Chapter 7
CHAPTER SEVEN
"I'm sure I can get up there," Dawn said, her head thrown back to look at the branches overhead. "It's easy."
"No, it's too high, sweetheart."
Dunne sighed, cursing her luck. What had the cat been thinking? Hilda had rushed up the tree in panic when a hen had started to chase her and was now mewling pitifully, as if knowing her little mistress would risk life and limb to get to her. In which she was right, Dawn absolutely would do that and more. Why, she was even now considering climbing up a thirty-foot tree on her own.
"We can't leave her alone up there. You know she can't even hear us call her. She will think we've abandoned her!"
"Dawn…" Dunne's voice trailed. She already knew her daughter would not budge until she had been reunited with her cat.
"I am not leaving until we have Hilda back," the child said, confirming what she feared.
There was only one solution. She would have to go get the cat herself. Dunne eyed up the oak, wondering how she was going to reach the lowest branch. Perhaps if she brought one of the logs she'd gotten ready for the fire to the foot of the trunk she could use it to hoist herself up. As soon as she had put her plan to execution, however, she saw that it was not going to be that simple. She was higher, admittedly, but the log she had managed to drag all the way here was not as stable as she would have liked. If she weren't careful she was going to end flat on her face. Well, she would simply have to be careful, wouldn't she?
She lifted her leg up.
"Bear! Oh! We need you!"
Dunne could have sworn out loud. Of all the villagers, he had to be the one walking by in this moment. Sometimes she wondered if fate was not working with the sole aim of making her uncomfortable, aided by a seemingly innocent white cat who'd chosen that precise moment to shoot up a tree. Only two days ago Bj?rn would have been in Denmark and her dignity would have been safe.
She lowered her leg and turned in time to see him ruffle her daughter's mop of hair.
"What's the problem, Bee?"
"Hilda is up the tree. She didn't hear the hen until it pounced on her. Mama was going to climb up to rescue her, but I think she would prefer if you did it."
Yes, indeed Dunne would be very glad to avoid what would be an ordeal for her. She would have been even more glad if Wolf of Sigurd, or anyone else had been the one coming to her aid.
"Mm, yes, I think it would be better if I did it. We don't want your mama to be injured, do we?" Bj?rn answered, taking in her precarious position. "Or worse."
Great. So he agreed she would only end up making a spectacle of herself if she tried to climb up.
A moment later she felt two strong hands around her waist, securing her position on the wobbly log. Heat flared through her at his touch. After their discussion of the previous day, when she had all but admitted to feeling desire for him, she was not ready for such intimate contact.
"Careful here. You don't want to fall flat on your face."
From her perch she was taller than him by a few inches, and so close she was able to observe him at her leisure. Details she had not noticed before captivated her attention. She could see that the lashes framing his amazing blue eyes were almost transparent at the tip, she could single out a few ginger hairs in his golden beard and tiny creases on his forehead. Just when she was wondering if she would have to ask him to put her down, he lifted her and deposited her onto the ground.
She took in a sharp inhale of breath, like someone who'd just swam under water for longer than she had planned to.
"Let me go get the cat," Bj?rn murmured.
"I don't want to put you out," she whispered back, totally under the spell of the moment. Under his spell.
"Don't worry. It will be the work of moments. Besides, I feel I should be the one retrieving Hilda. After all, I was the one who gifted her to Bee. I'm responsible for the mishap." He gave her a slanted smile and heat flared anew in her body. It was just like the day before, when they had looked at each other after she'd told him she wasn't afraid of him.
Right before he had fled.
She knew if they had been alone right now, he would have kissed her. The hold around her waist was too tight, the look in his eyes too intense, the curve on his lips too pronounced to be innocent. He wanted more. And so did she. She almost leaned in, ready for his kiss. Another inch and she would?—
"What do you mean by ‘worse'?"
They both blinked and turned to look at Dawn, who was staring at them with a frown on her face.
