“You wanted me before you saw me. You only want me for the power!”
“That’s true.” I run my finger over her plump, red lips. “Then I saw you, tasted you, and felt you against me.” The memory of that night makes my heart hammer through me. “And I knew I had to have you, no matter the cost.”
“And what cost are you paying, Grimkael?” she asks, her dark blue eyes staring straight into my own.
“Call me Grim.”
“Grim. You would just claim me for your own?”
“I am risking my people, my life, my lands. All for you. To have you by my side.”
“No matter of what I thought?” she lifts a brow, challenging me.
“You want me.”
“I’ll never tell.”
I tilt my lips up in a confident smirk. “You don’t have to.” Her body is speaking for her.
A moment of pure silence sparks between us, and then she surges her lips forward and crashes into mine. The feel of her kiss is sudden, magical—as if she cast some lightning spell on me.
I grip her jaw with my hand and feast my lips upon her. My tongue pushes between the sweet clouds of her lips, tangling with hers. She doesn’t fight me. She melts against me like she did the other night. I lift her right leg onto my hip until the heel of her foot digs into my ass, sliding my hand down the smooth silk of her skin and along her drawers until I cup her rear.
Mmm, fuck. She feels good.
Sassa moans into my mouth, clutching thick grips of the skin on my back and digging her nails into the scarred flesh. I snarl down her throat from the dominant move. I’m not used to such an aggressive lover, but she has that quality about her that gets me harder than I have ever been in my entire life.
Her dress is cold from the water, causing my skin to pimple over my chest. My hand drifts into her drawers and to the searing hilt of her pussy and slides through the slit. My body quivers with so much need. The need to fill her. The need to come deep inside her. The need to just be close to her.
“Grim,” she whispers with a tilt of her head. The move causes our lips to break, but the column of her neck is exposed, so I journey down it, searing my lips into her skin. My tongue lashes out, and fresh water from the river and a slight taste of salt from her sweat bursts across my tongue.
My finger pushes against her virgin hole; so small and tight. I circle the wide digit around, and the pulse from her heart throbs against my finger. I smile against her neck. She may fight me, but she wants me. There is no denying it.
“I’ve… I’ve never,” she gasps, with shallow breaths.
“Shh, I know.” My hushed words flutter next to her ear. “I love that a man has never touched you. I want to take you. Right here. Right now. But not at this moment.”
“Grim, no! Take me now. I need you,” she whines, and the little hellcat tries to push down on my finger to seek relief.
“I know what you need. But when I take you, when I sink my cock into you, you’ll be in my bed.” I push my finger inside her untouched hole and drop my forehead to her shoulder, moaning as I imagine my cock sliding inside of her instead.
The sound that escapes her is something between a moan and a cry. I can feel the barrier with the tip of my finger. All it will take is one push, and she will be ready for my cock. It is so tempting, but I need to take her virginity with my cock. I need her walls to grip me and adjust to my size and my size only. I want to feel the thin barrier break from the tip of my cock intruding.
I thrust my finger in and out at a steady rate. Her walls milk my finger, sucking me in deeper, and begging me to take what is rightfully mine. I lift her dress up and around her waist with my other hand, and I slide my finger out of her to pull her drawers down her thighs.
Her bush is healthy and thick, just how I like it. I tug on the hairs, and she hisses from the pain, but then I rub my thumb over her nub, cause her to jolt from pleasure. If my pants weren’t already wet from her sudden swim in the river, no doubt there would be a giant wet spot on the front where my cock has been leaking like a sieve.
The wind blows around us, drifting over my heated skin for a moment, but it does nothing to calm the waves of desire. “Release me,” I snarl the demand into her mouth.
She fumbles with the strings of my pants at first, but I stay patient, letting her go at her own speed. Once the knot is untied, she pushes the material down my hips, and the air kisses my shaft, making me gasp from the sensitivity.
