Chapter 21

CHAPTER TWENTY-ONE

When Dunne woke up, it was already light outside. She was shamelessly, possessively, indecently draped all over Bj?rn. Her cheek was pillowed on his chest, her thigh was resting over his legs and her hand…Her hand was holding something warm, smooth—and hard as stone. Her eyes flew open when she realized what it was. What was she doing? Had she been stroking him in her sleep? It certainly appeared so.

Oh, God.

"Don't you dare move," Bj?rn growled, clasping his hand over hers to keep her fingers in place when she made to release him. "I want to wake up with your hand round me like this every morning."

Ah, so she had reached out for him, and woken him up in the process. Heat flared in her chest.

"Do you always sleep naked?" It was a ridiculous question but if she behaved as if she was not mortified perhaps Bj?rn would not see it.

"I do, and never have I had cause to congratulate myself on the decision more."

"I never meant to?—"

"Ah, love, don't tell me that. I will carry on imagining you had a plan in mind when you reached out for me."

A plan! "Such as?"

"To send me wild with desire."

The heat in her chest crept down to the place between her legs. "I send you wild with desire?"

Something like a snarl answered her. At the same time, Bj?rn drew her so that she could lie all over him. Yes, apparently she did send him wild. Positively feral. He forced her legs apart and she found herself sitting astride him, his hard manhood trapped between them.

"You make me lose my mind every time you're near, you infuriating Saxon woman."

"Then why didn't you make love to me last night?"

For the first time, he hesitated. "I…I thought you would not be comfortable with it, if you're on your monthly courses. Besides, I didn't want to give you the impression I only want you for your body, because I don't, even if I am dying to be inside you."

She blushed. Could there be a more thoughtful, perfect man? "I should have told you," she replied, leaning in as if to kiss him. "I've stopped bleeding."

"That is the best news I've heard all day," he growled, starting to grind his hips under her in a suggestive manner.

"That doesn't mean much, considering you've only just woken up!" Dunne muffled a giggle against his neck.

"No. You have only just woken up, beautiful. I, on the other hand, have been awake since well before dawn, watching you drape yourself over me bit by bit, starting with your calf and ending with your hand. It took all my control not to wake you."

He guided her hand to his hardness and wrapped her fingers over it, mimicking the way she had been holding him earlier.

Her breath hitched. "Am I to understand that you want to want to?—"

"Fuck you? Oh yes." Dunne groaned. Why did she love to hear that word in his mouth? She should be shocked! Instead she was aroused. And apparently he knew it, for he said it again. "I want to fuck you, preferably more than once, preferably before we get up to go get married."

Well, if that was the case, who was she to refuse him?

"I would like to try something," she breathed, her mouth on his skin.

"You can try whatever you want," he growled. "As long as you're naked while you do it."

In the blink of an eye, she was. As if moved by an invisible force, they had both started to tear at her clothes, throwing them all over the hut in their haste. Once she was naked, Bj?rn took a moment to look at her. Sitting astride him as she was, there was no place to hide. But she didn't want to hide, not when he was looking at her with such passion, causing her insides to convulse.

Then with a supple jerk of his hips he reversed their positions so that he was the one looming over her, awe in his eyes. "Look how beautiful you are, wife."

"I'm not your wife yet," she rasped, overwhelmed by the love in his voice.

"No, but soon."

He brought a hand to her breast and cupped the aching fullness. A groan escaped Dunne's lips when he started to tease her nipple with his thumb and forefinger, pinching it slightly. Then the groan became a whimper because he took the nipple in his mouth and swirled his tongue around it as if to soothe the burn. For a long, delicious moment he suckled her, running his hands over her hips in a loving caress. When he released her, his lips were red, both her nipples were hard, and she was more desperate than she had ever been.

"What is that thing you want to try?" he said in deep rumble. "Tell me before I lose my mind and just take you."

"I heard that lovers could use their mouths to pleasure each other," she said, hiding her face in the crook of his neck. She would never have the courage to have this conversation if she looked at him. She felt him swallow against her mouth.

"I heard the same thing."

She ground her hips against the hardness prodding at her. "I-I never thought I would want to do such a thing before."

"I did. I imagined kissing the sweet place between your legs, and licking you until you screamed my name."

Oh. The place he had just mentioned went slick with need, giving its unequivocal approval to the plan.

"I never imagined doing something like that but right now, I'm imagining kissing you there and it…" She stopped. Dare she say it? Would Bj?rn not be appalled? Probably not, considering what he'd just told her. She threw caution to the wind. This was the man she would marry and they had tiptoed around each other for too long. "It makes me desperate to try. If you agreed, we?—"

"I do. I agree. I told you, I would do anything as long as it is with you and you're naked. Do what you will. I'm yours."

Never had any agreement been more enthusiastic. Dunne smiled. He was not appalled, or even shocked, but rather exited by the prospect. "I'll need you to free me then."

In the blink of an eye Bj?rn had flipped onto his back and taken her with him, reversing their positions once more. She was now astride him and free to explore. Kissing her way down his magnificent body, taking care to avoid the damaged shoulder, she went to kneel between his spread legs. My, he was so hard, so unashamedly ready. For her. She couldn't wait to start her daring exploration.

At the last moment, a doubt seized her. "I don't know what I'm doing. I might do it all wrong."