"Sorry, sweetheart?" Dunne asked in a croak. What had just happened? Had she really almost kissed a man in front of her daughter? It would seem so. Her body was humming in frustration at being denied what it wanted. She had never wanted to kiss anyone before and she was not best pleased at having had the delicious moment cut short.
"Bear said he didn't want you to get injured ‘or worse.' What is worse than that?"
Bj?rn gave a cough. His hold was still too tight but she didn't even consider moving away. His hands around her waist felt too good. "I meant she could fall flat on her back," he explained, looking at Dawn.
"How is that worse than being hurt?" the little girl insisted.
When Bj?rn looked back to her, the look in his eyes had become incendiary. Dunne swallowed. "Well?—"
"I think we should go and rescue Hilda," she cut in before he could tell her daughter that he was imagining her mother lying on the floor with her skirts around her ears.
While Dawn turned her attention back to the mewling cat, Dunne tried her best to ignore the hard rod pressing against her stomach. This time she could not fool herself. Bj?rn was aroused because of her. His breathing was fast in her ear, his body was taut, his eyes were burning with a mixture of arousal and amusement—a most lethal combination. She took in a deep breath and finally stepped away from him.
He shuffled on his feet, obviously fighting the urge to palm his erection. Was he in pain? She couldn't imagine how he could not be, considering how hard he'd gone. It had to hurt.
"All right, time to go up the tree. Only, I will have to remove my shirt, I'm afraid," he said in a deep rumble. "Ingrid will not thank me for ripping her first creation on the day she gave it to me."
"No, I guess not." Dunne knew his sister had been working on that shirt for months. She could well understand that he didn't want to risk it tearing when it snagged on one of the branches. Ingrid would be heartbroken.
The only problem was, she was once again going to have to see him bare-chested. It seemed at this point that she had seen him more half-naked than she had seen him fully clothed. Not that she minded. Which was precisely the problem…
Oh, yes, fate was definitely using her as a toy.
A swift jerk, a twist of the hips and Bj?rn was standing in his golden glory in front of her. Dear God, he had grown more muscular during his time in Denmark, she could not ignore it any longer. The proof of it was staring at her straight in the face. What had he been doing over there? Chopping wood for months on end, until every muscle in his body had gone as hard as iron? Perhaps. And what had she done here in the village? Gorged on Frigyth's famous oat cakes. A wave of self-consciousness washed through her. Bj?rn had never been more taut and lean while she had failed to shed any weight since she'd been widowed, rather the opposite.
"If you please?"
Dunne took the shirt Bj?rn was handing her and almost brought it to her nose to inhale the floral scent that seemed to follow him everywhere.
After one last look at her he hoisted himself up the tree and started climbing. He was as agile as he was strong, and he reached the cat in the blink of an eye. Extending a graceful arm, he plucked the little white body with one hand and started his descent with the fluff ball tucked tight against his chest.
The whole operation was over in a heartbeat, or so it seemed.
Bj?rn jumped to his feet in front of Dunne, feeling like a cat himself. She was watching him with an expression he could not quite identify. Was she grateful for his help, or was it something else? Unsurprisingly, he felt his body stir under her gaze. He had not missed the look on her face when he had taken his shirt off. All night he had regretted not making the most of the desire she'd felt for him the day before. He had fled when he should have swept her into his arms. Well he was not going to make the same mistake twice. She seemed to like his body, so he would use it as a weapon. The opportunity to parade half-naked in front of her had been too good to resist. Besides, it was the truth he did not want to ruin the shirt Ingrid had made for him. It had been the perfect excuse and he could see he had struck a chord.
Dunne was ogling him shamefully, even if he could tell she was trying not to be too obvious about it. His groin stirred again. He would not be able to wait much longer to finally put an end to the torture.
For now though, any sort of seduction would have to wait. Bee was practically jumping on the spot with impatience, waiting to get hold of Hilda.
"There you are." He handed her the cat. "No harm done."
"Oh, thank you! But you're all scratched now!" The little girl gestured to his right side.