“Oh,” she says with a lick of her swollen lips. Her eyes are round, staring at the first and last cock she will ever see. I grab her hand and press it against the aching flesh, groaning from the warmth of her palm.
I tremble as she curls her fingers around me, taking a slow, testing stroke. My balls roll, and my spine tingles with my impending release. I must hold back. This is not how I want to come. I rip her hand away from my leaking rod and push it through her folds in one quick thrust. I don’t enter her. I just rock against the lips of her divinity, relishing in the velvet heat hugging my cock.
When I pull away, I make sure to rub over that swollen pearl that makes her shout to the stars.
“Fuck, Sassa. You‘re so wet.” I keep flexing my hips, plundering my thick cock against her slit.
“Grim, oh! You’re so thick.” Her filthy mouth fuels me and makes my hips jerk faster, but I still keep in mind not to lose my aim, or I’ll slip into her hole. I want to save that for when she will be ready. No matter how ready she thinks she is, she must wait. I cannot take her until she is fully willing to give herself over to me—mind, body, and soul.
I take her lips into a hot, passionate kiss again and whimper into the cavern of her mouth. Everything about her feels good, so right. Her body quaking against mine, my lips forming to her, my cock sliding through her wet folds, the thick crown rubbing over her clit with every stroke. She feels like home.
The thought has my hips stuttering. I know I won’t be able to last much longer. Our groans and the wet sounds of where we are joined, mix with the music of nature. The breeze rustles the leaves, the current pushes the river against rocks, crickets sing, and frogs croak, creating an orchestra.
“You’re the prettiest thing I’ve ever seen,” I say with a twist of her nipple.
Her blue eyes dilate, the pupils so small I can hardly see them, and her head hits the back of the tree. “I’m going… You’re going to make me—” Her lips part, letting me see that pink tongue I want wrapped around my shaft eventually.
“That’s it. Come for me. Show me how I make you feel…” I rasp against her lips. My words are all it takes for her to shoot over the edge. I can’t feel her walls clenching around me, but her juices flow like a dam breaking, drenching my erection with her sweet nectar.
I must have a taste. I dip my hand between us and scoop some onto my fingers and shove them into my mouth. My breath comes out faster, my hips stutter, my body heats, my limbs tingle, and I slam my fist against the tree as I shout, spilling my fertile seed over her pussy.
“Sassa,” I grunt, and a possessiveness like no other controls my body. I push my cock even farther until the tip is just inside her virgin hole, and I finish coming inside her tight sheath. I’m not deep, but I can feel how hot she is, and it takes all I have to pull out. Even that little bit of her is the best I’ve ever felt.
“Oh, god!” she cries, and I pull back with a surprised look on my face to see her getting carried away in bliss again. Her hands reach above her and drag along the bark as she comes for a second time.
Well if that doesn’t make a man feel smug, nothing will.
She finally collapses against me, and I run my hands through her almost-dry hair, kissing the side of her face. Her hands lay against my chest, and with more strength than an ox, she pushes me away, causing me to stumble with my cock still free.
She fixes her drawers and pulls down her dress, that is still wet but doesn’t cling to her as tightly as it did before. I lay on my side, propping my head against my hand
by laying my elbow on the ground, keeping my cock free when the bliss and high evaporates from her face.
She shakes a finger at me. “You…. You! That is never happening again. Just this once shall I let you get the best of me, but never again.”
I chuckle and push myself up to my feet and tuck my spent cock back in my pants. “Last I checked, Princess, it was twice. And you can try to fool yourself.” I stride over to her, flexing my muscles as I go so, she can see the man that will hunt her. “But you can’t fool me. You want me, just as I want you.”
“I hate that I want you,” she spits, but her words don’t hurt me like she intends them to.
They make me smile, and I lean forward, acting as though I’m going to take her in a kiss again. Her body responds, the fight disappearing like it has been exorcised. “Oh, you love it, you just refuse to admit it yet.”
And by the time she admits it, I’ll have her in my bed, taking my last name, bearing my children, and loving me.
