“What am I to do if there's no child and you get yourself killed?”
“Am I to believe you've never seen your own reflection?” His smile returned, boyish and full of amusement.
“What does that mean?”
“You're beautiful. There's not a man alive ignorant enough to miss it. You'll have suitors begging for your affection within a sennight if I fall on an enemy weapon.” He cupped her face, palms rough against her jawline. “Foolish woman. It would be any man's privilege to give you babies.”
“Ask would have argued—”
“He didn't know what he had. His loss.” Eoghann pressed his lips to hers.
She resisted. Sweet words did nothing to lessen her temper, but the warmth and closeness melted her icy resolve. The faint scent of burning wood lingered in his clothing and he tasted of mulled mead. A tremor of excitement rolled through her. Anger abated, giving away to hunger for his body. Damn you, Eoghann, for making me care about you. She kissed him back, then bit his upper lip, a sharp nip that made him pull away.
He rubbed his mouth, then grinned. “Was that the kiss of a man eager to leave his wife's bed to fight a battle?”
She could take his hand, lead him back to their bed, and put the afternoon's worries out of mind for a while. Tempting, though he'd put enough strain on himself chasing after her. “More the kiss of a man eager to get into his wife's bed before a battle. From her arms to a Valkyrie's.”
“What more could I ask for than a pleasant memory before marching toward doom?”
“Jest, Eoghann. Make light of my worry. I'm not pleased with any of this.”
“Any sane woman would feel the same. I'm sure Ealasaid is displeased with Hella as well.” He shivered and drew his cloak closer. “If he allows Ofbradh to go unpunished, he appears weak. I doubt his first choice is leaving Solstad for a place where he's unlikely to receive a warm welcome. Such is the hard decision of a king. The same can be said of the men loyal to him. I don't wish to leave you.”
“You didn't have to volunteer.” Hot tears burned her eyes. “You're wounded. He expects his subjects to support him, but this is madness. You're chilled and tired after little activity. You're not fit to march from here to Ofan. What good will you be if a fight breaks out?”
He rubbed his hand across his forehead as his jaw tightened. “I am no coward. Remaining behind would cause people to think me weak again. I won't have it.”
“Your pride will get you killed.” She turned away from him. “Hella will understand if you ask to stay.”
“I might as well slit my own throat if I go back on my word.”
“I might as well dig your grave if you leave!” She stalked away toward the hall. “Go on, then. Fight and slay the enemy. But remember your promises at our wedding. You swore to honor and protect me. Leaving Solstad will accomplish neither of those things.”
“Anger accomplishes nothing either, Idunna.”
“That doesn't lessen the hurt.” She walked away, though nothing in the hall or her bedchamber would bring her comfort. The only relief seemed to be in moving.
He grabbed her hand and matched his stride to hers. “No one wishes for peace more than I. Given the opportunity, I would remain here, but my duty is to our people as much as it is to you. We can waste time arguing or spend it in other, more pleasurable ways.”
She tightened her fingers around his. His expression betrayed the misery of his choice. The kiss they'd shared was the truth—he didn't want to leave, but to claim his place here, he needed more than a wife and a business. Proof of his loyalty to Hella was his only way forward.
“I see the truth behind your words. Time is limited, so I'll hold my tongue on the subject.” She tugged his hand and led him toward Solstad Hall.
Chapter Seven
Eoghann stripped off his cloak as Idunna preceded him into their room. The wound in his shoulder pulled, but thanks to his sister's knowledge, no infection slowed the healing. Tired from standing in the hall, then chasing Idunna across the snow, he sank onto the bed.
She dropped her cloak on the stone floor. The apron-skirt over her gown fell second and a moment later, her gown crumpled on top if it. Stockings slid down her legs and landed next to the other discarded clothes. Her naked skin glowed in the firelight. With a few quick twists, her hair tumbled around her shoulders. It rippled in soft curls around her shoulders. A dark-haired, fiery-eyed goddess stepped free of his wife's clothing.