Bj?rn shrugged, even if he could feel the sting of the cuts. Climbing bare-chested into a tree made it inevitable that he should be scratched. "'Tis nothing. It will heal quick enough, Bee."
"I'm glad you call me Bee," the little girl said seriously. "None of the grown-ups do."
"Well, I like that you call me Bear," he quipped back. "No one else does."
"They d. They call you Bj?rn and Bj?rn means bear."
The inescapable logic of the statement made him laugh. He would have to remember never to get involved in a conversation with the little Saxon. She would have his brain twisted into knots in no time if he weren't careful. She proved it with her next sentence.
"You know, bees make honey."
"Yeeess…" Where was she going with this?
"And apparently, bears love honey. The man with the bear told us so last year in town."
Ah. His lips quivered. Now he thought he knew what she was getting at. "They must do, if he told you as much. What of it?"
"Well…" Bee made a pout, as if she had hoped he would understand by himself what she was trying to say—or had just realized that there was no real point to the whole thing. "We make a good team you and I."
"You and me," Dunne piped, coming to stand next to her. In that moment the similarities between mother and daughter were glaring. "But really, Dawn, I think Bj?rn has some work to do now. He's wasted enough time going up that tree, don't you think?"
"How many times will I have to tell you, Mama? Call me Bee! And him Bear!"
Bear.
Somehow the wild name suited him. Dunne fought the urge to stroke his chest and feel if the short hairs were as soft as she imagined. How had she ever thought him a boy? He…Well, he was all man.
And he wanted her.
His words from the previous day came back to her.
I came in my braies because I was holding you in arms and you were rubbing your sweet ass all over my cock. I wanted you so damn badly I thought I might explode.
A shiver went through her. She could tell he was thinking of the same thing, of how he had admitted to lusting after her.
Why had he left so abruptly after making the shocking declaration? To stroke himself again, and relieve the desire boiling in his veins? For a moment it had looked as if he were about to tumble her into his arms. And she would have let him.
Instead, he had fled, and the moment had passed. Now she wasn't sure they would ever have the chance to give in to passion—or even if she should want it.
"Come inside. We will have to wash your cuts before you put the shirt back on," she mumbled, "otherwise you will ruin it with blood stains."
Bj?rn and Dawn followed her inside the hut. While they argued over who were the better climbers, cats or bears, she found a piece of linen and dipped it into the pot of fresh water waiting on the table.
She came to him and hesitated. Did he expect her to clean the cuts? It was possible, since they would prove hard for him to reach placed where they were, along his side and shoulder blade.
"I will do that, thank you," he murmured, taking the rag from her hand. "I seem to end up with bruises and scratches every time we meet, don't I?"
A whimper almost escaped Dunne's lips. Why did that sound so suggestive? Though he was obviously referring to the way she had hit him while defending Dawn back in autumn, he'd made it sound as if she liked to claw at his back while he made love to her.
It was all she could do not to collapse when he lifted his left arm to run the piece of cloth along the side of his chiseled chest. This wouldn't do, she had to get hold of her composure, and fast!
Just then a shriek pierced her ear.
"Bee! There you are." Elwyn and Eirik came bursting through the door. Dunne rolled her eyes, relieved at the breaking in tension. Apparently Dawn had finally convinced her cousins to call her by the animal name. She was not surprised; she had them wrapped around her little finger.
"Mama and Faeir are taking us to sleep in the forest tonight!" Elwyn told her excitedly. "We asked if you could come with us. Please do, you will love it there!"
Dawn's eyes widened with excitement at the prospect. "Can I go, Mama?"
"Of course. Run along. And don't forget to thank Auntie Frigyth."
It was only when the three children and the cat had disappeared in a flurry of limbs that Dunne realized she was now alone in the hut with Bj?rn. Alone with a bare-chested bear of a man who wanted her so badly he had told her in the crudest of terms only the day before.
Heart in her throat, she waited.
Without a word he went to close the door the children had left wide open. Her whole body went liquid. Perhaps the moment had not passed after all, and the chance to give in to passion had arrived. Perhaps he would tumble her into bed right now.
