“If you hadn’t been there...” She lets out a shaky breath. “Thank you.”
I cup the back of her neck and draw her mouth to mine and kiss her. She whimpers against my mouth, and her fingers curl into my shirt. There are so many things I need to say to her, so much that I need to work out. But right now, in this moment, I just need to feel her body against mine. Need to know that she’s still here, with me. Even if she’s going to be gone tomorrow.
Chapter Ten
Sofie
My body feels like I was run over by a truck when I wake. Every muscle in my body is stiff and sore. But I don’t care, because large, muscular arms are wrapped tightly around me, the body of a Norse god, pressed hard against mine. All night we slept like that, one of his heavy limbs over me, like he’s afraid I might disappear.
I sigh, inhaling his scent. If I hadn’t realized it before, I know the truth now. I’m in love with the man.
My hero. My protector. My unruly Norse.
But I can’t stay here. He already told me that. And there’s still the job offer in New York. A job that would cover all my expenses for a year, plus an opportunity for a contract that could take me all over the world.
I place a palm on his cheek, his beard tickling my skin. “I love you,” I murmur.
He stirs in his sleep, pulling me closer, and mutters something in Norwegian.
If there was a way I could stay here, I would. But this was always only meant to be temporary. And there isn’t one piece of me that regrets any of it. I may leave a piece of my heart in Norway, but I’ll never regret loving this man.
“God morgen,” he murmurs, brushing his lips against mine.
I smile against his mouth. “Good morning.”
Already his cock is hard and pressed against my belly, and I can’t help the whimper of anticipation that forms in my throat.
“Are the kids awake?” he asks.
“Not yet.”
“Good.” He smirks, spreading my thighs with his knee, and kissing me again.
“I could wake up like this every morning,” I say, moaning when his teeth graze across my jaw, and his rough fingers brush my nipple.
He pauses and lifts himself slightly so that he’s studying me. “What about New York?”
“New York is...well, it’s something I’ve always dreamed about, but...” I chew on my bottom lip. I can’t let fear hold me back anymore. Even if it means I lose sometimes. It’s better to take a chance.
“But what, Sofie?”
“I wanted to come here, to Norway, to experience the culture. To know where I came from.” My fingers flutter over his chest, the warmth of his skin, the power in his embrace, giving me strength to tell him how I feel. “But I think what I found is my future.”
His brows tug down slightly, and I’m worried that maybe I’ve opened up too much. That I misread him.
“Sofie—”
“Sorry, I shouldn’t have said that.” I try to move away, but he doesn’t let me.
“No. Wait.” His large frame traps me against the bed, the heat of his body making me tremble with need even though my heart is breaking. “You know I can’t afford to keep paying you.”
“Okay.” I chew on my bottom lip, my heart sinking.
“And I don’t want you to ever think that I’m using you or holding you back. I want you to be happy, Sofie. I want you to be happy here with me.”
“What are you saying?”
“I want your forever to be here. I can list all the things I can’t give you that New York can, but the one thing I can promise you is that my heart is yours. Marry me, Sofie.”
I suck in a breath. “What?”
“I don’t want to lose you—”
I don’t give him a chance to finish, I wrap my arms around his neck and kiss him hard. “Yes.”
“Yes?” He pulls back, eyes widening.
“I love you, Erik. And I want to be your wife. I want you to be my forever.”
He kisses me hard then, his large body on top of mine. “God, I love you too, Sofie.” His knee nudges my legs apart, and I can feel his hard length pressed against my belly. “I don’t have a ring for you. But I promise I’ll get you the biggest diamond—”
“I don’t need all that,” I tell him, shifting beneath his weight so that the crest of his cock is pressed against my entrance. I’m already wet and ready for him. “I just need you.”
“You have me, sweetheart,” he says as he thrusts inside me, filling me completely. “Forever.”
I whimper as he begins to move, quick, hard strokes that have me clinging to him, my pleasure building, and he kisses me to muffle my moans.
We come together, his gaze locked on mine, and I feel his seed fill me as my body arches and quivers in ecstasy. His fingers lock with mine, and he lies on top of me, spent, his face nuzzled against my neck.
I could stay in his arms, and never get up, but our moment is broken by shouting coming from the kitchen. “Astrid, give me it back.”
Erik sighs. “You’re sure you’re ready to take all of this on?”
I smile, kissing him and then rolling out of bed and grabbing my robe. “How do you know I’m not staying here for them?” I tease.
He chuckles, and stands, pulling me into his arms again. “Still, three kids. It’s a lot. And...” His thumb traces my bottom lip. “I want to have one of our own.”
“Just one?” I ask, chuckling when his brows raise.
“I’ll give you as many babies as you want.”
I laugh, hearing more shouting outside our door. “I think we should deal with the ones we have now.”
And it’s chaos when I enter the kitchen. There’s spilled milk all over the kitchen table, and Astrid is in tears. Lars is standing on a chair reaching for something on a shelf, and I have to scoop him up before he topples over. Finn walks out of his room, rubbing his eyes, and Odin is barking to go outside.
It’s complete madness...and I love it.
“Finn, help me clean this up.”
