Chapter 3

CHAPTER THREE

"This is Demon, my horse." Wolf gestured to the black stallion tethered behind him. "Bj?rn told me you intended to go to the village beyond the forest. He will take you there."

"Thank you." Dunne placed a hand on the animal's rump gingerly. Not that there was any need to be wary. The horse seemed rather placid, just like its huge master. "Erm. He's…impressive."

The Icelander smiled. "I know. You're not the first person to comment on his size."

"I'm sorry to be so predictable," she mumbled.

A chuckle reached her from behind. "I'm glad you spoke before I did, because I was about to say the same thing." Bj?rn laughed. "I would hate to be seen as the predictable one. Much better it was you."

She had no idea if he was lying to try to alleviate her embarrassment or if he spoke the truth but either way the show of support comforted her. She thanked him with a brief smile.

"Bj?rn, you'll climb on first," Wolf instructed. "I'll help Dunne on once you're settled."

Apparently she was to ride pillion, something she had never done before. Two strong hands grabbed her by the waist and hoisted her up. She lifted her leg instinctively and found herself sitting on top of the enormous horse. Before she had time to prepare herself for the intimacy of the contact, she found herself wrapped around Bj?rn like a vine. Her arms encircled his trim waist, her legs bracketed him, and her chest was plastered against his taut back. He was warm and solid against her.

She almost closed her eyes in delight.

"Do you feel secure enough?" Wolf asked. "You'll need to hold on tight while you ride."

Yes. That was the problem. She made a sound that could pass for an agreement and looked away.

After one last thanks to Wolf, Bj?rn clicked his tongue and Demon walked on.

As they progressed, it became harder and harder not to place her cheek against his shoulder blade. There was no choice but to resist the urge, however. Holding him was justified by her position, but what would he think if she started rubbing against him in the same way cats sometimes rubbed against her, as if trying to burrow under her skin?

They reached the village too soon for her liking. She could have spent the whole day riding with Bj?rn's warm body pressed against hers. It felt…natural, which did not make sense. They had only known each other for a week.

"The hut is out of the village, this way."

She indicated a path meandering through young saplings. Bj?rn steered the stallion in that direction without a word. As they neared the place, Dunne's heart started a wild drum in her chest. Memories flooded her, each more unpleasant than the last. The stream where she had drawn water to cook the food Toland always disparaged, the meadow where she put his disgusting clothes to dry, the oak, at whose foot, she had cried herself to exhaustion too many times.

Why had she come? She should have sent Wolf and Sigurd to sort things out. Simply being here made her nauseous. Her arms instinctively tightened around Bj?rn as if in search of comfort.

And then, at last, the hut appeared through the trees. A gasp escaped her lips.

She had expected to find the place deserted, but it was a hub of activity. What was happening? The hut's door was open, people were coming and going with their hands full of various objects. She saw a tall, ginger man carry the blanket her mother had made for her when she was a child and load it into a waiting cart. Her heart jumped in her throat. No! She could not be parted from that! It was the only thing she had left of her mother.

"Who are these men?" Bj?rn asked over his shoulder.

"I recognize only one, Toland's brother. I imagine the others are his friends. But what are they doing here?"

"They are stealing your possessions, that's what they're doing!" Bj?rn replied, urging Demon into a canter.

A heartbeat later, they came to a halt in front of Leodred. His eyes went wide when he recognized her. "Dunne!"

"Leodred," she said frostily. He had always been more affable than Toland but that didn't mean much. Next to her husband anyone would have been considered personable and right now she was not disposed to generosity. He was, after all, stealing what little she possessed.

Bj?rn was already off the horse and waiting to help her jump down. She thanked him with a squeeze of her fingers and planted herself in front of Leodred.

"What are you doing here? Why are you taking my things?"

The man scratched his thinning hair. "Well, I thought you'd left after Toland's death, you see, and I had no idea where you'd gone."

