She sighed and turned off the water and then swathed her body in an oversize white towel.
Things would never work out between her and Leif. Even if he didn’t find out about her connection to the wolverines—which he would—the way he blocked her fighting proved that, although he may have lived among humans for a few centuries, his attitude toward women had obviously stayed in the dark ages. She shouldn’t be upset about this.
She tightened the towel around her chest and padded out into the bedroom, stopping at the sight of Leif on her bed, leaning back on his elbows. He’d tied his wet hair back in a ponytail and wore a navy long-sleeved T-shirt tucked into black jeans. He wasn’t wearing any shoes.
Strangely fascinated, she stared at his strong bare feet. Why was every part of his body sexy?
He cleared his throat. His ice-blue gaze traveled from her bare feet up to her damp hair, lingering on her breasts where the damn towel was coming loose again. Her nipples tightened.
A seductive smile played on his lips. “I like what you are wearing.”
She glanced away to hide the blush covering her cheeks. “What do you want?”
“To continue our…conversation, of course.” His smile turned smoldering.
Heat pooled low in her belly and between her legs. Her mind might be angry with the Viking, but her body certainly was not. “There’s nothing else to talk about.” She walked to the dresser and picked up her mother’s brush.
She heard the sheets rustle as he left the bed and then felt the heat of his body against hers as his hands covered her shoulders.
“Then let’s not talk.” His breath caressed her ear, moving down her neck where he peppered her skin with kisses.
She couldn’t stop a small sigh escaping her lips. “We need to stop this,” she whispered.
“Why?” His hand traveled down the length of her arms, crossing over her chest and covering the hand holding up the towel. “You like it.” He punctuated the short sentence by lightly kissing below the shell of her ear. “And I like it.”
Her knees weakened and she dropped the brush. It clattered on the dresser, waking her from the sensual trance. She stepped away from him, keeping a tight grip on the towel. “This complicates things.”
He laughed. The low, sexy sound vibrated through her body as he embraced her again. “This is the only thing between us that is not complicated,” he whispered against her hair.
He smelled like soap and, underneath that, a scent uniquely his, a mixture of pine and spice. She leaned into his chest. He smelled like home.
She tensed. She had no home.
Leif loosened his hold, but leaned down to nibble her ear. “Stop thinking. Trust your instincts.”
“I can’t,” she muttered. “My brain won’t stop thinking about you almost getting us killed today.” She forced herself to break his hold, no matter how good his hands felt on her body.
He used his knuckle to tilt up her chin. The pupils of his eyes were large, making them darker blue than usual. “I’m sorry about holding you back in the fight. I was trying to protect you.”
She laughed. “You’re just saying that to get me into bed.”
Anger flared in his eyes for a brief second. He turned his back to her and raked a hand through his hair, messing up the ponytail. “I have never told you untruths.” He faced her again. “And I never will. It is not my way.”
She believed him. The last few days she’d seen how much he cared about his people. And how much they respected him. He might not share everything with her, but lies were not part of Leif’s nature. “I’m sorry,” she said.
He acknowledged her statement with a small nod before grabbing her hand. “I need you. Not only in my bed, but in my life.”
Naya’s breath hitched. “I can’t make any long-term promises.”
“Why not? You’ve made friends. My people like you.” He tugged her hand back when she tried to pull away.
She swallowed. He was making this very difficult. “There’s stuff I need to do, responsibilities to take care of.” And secrets I need to keep.
“Take care of those from here. I will help you with your responsibilities.”
A lump formed in her throat. She swallowed it down and blinked back the tears threatening to spill. What would it be like to have someone to trust? Someone to share her burdens with? She shook her head, chasing away the temptation.
Scott was her responsibility and the only person she needed in her life. She couldn’t endanger him any more than she already had by telling Irja about him. “I prefer to work alone. I’m not good with teamwork.”
He fingered a strand of her hair and tucked it behind her ear, turning the gesture into a caress by tracing the outside of her ear.
She couldn’t resist the temptation of tilting her head into his palm.
He leaned down, his breath hot against her lips. “Stop overthinking what we have,” he whispered before claiming her lips.
Liquid fire traveled from her lips to her nipples. They pebbled against the towel. She leaned into the kiss. Her body didn’t care about logic or obligations. It cared only about getting the Viking naked.
His hot body pressed against her.
She tried to think of all the reasons why this was a bad idea, but her brain fogged over.
Just feel, the traitorous voice in the back of her mind whispered.
She was tired of telling it to shush, or maybe she was just tired of fighting what she wanted.
Leif’s hands claimed hers. He lifted them to clasp behind his head. The towel unraveled, but stayed up when he pressed against her body, the heat transferring from his chest to hers, smoldering. She moaned his name.
“I know,” he growled against her mouth and then grabbed the towel, throwing it across the room. He stepped back.
Her hands fell from his neck. She traced his chest through his cotton T-shirt. Nipples hardened beneath her fingers.
Reaching behind him, he grabbed the collar and pulled the shirt over his head. It followed the towel.
