The Warrior's Viking Bride (Harlequin Historical)

by Michelle Styles

  ‘Another confession from the mead?’

  ‘I thought you deserved the truth. I... I’ve not worn gowns since I was blooded in battle and became a shield maiden. How things work in my world. When shield maidens marry, they put away shields, swords and warfare, returning to gowns, soft words and women’s work, but not before then.’

  He slowly lifted the gown over her head and threw it on to the straw.

  The cool air touched her fevered skin. She quivered in anticipation.

  He lowered his mouth and traced a line down to where her breasts were still bound. ‘What is this for? Are you injured?’

  ‘It makes it easier for fighting.’ Her voice sounded husky to her ears. ‘I wear it all the time except at night. You never know when you might have to fight. I didn’t take it off yesterday because...’

  ‘You are not going to do battle tonight.’ He gave a husky laugh. ‘Let me assist you. I have wondered...’

  ‘If it is necessary?’

  ‘Yes.’

  He took one end and slowly she twirled until she was free of the binding and could take deep breaths again.

  His hand cupped first one breast and then the other, gently kneading and caressing them until her nipples became hardened points. Heat thrummed through her, causing her to gasp. ‘They have been in prison for too long.’

  ‘Have they?’

  His finger flicked over the nipple points and live jolts shook through her. Before she had time to react he lowered his mouth and took first one and then the other nipple into his mouth. He gently nuzzled them with his tongue, going round and round. A piercing sensation swept through her and her body arched towards the enticing feel of his mouth against her.

  He gently lowered her down on to the pile of clothes.

  Going on instinct, she let her hands drift lower until she reached his waistband. She feverishly worked on the fastenings.

  ‘If you release me,’ he rumbled in her ear, ‘this will be over before we have begun. Allow me to feast on you first.’

  She gave a slight nod and forced her hands to fall by her sides.

  ‘You see, you can take direction.’

  His tongue returned to her breasts and teased them into hardened points once again. When she considered she would expire from sheer pleasure, his mouth moved inexorably lower. He lapped at her belly button before sinking further still.

  Stars exploded through her and her body appeared to have developed a mind of its own. Her hands went back to his trousers, knowing she needed him inside her.

  He lifted his body on his elbows and took them off.

  His rampant erection sprang free.

  She reached out a hand to touch it and it quivered, silken.

  ‘I can’t wait any longer,’ he groaned.

  ‘Please,’ she whispered, knowing her body needed much more.

  She parted her legs and he entered her carefully. He stilled instantly when he encountered her maidenhead. Fearing that he might stop, she lifted her hips and coaxed him further in, until his entire length filled her, giving her intense pleasure.

  She began to rock back and forth, moving faster and faster. To her relief, he began to do the same.

  She held on to him and made a wonderful memory. This, this was the perfect way to keep the nightmares at bay.

  * * *

  Aedan slowly came back to earth. One thought kept racing through his brain—Dagmar, the daughter of one of the most ruthless Northern Jaarls, had been a virgin. He had taken her maidenhead and he had no idea how Kolbeinn would react. He had never stopped to consider that the shield maiden was actually a virgin woman warrior, but even her kisses had been artless now that he came to consider them.

  He ground his teeth. A primitive anger flashed through him. He wanted to slay her unknown future husband for even daring to look at her, let alone experience what he had shared with her. As an honourable man, he should make an offer to marry her, but he could easily imagine how Kolbeinn would react to such an offer.

  He’d be lucky to survive the interview with his limbs intact for daring to raise the subject. Kolbeinn might even use his impertinence as an excuse to attack Kintra. Kolbeinn had made it very clear what he thought about Kintra and its pretences towards freedom and independence. And the people of Kintra would never accept a pagan for their lady. To even think about it showed how unworthy he was to be their King. He was putting his desires above their needs.

