by Alice Raine
The hotel looked amazing. As we made our way inside the décor was just as stunning as its surroundings; with log walls, a chandelier made from antlers, and a full-size stuffed polar bear standing guard on its hind legs looking decidedly vicious. Even with the quirky touches, it was obvious to see that the hotel was also fitted with all the modern conveniences you could need and it had a rather nice homely feel to it, a cosy and perfect base to return to after a day spent in the cold.
Checking in Nicholas gave his name and was greeted by not only the woman on reception, but a manager who appeared from out of nowhere and shook Nicholas’ hand with such vigour that he staggered forwards slightly. What a welcome! I wondered if perhaps they knew of Nicholas and his piano playing and that was the cause for such an enthusiastic greeting, but he made no mention of Nicholas’ career as he chatted amiably with him whilst we were checked in. Our key was given to a bell boy who gathered our bags and led the way, but the manager, Mr Siggi, also insisted on accompanying us and making polite small talk with Nicholas about our excursions so far.
‘The Royal Suite,’ the bellboy said reverently as he opened the door to our room with a flourish and then hurried inside with our bags. I, however, stumbled over the threshold and almost fell flat on my face as my eyes bulged and tried to take in the sumptuous luxury before me. The room wasn’t just a room, it was an entire suite, complete with huge king-size bed, four-piece leather sofa set, lake view, and a frigging hot tub in the middle of the lounge area! A hot tub, for goodness sakes! It was incredible, by far the nicest room I’d ever stayed in and surely the best in the whole hotel. I suddenly realised that Nicholas’ extravagant room choice was no doubt why the manager was being so attentive to us. We’d splashed big cash, so in his eyes we were worth the extra few minutes of his time.
Chapter Four
Nicholas
Dinner that night was our first taste of the food at the hotel and it was fabulous, definitely setting the standard high for the rest of our stay. Rebecca was keen to explore the other communal areas of the hotel, so whilst most of the hotel guests were still finishing their meals we set off in search of the bar for a drink or two before bed.
Along the way we discovered a games room complete with full-size pool table covered in white felt instead of the more standard green baize. Running her fingers gently across the surface Rebecca rather smugly informed me that she was a ‘killer player’, but I held back the fact that I was also none too shabby with a cue. Considering it further a rather devious idea sprung to my mind, as they often do; perhaps one night I’d set a bet with the prize of ‘winner gets to do whatever they like to the other person in bed …’
I was still grinning at my idea when we left the games room and finally found the bar. My eyes instantly fell upon an upright piano in the corner and, as stupid as it sounds, I felt my heart rate accelerate slightly. Rolling my eyes I turned instead towards the bar. I was here in Iceland with the most amazing woman in the world and yet I was getting excited by the idea of playing a piano? God, I really was such a loser.
Ordering a single malt whisky for me and a Baileys for Becky I turned to find her gazing at me with a soft smile on her lips. ‘I saw the way you were looking at the piano, Nicholas, why don’t you play a quick tune?’ she suggested. I pursed my lips. Damn. She’d caught me getting overly sentimental about a bloody musical instrument. The truth was though, before Rebecca had come into my life music had been my saving grace. As a kid I would sit down at my piano and lose myself in the rhythm and notes for hours, forgetting about my shitty home life and problems and just existing in the moment. Without even realising it, my piano had become a coping strategy for me during those adolescent years, which was probably why it was still so powerful for me now.
Obviously taking my thoughtful silence as hesitation Becky leant in and rubbed my arm. ‘No-one else is in here yet, Nicholas, and I love to hear you play. Please? For me?’ she coaxed.
Looking at her beautiful face and wide, hopeful eyes, I caved. If there was one thing that was more important to me than my piano, it was Rebecca. I might appear the strong, controlled one in our relationship, but I’d do literally anything for this woman.
Taking my drink across I sat on the stool and tried a few keys to see if it was in tune. Raising my eyebrows in pleasant surprise I played several chords and nodded; given our location in the middle of nowhere this upright sounded surprisingly good – obviously someone around here kept it well serviced.
