by Lily Thomas
Mathar led a horse over to her. “This horse will be yours.”
“Thanks,” Adorra said shortly. She had nothing more to say to him, and she turned her gaze to the pure white mare in front of her.
“Let me assist you.”
“I can manage.” She hissed icily.
“As much as I would like to see you land on your ass when you try to mount up, Dryden would not be pleased with me for not assisting you,” Mathar growled low in his throat.
“You offered. It won’t be your fault.” Adorra glanced at where the stirrup was on the horse and had no idea how she was going to get her foot that far off the ground.
“Then have you accuse me of not offering when you do fall?” He snorted. “Don’t think for a second I’m that stupid.”
“That’s not my problem.” She hadn’t actually thought of that idea, but now that he mentioned it… that wasn’t a half bad idea. Blaming him might get him away from her.
Mathar cocked an eyebrow and then grabbed her around the waist.
“What are you doing?!” Adorra tried to wiggle out of his grasp, but he flung her up and over the saddle until she was sitting side saddle.
But he left a hand on her thigh and her cheeks heated as she remembered their nights together as they traveled through the mountains with clarity.
“I could sit with you.” He purred as his obsidian eyes caressed over her face.
Adorra glared at him. She wasn’t sure if he was trying to get a reaction out of her or if he meant it.
Taking up the reins, she whipped the horse around to join Jasmine and Dryden. Her only regret was that the horse didn’t trample over his feet.
This was going to be a long day, and she wasn’t looking forward to it at all. She just wanted to make her sister happy and get on Jasmine’s good side, that way she could convince her sister this was all some sort of smoke screen.
Jasmine had been right about their small adventure out into the town. The people didn’t have much interest in Adorra now that the initial surprise was gone. She was still stared at but so was Jasmine, though her sister didn’t appear to be bothered by the attention. If anything, Jasmine appeared to be enjoying it. Whenever an ice giant child ran up, Jasmine would beam and wave at them… she even tossed a few waves at other people, as though she might have come to know some of them.
Adorra was able to forget she was even in an ice giant village if she didn’t look too closely at the people around her. They were just going about their daily lives. Daily lives that looked just like people back home. They were either shopping or hawking items on the streets.
But there was one set of eyes that couldn’t seem to leave her alone.
Mathar.
He’d been staring at her ever since their little spat back in the courtyard. He might be riding his own horse, but he was still managing to affect her body. It was hypersensitive whenever he was near. The damn thing wouldn’t forget their nights together. It longed to have him laying beside her once more.
Adorra groaned.
She had no idea what she was going to do with herself. One moment she was a strong woman on a mission, and then the next moment she was wondering when she might be able to get Mathar alone so he could show her more of these passionate nights that she’d waited so long to share with someone.
Turning in her saddle, she sent him a glare hoping he’d drop dead on the spot. Instead, he tossed her a lopsided grin in response.
What an ass.
“Can’t you ride elsewhere?” He’d been following her close, and it was pissing her off.
“I’m supposed to be your shadow.”
She grimaced. Great. She would never be able to get rid of him then. Glancing forward, she watched Jasmine and Dryden chatting like there was no problem in the world.
“You can be my shadow even with distance between us.”
She caught him shaking his head out of the side of her eye. Facing forward, she refused to look back at him. Maybe if she ignored his presence, she could forget he was there, lingering, teasing her with his very existence.
Chapter 16
Mathar couldn’t drag his eyes away from her ass, which was swaying with the horse’s movements. Back and forth. Back and forth. He could come to love that ass.
Heck, he could come to love all of her. Especially, if it was in his bedchamber. Naked and ready for him was how he wanted her. Like their night in front of the hot coals of the hearth.
The more Mathar tried to resist her siren’s call the more he felt himself being pulled towards her. It was like she’d sunk an invisible hook into his flesh, pulling him after her. Life was throwing them together time and time again, and he was beginning to wonder if he should just let it happen.
He was tempted to ride beside her so that her ass wasn’t right there for his greedy gaze, but then he’d have a look at something even more appealing, her jiggling breasts. He knew she was well endowed, and the jostling of the horse would send her breasts bouncing to the delight of his eyes.
He scrubbed a hand down his face roughly. He was like a young man, randy and ready to take Adorra at a moment’s notice.
Mathar had always believed he would remain unattached and without a family… but here she was tempting him to think he might someday want the chance to have a family of his own. He could too easily imagine her growing thick with his child.
His parents may not have been the best role models growing up, but there was a small blossom of hope growing in his chest now that he’d met Adorra that he could open himself up enough to have a family of his own. He’d never be his father, but the prickle of fear in the back of his mind wouldn’t let him be. There was a saying about the apple not falling from the tree, and he worried it would only prove to be true about him. Being raised around such violence had to take its toll.
Ripping his gaze away from Adorra’s butt, he hoped they wouldn’t be staying out for too long because then he’d have to deal with the bulge in his pants bothering him.
Adorra finally came to the decision that she was a little disappointed the ice giant people were accepting her so readily. If they acted out and tried to end her life, she felt like it would help her to persuade Jasmine that they weren’t meant to be here.