Chapter Eleven
Sassa
I wait until the maddening extremely sexy man leaves my sleeping side; well, I’m fake sleeping. He has another thing coming if he thinks I’m going with him. Even if he does make me float on the clouds. I don’t want to belong to anyone.
Just the thought of leaving Grim makes a hole appear in my heart, but the only person I need is myself. My worst nightmare is being caged, like an animal, not being able to have control of my own life, and answering to a man that only wants to dictate me?
Over my dead body.
He kisses my forehead. “Sleep well, my princess,” he whispers. And a pang of guilt shoots into my heart knowing that in a few moments, I won’t be here. He hasn’t treated me badly, not at all. He is actually the kind of man I’ve always dreamed of having, but not like this, not to be traded like some cheap, worthless object just so he can obtain power.
It hurts that he would do that, but it hurts even more knowing I won’t wake up to see his piercing blue eyes staring at me with so much lust, it makes my body hot and my pussy wet. Trying to remember the entire reason for my flight, I settle my feelings for him and hear the tent rustle as he leaves.
Snapping my eyes open, I lay there, unmoving and listening for any sign of his return.
“Is she asleep?” Einarr, the menacing man he calls his friend and second asks with a tone that could scare the dead.
“Aye, she fell asleep moments ago,” Grim replies.
“Are you sure about this, Grim? She didn’t seem so happy with this situation.”
“She is strong and has a raging fire. She won’t admit it, but she wants it. She is just stubborn.” I can hear the grin in his voice.
But I am not stubborn! I just know what I want.
“You like that?” Einarr asks.
“I love it.”
A tear escapes my eye as guilt washes over me. He is right. I want to stay. I want to be in his strong embrace and make love to him all night, but I’m so frightened he is going to try to trap me and contain my spirit. I can’t live that way. I just can’t.
“Well, congratulations, but we must walk the perimeter and make sure we are safe before morning. Are you sure she is asleep?” Einarr asks, and the sharp sound of a blade rings through the air.
“Aye, she will be fine for an hour or so. It kills me to leave her alone. She needs protection.”
I chuff. I can take care of myself.
“We shall be quick.”
Grim grunts, and soon the crunch of leaves get more distant, and then, silence surrounds me, except for the huff of the horses. I wait a few minutes to make sure they aren’t coming back and peek my head out of the tent.
I have second thoughts when I step out into the wilderness. I’ve never felt like I’ve belonged before, but one second in Grimkael’s arms, and every sad moment in my life, every doubt, fades away.
But the fear of being a kept woman is enough to send me running. I gather the material of my gown and look longingly at the tent, where moments ago, I received a kiss worth more than all the gold a woman could ask for. I swallow my uncertainty and run into the opposite side of the woods.
I ignore the tears stinging my face as I run toward my freedom, but then I remember, I don’t have anywhere to go anymore. I have no home. My father traded me for peace. I’m running from a man, but the only place I have to go is the castle. Even if it means facing my father again. I jump over logs and tree stumps, hissing as a few sharp branches cut the skin of my arms along the way.
The sun is setting, darkening the forest even more. I need to hurry if I want to get back to the castle before dark. The river where Grim ignited my body for the first time comes into view. The swell of emotion I feel almost stops me in my tracks, but I push through. I jump over the waterway, barely making it to the other side, but at least I don’t fall in this time.
I fall to my hands, clawing at the muddy ground. The dirt gets stuck under my nails, and my breath fogs in the air. My lungs burn from the exertion, but I push myself back up and keep running. My instincts scream at me to go back to Grim. They tell me he can protect me and keep me safe, but again, I ignore it, thinking I can care for myself.
Right as the castle comes into view, a man I have never seen before steps in front of me. My feet slide against the debris on the ground, skidding to a stop. The man before me is wearing old, raggedy clothes and he has an awful-looking mark on his neck. When he smiles, one tooth is missing from the front. I take a step back, knowing the look in his eyes. I’ve seen it before.
