by Kris Tualla
She smiled up at him and he thought his heart might burst. “Last chance to back out, Viking.”
“This Viking’s word is his bond, Hollis,” he replied. “I will never leave you.”
Hollis squeezed his arm. “Then let’s do this.”
The group of five walked to the front of the chapel and arrayed themselves in front of the altar. Sveyn was surprised to see people in the pews.
“Who are they?”
Hollis looked around. “George’s brother said that locals come here to watch weddings for entertainment.”
“Or to act as witnesses for the unprepared,” George added.
“Unprepared?” Sveyn asked.
“Gretna Green, remember?” Hollis answered. “Spur of the moment decisions.”
She is serious.
At least the Gretna Green-bound Londoners had an eight hour carriage ride to consider their actions before following through on their impulses.
A man in a priest-like suit came out a door behind the altar and stood in front of them. “Are we ready?”
The ceremony was short, considering there were no scripture readings, music, or prayers—unlike the Regency wedding that united Stevie and George just a fortnight past. The vows, however, were almost identical.
When they got to the rings, Sveyn pulled the diamond-crusted ring from the pocket he had been obsessively touching since leaving the hotel.
Hollis looked up at him, her eyes wide with wonder.
“Do you like it?” he asked.
“I love it.” She looked at her hand, then back up at him. “It’s the most beautiful ring I’ve ever seen.”
“Do you have a ring for him?” the officiant asked.
Hollis’s expression shifted so suddenly that Sveyn thought something was amiss. She nodded and turned to Miranda, who placed something in Hollis’s hand.
Hollis smiled. “Give me your hand.”
He did.
“With this ring, I thee wed.”
What she did next nearly buckled Sveyn’s knees. His vision blurred. He felt the warm, heavy weight of the ancient Nordic ring from Ezra’s hoard.
My father’s ring.
“I told Miranda the story of the ring and convinced her you have provenance over it,” Hollis explained, still holding his hand. “After all, it does belong to you as your father’s son.”
Sveyn wiped his wet eyes. “I do not know how to thank you.”
Hollis’s eyes crinkled at the corners. “Finish marrying me.”
Chapter Thirty-Five
Sveyn was nervous. So nervous, in fact, that he ate far less than he normally would at the buffet luncheon the wedding party enjoyed after the ceremony that made Hollis his wife.
“’Til death do us part has a whole new meaning for me now,” he whispered in her ear after sealing their vows with a passionate kiss. “But perhaps even death shall not part us after all.”
Hollis had gazed up into his eyes, hers misty with tears. “If our love could overcome what it has, I wouldn’t be surprised.”
“Are you all right?” she asked him now.
Sveyn looked at Hollis. “Not as hungry as I thought, is all.”
Her lips pressed into an impish smile. “If you get hungry later we can order room service. After.”
After.
The bugs crawling through his gut stepped up their activity.
Imagining making love to Hollis involved his mind, not his body. Now that he had his body back, he was still adjusting to its strengths and limitations. At least his morning erections were no longer painful. That was helpful.
Though there were only five of them in the group, Sveyn swore they drank at least ten toasts. The interesting combination of champagne and orange juice went down easily. Too easily. He was feeling a little woozy, though that could also be his nerves.
“I better get going,” Miranda said sadly. “I don’t want to miss my flight.”
“That’s our cue as well.” George stood and held the chair for Stevie. “Sveyn, Hollis, call me tomorrow when you’re ready to head back to Phoenix.”
Sveyn stood and shook George’s hand. “Thank you for everything.”
“My pleasure.” George smiled down at the still-seated Hollis. “Congratulations. I couldn’t be happier for you.”
*****
Hollis was nervous.
Why did she feel like a virgin about to have her first experience? That was stupid.
Though Sveyn was only her second lover ever, he was the one she would keep forever. She knew from his imaginings in her dreams that he was tender and capable. Besides that, she had been sleeping beside his naked body for over a month now. No part of him was unfamiliar.
And he’d seen her naked as well.
Even before he got his body back.
Sveyn held her hand tightly as they silently rode the elevator to the thirty-second floor. His smile was a little stiff, she noticed. Was he nervous, too?
Hollis let her husband—husband!—swipe the key and open the suite’s heavy door.
He grinned at her. “Shall I carry you over the threshold?”
That made Hollis laugh. “No, not here. Wait until we get home.”
“Fair enough.” He turned sideways to make room for her to walk past him.
The door closed behind her.
The time had come at last.
*****
Sveyn took off the jacket of his tuxedo and hung it over a chair. The cloudy Las Vegas afternoon made the huge room feel cozier, and allowed the multitude of lights to be visible in the late afternoon. He walked to the floor-to-ceiling, wall-to-wall window and gazed out at the city below. While the view from the twenty-fourth floor was impressive, this one topped even that.
“It’s something, isn’t it?”
Hollis had removed her tiara and high-heeled shoes, but her hair was still pinned up.
Sveyn wanted to pull the pins out until her red curls tumbled over her shoulders.
Maybe I will.