"I should?—"
"No." He came to plant himself in front of her, blocking her retreat. "Tell me about Bee's father."
She recoiled. It had been so long since she had thought of her dead husband; why was Bj?rn asking about him now? She had been so certain he was about to take her into his arms. What a fool she really was for misreading his intentions so drastically.
"Toland? Why would you want to know about him?"
His nostrils flared. "Because I'm trying to imagine the kind of man he was and it's killing me. I would like to know once and for all so I can stop torturing myself."
Dunne blinked. Bj?rn was torturing himself thinking about her late husband? This she hadn't seen coming. She nodded slowly.
"Ask what you want to know." After all, what harm could it do?
"Did you love him?"
"No." The answer darted out of her mouth before she could think. Her late husband had stirred many emotions in her, but love had never been one of them. Bj?rn must have picked on her lack of hesitation for he cocked his head.
"Did you hate him then?"
This time she did pause because that was a more complicated question. "No. Not anymore. He's been dead for months and I stopped caring about him long before that. But I did hate him at first." It felt good to admit it out loud.
Bj?rn started to pace around her. What was happening? Why was she under interrogation? Why should he even care? And why was she getting all hot and bothered? They were just having a conversation, weren't they?
"Why did you hate him? Was he violent with you?"
"He never hit me if that's what you mean."
"I would be glad to hear it if I didn't sense there was more to your answer. What did he do if he did not hit you, Dunne?" he asked, coming closer.
Her heart skipped a beat. "He…was not kind."
"Mm."
Oddly, the non-committal answer made her want to tell him more. Had he pressed her, she might have balked but he said nothing, simply carried on pacing around her, his rhythm slow, his presence comforting.
"It was not a love match, as you can imagine, but one arranged by my father," she started, while Bj?rn carried on his slow circles around her. "He was older than me, and he spent his time criticizing me, saying I couldn't cook for example, that he was fed up eating bread and cheese."
Bj?rn grunted but he did not slow down or even looked at her. "Then he should have learned to cook himself."
Dunne shrugged. Her husband's constant complaining about the food had hardly been the biggest problem she'd had to face. "He never loved our daughter. Predictably he'd wanted a boy."
This time Bj?rn stopped his prowling. "Yes. That is unforgivable."
The statement was uttered in a flat voice that somehow emphasized his disapproval. It was as if he didn't even think anyone could disagree with him. Dunne straightened her spine and carried on, warming to her theme. Admitting out loud to the pain she had experienced during all these years to someone who seemed to sympathize was cathartic. It felt as if she were purging herself of a poison that had been too long in her veins.
"He disparaged me in front of his friends, who laughed at his supposed wit. He prevented me from wearing my hair loose or cutting it shorter. He forbade me to leave the hut and go to visit my sister and friends. He called me…" She stopped because this, she could not reveal.
Bj?rn walked over to stand in front of Dunne, not liking the way she had stopped talking. She had started to open and now she was closing up again. What was she hiding?
"What did he call you, Dunne?"
At first she didn't answer. When she finally spoke her answer was so low he barely heard it. Had she said…
"Did you say ‘fat'?"
Surely he had misheard. But the way she hugged herself and refused to meet his gaze told him all he needed to know. He had not misheard. Her bastard of a husband had called her fat. Before he could think, he lifted her off her feet, forcing her to wrap her legs around his waist for comfort.
"What are you doing?" she croaked, grabbing at his shoulders. The feel of her hands on his naked shoulders sent a spike of need through his loins. It was the first time she had touched him so intimately. He didn't want it to be the last. He wanted to feel her hands all over his skin. "Put me down!"
He ignored her protests. "That's how fat you are," he told her in a growl. "You're so fat I can lift you like I would a child. By the gods, you didn't believe him, did you?"