“Well, well, well, this is much easier than I thought it would be,” he sneers.
“Who are you? What do you want?” Now I know why my gut was screaming at me moments ago. I was safer with Grim than I am right now.
“Who I am doesn’t matter. Who wants you? Well, that’s another story…” He takes a step toward me, and I take a step back. I’ll do this dance all night if it means getting free of this man.
“I’m already spoken for. So, you can tell whoever you’re doing your dirty work for that I’m not interested,” I spit and take another step back.
The stranger spreads his arms out and looks around. “I don’t see the man that speaks for you anywhere, girl.” He says the word as if being a woman is demeaning. It is men like him that I have worked so hard to get away from. It is now I realize that Grim is nothing like the men I fear want to shadow me with their darkness. He is just as full as life as me, he doesn’t want to dull my light, but have his shine next to mine.
He never once tried to stop my mouth or apprehend me for what I said. He said he even loves my fire, and here I am, running frightened. And I ran right into the thing I’ve been so afraid of. The world is punishing me, and I deserve it.
“He is waiting for me. At the castle,” I say. “He is expecting me. And you do not want to upset him. He is the most brutal of warriors.”
He takes another step forward and orange rays of the setting sun drape across his wicked face. “The most noble of warriors wouldn’t leave a woman like you alone all by yourself.”
I whimper, take a step back, and then I trip over a tree root and fall. I crawl backward, but my back hits a tree. I’m trapped. The man’s shadow casts over me, and he laughs. The sound travels down my spine, lodging fear in every part of my body. “I’m surprised the King doesn’t keep a better eye on you. I’ve heard you’re a handful. Our Lord will be pleased with you.” He snatches me by the front of my gown, tearing it at the shoulder and dragging me through the woods.
I kick and scream, trying to get free of him, but his fist is also grabbing a part of my hair. I struggle, trying to slip out of my gown and make a run for it, but I can’t, not with the hold he has on me. “Let me go! You have no idea about the war you are starting! “
“I’d listen to the girl if I were you.” Grim’s voice filters through the night, causing a sob to launch in my throat.
“Grim! Grim!” I scream and kick. “I’m sorry. I’m so sorry!” I sob, still tryin
g to break free of the stranger’s hand.
“Who are you?” the man with the mark on the side of his neck yells.
“I’m the man you are stealing from. I’m Grimkael Hohlt.”
“Grimkael? The Warlord of the Vikings?” The man doesn’t sound so tough now, does he?
“One and the same. I suggest you let her go or I’ll kill you,” Grim threatens. The man drops me like a sack of potatoes.
I scurry away from the man that almost took me and cry. Grim and Einarr run down in front of me, confronting the foul man. I cower in fear.
Einarr squats and puts his fingers under my chin, tilting my head up. What I see frightens me. He is a scary man. He has a long scar down his face and eyes that hold no forgiveness. They are cold. “I want you to keep looking at me, do you understand?”
I nod my head, causing more tears to fall from my eyes.
“You will hear things. Things that will stay with you for the rest of your life, but you won’t see them. Not if you keep looking at me. Do you understand?” he asks again.
I nod, never taking my eyes away from his. A murderous scream rips through the air, and my mouth opens to scream, but Einarr shoves his hand over my mouth to silence me. “I know,” he whispers, but it doesn’t stop the trembling taking over my body.
A knife cuts, a gurgle sounds, and something falls hard on the earth floor. I’ve never known such violence before. My father kept me safe within the walls of the castle, so I never saw a drop of blood or an act of such hatred. He kept me sheltered. I feel out of my depth. I don’t know what to do or how to act. I just want to cry and scream and run.
Far, far away.
“It’s a damn Jackal!” Grim snarls and the determined pounding of his feet shake the earth as he marches over to me.
“You’re fine now,” Einarr says in a monotone voice. Something tells me that is his way of comforting someone, even when he doesn’t know how.
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