Staring at the keys I tried to decide what to play. I had masses of pieces memorised, from self-written music to some good old classics by my favourite composers Chopin and Bach, but I wanted the perfect piece for this moment. Glancing across at Rebecca sitting just next to the piano gazing at me expectantly I realised it was easy; I should play something that reminded me of her, of the hope that she gave me every day.
I was getting better at articulating my feelings for her vocally, but I was still no great romantic, so expressing myself through music was easier for me. My piece picked, I turned back to the piano, rested my hands on the keys, rolled off my shoulders and then played the first gentle notes of Franz Liszt’s piece ‘Liebestraum’, meaning ‘love dream’, or ‘to dream of love’. It might sound like a bit of a sappy choice, but before I’d met Rebecca I’d never dreamt that love would be a possibility for me, so it seemed an apt choice.
As often happened when I was sat at the keys of a piano, I lost myself in the music, swaying and dipping my head with the rhythm as my foot alternated on the pedal and my hands flowed over the keys automatically.
‘Bravo!’ Turning to the sound of the loud, enthusiastic voice I saw Mr Siggi grinning and clapping enthusiastically at the front of a gathered crowd of people. ‘Our piano has never had the pleasure of being played by someone with your talent, sir!’ I had no idea where the audience had appeared from but I suddenly felt self-conscious and I shifted on the stool. ‘Drinks on the house for this couple!’ he cried to the barman, who scurried off to get us a refill.
From his demeanour I was fairly sure that Mr Siggi had no idea that I was a world famous concert pianist, and that was just fine by me. I hated the public spotlight that my piano playing caused and usually did everything I could to avoid it. Even knowing that the eyes of the small cheering crowd in the bar were on me was making me feel a little uncomfortable, so I turned to stand only to get encouraging cheers for me to continue. Thankfully, just as it looked like I would never escape the piano the barman took pity on me and introduced me to an elderly local called Eidur, telling me that he was the lodge’s resident piano thumper. Giving me an almost toothless grin Eidur then seated himself on the piano stool to a rousing applause and began to play.
Finding Rebecca a few feet away I saw she was red-faced from the heat in the packed bar and grinning at me proudly. ‘You were amazing!’ she gushed, throwing her arms around me and pulling me in for a short, hard kiss. Behind us the new musician had started to play an Icelandic Christmas song which was causing much cheer amongst the gathered revellers. Apparently the song had a matching dance, because no sooner had Rebecca ended our kiss then we were being dragged off and instructed on the moves to a local festive line dance by a sprightly woman who was eighty if she was a day.
As we danced I couldn’t help but feel myself relax more and more. The only times I ever truly opened up was when I was with Rebecca or my brother Nathan, but the people here were just so unassuming and friendly that my barriers seemed to dissolve and I found myself laughing and grinning far more than I usually would with a group of strangers.
Standing by the bar for a brief break I noticed how amusing the facial expressions were in the gathered revellers; the local people were relaxed and jovial, but all the tourists looked rather shell-shocked as they were flung around the dance floor by the over-exuberant locals.
Well over three hours later we were tipsy and tired and the party was still in full swing. The barman told us that parties like these were common around the
festive season, and if this one was anything to go by, then they loved to dance, drink, and get very merry, because it was nearly 2 a.m. and didn’t look anywhere near winding up. We were enjoying ourselves, but when my girl looked at me with tired eyes and practically pleaded for me to take her to bed I was more than happy to comply.
As I staggered along the corridor to our room drunkenly grinning as I watched Rebecca’s swaying bottom in front of me, I thought back over our first fantastic day. Rebecca and I had certainly discovered several things about what our winter week in Iceland would have in store for us; short days (only around five hours of daylight), cold temperatures (the average for us so far had been just two degrees), snow (on and off), and crazy parties. Well, party singular, but from the one we’d just left it had become clear that the Icelandic people really loved their Christmas celebrations.
Reaching our door Rebecca planted a hand on the frame and focused her tipsy attention on swiping the key card across the sensor so we could enter our room. I found the little frown of concentration on her forehead incredibly endearing, so instead of stepping in to help I watched her in amusement for a moment longer. Cursing under her breath Rebecca missed the sensor several times until she swayed backwards with a giggle and held the card to me in a wavering hand. ‘Unlock the door, Nicholas, and take me to bed,’ she instructed me in what would almost pass for a domineering voice if I didn’t know her better for the sweet, loving woman that she was.