  Kolbeinn had plans for his only living child, plans which she’d hate and which would probably destroy her spirit. He had no choice but to take her like a lamb to the slaughter if he wanted to save his people and their way of life. After everything that had happened, he knew his first duty had to be to his people.

  Her hand came up and stroked his face. ‘Did I do something wrong? Did I make a mistake? Speak to me.’

  It was one of the things he liked about her—her refreshing directness. She deserved a version of the truth until he could figure out a way around the tangle.

  He smoothed her hair from her forehead. ‘Why didn’t you warn me?’

  ‘Warn you of what?’

  ‘That you were a maiden. That you had never lain with a man before.’

  ‘I did say something,’ she retorted indignantly, pulling away from him. ‘That you chose to ignore my words is not my problem. Men! I honoured you and now you are angry with me. Perhaps it is you who had too much mead.’

  ‘Your father—how will he react when he discovers what we did?’

  ‘I’ve no plans to tell him. It is none of his business who I sleep with. He lost that right years ago, if indeed he ever had it.’

  He blinked several times. Dagmar’s reaction was not what he expected. Tears and cries—pleas, even—that he make it right, coupled with a demand for marriage, certainly, but not this matter-of-fact proclamation that she’d honoured him.

  ‘Will it be a problem, when...?’

  He found he could not bring himself to mention when she would arrive at her father’s compound that she’d be married.

  ‘I suspect everyone thinks I lost it years ago, but I never found any man worthy of it. I’ve never met a man who wanted me for me, rather than for what I represented.’ Her thin laugh held more than a note of bitterness. ‘No, let’s be honest. No man until you wanted me.’

  A flush of pleasure went through him and he felt his body begin to harden again. If he took her again tonight, he could hurt her. ‘Not want you? Are they blind?’

  She gave a sigh. ‘Flatterer.’

  ‘Hardly that. I have had the pleasure of seeing you without the paint, with your hair loose about your face and your breasts unbound. You are a very desirable woman, Dagmar.’

  ‘Thank you. You make me feel beautiful.’

  ‘I’m honoured that you considered me worthy of being your first lover.’

  ‘Does it matter to you? It is not as though I demanded that I be the first with you.’

  ‘No,’ he lied as part of him rejoiced that she had been a virgin. He also knew his feelings of responsibility had increased towards her. He had to make sure she was safe and any child which might result from their union well looked after. But he also knew that this liaison would end when they reached Colbhasa. Marriage and spending the rest of their lives together was an impossible dream that he could not contemplate. It shocked him that his heart kept whispering what a good idea it was and that he should put the proposition to her. He turned a deaf ear to it. The last time he’d listened to his heart, he had come close to ruining everything.

  It was no good pretending that he would not have taken her if she had not begged him to. He had wanted her very badly. He simply wished he had considered the full import of her words beforehand.

  ‘How would you have changed things if you’d realised?’

  ‘I’d have taken more care. With a maidenhead,
you should spend more time preparing the woman, making sure she isn’t spoiled for the future. This act can be pleasurable for both...in time.’

  She stretched slightly and her breasts brushed his naked chest. His body hardened further in response and he knew that once was not enough. He wanted her under him and around him. He wanted to spend days and nights exploring and learning the contours of her body. Except for the wager...

  His people waited for him. He tried to picture Mhairi as she had been when they said goodbye—her face turned up towards his as if she was expecting a kiss. She had whispered that she believed in him, that he could save her, if he but tried.

  The memory had spurred him on in the early days when he had searched the length and breadth of Alba for Dagmar, but with Dagmar in his arms, he could only think about a pair of brilliant blue eyes agreeing to help him win his wager, even though she had to know that her life would alter irrevocably afterwards. Suddenly he wanted to find a way to save her from her fate, but he could not think of one that did not harm the people he’d sworn to protect.

  ‘It’ll get better,’ he said instead. ‘Next time, you won’t bleed or experience pain.’

