by Denise Lynn
He placed a hand against her cheek. ‘Ask what you will, but I’ll not lie, Avelyn. So be certain you truly wish to know.’
She took a deep breath before saying, ‘I know you were wed before. And while, yes, I am curious, I am more concerned with our marriage, with us and our tomorrows, than I am about your past. I fear the answer will prove more than I can bear. So, I have only one question for you, one thing I want to know above all else.’ She leaned forward, her hands splayed across his chest to softly ask, ‘Lord Elrik, are we well and truly wed?’
The lantern’s light glimmered in his eyes. A smile played at one corner of his mouth and before she knew what he was planning, he pulled her into an embrace that nearly took her breath away and he then kissed away all her concerns about something so small as breathing.
He rolled her on to her back, coming over her. Propping up on his elbows, he broke their kiss. ‘Yes, Avelyn, we are well and truly wed. I paid for the honour with five Roul ships that I could ill afford losing. King David has the signed documents in his possession. One set will go to my brothers on Roul Isle. You’ll not be rid of this old, ugly, grizzled warrior so easily.’
His comment caught her off guard and she glanced up to see him roll his eyes. She lifted a brow, trying to imitate him and yet doubting if she looked as fierce as doing so made him appear, but determined to give him back a measure of his teasing. ‘You are not old and far from ugly. I found Richard with his unblemished face much less attractive than my grizzled husband.’
‘Ah, but Richard is so much prettier.’
She shook her head. ‘You know little about women. His prettiness belies his inexperience. He obviously is not man enough to see to my safety. Besides, who is to say I wish to rid myself of the Lord Wolf?’ She grazed his arm with the tips of her fingernails. ‘At least not before I’ve tasted more of his kisses.’
His eyes widened before he warned, ‘Be careful what you start, little dove, your talons are no match for my fangs.’
Avelyn laughed at his silliness. This was what she’d wanted from a husband. Someone who would talk with her and laugh with her—not at her.
‘Avelyn, you did not ask, but I am more than willing to set your mind at ease.’
When she parted her lips to tell him that his explanation was not necessary, he stopped her words by sliding his tongue along her lower lip until she shivered, then kissed away her comment.
Too soon he stopped. ‘When it comes to my first wife...’ He frowned and stared at the side of the ship a moment before returning his gaze to her. ‘Muriel and I met once before our marriage. I was young, she was older, more experienced and easily had me believing we were deeply in love. I soon learned how wrong I’d been and how easily she had lied. By then we were already wed, so there was nothing I could do about the huge errors in judgement that had been made by myself and King David.’
Avelyn swallowed, trying to still the sudden queasiness of her stomach. ‘How do you know our marriage wasn’t also an error?’
‘There is no way for anyone to know for certain. But, Avelyn, neither of us went into this marriage with any thoughts of love.’
‘True.’ She didn’t love him, at least she didn’t think these emotions washing over her were love. And he held no love for her. She wondered what he did feel for her.
‘What happened to her?’
‘We had only been wed a few months and I returned to Roul Isle from a mission for the King to find her in a fit of rage because she’d just discovered she was carrying a child.’
‘Rage?’ Why would anyone be outraged at finding out they were pregnant?
‘Yes. Carrying my child—the Wolf’s child—was not something she desired. Muriel claimed it would be born with fangs and probably kill her.’
The woman’s mind was unsettled. Avelyn kept that thought to herself.
‘I thought I had calmed her worries and believed all was well. When I came back from the next mission for the King, she was dying. She’d taken some root concoction to rid herself of the babe and ingested too much.’
‘Oh, Elrik, that must have been terrible for you.’
‘No. What was terrible was her deathbed confession. She feared me, hated me because I was nothing but a lowly beast and truly believed I’d implanted the devil’s spawn in her.’
‘She’d lost her wits.’ Avelyn slapped a hand over her mouth. She hadn’t meant to say that aloud.
