The Dancer (Men of the North Book 7)

by Elin Peer

  Solo tilted his head. “You’re not playing fair right now.”

  “Just think about it.”

  “I’m not playing Boulder; he was more than ten years older than me when he met Christina. And I don’t think anyone can play Magni to his satisfaction.”

  “Probably not. But no one can do it better than you. You could be his younger brother in looks and you’re both fierce warriors.”

  Solo looked thoughtful. “But if we did the acting job, I couldn’t be on the Doom Squad anymore.”

  “Would that be so bad?”

  He brushed a bug from his arm. “There are parts of the job that I would miss for sure.”

  “Like Zasquash and Leo?”

  “Yeah.”

  “You could still see them outside of work. We could invite Zas and Darlene to come hang out here some time.”

  Solo kissed my shoulder. “That’s a good idea.”

  “Is it?” I gave a playful grin. “We couldn’t be naked if they were around.”

  “On second thought, let’s not invite them. I like you naked.” Solo rolled on top of me and planted little kisses on my shoulder blades and neck. “Hmm, you’re so delicious.”

  Arching my body, I pushed against his crotch, enjoying the old game of bump and grind.

  “Tell me again, how sore are you?” he muttered in a low sexy growl.

  “Pretty sore.” I followed his rhythmic movement, pushing back and forth.

  “You’re playing with fire, woman.” Solo pressed his large hand into my hair and turned my head. “I don’t want to hurt you but you have me fired up now.”

  “Then how about we cool you down?” I wriggled away from him, got up, and ran for the river with a joyful scream while Solo chased me.

  The weather had been dry for weeks and the water only reached to my navel when I stood close to the side of the riverbank. Solo, grinning, pulled off his shorts before he jumped in with me.

  “If you want to be physical with me you can take me for a swim.” I turned him around and jumped up on his back. Solo was quick to hook his arms under my knees and walked with me through the water to the middle where it was deeper.

  “This isn’t swimming.”

  He got down and when he began to swim I released my legs around his waist. With my hands still holding on to his shoulders we glided through the water together.

  “It’s crazy how strong you are.” I smiled at him when he turned around to face me.

  “Come here.” Solo stood up in the water and pulled me up to sit astride him, his hands planted firmly under my cheeks.

  “What happened to the swimming?”

  “It’s not cooling me down enough. I still want you.” With us both being naked, it was easy for him to reach down and spread my folds to position his hard erection just right.

  “Solo.” There was a warning in the way I said his name.

  “Can’t we at least try?” There was a mix of lust and concern on his face.

  It didn’t hurt when he pushed in a little. Maybe the cool water served to numb my sore skin. “If I can’t walk later it’s because of you.”

  “Good thing you’ve got a strong mate who can carry you around, then.”

  We looked at each other, love radiating from the both of us. “Go slow,” I whispered.

  Solo nodded and as he lowered me down on top of him, I felt every erogenous zone inside me come to life. Closing my eyes, I moaned and loved the sound of his deep sigh of pleasure.

  “Fuck, Willow. You’re my everything, do you know that?” Solo wasn’t as rough as normal, and he kept looking into my eyes. Our breathing came faster as we made love in the water. His arm and shoulder muscles were flexed from the way he bounced my body up and down in front of him at a slow pace. It had to take immense strength for him to keep us balanced in the water.

  When he increased the pace and almost lost his footing on the slippery stones in the river, Solo moved us to the riverbank where he lay me down in the wildflowers and moss. He was ready to go again, but I placed a hand across my eyes. “I’m sorry, but can we just cuddle this time? You’ve used me up.”

  Solo rearranged himself and with his head resting on my stomach, our bodies formed the letter T. “I’m sorry, I should be more careful with you.”

  “It’s just that every part of my body is sore and I’m tired.” I weaved my hands into his thick blond hair and tugged at it.

  “Argh, why do you always have to pull at my hair?”

  We lay quiet for a while, listening to the tranquil sounds of birds singing in the distance and the ripple of the river next to us.

  “Can I ask you a question, Solo?”

  “Sure.”

  Butterflies lifted and took flight in my stomach as I asked, “Did my breasts feel heavier to you?”

  Solo moved his head. “They felt perfect, why?”

  I bit my lip. “What if I’m sore and tired because I’m pregnant?”