Blood surged to Eoghann's groin. The weariness troubling him slipped away. She moved like a she-wolf stalking its prey, her purpose too obvious to ignore. Her small, fine-boned arms circled him and pulled him to her chest.
“I thought you were angry.”
“I am angry, but it won't deter me from my purpose. There may come a day when I have to raise a child alone. Better alone than not at all.” Her lips grazed his throat. “Whatever happens, I owe you my gratitude for allowing me to pursue my fondest wish.”
She straddled his lap, then pushed her hands beneath his tunic. Her fingers caressed the skin over his ribs as she lifted the material away.
He raised his arms and fought a grimace as the muscles in his shoulder complained. “If I return victorious with the head of my enemy hanging from my belt?”
“We'll make love while his sightless eyes stare.” Her tongue danced over the cords in his neck.
“Spoken like a vikingr woman.” He grasped her waist. Beneath his wool trousers, his erection throbbed as she rubbed her bare bottom against his crotch. He ached to bury himself in her wetness. “If you desire an enemy head, I shall endeavor to fulfill your request.”
Idunna paused her fervent kisses to meet his gaze. “It will come as no great loss if you fail to return with one. Your body alone will do.”
A jolt of sorrow stabbed him. This intrepid woman sat across his lap, ready to give him pleasure. Yet she made it clear her reasons for bedding him were solely for her own gain. Would she ever come to him for the sake of love? For a comforting embrace in times of happiness or sorrow? Perhaps she only saw him as a stud kept for breeding. A man with no worth lest he provide her with children.
She cupped the back of his head. “Eoghann? You're frowning. Are you dissatisfied?”
He pushed his hand between her legs. His fingers touched her damp folds and he found the center of her pleasure. A quick stroke brought a smile to her face. As he circled her hood, she writhed on his lap. The dampness increased and her breath came out hard. “I doubt there will come a day when you don't please me, wife.”
She yanked his belt free of the buckle and pressed the pads of her fingers against his skin. “Then perhaps I can find a way to put whatever troubles you out of your mind for now.”
“The cloud has passed.” He clasped his hands beneath her arse, then rose. The trousers fell around his ankles.
“Your shoulder.” She struggled to be let down.
“It's well enough for a moment.” He let her slide down the length of his body. “There are other aches that require tending.” He stepped out of his boots, then kicked his breeches aside. Aroused, naked, and hungering for his wife, he grasped her hips and pulled her down as he sank onto their bed. “Would that I could stay with you like this for eternity.”
“Would you really?” She clenched her thighs around his. “Is that your greatest wish or something pretty you say to charm women?”
“If I could show you the inside of my heart, you'd be surprised.” Eoghann captured her mouth in a kiss and pressed his tongue to the roof of her mouth. Gods, tempting as it was to enter her, he wanted her on her knees, ass in the air. He rolled her onto the bed. “I want to take you from behind.”
Her mouth opened in an O, then she smiled. “Of course.” It only took her a moment to scramble across the covers and position herself.
The roar of blood rushing from his head to his cock almost deafened him.
Idunna's round buttocks were pale and pearly in the firelight. Enough space existed between her legs to g
ive him a good look. He slid up behind her and pressed his fingers into her folds. She squirmed closer as he circled the slick skin. The blankets bunched beneath her fists and she let out a moan.
He ran his free hand down her back. “You're beautiful, wife.”
“Please take me.” Her hair pooled around her flushed face. “Quickly, before I die of wanting.”
“My heart would crumble if you perished.” He positioned himself at her rosy opening. “I hope you never tire of me either.”
She received him with another moan. Her tight channel squeezed around him. Deeper than he'd ever pierced her. He let out a shuddering breath when she ground against him. No gentle lovemaking for his dear wife. Beneath his hands, her thigh muscles coiled when he pulled out.
“Please, faster,” she begged.
He almost lost his sense at her words. Only a fool would deny such a request. Instead of sliding in slowly, he pressed into her sheath. The heat and tightness closed around his shaft with each plunge. He reached beneath her and gave her hood a tug.