‘Yes, fear will do that to a person.’
‘She was unstable long before you wed her. Elrik, you are not a monster to be feared.’
‘You are the only woman to think that.’
Then other women were blind. ‘It is sad that your first marriage ended so badly, since you had obviously looked forward to it. It is easy to understand why this time you had no desire for another wife.’
He stroked the line of her jaw, ending his touch with a tap on the end of her nose. ‘That isn’t quite true. I wanted you as my wife, but not until later when this business with Roul Keep was settled.’
Avelyn still didn’t understand why he wanted her, Brandr’s daughter, as his wife, but this moment was not the time to sort it out. Her emotions were all jumbled simply by their closeness. Thinking clearly was impossible when the heat of his body covered hers.
He nudged her chin up with his own. ‘But, little dove, I find that I could easily get used to having you around.’
She forced a smile, hoping he didn’t see any lingering signs of worry.
‘And I need never fear your lies, because you are truly bad at hiding anything.’ Elrik brushed his lips briefly across hers. ‘It is a waste of time to worry over whether this marriage was a mistake or not. It is done.’
His logic did nothing to banish her concerns. ‘You could set me aside.’
‘Yes. I could.’ He smoothed away her frown with the pad of his thumb. ‘But if I did so, Avelyn, how would I ever discover what makes you shiver?’ As if on command, she shivered at his touch trailing along her neck.
‘And how would I ever know what brings a sigh to your lips?’ He kissed her—thoroughly—his tongue sliding along hers, tracing the line of her lips and catching her sigh as he broke the kiss.
‘I would never be able to hear you gasp with wonder at building desire.’ Elrik moved slightly off her to stroke along the edge of her chemise while tugging at the tie with his teeth. Once untied, he slipped the worn fabric down her arm, freeing a breast. The cool air was quickly chased away by his caress.
Instinctively she raised a hand to cover herself, but was stopped by what sounded like a low growl before he dipped his head and drew the tip into his mouth. She gasped with surprise at the heat of his tongue.
Barely lifting his head, he asked, ‘And how would I ever hear you moan softly for more?’
So intensely focused on the sudden flurry of fluttering wings in her stomach at the feel of his mouth on her, she never noticed that he’d moved his hand beneath the skirt of her chemise until his calloused palm slid up her thigh.
He’d so easily made her shiver, sigh and then gasp. A small part of her feared what he would do to make her moan. Yet, she welcomed the discovery with a tingling of anticipation racing down her spine.
She closed her eyes and held her breath, waiting...wondering... Only to notice that he’d stopped his slow, tantalising ascent.
Against her ear, he asked, ‘Are you hiding, or are you still here?’
Avelyn turned her face towards the heat of his breath to look at him. Her heart drummed faster at the intense shimmer in his darkening gaze. She swallowed hard, surprised by the sudden dryness of her mouth and answered truthfully, ‘I don’t know what to expect.’
He pulled his hand from beneath her chemise to stroke her cheek with the back of his fingers. ‘I would hope not. Avelyn, I’ll not have you frightened or cowering beneath my touch, so I must ask, do you wis
h to be my wife in my bed?’
Startled, she blinked. ‘Are you giving me the choice?’
His deep chuckle took her breath away. ‘This is not something I want to do to you. I would rather do it with you since it is much more enjoyable when the act is shared willingly.’
While his chuckle had stolen her breath, his answer made her tremble with a need she didn’t quite understand. All she knew for certain was that she longed for more of his touch, for his kiss. Is that what he wanted, too? To be certain, she hesitantly asked, ‘And if I say no?’
‘I will leave you be.’
As he sat up and started to move away, she grasped his am, stopping him. ‘No, Elrik, do not leave me be. I know not what you have awakened, but I will not rest if you go.’
He looked down at her. ‘Do you trust me?’
‘Why would I not? You have asked for my participation when you had every right to simply take.’
‘Ah, but this night I want to be certain you are willing. I need to hear the words from your lips.’
