Riveted

by Brook, Meljean

  David stood. Just arrived, and quickly leaving again. “Of course.”

  He met Annika’s eyes for a brief moment, then she was away with James, half of the aviators following her. Wearing an expression of deep satisfaction, Dooley rose to his feet.

  “And that’ll do for me. I’ll be looking forward to seeing di Fiore’s face when a few more of those machines walk through his camp.”

  David would look forward to it, too. He had to completely grasp that it would happen, first. He and Annika were traveling to Hannasvik.

  Lucia touched his arm. “If you can spare a moment, David, Mr. Goltzius wants to have a word with you and Mr. Dooley together.”

  He’d spare it. A narrow wooden stair led to a small bedchamber. An oil lamp burned low, casting golden light across the bed. Goltzius lay with blankets tucked under his arms. Bandages swathed his neck and forearms, the back of his hands. Maria Madalena Neves sat on the high-backed chair beside him. Whatever care she’d been providing, it didn’t appear to be the gentle sort. The look she gave Dooley could have cut through ice, and thinned to a razor when David followed him in.

  “We won’t tire him, senhorita,” Dooley said. “Or upset him.”

  She exhaled sharply through her nose—exasperation, disdain, and a warning all in one breath. David was impressed. With a sweep of her skirts, she left. He glanced back at the Dutchman, who was laughing.

  “I would tell you that she’s not at all like that, but it’s only half true. She is when we’re not alone, but when we are, she’s really quite something.”

  Remembering the softness he’d seen while she’d walked the deck with her nurse, David believed it. Maria Madalena might let her guard down for brief moments, or when she was with the man who’d rescued the woman she loved, but the rest of the time, David suspected that the haughtiness was as much a part of her as the gentleness was.

  David nodded, looking Goltzius over again. Despite the bandages, the man looked well enough. No sickly color, no fever. “How are you, then?”

  “Just torn up. Worse on the legs, but aside from the scars, I’m assured I’ll walk easily enough again. Your aunt has taken fine care of me.”

  “And she’s not the only one, I see.”

  “An unexpected reward for rushing headlong into danger without the sense to first grab a club.” Goltzius’s smile seemed flat now, his humor strained. “But I did not ask you up here to wag on about my heart. I must confess a deception to you both.”

  Dooley’s bushy brows rose. “Oh?”

  “Yes.” He met David’s gaze squarely. “I was sent here by my cousin to determine whether rebuilding Dutch settlements would be a viable effort. We knew that di Fiore was bringing Castilian laborers in, and we didn’t want to lose the island through our inaction if it was worth having.”

  David exchanged a glance with Dooley, saw the same lack of surprise.

  “We know,” he said.

  Goltzius blinked. “You know?”

  With a laugh, Dooley claimed the chair beside the bed. “Kentewess and I have been out on expeditions too many times for such news to set us back on our heels now. There’s never been any place we’ve ever been that didn’t profit or benefit some Society patron. Sometimes, that purpose is well hidden, and we have to look sideways to see it. The moment you came on in place of our first botanist, though, we only had to look at you straight on.”

  “Ah, well.” A flush rose over the young man’s cheeks. He cleared his throat. “When we’re in New Leiden again, I’ll do what I can to see that the survey continues. I won’t be able to return, however.”

  “Well, we’ll still need a botanist, won’t we?” Dooley frowned. “Is it the dogs? You’ll heal up, get back on your feet. With our equipment, we’ll be prepared for them.”

  “Not the dogs.” Beneath the curling red mustache, his mouth firmed. “I have another interest now. I will soon be married.”

  There could be no question as to whom. Torn, David clenched his jaw. With Heimaey gone, Maria Madalena and her lover had almost no protection. A husband could provide it, and no one would think anything of her nurse accompanying her, remaining by her side.

  But did Goltzius know? Even if her attitude changed with him, even if she showed affection, that couldn’t be the love Goltzius hoped to have. Perhaps that would be enough for them both—and if Goltzius loved her, surely he wanted to protect her.