"Well, after I had my daughter, I didn't?—"
"Enough," he cut her off. He was not interested in hearing more about her supposed weight issues. She was perfect the way she was and he should know, he spent enough time mooning after her. If she had put on a few pounds during her pregnancy, then there was nothing odd in that. And if she had still not shed them four years later, then it was hardly a problem. From what he'd seen all those months ago by the river, she had nothing to worry about. She was every man's dream.
His dream.
And he was finally holding her in his arms, just against his straining hardness.
"What else did the fool tell you?" he growled.
She bit her bottom lip. "Put me down, Bj?rn."
"No. Not before you have told me."
He waited, relishing the feel of her legs wrapped around his middle and her cool hands on his heated skin. He was hard as rock but for once he didn't pay any mind to his desire. All he wanted was to hear the extent of the damage caused to her self-esteem by that damn Toland. He nodded his encouragement and saw her nod back. She would speak, even if it took her time to build up the courage.
"He said no man could ever find me desirable."
With a roar Bj?rn marched her to the nearest wall. Spreading her legs wider, he positioned himself against her. Holding her under the buttocks he held her trapped between his body and the wall.
"Feel this?" He nudged at her, watching her eyes go wide when she felt just how hard he was. It was little wonder he should feel like a randy stallion to her, he was near to bursting. Again. "This is how undesirable you are."
"You—"
"Yes. I want you. I told you the other day. You send me wild with need every time I see you. I've wanted you from the moment I saw you at your sister's wedding. I think you are the most goddamn beautiful woman I have ever seen and this…" He gave another nudge and groaned when the friction caused sparks to shoot up his shaft. "This is the proof that I'm not lying."
"I see." He watched Dunne swallow and for a moment feared he would unman himself again. She was so hot against him, she would engulf him in flames if he ever managed to get between her legs. It could happen in a heartbeat. All he had to do was rip at his braies and lift her skirts. He was already between her spread legs. He could be inside her in moments.
"Your husband was the luckiest bastard in the entire world to have had you in his bed. He should have told you so every day."
She whimpered, as if the thought of her and Toland in bed was too much for her to bear. He could understand the feeling. It was too much to bear for him too. "He told me I was like a corpse in bed. That I should move and moan and not just lie there waiting for it to be over."
That was the last straw. The man had accused her of not bringing him pleasure when he'd been the incapable fool?
In the blink of an eye, Bj?rn had Dunne flat on her back on the pallet. Finally, he had her where he wanted her, under him, finally he was going to make love to her.
"I will take great pleasure in proving to you that husband of yours was wrong in every way. It's not the woman's fault if the man above her doesn't make her writhe and scream. A corpse," he said between his teeth, unable to believe it. Dunne was anything but cold and insensitive. She was pure womanly fire. He would make sure she moved and moaned, not because he wanted her to, but because she would not be able to help herself. "Look at you alive under me."
Alive.
Yes, that was exactly how Dunne felt right now. She was writhing, whimpering, rubbing herself against Bj?rn. She could not help herself, she could not get enough of his warm, taut body above her, poised between her legs. It was so different from when she had lain under Toland. This time she wanted to be here, wanted to press herself against the hard length prodding against her center, making her melt.
Her hands started to brush along his back in a back and forth motion, and she relished the way his muscles twisted and shifted under her touch. Such power! Such beauty! And all for her. She wasn't sure what to do with it. She felt like a sailor about to face his first storm, both apprehensive and eager to test what his ship was capable of.
"This is all new to me," she whispered. She preferred to be honest because her inexperience scared her. What if Bj?rn was disappointed by her lack of skills, like Toland? What if he expected her to do more than lie there? She had no notion of how to please a man. For the first time in her life, she wanted to, but she had no idea where to begin.
"It is all new to me too," he panted, his mouth at her neck.
"What do you mean?" Surely he had never been married to someone he hated? Surely he was not afraid of disappointing her?