‘Yes. I am willing.’
He ran a finger along the edge of her chemise, trailing a warmth against her skin. ‘You do understand your participation will mean that this needs to be removed.’
She slowly nodded, trying to ignore the heat flooding her cheeks and neck.
Elrik slid the garment off her shoulder as easily as he had earlier to the other side, then moved to kneel between her legs.
Avelyn couldn’t stop her body from shaking as he ever so slowly eased the garment to her waist. She pulled her arms free to cross them over her breasts.
‘Don’t.’ His tone deepened. ‘Your embarrassment will soon ease.’
He leaned forward to cup a breast with each hand. Dropping a kiss first on the top curve of one and then the other, he said, ‘Besides, I want to see what five ships have gained me.’
The half-smile and creases at the corner of his eyes let her know he was but teasing her. She laughingly asked, ‘Isn’t this how you purchase a horse?’
‘Actually...’ he paused to work his lips up to her neck ‘...I wouldn’t be purchasing a horse...’ he grazed the line of her jaw to her ear with his teeth ‘...the stable master would.’ His lips teased the rim of her ear. ‘Do you know what he would do?’
Avelyn was having a hard enough time trying to breathe let alone answer senseless questions. Between the pounding of her heart and the heat flooding her veins, the best she could do was to answer, ‘Hmmm?’
Elrik pushed himself up and gently parted her eyelids. ‘He’d make certain there were no signs of blindness.’
He then parted her lips and peered inside her mouth. ‘He would judge this horse’s age to be...around nineteen to perhaps twenty-five.’
‘Twenty-five!’ She nipped at his fingers.
‘Oh, a biter. Need to keep an eye on this one.’
He pressed his fingers along both sides of her head and neck. ‘No lumps or outward signs of pain.’
Moving on to her arms, he checked her elbows and shoulders before tracking his touch down her chest to smooth his palms over her belly—pushing the chemise down at the same time. ‘A little thin, but not too skinny, and definitely no bulging or bloat.’
He tickled her side and she bit her lips to keep from laughing until she could stand it no longer. She squirmed beneath him, trying to push his hands away.
When tears of laughter trailed down the side of her face, he relented and stroked her hips, whispering, ‘Yes, well formed for bearing little ones.’
Avelyn was not thrilled at hearing she’d be a good brood mare.
He reached back to grasp her ankle and pull it up on to his shoulder. ‘Hooves seem fine.’
‘Stop it!’ She tried unsuccessfully to pull her foot from his tickling hold.
He worked his way up from her ankle. ‘Fetlock, hock, stifle all feel sturdy.’
The further up her leg his touch travelled, the faster her heart beat until it seemed to drum loud and strong in her ears.
He’d been teasing her to keep her distracted and calm. She knew that and greatly appreciated his thoughtful, albeit silly, method.
But now that his warm, strong hand stroked the back of her thigh, her distraction ended abruptly.
Now she noticed that her chemise was bunched into a thick rope just above her hips. The chill of the night air raced across her breasts, pebbling her nipples.
His fingertips brushed the short curls between her thighs, causing the skin over her belly to quiver and drawing a gasp from her lips.
Elrik’s darkly seductive stare held her still. ‘Are you very certain of this, Avelyn?’
She paused, letting the quick waves of ice and fire wash over her, then answered, ‘Oh, yes.’
He grasped the rolled fabric of her chemise with both hands and pulled it down over her hips. Avelyn lifted her foot off his shoulder to assist him, but he grasped her ankle, stopping her. ‘Let me.’
Once he’d freed that leg, he slid the chemise off her other leg and tossed the garment on to the floor.
Instead of coming over her as she’d expected, he turned his focus back to her leg. But this time, his teasing fingers were followed by his lips. From her ankle, pausing halfway to pay attention to the soft skin behind her knee, before working his way up to where the back of her thigh met the roundness of her bottom.