Idunna cried out and pushed her ass closer to his crotch.
He rubbed circles around her slick bud. Parted it and matched the strokes with his cock. Her breath came in ragged gasps as her channel spasmed around him. He pushed deeper and let go, spending his seed within her.
Gods, how he'd miss bedding her when he left for Ofan.
She collapsed onto her stomach with a sigh.
Eoghann laid beside her, their hips and arms touching. His heart clambered inside his chest like a war drum.
“I could go with you.” Her voice, small and uncertain, barely registered.
“Go? Where?”
“To Ofan. Women fight beside men. It's not forbidden. I could fight with a sword if I had one. You could make a weapon for me.” She raised herself on her elbow. “I'm not afraid.”
His mind clouded with fear. How could she suggest such a thing? “Perhaps not, but the suggestion is mad. I forbid you to ride to Ofan. I refuse to forge a weapon that would fit your hand. You may have the fight of devils in you, but I won't allow you to endanger your life in Ofan.”
“Don't be unreasonable. Frú Skuld of Freysteinn fought shortly after she gave birth to Fulla. I come from a line of fierce Norse people. My great-grandmother went to war with her husband—”
He sat up. “You are my wife. Whatever the customs and traditions of your people, mine do not permit the same freedoms. Women are homemakers, not warriors.”
“It comes as no surprise the women of your homelands are thought weak and soft. Have they no pride? Don't they wish to help protect their homes and children?” Idunna sat up and grabbed a blanket. “You will never prevent me from fighting should the need arise. Nothing will stop me from protecting what is mine. All of Hella's subjects know Ealasaid would stop at nothing to keep her family safe. Why should I not do the same?”
“Ealasaid's actions were foolish. She almost died for nothing.” He pushed his hands through his hair. “If I hadn't killed Diarmaid, she would be lost.”
“She almost died for the man she loves. Don't you see? That is not nothing.” She wrapped the blanket around her shoulders. “The world is a terrible, awful place, but love makes it softer. Love, Eoghann, is the very reason I asked Hella to save you from the noose. Anyone could see how you love Ealasaid though you'd last seen one another years ago. Why else would you save her? If a brotherly love could run so deep, perhaps you could find it in your heart to love someone else as well.”
He opened his mouth, then snapped it shut again.
“A child perhaps, a people, a place, even. If you clear your mind of the things you expect, and open your heart to what is here in front of you, you will be happy again.”
“No more talk of battle. I'll ride to Ofan with Hella, then return home. He has powerful chiefs backing him. That will be enough.” Eoghann sank into the bedding. “Your place is here.”
Idunna's mouth flattened into a straight, severe line. She rolled away from him.
“Idunna...”
The fire crackled and the wind howled, but she didn't thaw.
“I will not endanger you in such a way.” Frustrated, he edged closer. He slid one hand over her side to cup her stomach. “This is our future. Our legacy together.” Whether he lived to see his child grow or not. Did she understand the importance of it having at least one parent?
“You don't know if it's happened yet,” she grumbled.
“I feel it in my heart.” The truth startled him a little. “It's what we want.”
“Wanting doesn't lead to certainty.” She remained stiff and unyielding. “If such was the case, I'd have carried a child without ever laying with a man.”
Idunna knew where to land the blows that would sting the worst. “And denied me the pleasure of getting to know you. Would you prefer to have children as the trees sprout fruit or the grass grows seed? Without ever experiencing a man's touch?”
She sucked in her stomach, then sighed. “No.”
He closed his eyes. My thanks, Freya. “Then do not complain. Hold me near while I am still here under your command and not miles away in the bitter cold marching for a place I never hoped nor cared to see.”
She rolled to face him. “Are you happy here, Eoghann?”
Here. She meant in Solstad, but to him here meant with her, in their bed, between her legs, nestled with her against his chest, her hair tickling his skin. “More than I can say.”
“Is this place enough for you?”
“Wherever you are, it is enough.”