He seemed to hesitate then placed his forehead against hers. "I've never lain with a woman before." Dunne stilled at the unexpected admission. Bj?rn, the strong Norseman, the epitome of male beauty and power, was a virgin? Not for a moment had she imagined that would be the case. He must have mistaken her surprise for displeasure because he drew back. "If it's too odd for you, I?—"
She placed a hand at the back of his neck to stop him from retreating. "It's not odd." In fact, it reassured her. He would not be comparing her to his other lovers and find her lacking, which had been her biggest fear, he would not think her inadequate. "We will learn together."
Sensing it would be up to her to resume their lovemaking, she reached out to the laces at the front of his braies, eager to bare him to her then cursed her inexperience when she couldn't seem to be able to free his straining member.
"Help me," she whimpered.
While Bj?rn fumbled at his crotch, she opened her legs wider, making her invitation clear.
"Wait," he growled. "This isn't right. I should undress you…"
Her gown was bunched around her waist and her breasts were not even exposed but it didn't matter. She couldn't wait another moment. "This will have to do. I'm not a virgin, so there will be no pain."
At least, she didn't think so. Being bedded by Toland had always been uncomfortable but she'd heard that it could, and should, be different. She could already tell nothing Bj?rn did would hurt her. Quite the opposite.
A warm hand landed over her sex. She almost bit her tongue at the exquisite sensation then arched her back when a finger entered her, gentle and possessive all at once. She was liquid with anticipation and Bj?rn seemed just as aroused as she was.
"Bloody hell, I will spill as soon as I get inside you," he said in a rasp. "It is inevitable. I want you too much, I won't be able to stop myself. You're too beautiful, too hot, you will feel too good, and I lack the control to make it last. But I swear I will make it up to you afterward, there will?—"
"Hush. Bj?rn, please, take me, I'm burning."
It was both better than he could have hoped and worse than he had feared.
Bj?rn bunched up every single one of his muscles, absorbing the wonder of being inside a woman's silken body, of being inside this woman he had wanted for years. It was torture and ecstasy rolled into one. He was going to die, but he was going to die a happy man. The heat, the softness, the slickness of her! He'd entered her in one smooth thrust that had almost caused him to erupt.
"Dunne," he whispered against her neck, both a plea and a thank you. "Dunne."
"Yes." She sounded just as breathless, just as overwhelmed as he was.
"Can I move?" He was going to expire from want if he didn't. But he was going to explode if he did. It was an impossible situation. The best moment of his life.
"Ah, please."
He reared up and plunged again into bliss. Then again. Under him Dunne was moaning, urging him on.
Bj?rn lost all restraint. Swearing to himself he would do whatever it took to pleasure her later, he started pumping, closing his eyes, and gritting his teeth to try and hold on to some semblance of control. His seed was boiling in his spine, ready to shoot out of him. This was going to be like never before, nothing like the solitary pleasure he usually wrenched from himself.
"I can't…" he panted.
The moan that answered him was so filled with lust he could not hold on any longer. He tensed like a bow string and erupted in a series of spurts that caused his whole body to convulse in a shattering release. It was uncontrollable. Glorious. It blinded him and almost caused his heart to stop.
After a while the world shifted back into place. He was lying above Dunne, supporting his weight on his bent arms. At least he had not been so lost to all reality that he had crushed her under his bulk. She had stopped moving and seemed to be waiting for him. Then he felt her nudge at him. White sparks ignited in his spine.
"You…You're still hard," she rasped, holding him tight against her.
"Mm. Yes." He was still embedded inside her as well. Apparently, one soul-shattering climax was not enough to sate his need for this woman. Grateful that his age gave him at least one advantage, he hooked one of Dunne's legs under the knee to bring it to his waist, opening her up wider for his thrusts. "So let me give you more."
Now that the fire in his blood had cooled somewhat, he might be able to take it slower and bring her the pleasure she deserved. This second bout of lovemaking would be for her. He took her in long, leisurely strokes, finding a rhythm that suited both of them, marveling at how tight she hugged him, at how perfect this was.
"Bj?rn, it's…"
He stilled. "What? Too much? Should I stop?"
"No. Don't. It feels too good."