Was that his excuse? She'd been gone less than two weeks! "I did leave. But this is still my house."

"Actually…"

That one word sent dread along her spine. "Actually?"

The man shuffled on his feet. "The day he died, Toland had visited me to tell me that he intended to bequeath the house to me in the event of this death."

Dunne worked very hard to hide her shock. Her husband had decided to leave her and their daughter destitute? Was that what his brother was saying? But why was she even surprised? He had borne her no love. Instead of betraying her hurt and disbelief, she chose another tack.

"The day he died, he'd gone to visit one of his many lovers, not you."

Leodred did not have the decency to appear uncomfortable. Evidently he thought Toland's love life was none of her concern. As his wife, she could not quite agree, even if she had not been jealous.

"He did go to her, but first he came to me. Business first, pleasure after, I guess."

What could she say to that? Nothing.

When he saw she didn't answer, Leodred let his gaze wander over her. Dunne shivered in revulsion. The two brothers shared similar features and for the first time she had an inkling of how Toland would have appeared if he had looked at her with desire. Perhaps it was for the best he had not, because the result made her flesh crawl. The man was practically licking his lips.

"Between you and me, I never understood why Toland chose to go to other women when he had you in his bed. I told him so many times. Surely a woman like you can provide a man adequate relief?"

Behind her she heard what sounded like a snarl and suddenly she felt a masculine presence looming over her. Goaded beyond endurance by the pathetic display, Bj?rn had decided to intervene. She was instantly comforted.

"You claim the house is yours, that Toland gave it to you in preference to his wife and child," Bj?rn said, deliberately ignoring the lewd comments. "That's very convenient, is it not? What proof do you have of all this? Or are we to accept your word without question?"

Leodred blinked at him. "And who are you?"

Bj?rn clenched his fists. He'd heard and seen enough of the man, who was nothing but a despicable liar and a lecher to boot. He just wanted him and his cronies gone.

"Nevermind who I am, it is of no import. If the house really belongs to you, you had better prove it to Dunne before you start stealing her possessions."

"Alas, as we know, my brother met his demise the very day he told me of his decision. There was no time to inform anyone else."

"What a shame." Bj?rn bared his teeth menacingly, glad to stand several inches taller than the Saxon. He was impressing him without effort. "So, in the absence of proof, the house still belongs to Dunne. As does everything inside it. You had better start unloading that cart."

There was a pause as the man considered his next move but Dunne took a step forward, standing her ground. "Start with the blanket. I'll be taking it with me today."

Leodred took in a sharp breath, not best pleased to be ordered about by a woman. "There is, of course, an obvious way to solve the problem," he said, his gaze fastening onto her. The look in his eyes was predatory. Bj?rn felt his hairs raise on end. "You and I could marry. Then we would both own the?—"

"No."

The word exploded out of his mouth and he placed himself in front of Dunne to make his intent crystal clear. This man would marry her over his dead body. Not that there was any risk it would ever happen. He could tell from the way her body had tensed that she didn't want to be Leodred's wife either. Bj?rn could only congratulate himself on having accompanied her today. The idea of her having to face the scoundrel on her own made his stomach churn.

Leodred was not so easily beaten, however. "Leave us, pup," he said dismissively. "No one asked for your opinion. Dunne doesn't need you to handle these negotiations. Why, you could be her son!"

Bj?rn gritted his teeth. Did the man have to hit where it hurt? He knew he was markedly younger than her, but it didn't signify anything for him. Besides, he didn't have to take it lying down, did he? He could give as good as he got. "I could be her son, but only if she had given birth to me at age ten, after being bedded at age nine by a lecherous goat old enough to be her grandfather."

The man blinked once. Twice. Then he frowned. "Are you calling me a lecherous goat?"

"A bit slow on the uptake, are we, old man?" Bj?rn sneered. "Must be the age."