Smirking at her tone I took the card as she linked her hand through the crook of my arm. ‘Yes ma’am,’ I replied with a mock salute which made her shake with that cute little laugh again as she beamed up at me happily, a goofy look which I no doubt returned. I still couldn’t believe how easily I’d settled into a relationship with this amazing woman, but instead of being terrified by the thought of commitment like I used to be, now I literally couldn’t get enough of her.
Turning my attention towards the door I swayed slightly as I lifted the key card. God, I couldn’t remember the last time I’d had this much to drink. I wasn’t drunk, as such, but my limbs felt loose and I had that pleasantly fuzzy feeling in my head that spoke of having enjoyed several glasses of wine with dinner and a few nice whiskeys afterwards. It took me a couple of attempts, but finally the door to our suite swung open and we both stumbled in, giggling and already fondling each other with playful hands like randy, drunken teenagers.
Rebecca was openly laughing now, her eyes sparkling with delight as she wrapped both arms around my neck and placed several sloppy kisses on my chin. My hands skated across her back as I dipped my head and returned her kiss, but my wandering hands were instantly drawn to Rebecca’s gorgeous arse which I palmed greedily. I’m not necessarily just a bum man, I love every last centimetre of Rebecca’s luscious body regardless of anatomical location, but walking down the corridor a few seconds earlier watching her swing it temptingly had given me an instant hard-on and now I couldn’t hold back from gripping her cheeks and pulling her firmly against me.
We were a giant mass of intertwined legs, locked lips, and tangled arms as we half staggered, half stumbled towards the enormous bed. Toppling backwards as my calves made contact with the mattress, we fell as one lust-driven body, with Rebecca ending up on top as we immediately began peeling each other’s clothes off with desperate fumbling fingers.
I was seriously lacking the usual finesse and effort that I put into romancing Rebecca, but right now I felt so ridiculously horny that all I could think about was getting her naked and getting my throbbing cock buried inside of her. Suffice to say, I don’t think I’ve ever been so thrilled to see Rebecca naked and moving to straddle me as I was a few seconds later. Don’t get me wrong, I like it when Rebecca is on top, but the dominant side of me, however well controlled, still likes to be in control and so this is a position I don’t choose that often.
Rebecca shifted her position to get comfortable, then paused to gaze down at me, her green eyes sparkling with happiness. God, I loved this woman. Her cheeks were flushed too, as mine no doubt were, probably from a mix of the fresh Icelandic air, the alcohol we’d consumed, and the raging lust coursing through us both. I completely lost my train of thought the next second as Rebecca aligned the tip of my desperate cock with her entrance and I felt just how wet she was. I nearly came on the spot, it literally took all my reserves of willpower to hold myself off from climaxing and to instead grip her hips and pull her downwards to impale her on me.
As I buried myself to the hilt in her welcoming warmth, Rebecca’s head rolled backwards as we both let out loud cries of our shared pleasure. ‘Nicholas! Oh fuck!’ she moaned, her head still tilted backwards as she began to roll her hips against mine in a slow, steady rhythm which was quickly driving me wild. Christ. I was so fucking close to coming and we’d only just started. This immense lack of self-control was the very reason I didn’t usually drink to excess.
Gritting my teeth with the effort at not coming I reached up and gave a gentle tug on the ends of Rebecca’s beautiful blonde hair to get her attention. ‘Eyes, Rebecca. Let me see them, baby,’ I demanded softly, reminding her of my near constant need for eye contact and the reassurance I got from it. She obliged immediately, lowering her head and blinking at me several times with the sweetest sexy smile on her lips that I’d ever seen. From the size of Rebecca’s pupils and the soft mewling noises that were escaping the back of her throat as she continued to move on top of me I knew Rebecca was close too.
With alcohol-fuelled lust firing around my veins and my girl sat atop of me looking ready to explode I gripped Rebecca’s hips and began to thrust upwards and take lead of the movements. The downright dirty look of approval she gave me at my increase in tempo was all it took for me to know she was about to come, and as I barked out a loud growl I jerked my hips frantically until I felt her muscles contracting around me in climax as she let out a throaty cry of pleasure.