  Solo turned his head with wide eyes. “Do you think you are?”

  I lifted up on my elbows to see him better. “Could be. I’m craving chocolate.”

  “Yeah, but you’ve always had a sweet tooth.”

  “But my nipples are sensitive.”

  “Right, but maybe it’s because I play with them all the time.”

  I gave a small pout. “So, you don’t think I’m pregnant?”

  Solo came to lie face to face with me. “Do you want to be?”

  “I just thought you’d be more excited that I might be pregnant.”

  “Willow, there’s nothing I want more than to start a family with you. You know that. We’ve talked about it since we were teenagers. I just don’t want to get my hopes up yet. If you’re truly pregnant it would be the greatest thing that ever happened to me.”

  “Really? And here I thought that us getting back together was the highlight for you.”

  “Of course it is.” He scratched his nose. “But can you imagine holding a baby and knowing that it grew from us? That we made a human together? The thought blows my mind.”

  “Me too.” I stretched my hands and soaked up warmth from the sun. “I just worry about you. How are you going to last without sex during a pregnancy?”

  Solo tilted his head. “What are you talking about?”

  “We don’t want to hurt the baby, do we?”

  “Will sex hurt the baby?” Solo looked horrified. His hand lifted to his hair. “I never thought about it. Does that mean we can’t have sex for nine months?”

  “I think so.” I kept my face straight for as long as I could until I began to laugh.

  He narrowed his eyes. “Are you messing with me again?”

  “Maybe.”

  He was on me in a second, tickling me for revenge. “But wait, hang on. You can’t take on a role in that series if you’re pregnant.”

  “Yes, I can. If I play Laura.”

  “Are you sure?”

  “I think so. They’ll start the series from the beginning when Christina first came to the Northlands. Laura left shortly after Christina arrived and she was gone for more than a year. Do you see how perfect that is?”

  “Ehh… so maybe it could work – but what happened to your plans about starting a dance studio?”

  “That was before Ben began talking about acting. I never thought I’d have an opportunity like that. Acting would be my biggest dream ever. Not to mention that if you play Magni you’ll be shooting some scenes in the Motherlands, and that means the Council will have to lift your ban on going there. We could visit Hunter.”

  Solo looked down. “Don’t get your hopes up, babe. I doubt Hunter wants to see me.”

  I rubbed my forehead and sighed. “True.”

  Solo moved over to kiss me softly on my lips. “Cross your fingers that Hunter will fall in love soon. If he does, he’ll understand.”

  I lit up. “Yes. That’s it!”

  “What is?”

  I got up on my knees with a sound of glee. “Solo, I just thought o
f the most brilliant idea. You’re going to shave a sheep with excitement when you hear it.”

  “Shave a sheep?” He laughed. “You always mix up our sayings. It’s shit a sheep, and that’s not something you do out of excitement.”

  “Okay, but listen, I know how to get Hunter to talk to me again. It’s like you said: he needs to fall in love. People in love are happier and more forgiving.”

  “But you can’t control that.”

  “No, but I can help. We need to talk to Ben. I’ll bet he can convince his clients to introduce some wonderful women to my brother. Don’t you see – it’s the perfect plan?”

  “What clients?”

  “Emanuela and the head coach. Ben knows both of them.”

  “You want her to play matchmaker?”

  “If by her, you mean Emanuela, then yes. I’ll bet she and the coach want him to stay. We’re basically helping them. I can give them pointers on the type of woman he’d be interested in.”

  “How would you know?”

  I tilted my head. “Give me a little credit. Hunter is my twin. I would know.”

  Solo raised both hands. “All right, but I’m warning you: I have a bad feeling about this.”

  “Don’t be so negative. I’m a dancer, we’re creative people.”

  “Yeah, but I’m a Doomsman. We deal with realities.” Solo got up and offered me a hand to pull me up. “Sounds to me like your brain is fried and you need to get out of the sun.” He swung me over his shoulder and began walking with me.

  “For real? Is this how you’re going to carry me? Like I’m a big sack of coffee beans?”

  He swung me down in his arms. “Is this better?”

  “That was a nice move. You’ll make a good dance partner.”

  Solo squeezed me tighter. “Honey, you don’t want to dance with me. I might step on your toes or something.”