He touched only her leg, yet her entire being had fallen under the spell he seemed to weave around her.
She felt the racing of her heart not just as it beat wildly inside her chest, but in the steady drumming along the side of her neck and the building pulse low in her belly.
Her breasts seemed heavier and peaked as if begging for his touch, for the friction of his calloused palms and the warmth of his mouth.
Avelyn’s cheeks heated at her thoughts and she closed her eyes, seeking to shut out the visions forming in her mind.
Once again, Elrik’s touch stilled until she reopened her eyes. ‘Avelyn, don’t seek to hide from whatever is besetting you. Be it good or bad, I am here. Share it with me.’
She didn’t think the fire burning her face could possibly get any hotter. ‘I don’t know what spell you’ve woven. I can’t put it into words.’
‘I don’t need to hear your words when I can easily read them in your eyes, or in the way your body reacts, whether you pull away.’ He stroked the bottom of her foot and she instantly sought to tug free.
‘Or whether you lean into the touch.’ His fingers crept back up her leg, lingering behind her knee, and she found herself more than willing to let that caress continue.
‘There is no spell, Avelyn. You know exactly what is happening here. I am learning every inch of my wife’s body. Discovering what she likes and what she doesn’t, while I seduce her and tease her until she begs for an end to the torment robbing her of the ability to think.’
She’d been wrong—it was quite possible for the fire burning her cheeks to grow hotter. To banish the dryness, she ran her tongue along her lips, then asked, ‘And when will I learn every inch of my husband’s body?’
His eyes widened a moment, before he tilted his head and frowned. ‘Is that what you want?’
She nodded. ‘As much as I am thoroughly enjoying your exploration, I, too, am curious to learn about the husband with whom I will share a bed.’
He hesitated and she feared she’d somehow displeased him. ‘Elrik, I am sorry if—’
His laugh stopped her apology. ‘No. Do not ever be sorry for something you want to do in our bed. I was but trying to decide if I’ll be able to withstand your touch without dying.’
It was her turn to laugh. ‘I vow I’ll not use my talons on your ever-so-delicate skin.’
He sighed and lowered her leg. ‘As long as you promise to be gentle. This is my first time after all.’
She laugh
ed again at his silliness. ‘My Lord Roul, I do not believe you for one heart beat.’
He winged a brow. ‘It takes a brave woman to pet a wolf and you are the first one I’ve met willing to risk so much.’
He unfolded his legs, stretching them out on either side of her and moving further back on the pallet. Avelyn sat up. ‘I find it hard to believe any woman wouldn’t want to touch someone as magnificent as this Wolf.’
‘Ah, yes, magnificently battle scarred.’
She stared at him, wondering who he spoke about so poorly. How could anyone not see what she did when she gazed upon him?
He was a fine specimen of a man—muscular limbs peppered with near-black hair that her fingers itched to touch.
A well-formed chest tapering to a narrower waist—her perusal froze.
One of the women on the other ship had stated that men were oddly made. Another claimed they were made to fit a woman so completely that the couple became one.
Avelyn wet her lips. The second woman appeared to be correct...maybe.
His deep laugh barely registered and when his finger touched beneath her chin, she flinched with surprise and looked up at him.
‘When you stare at a man as if you wish to devour him, it will always be his manhood that responds first. It can’t be helped.’
She shook her head, clearing away her concerns. He wouldn’t have asked her to trust him if he thought he was only going to end up hurting her.
She rose up on to her knees and straddled one of his thighs. He closed his eyes while she smoothed the lines across his forehead and brushed the silky hair from his face. Even the strands of silver were soft.
She trailed a fingertip down his nose, pausing to retrace a crooked bump.
Elrik shrugged. ‘Gregor took offence to something I said.’
Continuing her exploration, she was surprised at the softness of his lips and more so at the way he shivered when she retraced them with the tip of her tongue. Her own shiver was not a surprise in the least. The more she touched him, the faster her heart pounded.