  She gave a contented sigh. ‘It was already beyond describing. I will believe you, though, when you say that it gets even better.’

  ‘Women do not enjoy their first time.’

  This time her laugh was far richer. She ran an artless hand down his flank to cup his erection. ‘I’m not most women. Are you blind?’

  She put her hands on his cheeks and his body began to make its demands known. In another heartbeat he would have her on her back, thrusting mindlessly into her. He rolled away and retrieved his trousers.

  She wouldn’t be ready for it. Later when she had recovered, he promised his body. Later he would ensure that she experienced true pleasure, rather than merely thinking she had.

  ‘Why have you done that?’

  ‘You need to sleep.’

  Her hands tugged at the trousers, inching their way closer to his erection. ‘I exist on little.’

  He captured her hands and held them above her head. ‘I’ve no wish to hurt you.’

  ‘I’m fine. I told you I enjoyed it.’ She twisted first one way and then the other, trying to get free. The movement gave even more encouragement to his member which hardened to the point of pain.

  ‘There is much for you to learn.’ He nipped her naked shoulder and she stilled. ‘I promise I will teach you when you are ready.’

  Her lower lip trembled. ‘And in the morning...’

  ‘We need to travel in the morning,’ he said, placing a kiss on her bottom lip. ‘We should get some rest.’

  ‘I was able to sleep last night in your arms.’ Her voice was small and vulnerable as though she expected him to refuse.

  Aedan wondered if her tough act was simply a front to hide the very vulnerable woman who called out for help in her bad dreams. A powerful urge to protect her rose within him. He dampened it down and tried to remember that his first duty was to Kintra and the people who dwelt there. But somehow Kintra appeared awfully far away.

  ‘I believe that can be arranged.’

  Aedan listened to the soft sound of her breathing. He had betrayed Kolbeinn’s trust in a way, but he was not sorry. He could not regret this. He simply had to figure out how he was going to say goodbye to Dagmar when the time came and prevent her from stealing his heart away.

  * * *

  A thin light filled the alcove. Dagmar woke with a thumping head. Her body ached in places that it had never ached before but it was a pleasant ache. She stretched and felt the faint rasp of straw against her naked skin.

  A small part of her wanted to believe that it had been a delicious dream that might continue for ever if she was clever. She’d given herself to Aedan after the mead had loosened her tongue, but she’d failed to explain why. He needed to understand that she wasn’t one of those women who clung to a man after a night’s coupling. She simply desired one night of pleasure to hold in her heart during the dark days which surely must come. The last thing she wanted to do was to jeopardise the felag they shared.

  She reached out a hand, but encountered empty straw.

  She hurriedly pulled on her gown. The rip under her arm split further. She cursed under her breath. Later she’d attend to it. Mor waited at the door and gave her hand a reassuring lick. At least his dog guarded her. She took a deep breath and willed the panic to go. Regardless of his regrets, he still needed her to win his wager and free the hostages.

  Aedan and the priest were deep in conversation. He glanced up and gave her a smile which made her stop in her tracks. Her heart leaped. Maybe she’d been wrong about his reason for leaving her to wake up alone. Maybe something had come up. Maybe one of Thorsten’s men had appeared.

  The sun was too high in the sky. For the first time in her life, she’d overslept. Smoothing down her gown, she hurried over to the pair.

  ‘Your husband has been most generous,’ the priest said, beaming from ear to ear.

  ‘Has he?’ she said, quite forgetting that she was supposed to be mute.

  The priest clapped his hands together. ‘The mead has done its fabled work. Your voice has truly returned. I will inform the bishop of the miracle.’

  ‘Worked wonders indeed,’ Aedan murmured.

  Dagmar shot him an uncertain glance. ‘I believe miracles are best not trumpeted. It wouldn’t be seemly.’

  The priest gave a solemn nod. ‘You speak wisdom, lady.’

  ‘It is what I truly believe.’