“I saw photographs of this place,” he said. “But none of them could capture the size of the display.”
“I agree.” She smiled softly. “And even though I’m not thrilled with what this all stands for, I still love the lights and colors.”
Sveyn unbuttoned his vest, deciding to attack the situation head-on. “How shall we proceed?”
Hollis gave him an odd look. “I don’t know. This is my first wedding night. Or afternoon.”
“What do you wish to do right now?”
She stared out at the scene below. “I think a shower would be a good way to start.”
Pleasant possibilities flooded Sveyn’s mind. “How big is the shower?”
Hollis grabbed his hand. “Come see.”
*****
The shower was huge and had two shower heads. When angled correctly, their streams met in the middle.
Though once she unbuttoned the halter top she could step out of her wedding gown fairly easily, Hollis asked Sveyn to unfasten the rest of the back. He did so without rushing and she loved the feel of his knuckles against her skin.
When he finished, she turned around and unbuttoned his shirt.
“I think the best thing to do is to take this slowly.” She felt her face warming. “You are only the second man I’ve ever been with, and I’m a little out of practice.”
Sveyn huffed a laugh. “I believe I have you soundly beaten in that aspect.”
Hollis rested her hands on Sveyn’s solid chest. “Well, your imagination is up to speed.”
He bent down and kissed her, his lips lingering but not going deep.
When the kiss ended, Hollis opened her heavy-lidded eyes. “Keep that up, and you can have your way with me, Viking.”
Then she turned around. Still holding her gown up with one hand, Hollis turned the water on.
*****
My wife is beautiful.
Sveyn smiled as he removed the rest of his clothes. Hollis stood under one of the streams in the shower
, her hair still pinned up.
Perfect.
Sveyn joined her. He adjusted the angle and the temperature of the water until it sluiced over his frame in hot, soothing sheets.
Hollis looked down at his half-hard member, a reaction to both the pleasurable water and the anticipation of what lay ahead. Then she reached for the soap.
Sveyn groaned as Hollis’s slippery hands moved over his body. His skin was still becoming accustomed to touch and so many things felt more intense than he remembered. Normally, that was not a good thing.
Today, it was.
When she finished, Sveyn commandeered the fragrant bar. He mimicked her actions, washing every inch of her.
Every inch.
Hollis closed her eyes and grabbed his arms when his soapy fingers moved through her intimate folds. “Ohhh…”
Sveyn felt her arousal. After a long moment he withdrew his hand and rinsed the soap away. Then he reached for a towel.
*****
The white towel was thick, soft, and luxurious. Hollis turned off the water and let Sveyn pat the wetness from her skin. When she tried to do the same for him, he stopped her.
“Go to the bed. I will join you.”
That was the sexiest thing anyone ever said to her. Hollis wrapped the towel around her and obeyed.
She pulled back the high-thread-count white cotton covers and dropped the towel on the carpet. She climbed onto the mattress and sat on her knees, watching her gorgeous husband dry off.
His eyes met hers as he set the towel on the bathroom counter. Smiling softly, he walked to the bed.
“Let me take your hair down.”
Hollis nodded.
Sveyn knelt beside her on the mattress and undid her hair, pin by pin. Her curls drooped over her shoulders in stages, until all of her hair was freed from constraint.
Sveyn combed her damp locks with his fingers. “My god, but you are beautiful.”
“So are you…”
With his fingers still embedded in her hair, he pulled her head to his and kissed her. He leaned her to the side as his tongue explored her mouth, shifting his weight and hers until they laid side-by-side. The heat of his eagerness pressed hard against her hip.
Hollis pulled away from his mouth and opened her eyes. Her breath came in short, rapid bursts. “Make me yours,” she begged. “And then you’ll be mine.”
*****
The intensity of sensation when Sveyn entered her made him light-headed. He held still, pressed deeply inside her, and suspended above her on his arms with his knees between her thighs.
He gasped and closed his eyes. Heat from her core suffused his groin with fluttering electricity.
Do not finish too quickly.
Hollis ran her fingers through his hair and he opened his eyes. “Take your time or finish in a blink. It’s only the first of a lifetime of making love,” she whispered.
Hollis understood his hesitation. She knew what re-entering his body had been like for him, at least as much as anyone could. That knowledge anchored him.
He began moving slowly. “I want to take you with me.”
There were no words Sveyn could think of to describe how completely consumed he was by making physical love to his bride. His imaginings had been varied and powerful, but they were only imaginings.
This was very, very real.
Hollis let out a little cry and twisted under him.
Sveyn pushed himself so deeply into her that his body was indistinguishable from hers. Then his core exploded.
*****
Hollis held her panting husband tightly. His culmination was loud and bed-shaking. While hers was less overt, she doubted it was less intense. Even now her thighs still quivered.
Several minutes passed, their only conversation being shared sighs. Eventually, Sveyn lifted his heavy body from hers.
“Å min gud…”
Hollis agreed. “I love you so much, I can’t even say.”
He peered at her, his pupils wide in his deep blue eyes. “And I love you, wife.”
Wife.
Hollis had never been happier.