  David didn’t know what choice either one of them had.

  “Senhorita Neves?” A troubled expression tightened Dooley’s face. “You have spent a bit of time with her.”

  “Yes.”

  The older man made an obvious effort at humor. “And now you’re in love? You and Kentewess both. They must have been serving quite the dish at the captain’s table. Lucky for me, my heart’s already taken, or I’d be weeping over Vashon.”

  Goltzius managed a smile, but it didn’t last. “Yes, well. I believe it was something she ate after Heimaey. There was some talk about the women there, if you remember. We thought it best to put those notions to rest before she and her friend were hurt by them.”

  So he did know—and planned to sacrifice his own happiness to protect her. “You’re a good man.”

  “No doubt of it,” Dooley said.

  “And she’s a forceful woman.” Goltzius laughed a bit. “This wasn’t the adventure I expected, but I will see where it takes me.”

  Not far, if David didn’t start off soon and bring help. With a warm wish for Goltzius’s recovery, he took his leave, walking with Dooley out into the snow.

  A frown had etched itself across the other man’s forehead. “He’s a stronger man than many,” he said. “It would be easier to hurt her, I’d think. To force her into the role he wants her in.”

  Uncertain, David simply looked at him.

  “What, you were thinking that I don’t have eyes to see or ears to hear? My mother didn’t push me out squalling yesterday.”

  “Or even the century before,” David said dryly.

  “That’s a fact, and accounts for all the wisdom I’ve gained and you refuse to heed. So are you all right to go?”

  Aviators surrounded the troll. None of them seemed to be carrying anything, so whatever supplies they were taking must have already been loaded.

  “I think so.”

  The older man glanced up. “Not much snow to cover you.”

  “We’ll have a good start tonight.”

  Knowing Annika, she’d go until she simply couldn’t anymore. Then David would take care of her as best he could, wishing every second that he could do more.

  “I’ll also want to be hearing about these trolls when you return,” Dooley said.

  David couldn’t do that, either. “Not from me.”

  “Fair enough. I’d rather hear it from the driver’s mouth.”

  “If she wants to.”

  The other man nodded. “Then I’ll see you when.”

  This time, they were better prepared to spend time inside a troll. A feather tick mattress was brought in, a pot for cooking, extra oil for the lamps. Many of it came from the houses of those already dead; it felt a bit like raiding, but Annika swallowed that guilt. There was nothing to be done for them now—she could only focus on helping those left.

  Supplies stowed, she checked Austra Longears over again, tightening bolts and oiling joints—then covering some of her nakedness by tying a red ribbon in a bow beneath her nose. She said her good-byes to Elena and Mary. Both looked at her differently now that they knew she’d come from a village full of witches and trolls; Elena’s hug felt stiff. Annika didn’t let herself dwell on that, either. If four years of friendship hadn’t taught Elena the sort of woman that Annika truly was, then the rest hardly mattered.

  But she had to laugh when, in the middle of her embrace, Mary said, “I knew you weren’t from Norway.”

  The last bin of extra coal was scooped from the bunker and carried away. Mr. James came out of the hatch, his thin face red from the heat. A
nnika waited for a question she couldn’t answer, and was surprised when he said, “I suppose you’ve seen that I don’t always know what to say to you.”

  Well, she could answer that. “No.”

  Nodding, he took off his hat, awkwardly scratched his head. “You’ve always seemed to be somewhere else. Somewhere better, I thought, and I hated to intrude on that by asking about it, so I always said the first thing that came into my head instead of just saying what I was thinking. But this is easy to say, and I’m thinking it, too: Good luck to you.”

  Oh. That was truly wonderful of him. “Thank you.”

  She shook his hand, then straightened as Vashon approached. “Come with me inside, Fridasdottor.”

  Annika climbed through the hatch after the captain, saw the other woman’s attention fall to the bedding on the floor. Her direct gaze rose to meet Annika’s.

  “Tell me truly, stoker: Is this arrangement acceptable to you? Mr. Kentewess seems to be a well-mannered young man, but the fact is, you are an unmarried woman and vulnerable.”