"Listen here, you?—"

"No. You listen to me. Dunne is not marrying you, or anyone. She is not going anywhere but back to the Norsemen village with me, and you will leave her and her house alone. Us three here know there is no validity in your claim that the house belongs to you, so you will drop it."

"You are no one, you have no right to meddle in?—"

"On the contrary, I have every right. She's carrying my child."

A stunned silence followed the declaration. Dunne looked at him with eyes as round as coins. In that moment she looked remarkably like her daughter. But Bj?rn was not going to back down so easily. Leodred was not getting his filthy hands on her property—much less on her body.

"So you see," Bj?rn concluded, straightening up to his full height. "Unless you want to fight me for her, which I would be only too happy to do, you will back right off."

"I'm carrying your child! What were you thinking saying such a thing?"

Dunne rounded on Bj?rn, torn between disbelief and outrage. What had gotten into him that he could make such a ludicrous claim?

It had had one advantage though. After having deposited her belongings back inside the house under Bj?rn's menacing glare, Leodred and his friends had left.

For a moment she had feared they would take advantage of the fact that they outnumbered him four to one, but mercifully they had seemed to conclude that he was more than capable of taking them on. Perhaps the men Leodred had rounded up had been reluctant to pillage her home to begin with, or perhaps they thought Bj?rn would prove a formidable adversary, especially if she sided with him. Whatever the reason, they had not even tried to go against him from the moment they'd heard him claim he was the father of her unborn child.

Too stunned to react to the declaration at first, then too relieved to see the men leave, she had kept her temper in check for as long as she could but as soon as the cart had disappeared around the bend, she exploded.

"How could you say something like that without even consulting with me first?"

Bj?rn was not impressed by her outburst. "When could I consult with you? How? Leodred needed to be told in no uncertain terms that he could not lay claim to you. If I had asked to speak to you privately in the middle of the conversation, it would have looked as if we were concocting a story, a story he would never have believed."

He had a point, but she refused to acknowledge it. "So it was better to act the part of the possessive oaf?"

He twisted his lips. "Yes. And what is it to you if I am seen as an oaf anyway?"

She refused to be amused. "Why did you do that?"

His answer took her by surprise. "Sigurd once told me he had pretended to be Frigyth's husband to save her from a union she didn't want."

Dunne stared at him. As Frigyth's sister, she knew all about the deception that had taken place some three years ago. But that lie had ended up in a true, happy marriage. "What does that have to do with anything?"

Bj?rn shrugged, as if the answer was obvious. It wasn't to her. "It gave me the idea of pretending we were involved. I could not claim we were married. Leodred would only have asked to see proof of the union, and there is none."

No, there wouldn't be, since they were not married. The mere idea of belonging to another man sent her heart fluttering in anguish. She had sworn to herself that she would never marry again. Dunne forced herself to focus. They were not discussing marriage, fortunately, only the lie he had spun.

"But there is no proof that I am carrying your child either," she said in a whisper.

Bj?rn's gaze landed on Dunne's stomach. It looked so soft and inviting, the perfect place to pillow his head after making love to her and watch as a new life bloomed inside her. He cleared his throat. Why was he getting lost in such fanciful musings? Since when had his physical craving for her become a longing for more? For a family together?

Things were progressing at an alarming speed.

"It was the only thing I could do to stop the man. And there is no proof that you are not with child at the moment," he answered roundly. "Leodred has no choice but to take my word for it. Pregnancies do not show until a few months in. I knew the blaggard would not want to raise a Norseman's bastard or risk marrying a woman already with child."

She still didn't appear convinced. "But we never even slept together!"

"I know." By the gods, didn't he know it. Sleeping with her was all he could think of day and night. "But Leodred doesn't. And we could easily have." All too easily. Right now he was battling the need to carry her over to her pallet and bury himself deep within her, show her that he would do much more than lie to protect her from other men's lust.

"But…" Dunne hesitated.

He steeled himself. "But what?"

