A moan came from the back of his throat. ‘I can’t. I want you. I need you too much. Next time.’

  He positioned himself between her thighs and this time, he entered her. Her body welcomed him in and she wrapped her legs about his to pull him deeper inside.

  They rocked together. Faster and faster, each finding the rhythm from the other. Until the waves crashed over her and a great shuddering engulfed them both. For a second time in a matter of heartbeats, the sweet longing filled her.

  She knew in that instant as she teetered on the brink that she had never felt more alive or more satisfied. He completed her in a way she had never even dared to dream about. And she knew that the tales people told were not all lies. Sometimes dreams did come true.

  * * *

  An insistent rain began to fall, cooling Valdar’s fevered skin as he lay spent, breathing in the sweet scent of her. Never had anyone given him so much of themselves, so freely and without hesitation. She’d been one with him, matching him.

  As he slowly returned to earth, Valdar raised himself up on his elbow and stared down at Alwynn. Her lashes made dark smudges against her rosy cheeks as her soft breath fanned his cheek.

  He doubted he’d ever seen anyone as lovely. She had unstintingly given her all to him. He doubted if he had ever had such a responsive partner. They had seemed to move instinctively in time with each other and yet he knew he could spend a lifetime exploring her body and not tire of her. The depth of the feeling nearly overwhelmed him.

  But there could be no lifetime for them. She couldn’t be his for ever, no matter how much he might wish it. He didn’t need any witch’s curse to tell him that. He knew the facts. Sooner or later he’d have to tell her where Raumerike was and who he was.

  He ran his hand along her flank and felt her soft skin ripple under his fingertips. He should have told her the truth about where he was from before this had happened. Gode had been right.

  There was no way he could tell Alwynn now without losing her and right now he didn’t want to lose her. He didn’t want to see the fear and hatred in her eyes. He wanted the passion and the desire. He wanted to keep that closeness between them. He would tell her later, when he was leaving. It would make the parting easier.

  He had not intended for this to happen, but it did not change anything. He had a summer and that was all. Because he knew that, because he was prepared for it, he would cheat the curse.

  After he had gone, she would be on her own. She would have to face everyone, but at least she would be able to say that she had been fooled and that she hadn’t betrayed anyone.

  He hated being a coward, but he wanted to experience this paradise for a little while longer. Nearly drowning, being given a second chance by the gods had given him a new sense of purpose.

  ‘We have the summer, Alwynn.’

  She murmured in the back of her throat and snuggled closer, looping her arm about his neck.

  He wanted her again. He could feel himself stirring already. He ran his hand down her thigh.

  The huge great hollow, which had been such a part of his life ever since Kara had vanished, healed like new.

  Somewhere he heard a shout and knew there were people about. He had no right to lie with her like this. No right at all. And yet she fitted so well in his arms.

  With great reluctance, he rolled off her and stared up at the darkening sky. He had to keep her safe.

  ‘We need to go, Alwynn.’

  ‘Valdar?’ she asked in a sleep-laced voice which promised much. ‘Tell me it was more than a dream.’

  ‘We should go back,’ he murmured. ‘Someone will come looking for us. The storm will break soon.’

  ‘Do we have to go? We’re dry under this tree.’

  He dropped a kiss on her mouth. Arousal had turned it to the colour of ripe apples.

  ‘This needs to be kept between us. I won’t have people whispering about you. Come the autumn, I will be gone.’ His heart tugged inside his chest. As he said the words, he wondered if they were more for him than her. Reassurance. He felt he had gone far too fast, too soon. What had happened between them transcended a physical act. He wondered if she realised that yet.

  She raised herself up on one elbow. ‘I made my choice. Discretion will be fine. And there will be no regrets. Life is far too short.’

  ‘Good.’ He traced the outline of her lips. ‘You were beyond imagining, Alwynn. Better than any dream, because you were you.’

  He silently winced. His tongue was worse than useless.

  She reached for her clothes with the air of a thoroughly satisfied woman. There was something completely sensuous in the way she dressed. His fingers itched to unwrap her again.

  ‘I’m not looking for for ever,’ she said as she straightened her hair. ‘There is no reason why anyone should know if we are discreet. No child will ever quicken in my womb.’

  ‘You would have been a good mother. I see how you look after Merri and everyone on the estate.’

  She gave a small shrug. ‘I can’t help caring about them. I owe them my life. I gave a promise when I married Theodbald to look after Merri and keep her safe.’

  Her easy acceptance of the end made his heart ache worse. He wished he wasn’t cursed. He wished he could give her his heart. He wished he didn’t have a vow to honour his dead friends and return home to tell of Girmir’s treachery. ‘Then we shall enjoy the time we have. Who knows what tomorrow will bring?’

  ‘I plan to.’ Alwynn withdrew her hand. Her heart was so full that she thought it would burst. What had happened between them was beyond imagining. But it was just physical and not about making a life together.

  Valdar would go when the leaves turned and the autumn winds began to blow. He had another life. She knew that. She could be coolly practical about it. Why shouldn’t she experience a bit of happiness in the meantime?
It wasn’t as if she was going to have a child from their coupling. There would be no evidence.

  ‘We will need to keep it a secret. If Lord Edwin discovers...’ A faint shiver ran down her spine. ‘He wants this estate and I can’t allow him to have it. Already he has turned some of the old tenants off the land he acquired. I took in those whom I could...’

  ‘Your secret is safe with me.’ He touched her cheek. Featherlight tingles went through her. She wanted to sink into him again, but she kept her body still. ‘Trust me. Please trust me.’

  Alwynn’s heart turned. Valdar had probably played this game a thousand times before. He knew precisely what to do and the right words to ensure all was well. She didn’t have a clue, but she knew she had to protect her heart. When she was younger, she had given it too readily.

  It shocked her that she was willing to play. But how could she give him up? Gode had been right. This summer she deserved a bit of happiness and joy.

  ‘I will. And you’re an excellent lover.’

  A dimple flashed in his cheek and the warmth smouldered in his eyes. ‘I shall take that as a compliment.’

  ‘It was meant as one.’ She stretched and tried to be sophisticated about it. ‘It is about us now. The future has no meaning.’

  His eyes grew storm-tossed. ‘And the past? There is something you should know...’

  She put her fingers on his mouth. The last thing she wanted to know was that there was a woman waiting for him at home. That was the true meaning of her dream last night. ‘I live in the present, not the past.’

  A wariness vanished from his eyes. ‘Agreed. The here and now is all we speak of.’

  ‘Shall we return before anyone starts looking for us? We will find other opportunities if we are clever.’

  He gave a crooked smile and her heart did an odd little flip. Just looking at him made her feel as if she was special. ‘My thoughts exactly.’

  ‘I still intend to teach you to read and write. Then wherever you are in the world and you use that knowledge, you will think of me.’

  ‘You’re unforgettable, Alwynn.’

  She matched her footsteps with his. Their shoulders were nearly touching. ‘That will give us an excuse.’