Her dark eyes glistened a moment. “Then I will do as you ask. I can remain behind to wait for your return. When I see you, the dread will leave me and gladness will come back into my heart. Now it's heavy with sadness. Though we've known each other a short time, I have no wish to lose you.”
Christo, she no sooner dug in her claws than wiped away her oozing marks and soothed him with the balm of her sweet tongue.
“There isn't a man in Solstad who wouldn't rather remain behind with a warm woman in his bed. You know this. I'm no different.” He pulled her into his embrace. “Think of me often while I'm gone. Knowing you wait will shorten the pain of our separation.”
She pressed her lips to his chin. “A few blankets with your scent will hardly fill the emptiness I'll carry.”
“Then we'd best make the most of each other's company to remind us of what is missing while we're apart.” He slid his hand down the valley between her breasts. “I'd sooner walk on coals than leave you.”
“I pray you never have to. I've watched you suffer enough.” She caressed his face. “Our time apart will be brief. It's no more than four days ride to Ofan. A blink, a sneeze, a—”
“Horse fart.” He grinned as she laughed. The motion caused her breasts to jiggle and rub against his chest. Taut nipples grated his fresh. Desire knifed through him.
“So eloquently stated, husband.”
“I knew you would appreciate such poetry.” Gods, his heart leaped when she called him by the title. “Nothing but a horse fart, a passing of wind. Then we'll be together again.”
She slid her hand between them and wrapped her fingers around his cock.
Already hard again and aching with want of her, he couldn't contain a groan.
“Your shoulder?” she whispered.
Enraptured by the slow stroke of her warm fingers, he struggled to form a question. “What's wrong with it?”
She threw back her blanket, then slid on top of him. Her gaze burned into him as she lowered her body over his and enfolded his shaft inside her.
He gripped her waist and rose to meet every roll of her hips. With Idunna, the troubles of the world stayed beyond the barriers of their walls. His only concern was pleasuring her.
Their lips met in the crush of a hungry kiss. Sweet cherries didn't compare to his wife's taste. Her tongue filled his mouth and he groaned when she increased the pace to strip him of every drop of semen, it seemed. So be it, if it made her h
appy.
She cried out, back arched, face tilted toward the ceiling as she came. Such a beautiful sound wasn't meant to be shared, but anyone in the hallway might hear her. Good, let them know he'd filled her and brought her to climax. He had nothing in this world but her. Let her enjoy the lovemaking while she could.
* * * *
Idunna slid between the curtain and the wall. A little squeak left her mouth as she nearly collided with Hella.
He raised his brow and gave a slight nod at the curtain.
“He's sleeping,” she whispered. “It's well-earned.”
Hella's unsettled expression spoke louder than his silence. He didn't need to know the physical details of her relationship with Eoghann. “I gather things are sound between you?”
A subtler way of asking if she was happy with Eoghann. As the oldest, Idunna had never experienced protective brothers, preferring to be the she-bear when her younger siblings gained the attentions of prospective mates. Hella's question made her smile.
“Sound as a mountain.”
“Ealasaid seemed to think so, but the fact remains he is her brother. She may have a blind spot toward him.” Hella's features turned grim. “I hope not, for he did save my life.”
“He's a man of his word.” She lowered her gaze. “If he makes a vow, he'll break every bone in his body to keep it.”
“He broke my brother's nose.”
She jerked her chin up. Hella towered above her short frame. “You would have done the same.”
A slow grin curled the corners of his mouth. “Indeed. I would applaud Eoghann's efforts were Erik not my kin. There are many times when he needs knocking down a notch. That day was one of them.” He sobered again. “I'm pleased the arrangement is working for you. Had it not...there is little use in thinking of the consequences.”
“It is an honor to be wed to the man who would give his life for the king. I would ask one thing of you, my lord.” She dropped her head again. “I beg you not to take him to Ofan.”
“The wound hasn't healed well?”
She couldn't lie, not without angering him should he learn the truth. “Ealasaid's opinion on it will carry more weight than mine, but he tires easily. He is recovering, thankfully, but whether he is well enough to ride so far is difficult to say.”
Her Heart's Desire Page 6