*****
Their supper was delivered to the suite as the sun disappeared and the Strip’s neon lights fully took over. Hollis and Sveyn were wrapped in the comfy robes that came with the room and sat close beside each other at the suite’s dining table.
Hollis sipped her Merlot and set the glass on the table. “I’m really going to hate to leave tomorrow.”
Sveyn looked like a man whose contentment could not be greater. “I agree. I wish we could stay here forever.”
“Let’s come back every year for our anniversary.”
“Consider that done.” He reached out his fork and stabbed the last bit of his steak. He placed it in his mouth and closed his eyes while he chewed it.
“We didn’t talk about birth control,” Hollis ventured.
Sveyn opened his eyes. “Why would we want to prevent a child?”
Hollis started to list reasons—until she realized she didn’t have any. “I guess we wouldn’t. Are you ready to be a father?”
Sveyn grinned. “I have been waiting for nearly a thousand years.”
Hollis laughed. “I suppose you have.”
Sveyn leaned closer. “Why do you mention this? Do you feel like something might already be begun?”
“No. I don’t even think that’s possible to know.” Hollis quirked her brow. “Is it?”
Sveyn shrugged. “I have heard women say yes. But not often.”
Hollis’s phone rang. “Ugh.”
“You do not have to answer it,” Sveyn reminded her.
Hollis looked at the screen. “I don’t recognize the number.” She set the phone back down. “If it’s important, they’ll leave a message.”
Sveyn slid a warm hand through the gap in her terrycloth robe. His sultry smile sent a shiver over her skin. “Let’s save dessert for later, shall we?”
Sunday
February 21
Hollis and Sveyn waited in the lobby for George and Stevie to collect them. Last night’s clouds turned into a chilly rain, which gusted toward them every time the resort’s doors opened automatically.
Their wedding attire was packed in black plastic garment bags which hung over Sveyn’s shoulder. Hollis’s overnight bag was at her feet, and Sveyn’s at his. He kept shooting her knowing smiles that made her heartbeat stutter.
“Stop looking at me like that,” she chastised.
“Like what?” he asked looking happily guilty.
Hollis punched his arm. “You know.”
Sveyn laughed. “I cannot help myself. I am completely captivated by my wife and have no control over how I look at her.”
The rented custom van appeared under the protective cover of the resort’s entry. “There they are.”
Hollis hefted her bag and braved the damp wind. George ran around the front of the van and opened the sliding side door. Hollis climbed in with Sveyn right behind her. George slid the door closed and ran back around to the driver’s door.
Sveyn hung the garment bags behind his seat while Hollis pushed both suitcases behind hers. When she settled in her chair, Stevie was beaming at her.
“What?” Hollis asked.
“Nothing.” Stevie giggled. “I’m just so happy for you.”
“Ready?” George adjusted the rearview mirror.
“No,” Hollis replied honestly. “But we have no choice. We have to go back to real life.”
Sveyn chuckled. “Sadly, this is true.”
Once they were underway, Hollis pulled up the voicemail that she ignored last night.
And this morning.
“Hello, Hollis. My name is Kathleen Mueller Corbin. I was told you were looking for me.” The woman hesitated before adding, “I’m your birthmother.”
Chapter Thirty-Six
One Year Later
Hollis took another deep breath and concentrated on pushing her son out of her body. Thirteen hours af
ter hard labor began the boy was proving as stubborn as his Norse father.
Once Sveyn was convinced that twenty-first century fathers really were active in the delivery room, he reluctantly agreed to take the hospital’s birthing classes and be at her side. He was amazed at the effect of the epidural, which took away the pains of Hollis’s labor, and he even managed a short nap on the hospital room’s couch.
Hollis’s labor began earlier in the afternoon, but she didn’t say anything to Sveyn until she was sure this wasn’t another round of false contractions. She stood in the kitchen of their two-story Paradise Valley home watching her husband trim the bushes around their backyard pool for a while, before climbing the stairs and making one last check on the blue-and-yellow nursery. Hollis rubbed her contracting belly and smiled.
Ian Aleksander Hansen, are you ready for this?
The nurse braced Hollis’s leg. “Okay, push.”
Hollis drew a deep breath and concentrated with all her might. Go.
“You are doing well, Hollis,” Sveyn spoke in her ear. “I can see his hair.”
Go go go go.
“His head’s almost out!” the nurse said.
Hollis exerted more effort than she thought she was capable of—until she felt a sudden shift in pressure.
“Okay! Hold up!”
Hollis opened her eyes. She couldn’t see anything in the mirror because the doctor and the nurses were in the way.
“His head is out, Hollis…” Sveyn stared in awe. “There’s his face…”
“Don’t push, let me guide him out,” the doctor instructed.
Hollis felt the baby slide out of her.
Sveyn gasped. “He’s so big!”
One nurse laughed. “I’m guessing nine pounds.”
Hollis stared at her son, lying on her chest, blinking and squinting. Then the boy let out a wail.
“Hey, buddy,” she said softly, resting her hand on his sturdy little back. “Welcome to the world.”