“But I didn’t make the mess,” he pouts but still does as I ask.
I sit Lars down, then ask Astrid what’s wrong.
“Lars spilled his milk all over my drawing. And there’s no more paper left.”
I check the craft drawer and realize she’s right. “There has to be paper somewhere in the house,” I tell her, searching through the cupboards. “Here.” I pull out a folder that’s filled with paper, but when I open it, all the sheets have scribblings of numbers.
“What do have there?” Erik asks, coming up behind me.
“I don’t know.” I hand it to him.
“Faen,” he mutters, flipping through the papers. “These are Daniel’s records. All the accounts I was missing.”
“Is that good?” I ask.
He keeps flipping through the sheets, a smile tugging at his lips. “Ja. It’s very good.” Then he closes it and chuckles. “Seems like the things we need the most were here all along.”
Erik asks the kids to come closer, then he sits on his heels, with a serious glint in his eyes.
“I have something I need to ask you.”
“What is it, Uncle?” Astrid asks, wrapping her hand around mine.
“I’ve found something more than this ledger,” he says, holding up the accounting book. “I found my one true love. And I want to marry her. Is that going to be alright with you?”
Finn looks up at me, light in his eyes as Lars wraps his arms around my waist. “You aren’t leaving?”
“No,” I say, ruffling his hair. “I’m not if that’s alright with you.”
“It’s perfect,” Astrid says, her voice full of wonder.
“Before Sofie, we were all hanging on by a thread,” Erik says. “But now, I can see how the five of us are knit together.”
I look up at my handsome Norse fiancé as he pulls me into his arms. The children gasp in glee as he draws me close for a kiss. I close my eyes as his lips find mine.
The moment I saw
him, I thought it was love at first sight - and I was right. I do love him. But it’s more than love, this feeling that runs through me as we kiss, this is a commitment to forever.
Epilogue I
Erik
Two months later ...
As I walk toward Sofie, where she stands with the dark, inky water and the spectacular snow-capped mountains of a Norwegian fjord behind her, it’s hard to concentrate. I’m so lost in my love for her.
Our wedding day is finally here, two months after our engagement, and long enough for her to plan it out the way she always imagined. She doesn’t have family, but she does have her girlfriends, who are here with their husbands. Filip is here as well, though he is single.
Lars and Finn wear charcoal suits and Astrid is a vision in pink tulle.
Sofie though, is stunning.
I hated the idea of her giving up her modeling career after she spent so many years in the industry - and she came up with a brilliant way to make all our dreams come true. A photographer is here, taking photos of her in the couture ivory Martiallo wedding gown. The bridesmaids - her best friends, Dina, Elsie, and Wendy - are in pale pink Martiallo dresses and my suit was from the same designer.
Me, in fancy clothes like this - my sister wouldn’t believe it. But here I am, standing at the edge of the world in a three-piece suit staring at the woman of my dreams.
Our wedding will be featured in the next edition of Vogue. Apparently my Nordic roots have a level of sex appeal with American women and so even though I’m a simple fisherman - the photographer sees my long hair, broad shoulders, and blue eyes as something to be captured. They call me Thor, the Nordic god, and I try not to laugh. Who am I but a man who lives by the sea, takes care of the ones I love, and honors my sister and her husband by caring for their brood?
And I don’t care what pictures they take, so long as my bride is Sofie. And as I take her hands in my own, promise to love her with all that I am, I know I am the luckiest man alive.
“I do,” she says, her gentle voice soothing my unruly heart. Her smile etching its way deeper into my soul. God, I love her.
“I do,” I repeat before slipping a ring on her finger. We each chose simple gold bands, a circle that never ends. She insists on not wanting anything flashy - that the all-expense paid wedding is flash enough. And I know she is being honest. She may be stunning to look at, but her heart is pure and true. She doesn’t measure things with money or status - she clings to what is real, the people around her.
The children clap as Sofie and I are pronounced husband and wife, and we wrap them in our arms. A family bound together with love, even though we’ve faced so much loss.
“Kiss the bride!” Astrid says with a smile, and so I do as she requests.
I pull my wife into my arms, and kiss her softly, slowly. The kiss is captured on film, of course and I don’t mind. I have everything I need right here, and I am proud for the world to know it.
The reception is set up on the water’s edge, and every detail compliments the glacial waters only feet away. The tables are adorned with shells, driftwood, and wildflowers. Sofie beams as she takes it all in.
We do our best to bide our time, cutting the marbled cake, dancing our first dance, posing for more photos - but eventually we are allowed to take our leave.
The children are staying with Sofie’s friends for the next few days, and so we are spending our first nights alone, as husband and wife.
We haven’t spent a night just the two of us since we met - so this time is treasured, sacred - ours.
I pick up my bride so I can carry her past the threshold of our honeymoon retreat. It is a luxury waterfront refuge with everything my wife deserves. “Oh my gosh,” she exclaims as I carry her inside. “I’m so happy.”
“You like the lodgings, then?” I ask, looking into her eyes. She shakes her head, her hands on my face.
“No, you unruly Norse, I’m so happy because I am yours.”
Epilogue II
Sofie
One year later...