He gave a chuckle and stroked her cheek in a soothing caress. The pad of this thumb came to rest at the corner of her lips. "I doubt there is a wrong way to do this, sweetheart," he rasped, brushing slowly along her lower lip. She knew he was imagining her kissing him intimately and heat invaded her. "Just make sure you don't bite me."

She nodded and lowered her head, stopping a few inches from the straining manhood waiting for her. "You'll tell me if it's good, and what I can?—"

"Dunne, please. Just…" He didn't seem to dare ask for what he wanted but he sounded on the verge of madness. She placed her puckered lips on the tip of his crown to kiss it. With a curse Bj?rn bucked and jerked upward, the brusque movement causing his shaft to push past her lips and into her mouth.

The shock of the intrusion made her freeze. But Bj?rn didn't seem to think anything was amiss. Quite the contrary.

"Ah, yes, just like that, take it in!"

In? Did he mean she should behave as if her mouth was her?—

A furious blush invaded her cheeks. She hadn't imagined doing that, just placing a few kisses on the head and maybe lick along the length, but, well, she was doing it, he was in her mouth already, or, at least, part of him was. And it wasn't bad, not bad at all. In fact, she had the odd urge to start suckling the way he had suckled her nipple earlier. His words came back to her.

Just make sure you don't bite me.

Mm. No biting. That didn't seem too hard. She sheathed her teeth with her lips and, gripping the base of his shaft, slid lower down. The hiss of pleasure she got in return made her groan.

"Ah. Do that again," Bj?rn rasped, placing a hand over her nape in encouragement.

What did he mean? The groaning? The gripping? The sliding? Not sure what he wanted, she did all three. Moaning in delight, she gripped him tighter and slid as far as she could. Then, because she could not think of anything else to do, she dragged her head back up and did the same thing again. And again, going a fraction lower each time. The hand at her nape tightened, accompanying her movements. It struck her that, in that moment, her mouth was used exactly as her?—

"You— Too good. Dunne…need to stop." Bj?rn's voice had gone all raw and he wasn't making any sense. Why should she stop if he liked what he was doing? Wasn't that the point? Besides, the hand at her nape had not released her, quite the opposite. His fingers were now fisted into her hair, holding her in place. She wasn't going anywhere. Except down. And up again. Down. An agonized moan reached her ears. "I'm going to come!"

That must mean she was doing something right. Dunne increased her speed and closed her eyes. She had gone all wet between the legs and more desperate for him than ever. She was going to erupt as soon as he entered her.

It all happened at once. Bj?rn shouted, his fingers seized around her neck, his shaft started to pulse, and heat flooded her mouth. Unsure what to do, Dunne waited, while he emptied himself with what felt like agonizing jerks against her tongue.

Then he released her hair and lay still as a corpse while his limp manhood slipped from her lips, causing some of the seed to dribble down her chin.

Bj?rn felt Dunne shift a bit and opened his eyes in time to see her wipe her chin. The gesture was so evocative that he groaned in lust.

Then reality caught up with him. This was not yet another of his lewd imaginings. This had been real. He had really used Dunne's mouth for his selfish pleasure.

"Bloody bleeding hell. Dunne, I'm so sorry."

Dunne looked at him, appearing nonplussed. "We did say we would experiment with our mouths. Why are you sorry?"

He blinked. Why was he sorry exactly? It had been the best release of his life, and she didn't appear outraged. "I…"

"Do you regret it? Did you not like it?"

"I loved it." Too much. That was the problem. He had reached his release with humiliating speed—and he had not withdrawn in time. "I came in your mouth."

"Mm. Yes, you did." She flushed.

"You're not disgusted?"

"No!" Now she looked shocked. "I love you, how could I be disgusted by anything you do?"

He rewarded this answer with a deep, lingering kiss. "I love you, too, you know that? You're one extraordinary woman."

"I'm not sure about that but?—"

"I am, and as I will be the one marrying you, we'll take my word for it."

Dunne gave a sigh. She loved how determined he was to have her love herself. This was the greatest gift he had offered her, along with mind-numbing pleasure. How had she ever thought that she would feel trapped in a marriage with this man? He had set her free. Free from her crippling doubts and the prospect of a lonely life.

Now she had so much to look forward to. Wild nights in bed, love and other children. She couldn't wait.

"Very well," she said, nestling herself in his arms. Dear God, he was so warm, so strong, so soft! "I'm extraordinary."

He grunted and flipped her over onto her back once more. Before she could say anything, he lifted one of her legs and settled it over his good shoulder. The position was shockingly intimate, but she didn't even try to cover herself. This was her husband, or would be soon. She was his to look at and love.

"I believe it is my turn to experiment with my mouth." The smile blooming on Bj?rn's lips was pure wickedness. Imagining those perfect lips nibbling at her core caused her to spasm in anticipation.

"Whatever you do, don't bite me."

"I won't. Not too hard anyway." He flashed his teeth in a wicked smile. "Now. I have it on good authority that bears like honey. Well, this bear is going to feast. And you are going to come for him."

"Yes." She suspected she would. Probably more than once.

He looked at her straight in the eye. "And then when I'm finished, I'm going to fuck you."

She whimpered. Oh yes, he did know how much hearing that word in his mouth aroused her. "I thought we were going to get married this morning?"

"I don't believe I mentioned the morning." He swirled a finger around her opening. She was wet, and desperate. "We'll have plenty of time to get married in the afternoon. Now, enough stalling, Doe, I'm starving."