Yet, no one seemed intent on causing her any harm.
It wasn’t like she wanted someone to make an attempt on her life, she just needed something to happen that could help her convince her sister to escape with her. It wasn’t like she could drag Jasmine away kicking and screaming. She’d be stopped before she even got a few feet.
“Here,” Jasmine pointed to a stall nearby, “there’s something here that I think you would love. I saw it a few weeks ago, but you weren’t here yet. Would you like to take a look?” Jasmine pierced her with her eager eyes, and Adorra felt herself nodding her head, unable to refuse her sister.
Dryden dropped to the ground and rushed over to assist Jasmine down to the ground.
Adorra glanced down at the ground and wondered if she could make it down on her own without making a complete fool out of herself.
Mathar strode up to her, and a frown once more adorned her face.
“You can try to smile every once in a while.” Mathar scolded her as he offered her a hand.
“I’m only accepting your help because I can’t get off this huge horse without it.” She had no idea why she felt the need to tell him that, but she did.
He nodded his head. “Whatever you need to tell yourself.”
She ground her teeth. All she wanted to do was smack the smile off his face. Here she was feeling divided as a whirlpool of emotions flooded through her, and he was acting like there wasn’t a single care in the world.
Adorra slipped her hands into his and resisted the urge to pull them back when a spark of energy flowed between them. He whipped her off the saddle before she could change her mind, slipping her body down the length of his.
Her breath hitched in her chest. Her heart hammered away as her mouth poppe
d open, and she looked up at him. His dark eyes immediately captured hers, and then his head dipped down, and he planted a passionate kiss on her lips. Her eyelids slid closed, and she felt herself relax against him. It felt so normal. She felt like she belonged there in his embrace.
His hands wandered over her, briefly cupping her buttocks and massaging the soft orbs through her dress.
Then the sounds of the market worked their way back into her mind, and she shoved him away, breaking the magical moment that’d been growing between them. Quickly, she backed away from him.
“Don’t you ever touch me like that again.” But Adorra wasn’t sure who she was more angry at for their stolen moment. Him or herself. She was showing no self-restraint around him, and it frustrated her.
When she looked over at Dryden and Jasmine, she noticed, to her relief, that the two lovebirds hadn’t seen the moment she and Mathar had shared.
“Never again.” Adorra turned back to Mathar. She didn’t need this getting around. She couldn’t very well yell at her sister to see sense when she was also sleeping with an ice giant.
“We’ll see, won’t we?” He wiggled his eyebrows at her.
She scowled at him.
He held up his hands. “I won’t touch you unless you want it.”
Turning on a stiff leg, she marched over to Jasmine. “Where is this thing that you want me to take a look at?” She was ready to get this over with and get back to the castle so she could hopefully get rid of this shadow that was following her, kissing her, causing her to desire something she shouldn’t.
Jasmine spun in a wide circle, grabbed Adorra’s hand and guided her over to the stall. “This was what I was referring to earlier.” Jasmine pointed down at the bracelet sitting on the table among other pieces of jewelry for sale.
Adorra smiled. “It is something that I would like.”
“Then consider it yours.” Dryden came up next to them and motioned to the ice giant behind the stall.
“No,” Adorra shook her head, “I couldn’t accept it.”
“Just accept the gift.” Jasmine criticized her. “It’s a gift, and you like it.”
“You’re right.” Adorra changed her tune. She was going to be among these people for the foreseeable future, and she knew she should just accept the gift. “Are you sure it isn’t too expensive?”
“You have no need to worry about that. I’ll be paying for it.” Dryden reassured her, and she could tell he was doing his best to win her over. Because he loved Jasmine? Adorra still thought that was up for debate, but it was looking more and more like Dryden might genuinely care for her sister.
“Thank you.”
Jasmine grabbed the bracelet and held it out for Adorra. “Here, try it on and make sure you like it.”
Adorra slid the gold band onto her wrist. “It looks wonderful.” And it did. All the etchings on the gold band had been lovingly carved into it.
Jasmine beamed with happiness as she hugged an arm around Dryden’s waist. “I told you she would like it.” Her sister turned her face up to gaze at the king. Love shone bright in her hazel depths and nearly floored Adorra with its intensity.
Adorra felt awkward ruining the moment, but she needed to get back to the castle. Mathar was still staring at her with interest, and she couldn’t keep watching the love connection between her sister and the ice giant king. It was overloading her mind, and she needed to get somewhere where she could digest this information.
“I wouldn’t mind going back to the castle.”
“Is something wrong?” Jasmine’s eyebrows drew down over her eyes as she placed a hand on Adorra’s arm.
“Not at all.” Adorra rushed to tell her sister. “This has been wonderful but overwhelming. I wouldn’t mind resting.” She explained hoping her sister wouldn’t insist on showing her something else that she thought Adorra needed to see in the ice giant village.