Giving a few more thrusts to ensure Rebecca had ridden her orgasm to the maximum I finally gave in to my own feral needs and reared up, twisting our bodies so she was flipped onto her back and panting below me. Wasting no time I rammed my cock straight back into her, and with four deep, hard thrusts I came with a climax so powerful that I saw stars before my eyes.
Collapsing down I managed to roll to the side so I didn’t crush Rebecca and then dragged her sated body into my arms where she snuggled against me with a contented sigh. As I stroked her hair and tried to get my breath back under control I smirked, that session certainly wasn’t going to win any awards for finesse or stamina, that was for sure, but bloody hell it had been good!
Chapter Five
Rebecca
It was Christmas Eve, and even at this early point of the morning there was already an excited buzz in the hotel breakfast room as we sat enjoying a large mug of delicious cinnamon coffee. The waitress had told us that in Iceland people celebrate Christmas on the twenty-fourth, so the staff were already preparing half of the rustic dining room ready for tonight’s festivities. By the looks of the huge tables they were setting out for a buffet it was going to be a mammoth feast.
It was still dark outside as I devoured my third slice of toast and watched Nicholas eat his way through a mountain of scrambled egg and bacon; between the walking, fresh air, and exciting sex yesterday we’d burnt quite a bit of energy and were both in need of a good breakfast to refuel.
Shaking my head in amusement I smiled to myself at the enigma of the man sat across from me as he chewed thoughtfully. Even the way he ate was controlled and precise. Things between us were going really well, better than I’d ever dared hope after the rocky start to our relationship, but this holiday was proving to be a real eye-opener – and I wasn’t just talking about the stunning Icelandic scenery. Nicholas was letting his guard down far more than usual, letting out the part of him that I secretly called his ‘snuggly side’ regularly over the last two days. In addition to that, he was even more attentive than usual, doting almost, and taking every opportuni
ty to hold my hand or cuddle me to his side. Being the sole focus of this gorgeous, albeit complex man, was pretty bloody fantastic, really.
Yawning, I put my coffee down and stretched out my tired muscles. My body was finding the timings of the days here very peculiar; it was just before 8 in the morning, but the sun wouldn’t be rising for at least another two hours yet. We had a big day planned today though – a walk on one of Iceland’s famous glaciers, Sólheimajökull. I was so excited, I’d seen the photographs of the electric blue ice tunnels and crevices and couldn’t wait to experience it first-hand.
Sitting back to allow my toast to settle I saw the hotel manager approaching us with a smile. Mr Siggi stopped by our table and nodded a greeting to us both. ‘I’m so glad I caught you both. I know you are set for the glacier trek today, but seeing as the weather is clear this morning I wanted to suggest an extension to your trip. If you can be ready to set off an hour earlier our guide can take a detour further south and you can watch the sunrise at Vik beach – it makes quite a stunning start to the day.’
Looking at me for my approval I nodded briskly and smiled at Mr Siggi. I’d read about the beach at Vik, famous for its volcanic black sands and basalt columns similar in formation to the Giant’s Causeway in Ireland, but because of the snow yesterday I hadn’t thought a trip would be possible.
Agreeing a departure time with the very amenable manager Nicholas and I set off for our room to shower and pack up all the clothing we’d been advised to take for our glacier trip. Nicholas had quite literally bought me an entire new wardrobe for this trip; when I’d first opened up my suitcase after our arrival I’d discovered everything from beautiful lacy underwear sets to thermal long johns and snow trousers. It looked like several of the more bulky items would be useful today out on the glacier.
Packed and ready to go, Nicholas took my hand and we headed down to meet our guide in the reception. I couldn’t help but smirk at the relief I saw on Nicholas’ face when he saw that our guide today was an older man, and not the cheeky, charming Bragi from yesterday. The youngster had been harmless enough, but from Nicholas’ almost volatile reaction to him I was quite relieved by the new face. Nicholas had done really well employing his calming strategies yesterday, but I’d much rather he could fully relax and enjoy himself, and seeing as this new man was probably mid-fifties I assumed Nicholas wouldn’t see him as a threat of any kind.