Please don't let her say that she agreed with Leodred, that she thought him young enough to be her son…Please, let her not see him in that light. He was a man, damn it all! Never had he felt more like one than in front of her, a woman he desired.

"Don't you have a sweetheart back at the village, a girl who could take exception to the lie?"

He let out a breath. She was only worried about the possible damage to his love life. If she assumed he had one, it meant she didn't think him too young to even think about bedding women. The relief was palpable.

"No, I don't have a sweetheart," he growled. "Don't worry about me. What matters is that you won't have to marry yet another man you don't want."

There was a pause as she absorbed what he'd just said. Then she nodded. "Yes. That is all that matters. I suppose I should thank you."

"I suppose you should." He arched a brow. "Whenever you're ready."

She pinched her lips at his provoking words. "Thank you, Bj?rn."

"You're very welcome. After all, lying didn't cost me anything."

No, perhaps not. Still. Dunne was grateful for his help. There was no denying she would have had a hard time dealing with Leodred without him. She had not even thought to doubt the fact that her brother-in-law now owned the hut. Had Bj?rn not been there she would not have realized that, without proof, he could not dispossess her.

"Shall we? I would like to reach the village before nightfall if possible, and see Dawn."

He nodded and led her back to Demon. After stuffing the blanket in the saddlebags he had insisted on bringing with them, he helped her back into the saddle. It was only when he climbed on himself that she realized he had put her in front this time. At first she was glad of the change, as it meant she wouldn't have to press herself against his back or feel his body rub the tender place between her legs. But then she saw how utterly engulfed in his embrace she was. With his strong thighs cradling her buttocks, his chest supporting her back and his arms holding the reins around her, she was not going anywhere.

"I thought we might try it this way since Wolf is not here to help you into the saddle," Bj?rn said, his voice reaching her from somewhere above her head.

"Yes." She could not have uttered more than that one word if her life had depended on it.

The horse started to move and it all became even more intimate. No longer able to keep her back straight she had no choice but to mold herself against Bj?rn's solid chest.

To hide her unease she started talking about a girl from the Norsemen village called Gertrud. She'd had the impression that all the men in the village lusted after her. Perhaps Bj?rn was one of them. Talking about a girl he was attracted to might distract him and make him forget how intimately he was holding her.

"She has the palest, bluest eyes I've ever seen. And that's saying something, since I have seen more blue eyes since I arrived at the village than I thought possible." She gave a little laugh. Could Bj?rn hear how nervous she was? Probably. But at least he could not see her face, which had no doubt become flushed. "I think Frigyth and Merewen, and Dawn and I, of course, must be the only people there with eyes that are not blue. Gertrud's really are extraordinary."

They were. But Dunne found herself thinking that she preferred the blue to be deeper, like…Well, just like Bj?rn's. It was more arresting, less crystal-like, almost velvety. She shook her head. Velvety eyes…What was she thinking?

Seeing that he didn't respond, she carried on with her rambling, talking about the first thing that came to mind. Anything would be better than silence.

"I heard that Magnus the smithy broke his anvil the other day. I cannot imagine how one might do that, but evidently it is possible. Can you fathom such a thing?"

There was no answer.

By the gods, he was going to come. Here, out in the open, whilst fully dressed and sitting on a horse, just from holding Dunne in his lap and hearing her talk about…Bj?rn gritted his teeth. What was she talking about exactly? Blue eyes and the village smithy's anvil? He had no idea and he didn't care. All he knew was that he had been hard from the moment he had settled her between his legs. Why had he suggested she might want to swap and sit in front of him?

Every movement of the horse sent him closer to explosion. When it walked, the gentle rocking was impossible to withstand. When it trotted it was even worse, and he did not dare canter, knowing he would be unable to focus properly. The last thing he wanted was to send them both toppling head over heels. To make matters worse, he had not stroked himself in days, too ashamed to picture Dunne to bring himself release now that he knew her and he had met her young daughter.