She grabbed his belt buckle, groaning in frustration when she couldn’t get it undone.
He chuckled, stilled her hands, and loosened the belt. He undid the buttons and zipper before stepping out of his jeans. He wasn’t wearing any underwear.
She caught a glimpse of his impressive erection before he crushed her to his body. Finally they were skin against skin.
Hers was on fire. She needed all of him right now.
With her hip, she pushed him backward toward the bed and pushed on his chest when the edge hit the back of his knees. He fell backward, grabbing her hands and pulling her on top of him.
She straddled him, but stayed high on her knees, teasing herself, and him, by keeping her wetness away from his hardness. “I’m clean and on birth control,” she breathed. “We don’t need any additional protection unless you want to use it.”
He growled and grabbed her hips.
She clasped his hands and pushed them over his head. Securing them both with one hand, she used the other to cradle his face and leaned in for a kiss.
He struggled against her hold, but not seriously enough to break free. Maybe he didn’t think she was strong enough to hold him.
He’d learn.
Heat flushed her body as she anticipated not having to hold back, of participating fully without a part of her always monitoring her strength. “I’m in charge this time,” she said against his mouth before nipping his lower lip.
A lazy smile spread over Leif’s lips. “Sounds good to me.” He bucked his hips.
She quickly moved her hand from his face to press his hips down. “Not until I say so.”
His grin grew broader. With a wicked gleam in his eyes, he lifted his head and captured one of her nipples in his mouth. He grazed it with his teeth before biting down lightly.
Sparks shot from where his mouth touched straight to her core. She lowered herself slowly, allowing only the tip of his shaft to enter.
He inhaled s
harply. “Naya,” he hissed and closed his eyes.
She smiled down at him. “I told you we were playing by my rules.”
“Your rules,” he repeated, his back arching as she lowered herself another inch.
His width created a slow burn and her breath caught as she felt herself adjusting to the thickness. A guttural moan escaped her throat. She’d never made a sound like it before.
Leif struggled against her grip on his wrists, but she held on tight.
He opened his eyes. “I don’t like your rules anymore.”
“Too bad.” She flexed her muscles around his length inside her.
A mischievous glint entered his gaze. His body relaxed before he twisted his hips, trying to flip her over.
She slipped one leg between his, anchoring her knee against the bed and pressing down on his chest with her torso.
The expression on his face when her strength matched his was priceless.
Naya laughed.
“You’ve been holding out on me,” Leif growled. “Why didn’t you tell me how strong you are?”
“You never asked.” She flicked her tongue against his nipple. His sharp intake of breath made her do it again. “Now, where were we?” She grinned.
He smiled back. “Your rules.”
“My rules,” Naya whispered, her voice hoarse. This time she took his whole length inside her and moaned when he was fully sheathed.
Leif bucked his hips.
She let go of his wrists and sat up, taking him even deeper into herself. She rode him, setting a fast pace.
He grabbed her hips, slowing her motion. One hand slid forward, his fingers tangling in her wet curls. He slid his thumb between her swollen lips, finding her tight nub, pressing against it.
Ripples of pleasure radiated through her body. Tilting her head down, she watched his hand working her. The runes of the tattoo on his arm glowed, and she joined him as they both found their release.
White light exploded on the inside of her eyelids. She soared out of her body again, through the pinpricks of light and the circle they formed. She floated in the dense darkness, her skin warming in the balmy air pressing against her. Then the edges of the universe brightened, light rushing toward her.
From far away, a woman with silver hair in a white dress smiled at her.
Naya blinked, and the image disappeared. With a rush, she returned to her body, the sensation of Leif’s presence solid beneath her.
He mumbled a protest when she rolled away. Turning on his side, he pulled her backside closer, spooning against her.
She pulled on the sheets until they untangled and then covered them both. His hot breath tickled her neck.
Cocooned in the warmth of his body, she drifted off to sleep, the image of the silver-haired woman still glimmering in her mind.
* * *
Leif walked through the empty game room to the computer room door. He’d woken up by himself in Naya’s bed, but this time he hadn’t heard her leave. The time they had slept together before, he thought their union the most powerful he’d experienced.
He’d been wrong.
Last night he’d been visited by Odin in the beckoning darkness as he climaxed. The Wise One hadn’t spoken to him, but touched his shoulder. He was honored and humbled by Odin’s blessing. With the head of the Norse gods approving his berserker’s choice of mate, Leif felt certain their union would somehow work out.
He found his själsfrände sitting in front of the computers with Ulf. Both of them were staring at a screen filled with numbers.
Naya wore her standard plain T-shirt and jeans, her hair still moist from her morning shower. She turned when he entered. “Hi.” She blushed a pretty pink. “Did you sleep okay?”
He leaned over and brushed her forehead with his lips. “I did. You should have woken me when you left the bed.”
She glanced quickly at Ulf and cleared her throat. “I…um…you looked like you needed some sleep.”
“Good call. He works too hard,” Ulf said without glancing up from the screen.
Naya squirmed in the chair and coughed.