“You should probably rest as well, Jasmine. You’ve been on horseback for long enough today. We shouldn’t push it in your condition.” Dryden spoke up, and when Adorra met his eyes, she knew he was helping her. Relief washed through her. She was thankful he was helping her with her sister. Perhaps Dryden wasn’t as bad as she thought he was… perhaps.
“I feel fine,” Jasmine argued.
“You feel fine now, but you are with child, and we’ve been out for most of the day. A little time to rest wouldn’t be the worst thing.”
Slowly, Jasmine relented. “I suppose I may be getting carried away a bit. I’m just excited to once again have you around, Adorra. I’ve missed you.” She turned her eyes back on Adorra.
Adorra stepped forward and hugged her sister. A little surprise still pumped through her to feel the bulging of her sister’s stomach. “I know you do. And I am happy to find you alive and well. I thought I might never see you again.”
She released her sister, and with a little more convincing they finally got their small group moving back to the castle. Finally, she might be able to have a minute alone, somewhere Mathar wouldn’t be watching her.
Adorra sat on the edge of her bed and rotated the bracelet around her wrist. There was something familiar about it. She twisted the metal band around her wrist again until she was able to look at the design that had been carved into it.
Then it hit her. The band reminded her of one that Lord Gothar had given her before they were married. He’d called it a pre-marital gift. It had been one of the only gifts he’d given her, and she’d treasured it.
Her heart lurched in her chest. She’d thought she was over Edmund’s death, but it seemed like it would always come back to haunt her. Her throat closed up as misery overtook her once more. Ripping the bracelet off her wrist, she threw it across the room. It clattered against the stone walls until it found a resting place.
Once it was gone from her sight, her mind drifted back to Mathar.
She was confused on how she could miss one man so much that it made her heart ache while still finding another so attractive that her heart sped up with desire.
Which caused her to feel cross with herself. She shouldn’t be thinking about Mathar when she was still recovering from the loss of her husband. She felt like she should still mourn his death despite how many months ago it’d been. She’d loved him and had planned on sharing a future with him, and now she was daydreaming about an ice giant.
It was time to convince her sister that a guard wasn’t necessary. She couldn’t handle Mathar being her constant shadow. If she wanted to forget him, then she needed room to be between them.
Rising from the bed, Adorra walked over to her chamber door and stepped into the corridor. Once she started walking down the stone corridor, she heard someone fast on her heels.
Mathar.
He was back to being her shadow, and she felt her senses go on high alert.
Quickly, Adorra rushed through the castle, Mathar still following close behind. The echo of his booted feet followed her. She wanted to lose him, but soon it was evident she’d done nothing but get herself lost.
Suddenly, she stopped and turned on her heel, only to see Mathar flying at her. Both of their eyes went wide as they realized they were about to collide. He threw his arms out, wrapped his arms around her, and twisted as they both landed, making sure he took the hit on the stone floor.
Adorra placed her hands on his chest and stared down at him. She was straddling him in an already short dress!
Her cheeks heated as her pulse raced away.
One of his hands came up behind her head and pushed her head down towards his. She provided no resistance. His lips rushed up and captured hers in a passionate kiss. It rocked her to the core, and she felt the evidence of his desire pulsating through his pants.
She moved ever so slightly to get a better feel of the bulge in his pants against one of her legs. She should resist and run away, but she found her hands rushing to the belt at his waist. She did quick work with his buckle as their lips clashed in a battle of wills. Each tried to asse
rt dominance over the other.
His hands moved down to her butt, and she felt her dress slide up the backs of her thighs until her buttocks were exposed to the air in the corridor. A thrill spread through her body. They were about to have sex right in the open, somewhere where they might be caught by anyone passing by. The thrill of the moment excited her.
Once she had his buckle undone, she worked on the ties on his pants. The moment she finished his cock sprang forth, and she took it into her hands and began to work it. Never once did she abandon the kisses he was showering on her.
One of his hands came up to her shoulder, and she knew he was about to push her over and take control, but that wasn’t what she wanted to do.
Abandoning his lips, she crawled down his body until his cock was in her face. It was impressive. The only other time she’d laid eyes on it had been in an ill-lit cabin.
Adorra had no idea what she was doing, but that wasn’t about to stop her. She’d let instinct take the reins on this one. Taking his cock in her hand, she pumped it while she fondled his balls. Then she leaned down and planted a kiss on the tip of his cock.
Mathar sucked in a harsh breath, and she glanced up to see his jaw clenched at the single fleeting touch of her lips on his cock. Then she ducked her head down and slipped his cock into her mouth.
He groaned, loudly, the noise echoing off the stone walls around them.
Adorra took him as deep as she could before pumping his cock in and out of her mouth quickly. She sucked on the tip lightly, and she heard him groan again as his hips bucked under her.
She may have never done this before, but she appeared to be doing a top-notch job if the sounds coming out of his mouth meant anything.
“I need to be inside you, Adorra.” He ground out, sounding like he might burst in her mouth at any moment.
She stopped her sucking of his cock and climbed back up his body, positioning herself over him.
His dark eyes glanced up at her. “A bit forward of you.”