  What could David do to her that he couldn’t do to a married woman? “He won’t hurt me.”

  “But this will affect you in other ways.”

  Understanding finally dawned. “Pregnancy? I’ve never considered that a vulnerability—and it won’t happen, at any rate, because I haven’t taken his seed. I hope to, though. Some day.”

  “I was thinking of your reputation, not of babies,” Vashon said dryly. “Though now I wonder if this would only solidify the reputation you’ve already gained.”

  For being improper? Annika knew it best not to smile, but could not stop the twitch of her lips. “I believe that my reputation is safe, Captain. I have never thought less of any woman who lies with a man.”

  “Yes, but it is not usually what we think of ourselves that makes our lives harder or easier; too often, it is what others think of you.”

  “I will take that risk.”

  “Godspeed to you, then.” Vashon paused at the hatch, straightened again. “Trolls, Fridasdottor?”

  Annika shrugged. “They’re big and frightening. You have sentinels.”

  “So we do.” Humor lifted the corners of her mouth. “I suddenly feel as if I might have been concerned for the wrong person. You will let Mr. Kentewess know that you hope to take his seed?”

  “I won’t do it while he’s asleep, I assure you. He’ll know.”

  “I suppose he will.”

  With a short laugh, Vashon dropped through the hatch. Annika started the engine, then glanced out. David was embracing his aunt, who was looking up at him with teary eyes and a determined set of her chin. Oh, Lucia. What must she be feeling now? After years aboard Phatéon, she’d been forced off twice: first into a town full of the dead, and now into a town full of people who might be, if they didn’t soon receive food and help.

  Whatever she was feeling, Lucia managed to step back, give him a pat on the chest as if to send him off. After a quick word to Dooley, he strode to the troll, holding Annika’s gaze. She backed up as he came inside, closed the hatch.

  He unbuckled his coat. “Are we ready, then?”

  “I am.” She watched him take in the changes she’d made, as his gaze lingered over the mattress. “You’re not upset that we overruled you?”

  “You had a better option. A real choice.”

  “Yes, but I’d have been angry anyway.”

  He grinned. “On principle?”

  “Yes.” She climbed into the seat, opened the eye louvers, and sighed at the sight of everyone gathered in the street—their expressions hopeful, worried. Some afraid. “I wanted more time with you. I didn’t mean to get it this way.”

  “No. But I won’t waste the opportunity,” David said. He waited until she hauled the troll around before adding, “Go as far as you can. When you stop, I’ll lick you.”

  Her feet almost missed the step. Heat flared through her belly, her heart speeding up. “Be careful,” she warned. “With incentive like that, I might quit early.”

  “No, you won’t.”

  “You know me that well?”

  “Yes.”

  So he did. Too many people were depending on her to push as hard as she could. Rest would become a physical necessity at some point, and she could be with him then. But if she stopped early, the guilt wouldn’t let her enjoy it.

  She didn’t think David would enjoy anything that came at the expense of their friends, either.

  The troll ambled past the last farmhouse, started up into the hills. Pushing the stompers took more effort, but she wasn’t yet out of breath. “Is it cruel to make you wait for me?”

  If he ached even half as much, Annika thought she must be.

  “In bed?”

  “Yes.”

  “No. I would be cruel to pressure you before you’re ready.”

  She was ready. And hoped for so much. But did she love?

  How could she know?

  She knew this: “I want to scream from wanting you.”

  “God.” Warm lips opened against the side of her neck. “I do, too. I would love to be inside you, tasting your mouth, listening to every moan.”

  “David—”

  His teeth closed over her earlobe, a tiny erotic pinch. Gooseflesh erupted over her skin. Annika’s hips rocked in the seat. She slowed the troll before she tipped it, her breath coming in desperate pants.

  “I can’t, David. I can’t drive when you do that.”

  “Then I’ll wait.” His voice was husky, low, sending another delicious shiver through her. “I’ll always wait, Annika. I’d rather take the time to learn what you like, what you don’t—so that by the time you love me, if you come to love me, I can make certain it’s good for you.”