  ‘Your husband has donated this gold to the church.’ The priest held out the gold Aedan had liberated from the robbers. She frowned. She thought Aedan would have wanted it for himself and his people.

  ‘In exchange for your two ponies,’ Aedan said. ‘A fair price.’

  ‘They are hardly worth this much. They are slow but sturdy. I had wondered how I would get them through the winter. I prayed yesterday for guidance and this happens. I will have enough to purchase the small donkey I’ve had my eye on for a week.’

  Aedan bowed low. ‘Nevertheless, it is your payment.’

  ‘Another miracle and the day has barely begun.’

  The priest bustled off to say morning prayers for his small flock and Dagmar was left standing with Aedan. Her stomach clenched as her eyes devoured his form. The man looked even better in the pale morning light, standing there with a stupid smile on his face as if he had done something even more wonderful than he had done last night.

  ‘Ponies?’ she asked tilting her head to one side. ‘You bought ponies with the robbers’ gold?’

  ‘To get to your father’s quicker. I assume you know how to ride. Time slips through our fingers. If we walk, it will take far too long.’

  Dagmar bit her lip. A large part of her had hoped they would go more slowly now and savour their time together, but she refused to beg. ‘How much longer?’

  ‘Eight days to get there with a day to spare, because we have to make sure the tide is right. The passage to Colbhasa can be tricky in the autumn. We may have to wait for the weather to clear. I doubt your father would consider waiting for the weather an acceptable excuse.’

  Dagmar pressed her hands together and tried to swallow the sense of disappointment. Less than ten days—more than a week, but not much.

  Dagmar drew herself up to her full height. ‘I hope you can ride as I mean to go as swiftly as possible. What we shared last night changes nothing. The felag remains intact. We will save your people.’

  He caught her arm and his hand seemed to burn through the cloth. ‘Allow me to finish before you start making pronouncements. Riding the pony will make it easier for you when you get tired.’

  ‘I’m hardly some frail flower. I’ve campaigned for five seasons!’

  ‘But this was the first time you’d lain with
a man.’

  Her insides ached a bit, but they failed to compare with injuries she had suffered last warring season. Then she had marched for six days and nights with an injured side to help get Constantine to safety. ‘I’ve always managed after every injury.’

  ‘Even riding with good horses, it would take us several days to reach the coast and then we may have to wait for the tide to be right. The ponies, by their nature, plod at a much slower pace.’

  ‘Last night happened but the once. You do not intend to drink any more mead.’ She finished his words for him. Her throat closed. She’d been wrong to press herself on him. What had seemed so right to her was but a tumble in the straw with a warm body for him. He had been under the influence of the mead as well otherwise he would not have touched her. ‘I understand completely. Mead can do strange things. We should leave it at that and get on with our fellowship. I regret you were inconvenienced, but you made me feel beautiful for one night, something I thought could never happen.’

  Aedan gave her a sharp look as his throat worked up and down.

  ‘I... I...never said that you were an inconvenience. I... I...would never say that. How can you even begin to think it?’ he spluttered.

  ‘What then? What did you mean? I know how men can be.’ Dagmar stared at his chest rather than meeting his eyes. ‘I’ve lived in close proximity to men. I know how heartless they can be about women. I’ve heard the sweet prattle before and the disdainful dismissal after.’

  Aedan’s nostril’s flared. ‘Don’t put me together with the Northern warriors you have known. Ever.’

  ‘Then why? Why leave me to wake up alone?’

  He put his hands on her shoulders. The simple touch did much to calm her. ‘The ponies are sturdy, but no one could call them fast. It will be more comfortable for you.’ He smoothed her hair back from her forehead. ‘I would rather have us both fresh for the night’s activities...if you understand my meaning.’

  Dagmar’s heart soared. He intended their joining to continue beyond one night. Despite her earlier fears, he desired her. Maybe he was right and she was beautiful. ‘When you weren’t there... I woke...and I assumed the worst.’