Sharp nails scored his shoulders, spurring him on. It seemed he would end up with even more scratches. But these he would wear with pride since they were the proof he had pleasured her so well she had forgotten herself. Groaning, he swore to himself he would not stop until she had come apart in his arms. A moment later she did just that.
"Ah!"
He roared when her sheath seized and started to tighten around him. Only a moment ago he'd thought it impossible to feel more pleasure but incredible sensations starting to bloom in his body and his his heart. Never had he imagined he would derive so much satisfaction from watching someone else's pleasure. Clearly he had much to learn about lovemaking, and he'd found the perfect woman with which to do it. Dunne was his every dream come true, giving herself to him without hesitation, without making him feel inadequate for his lack of experience.
Throwing his head back, he came again, filling her with all he had.
Dunne was struggling to come back to reality. When she eventually did, she found that she was crying. Unstoppable sobs racked through her, making her eyes burn and her chest heave.
"Dunne, no! Please, don't cry." Bj?rn sounded panicked. He slid off her, taking his wonderful heat with him. "Did I hurt you? I'm sorry, I'm so sorry. I told you, I don't know what I'm doing, you should have told me I was being too?—"
"No," she managed to say through her tears. "You didn't hurt me. Only…It was too much, like nothing I ever—Sorry, I just need to let it out."
She was blabbering on but in his arms, she had experienced something she had never suspected could exist, much more than physical pleasure. She had hoped being bedded by Bj?rn would not be painful, and it hadn't been. But how could she have suspected it could be so…The word eluded her. Wonderful? No, too vague. Overwhelming? Certainly, but not positive enough. Life-changing? Perhaps.
When Bj?rn drew her into his arms she didn't even try to resist. She was a limp mess, and his to do whatever he wanted with.
"I'm here. Cry all you want. It's a different kind of release, I suppose."
Yes, that was exactly what it was. A release she had needed just as much as the explosion of pleasure, the ability to admit to herself she could be a desirable—and desired—woman. Being shown that she was not the worthless, graceless lump Toland had accused her of being was doing to her mind what Bj?rn's possession had done to her body.
It took her a while to master the tempest wrecking through her soul but slowly, she came back to calmer shores. Pressed against a strong, smooth chest, she could feel her mind ease itself into a different reality.
"Now," Bj?rn said in a low rumble. "I know I'm going about it all the wrong way but…Can I undress you now? I need to see your body."
Indeed, even if he was bare-chested, she was still fully dressed. Dunne's heart tripped in her chest at the thought of a man seeing her naked but there was such desire in Bj?rn's eyes that she didn't hesitate. She could not refuse him, not when they had discovered pleasure together, not when he had called her desirable, not when…well, when she wanted to be naked in front of him. Earlier she had bemoaned the difference between them, but she could tell he didn't think her any less beautiful than she thought him handsome.
"On one condition," she said, looking at him under her lashes. "I want to see your body as well."
He was tugging at his braies before she had even finished the sentence. The boots quickly followed. Soon, he was standing nude and magnificent, in front of her. Her mouth dropped open. The member in its nest of golden curls was not the powerful rod she had felt ramming inside her earlier but neither was it a limp worm. Either it had still not gone back to its original state or it was lengthening again. Bj?rn let her look her fill for a long moment, sensing she needed time to absorb the sight of him in his full glory, for which she was grateful. Then he knelt down by her side.
"It's your turn, beautiful." His voice was as husky as she had ever heard it.
"Wait, Bj?rn." She bit her lip, suddenly nervous. "If we are both naked together we might wish to…you know."
It seemed inevitable. He was looking at her like a predator eyeing up its prey and his member had gone from mildly interested to raging hard, betraying his need for more relief—and her body was responding accordingly.
Bj?rn smiled and reached out to the laces at her bodice.
"No ‘might' about it. Bee is with Frigyth and Sigurd. Ingrid will not be waiting for me. We have all night." He slipped a hand under her gaping bodice and groaned when his fingers closed over her breast to find her hard nipple. "Once we are both naked and I have stroked every inch of your gorgeous body, I will fuck you again."