But now…The unusually long abstinence was taking its toll. The way her buttocks were rubbing against him was sweet torture, the warmth of her body, the softness of her curves cradling him was beautiful agony. It was all…too much…He was going to…Ah!

In one powerful rush, he erupted, warmth flooding his braies. A groan escaped his lips, almost a whimper. Never had anything so delicious felt so excruciating.

Dunne stopped talking about whatever she was talking about and looked at him over her shoulder. "Bj?rn, are you all right?"

No, he was not all right, never had he felt worse, or more humiliated. Had she heard him groan? Had she…Damnation, had she felt anything? His hardness, the heat blooming between their two bodies?

"Yes," he breathed. "I'm all right. Only I need…"

He needed to get her off of him before she realized what had happened, if by some miracle she hadn't already. Pulling on the reins, he jumped from the saddle as quickly as if he had been scalded by his release and hurried toward the undergrowth.

"I'll hold Demon while you see to your needs," he heard Dunne say.

Oh, now she thought he was going to shit himself. How much worse could it all get? This was a nightmare.

He looked at his wet lap in consternation, not sure what to do next. Never before had he come in his braies, or even come close. Thankfully, he was wearing dark clothes so nothing showed, and his erection had subsided. He might be able to get away with it if he behaved as if nothing was amiss. In any case he could not remain here all day. At some point he would have to leave his hiding place and face Dunne.

Dunne patted the stallion's neck, trying to calm the beating of her heart. What sort of a wanton creature was she turning into? She had no idea, but feeling Bj?rn behind her, with his member hard as rock, had created havoc with her senses. At first she had thought that the protuberance she felt pressing against the small of her back might be part of the saddle but then she had understood it was not. Heat had flooded her veins at the realization. The man holding her in his arms was aroused.

Impressively so.

Of course, this had nothing to do with her, could not have anything to do with her. Gertrud was most probably the reason. Why, oh, why, had she talked to him about the girl who roused all the men's interest when in all probability the motion of the horse was enough to stir a man's lust? Why did she have to add to the problem? She had never ridden with a man before, but she should have seen it coming.

She should have refused to sit in front of him. It had been marginally less intimate being at the back. At least she had been none the wiser about his body's response to being in the saddle.

Bj?rn soon reappeared, a look she could not decipher on his face. Then she understood it was embarrassment. Yes, that had to be it. He probably feared she would end up noticing his hardness if they carried on as they'd been earlier. Well, too late, she had already noticed. Not that she would tell him as much, of course. But she could spare him further humiliation, at least.

"I will sit behind you for the rest of the journey, if you don't mind," she murmured, not quite able to meet his eye. "It was more comfortable than in the front."

Had he just groaned? With her gaze on the ground, she could not be sure. She waited, still not looking at him.

"Very well," he said gruffly. "I'm sorry I suggested the change."

Oh, now he would take her for an ungrateful wretch. "It's nothing to do with you," she specified hurriedly, "only, I felt as if I hampered your handling of the reins placed where I was. You would be more comfortable, no doubt, if you were able to see where you're going."

She had to stop talking now, before she admitted that the feel of his hardness rubbing against her had roused unholy feelings within her.

"Yes," he agreed slowly.

"And here I can use a log or a rock as a mounting block. No need for Wolf to help me up."

Nodding, Bj?rn led Demon to a fallen tree. He climbed on first, then held out his hand to her. Placing her left foot on the stirrup, she hoisted herself up as best as she could.

"Hold me tighter," Bj?rn instructed, his voice gruffer than ever. He was angry with her, and no wonder. She had insulted him moments after he had helped her get rid of Leodred. "Otherwise you are going to fall as soon as we move."

She tightened her arms around his trim waist and felt her breasts flatten against his back. The heat of his body warmed the place between her thighs. Again.

Mm. Perhaps she should have offered to walk.