The children have just left for school, and I am taking out the compost when Erik surprises me by pulling up to the house. Odin is at my feet and begins barking and running toward his master.
“What are you doing here?” I ask, wondering if he remembered. He was off on his boat before dawn, working to bring in today’s catch. The fleet has never been as successful as they are now and it has taken off the financial burden he carried when we first met when he was adjusting to so much change.
He gets out of his truck, a beautiful bouquet of flowers in his arms. “These are for you, love. Happy anniversary.”
He did remember. Of course he did.
Erik is my constant, my rock, my anchor in a life that has many bumps in the road. Being a mother to three rambunctious children has taught me that there is no such thing as normal.
Still I wouldn’t change this wild, messy life for anything.
“Thank you,” I say, taking the flowers. Erik runs a hand over my back as we head inside the house. “Why aren’t you at work?”
He smiles as we walk into the kitchen. I pull down a vase and fill it with water. “I took the day off. Filip has it under control. I wanted to be with you. We hardly ever get time alone.”
I lick my lips. “I’m so happy to hear that.”
He steps toward me, running his hands under my sweater, drawing me close. My body sinks against him, loving that we have this stolen moment. “And why is that, Sofie?”
I tug at his belt. “I have a very special anniversary gift for you, that I wanted to give you privately.”
He lifts an eyebrow, before lifting me from the ground. He is so strong, and I laugh as he carries me to our room. “Wife, I need you.”
My body prickles with excitement, his words the ones I always crave to hear. In our room, he lifts off my sweater and I drop to my knees, pulling down his jeans, and taking hold of his thick cock. I run my tongue over him, my body heating as I begin to suck him. He runs his hands through my hair as I pleasure him, my pussy wet as I enjoy his soft, velvety steel cock.
“Faen,” he growls, the ridges of his length throbbing and I move my head up and down, bobbing as I suck my husband off, wanting his creamy release to shoot into my mouth so I can swallow his milky cum.
I moan, my throat aching as I take him deeper, wanting to pleasure him the way he so often pleasures me. When he comes, I swallow him, savoring every last drop that he pumps into my mouth, down my throat. I need more, everything. And I know by the weight of his hardness he is already preparing to come again.
We fall into the bed, my panties slide off and I roll on top of my husband. My pussy drips as he runs his calloused hands over my entrance. I’m so wet for him and he loves it. He runs his hands over my breasts, sucking my hard nipples as I lift my ass, so ready for him to fill me all the way up. Until I am screaming his name, begging for more.
It doesn’t take long for me to grind against him, his hands on my hips steering me in the direction we both need to go. “Oh Erik,” I moan as he spanks me firmly, making me gasp in pleasure. I lean down, kissing him hard, loving the way my nipples graze over his solid chest, the way he tugs at my hair as he fucks me.
“I love you, so damn much,” he growls, his cock filling me up until I can’t speak, cry, beg - until I am coming so hard, so fast that my release drips down my thighs. He loves it when he gets me off like this. He rolls me over, onto my back, thrusting deep inside me until my legs wrap around him and I beg him for more.
“Please,” I tell him. “Come in me.”
“You want me to give you a baby?” he asks, moving deeper and deeper inside me until I’m gasping for breath.
He comes hard, so hard that the headboard bangs against the wall, so hard that I’m dizzy with pleasure. “Too late,” I say, catching my breath.
“For what?” he grunts, finishing. His hot cum filling me up the way we love.
“To get me pregnant.”
“W
hat do you mean?” he asks, resting his hand on my cheek.
“I already am, Erik.” I smile. “Happy anniversary, Daddy.”
Erik laughs, squeezing my ass and pulling me closer to him. His arms wrap around me, promising to never, ever let go. “That may be the best anniversary present ever.”
Preview
I work with my hands ... and Karis Quinn is the only thing I want to touch.
She’s curvy, cute-as-a-cupcake, and way too sweet for a hard-ass like me.
When I’m hired to renovate her bakery, I want to do more than strip these floors and make them shine.
I want to make Karis scream my name.
Over and over again.
She may be a virgin, but I’ve got a hammer.
And I know how to use it.
Dear Reader,
Filthy, over-the-top, and the perfect treat.
This one is true love at its finest.
Eli Blake is a blue-collar alpha with more than a tool belt.
This man knows how to seal the deal and put a ring on it.
Xo, Frankie & Chantel
CHAPTER ONE
“Tell me again why I’m doing this job barely at cost?” I grumble into my cell as I park my truck in front of the small bakery with a sign that reads For Heaven’s Cakes. I have a hundred other jobs I should be doing today, especially now since Nailed It Construction, Inc., has finally taken off.
I can’t wait to try and explain to my business partners how my little sister conned me into free labor.
“Because you’re the best big brother in the whole world,” Jenna says on the other end. “And I’m sure you’ll get some free cupcakes out of the deal.”
I grunt and open my door, moving around my truck to get my tools out of the back. “So who is this friend of yours?”
“Karis Quinn. She’s a real sweetheart. She’s just had some...bad luck lately. Her boyfriend said he’d do the work for her. But he only did half the job, then took off with the full payment.”
Unruly Norse: Love Without Limits Page 5