  “No, you won’t. I’ll teach you how to dance, just like I’ll teach our children how to dance.”

  “Deal. Then I’ll teach them how to fight. That way our girls can protect themselves if their dance partners don’t behave themselves.”

  We had reached the cabin and Solomon carried me to our bedroom.

  “Take a nap and rest a little.”

  “Only if you come lie with me for a second,” I tempted him, and when he gave in and threw himself on the bed with me, I cuddled up against his naked body and entwined our fingers.

  For minutes neither of us spoke, and I was just about to doze off when he mumbled, “What if someone makes a film about us one day? Wouldn’t that be weird?”

  “Uh-huh.” I spoke with my eyes still closed. “They’d better not.”

  “Why not? Who doesn’t like a story about young love and never giving up?”

  Squeezing one eye open, I sighed. “But I did give up, and I’m embarrassed to think about the awful things I said to you at the reunion. People would judge me for it.”

  Solo kissed my forehead. “Who cares what other people think? I’m just grateful you gave me a second chance. That’s all that matters to me.”

  I thought about it. “If they tell our story, I want it to be honest and not some polished comedy version. Our story wasn’t fun or cute. It was painful and dark.”

  “I know.” Solo yawned. “But from now on it’s going to be bright and sunny.”

  “It will be once Hunter forgives me.”

  Solo closed his eyes and pulled me closer. “Let’s just hope Hunter isn’t as stubborn as you were. I waited seven years to be forgiven.”

  “Sorry.”

  “It’s okay, you were well worth the wait.”

  I kissed his cheek. “This time we’ll stick to the plan and grow old together.” My last words were muffled by a yawn. “I just need a nap first if that’s okay.”

  Solo kissed me again and whispered, “Sleep, my beautiful dancer, we have all the time in the world.”

  This concludes Men of the North #7 – The Dancer

  Thank you so much for reading Willow and Solomon’s story. We’re not quite done with them and I promise they will appear in the next book in this series. Before I tell you more about that, I wanna ask you to do me a favor and take a second to review the story you just read. To make it easy for you, here are some links.

  Amazon.com – Amazon.uk – Amazon.ca

  Goodreads

  What’s next?

  I think you know.

  Of course, we have to follow Hunter to the Motherlands and get his story.

  The Athlete – Men of the North #8

  How do you win a soccer game when you’re not just playing against the other team, but your captain too?

  When Hunter Hercules, the biggest soccer star in the Northlands, is transferred to play in the Motherlands, he’s mad as hell. Not only is their style of soccer different, but they have mixed teams and his female captain, Emanuela, calls him unsophisticated and claims that she’s a better player than him. What a fucking joke!

  The whole thing is ridiculous and infuriating to Hunter. That’s why when the soccer club sends all the players on a team-building trip, Hunter shows up determined to put the little woman in her place. It should have been easy, but Emanuela isn’t a normal sweet Motlander he can push around. She’s competitive to the bone, and when Hunter plays dirty she’s fast to adapt and hit him back tenfold.

  Someone should have warned her not to mess with an Nman.

  The Athlete is book #8 in Elin Peer’s highly praised series Men of the North. Readers call these books “unputdownable” because of the sharp dialogue, fast pace, and depths of the characters.

  If you like strong women, alpha males, and a roller-coaster ride of emotions, then this romantic sci-fi is a safe pick for you.

  Buy it on pre-sale today and have it delivered straight to your Kindle on release day, November 20th 2018.

  About the Author

  Elin describes herself as quirky in a good way.

  Being curious by nature, she likes to explore and can tell you about riding elephants through the Asian jungle, watching the sunset in the Sahara Desert from the back of a camel, sailing down the Nile in Egypt, kayaking in Alaska, and flying over Greenland in helicopters.

  After traveling the world and living in different countries, Elin is currently residing outside Seattle in the US with her husband, daughters, and her black Labrador, Lucky, who follows her everywhere.

  With a back ground in personal coaching, Elin is easy to talk to and one thing is for sure: she is not afraid to provoke, shock, touch, and excite you when she writes about unwanted desire, forbidden passion, and all those damn emotions in between.

  Want to connect with Elin? Great, she loves to hear from her readers and you can find her here: Facebook, Goodread, Amazon, or simply send an email to: elin@elinpeer.com