  A little bite had pushed her near to climax. She didn’t see how the rest wouldn’t be good, too. “Do you truly think it might not be?”

  “I don’t know. You asked me about others once. I had to pay both of them. They didn’t enjoy it, I didn’t enjoy it…but each time was nothing like it has been with you.” He was quiet for a long moment. “I wish that I’d waited to fall in love, too.”

  Her throat ached. “You can wait for it now.”

  She felt his laugh against her hair, the shake of his head. This time, the kiss he pressed to her neck wasn’t openmouthed and hot, but soft and sweet.

  “I’ll just wait for you,” he said.

  It couldn’t be long. But if she began to dream of loving him, they’d probably find themselves tumbling over a cliff. She pushed harder, concentrating on the ground ahead.

  When they reached the river and turned north, David asked, “Are we heading in the same direction?”

  “Yes.” Though her lungs ached, her breath had evened out enough to speak. “That waterfall marks the route to the pass between the glaciers. We won’t stop there tonight, though.”

  And it was slower going past the falls. The ground became rougher, a near-constant incline. Abrupt ridges threatened a wrong step, boulders lurked under the snow to trip and roll. Twice, she backtracked to find gentler slopes to climb.

  Hours passed. The ground evened out when they reached the valley that served as the pass, but Annika couldn’t go on any longer. She found a sheltered spot and sat the troll down. David pushed the engine to stop. Annika remembered his promise to lick her now, but lovemaking seemed to be the last thing on his mind.

  It was the last on hers, too. While he opened the hatch, she picked up a spanner. None of the mangy curs had been in sight for the past hour or so, but she hoped the dogs didn’t surprise her with an attack while her ass was bare. She hurried through the necessary, used snow melted against the troll’s belly to wash. Covered again, she lingered for a few more seconds, looking up.

  David joined her. Though the sky was clear, no lights danced across the heavens tonight. She studied the man beside her, instead—the strong line of his jaw, the slight bump in his throat that so many men seemed to have, and that became more apparent when t
hey tilted their heads back. Was their throat more sensitive than a woman’s? She would kiss him there, and find out…though not now. The top of her head only reached his chin; she’d have to leap up to put her mouth on that spot. He was so very tall. Never had she been more aware of the breadth of him, his height.

  He glanced down at her, and she saw the change in him as his gaze slowly fell to her mouth. He hadn’t been thinking of licking her when they’d stopped, but he was now.

  “Do you want to go in?” His voice had deepened. Her belly suddenly seemed to hollow, then fill with heated anticipation.

  “Yes.”

  Heart pounding, she climbed through the hatch. David followed, caught her against him, his hard chest against her back, his arm around her waist. With his long body pressing against hers, he slowly unbuckled her coat, unwrapped her scarf.

  His lips found the side of her neck. “This has become my favorite spot while you drive.”

  Hers, too. With a soft moan, Annika’s head fell back against his shoulder. David nipped at her exposed throat. Need rushed through her, sensitizing her skin, bringing every touch into sharp awareness. His strong body behind her, the rigid length against her back. His arm at her waist, and his other hand sliding up her side beneath her chemise.

  His large palm cupped her breast, his thumb sweeping over the hardened peak. Her knees went weak, her nipples achingly tight. His mouth opened over the skin below her ear. Light suction joined the gentle tease of his fingers, a line of fire that raced from his mouth to her breast. How could he do this so easily? And yet she still wanted, needed, so much more.

  Panting, Annika arched into his hand. “David—”

  “I know. God, I need to taste you.”

  She tried to turn and find his mouth but he lifted her, instead—carrying her not to the mattress, but toward the troll’s head.

  “Tell me if you don’t want this.” His voice was rough as he set her feet onto the third ladder rung, halfway up to the driver’s chamber. “I’ve thought of nothing else this entire way.”

  “Thought of what?”

  “I watched you climb in earlier. You have the most incredible bottom.”