“What?” Ulf turned toward her. “There are no secrets in this house. Everyone knows the king spent the night with you.”
She put her fingers on the keyboard. “Let’s just find these license plate registrations. They may lead us to the wolverines.”
Ulf nudged her with his elbow. “And everyone knows it was the second time.”
She squawked. Actually squawked.
If Leif hadn’t known how much it would hurt her pride, he would have laughed. “I think Naya would like to keep our sleeping arrangement private,” he said to Ulf, putting some authority in his tone.
The Viking straightened in his chair. “Yes, min kung. I was only teasing. No disrespect intended.”
“None taken,” Leif assured him, putting his hand on Ulf’s shoulder.
“Can I say just one more thing?” Ulf asked.
“No,” Naya said at the same time Leif nodded.
The short-haired warrior frowned, but met Naya’s gaze. “I’m happy you and the king have found each other.”
Her eyes widened and she glanced at Leif. “Okay, fine. Can we get back to work now?”
“What are you working on?” Leif asked.
Naya pointed at the screen. “We’re running the license plates from the car that kidnapped me and the car the wolverine escaped in yesterday.”
“You wrote down the numbers?” He didn’t remember her writing anything down.
“Something like that.” She continued typing on the keyboard.
Leif couldn’t help himself, he had to touch her. He ran his fingers through her dark hair.
“There’s nothing in the DMV records, but Naya’s hacked into some other registries,” Ulf said with pride in his voice.
Leif sighed. How many federal and state laws was Naya breaking now? Hopefully she knew how to cover her tracks. One of the ways he kept his warriors’ battles from being noticed by the police was to stay within the boundaries of the law as much as possible.
Naya mumbled something while tapping away on the keys. She shook her head, freeing the strands from his fingers.
Smiling, he stopped playing with her hair. He got the message. Don’t disturb her while she was working.
Ulf peered over her shoulder. “They are both registered to the same place.”
Leif froze. The wolverines and her kidnappers were connected. They had common enemies. He moved closer to the screen. Surely Naya would understand how important it was for her to stay in the fortress now. To stay out of danger.
“Who owns the cars?” he asked.
“Some company called Consultant Management, most likely a dummy corporation,” Naya answered.
“Run by your kidnappers.” Ice filled his veins. If the lab that had kept Naya captive was connected to the government as she suspected, and Loki was associated with them, then this made the threat to his people—the threat to the world—enormous.
Naya turned around. “We’ll do some more digging. Maybe we’ll find something that can help Sten.” She avoided his gaze.
His youngest warrior had still not woken up. Although stable, his heart rate was too fast and his temperature soared too high. “I want everyone to remain in the fortress until we figure out what the connection is.”
Ulf opened a new window on his screen. “I’ll text everyone.”
Leif turned toward Naya. “This means you too. Don’t leave this house.” When he saw her grimace, he added, “Without telling me first.”
She scrunched up her nose. “Fine.”
The door opened behind him. Irja stepped inside. She paused when she saw him.
“My king, I need to speak with Naya.”
His själsfrände swiveled her chair around. “What do you need, Irja?”
The healer’s skin was gray and she had dark circles under her eyes. “A favor.” She looked at Ulf. “We should have this conversation in private.”
Ulf snorted. “Don’t mind me.”
Naya stood up. “Will you keep looking for information on Consultant Management?” she asked Ulf.
The Viking squared his shoulders. “You bet. Now that you got us into these supersecret databases, I’d love to dig through them.”
Leif sighed and stood. “How do we know they can’t trace the security breach to us?”
Naya walked toward the door. “Because I’m doing the breaching and nobody’s caught me yet.”
Irja led them to the medical lab. She pointed at some stools. “If you sit, I’ll show you what I’m working on.”
Naya shuddered before jumping up on the chair.
“Cold?” Leif asked, putting his arm around her shoulders.
She shrugged. “Just not a fan of labs.”
“This won’t take long,” Irja said.
Leif sat down next to Naya. “What is it you want to show us?”
“Sten’s body is not purging the poison fast enough.” She turned to Naya. “Our white blood cells can purge foreign substances from our bodies—substances that interact directly with cells.”
“Like the wolverine poison,” Naya said.
The Valkyrie nodded. “But Sten has only been in Midgard for half a century. His blood cells have not adapted enough.”
“What do you need from me?”
“I have been testing your blood, trying to isolate the chemicals you were injected with.”
Leif stood. “Why was I not notified about these tests?” The policy was to inform him of everything that went on in the fortress, his warriors knew this.
Both women gave him an impatient not-now look.
He held up his hands in surrender. “Fine. Proceed.”
Irja turned toward Naya. “I tested both the blood I took when you first arrived here and the blood we drew a few days ago…”
Naya nodded encouragingly.
“They are different.” Irja sat down on a stool. “In this early sample, your white blood cells are human, but the plasma, the liquid surrounding blood cells, contains free-floating nanoparticles. Also, some of your red blood cells have merged with the nanoparticles in your blood.”
Viking Warrior Rising Page 17
