Chapter 16

Skadi

I stoodoutside my cabin watching the recovery men deal with Erik"s car, not entirely sure how to deal with the ache that was sitting in my heart. I"d expected him to be here when they came to get it, even if that wasn"t entirely logical when I knew that he was busy with work.

A lone figure headed my way across the snow, and I readied myself to deal with a lost hiker. It was only when the figure drew closer that I realised I"d mistaken who it was, and my heart skipped a beat.

"You came." My breath clouded the air as I spoke, and I could barely hear myself over the racing of my pulse.

"You didn"t think I"d pass up a chance to see you again, did you?" Erik asked.

I stared at him for a few moments, not quite believing he was here, even though it was what I"d been hoping for. "I didn"t know what to think."

"Can we talk?"

I nodded. The way he said it sounded ominous, but I had to trust that this would all turn out okay. "Are you fine letting them deal with your car unsupervised?"

He nodded. "It"ll need a check-up from the garage anyway. I brought my grandfather"s to get here."

"Ah." I turned towards my front door and opened it, leading him into the cloakroom so we could both hang up our coats.

He shrugged his off, revealing a snug-fitting jumper underneath. "Wait, I brought something." He dug into the pocket of his coat and pulled out a pair of fluffy socks. "I figured I should bring you a souvenir from London."

I raised an eyebrow. "And you chose socks?"

"You"re the kind of person who likes gifts you can actually use. Considering I know nothing about skis, I thought this was safer."

"You grew up in town, how do you know nothing about skis?"

"All right, I know the basics. But I"m also not the fool to present the goddess of skiing with skis."

"You probably couldn"t afford the brand I like anyway."

Erik snorted. "I"m an international superstar, I can afford the skis you like."

His words took a moment to sink in. He was right. He did have the money to buy me expensive gifts, but he hadn"t because he"d read the situation right and worked out what I"d want more.

He"d read me right.

I didn"t even need Lofn"s help to decipher how I felt about this situation.

I stepped forward and took them from him. "Thank you, they"re perfect."

The way his face lit up suggested the present had been received the exact way he wanted it to be. I leaned in to kiss his cheek, then lingered for a moment, wanting to do far more than that.

Erik seemed to realise the same and reached out to put a hand on my waist, pulling me to him.

The moment his lips met mine, all rational thoughts fled, and it only became about wanting more of him. Except that we were definitely in the wrong place for that.

I broke the kiss but didn"t move away from him. "We should go into the cabin properly before we continue this."

He nodded, his eyes heavy with need.

I swallowed hard and led him into the main room, suddenly feeling a lot more exposed than the first time I"d led him into my home. Maybe because this time I wanted him here, it wasn"t a necessity caused by the storm.

I set my new socks down on the coffee table and turned to him, intent on continuing what we started in the cloakroom. I stepped closer to him and wrapped my arms around his neck.

His hands rested on my waist, and I could tell from the rapid rise and fall of his chest that he was affected by this as I was.

"As much as it pains me to say this, we should talk first," he said.

"First?"

"Well, yes. If the conversation goes the way I think it will, we can get straight back to this afterwards."

"Then is there a reason to talk?"

He chuckled, brushing a hand against my cheek. "You know there is."

"Okay, I"m listening."

"I"ve missed you," he said softly. "I know that"s a crazy thing to say when we"ve barely spent any time together, but when I was in London doing all my work stuff, I spent the whole time wishing I was back here."

I bit my lip. "I wished you were back here too."

"Not that you were with me in London?" he asked.

"No. I"m sorry. I"ve moved for someone before, lived in a place other than this, and I can"t do it again."

"Okay."

I blinked. "What?"

"I"m not asking you to move to London with me. I don"t even live in London."

"Why were you there then?"

"It"s where Mimi was taking a break from her current tour for our recording session," he said. "The truth of it is that I never feel as at home as I do on these mountains. It"s nothing to do with you, but maybe it"s why I feel like I do about you. It"s always been home to me, and I think I"d like it if I had a reason to come back here more."

"And you want me to be that reason?"

"Yes." The look on his face said it all.

"I"d like that too," I whispered.

"Good, then it"s settled."

"So it is." I bit my lip, drawing his gaze there. "Does that mean I can go back to kissing you?"

"I"d very much like that."

I didn"t say anything in response, instead, I leaned forward and captured his lips with mine, kissing him deeply.

His hand tangled in my hair and my own started pulling at his clothes. I wasn"t normally like this, but then, I also wasn"t normally someone who thought about more with someone.

It was clear to me that there was something about Erik that meant I didn"t want to let go.

I broke away from him so I could strip off my clothes, heading towards the stairs as I did. As much as there was something to be said for passion so strong it didn"t matter where we were, I was more of a bedroom person.

He followed me, dropping his clothes on the way until we were both in my bedroom, completely naked and breathing heavily.

Erik turned me so my back was against his chest and he swept my hair off my shoulder so he could kiss my neck. His hand brushed against the underside of my breast and I pushed back into him, the calluses on his fingers from playing the guitar only adding to the excitement.

I could already feel the pleasure building within me, and let out a sharp cry when his fingers found their way to the sweet spot between my legs.

I leaned back into him, trying to hold on but knowing There was no real use.

Except that it didn"t entirely feel right. Not when this time meant something different than before. I moved his hand from me and turned in his arms, feeling his skin against mine and everything that brought with it.

"Are you okay?" he asked.

I nodded. "But I want you." I took his hand and drew him to the bed, drawing him down on top of me. I fumbled with the drawer to get a condom, but he ended up having to do it for me.

There was something about this moment that felt different from before, but just as good. I met his gaze as he entered me, and the intensity in his eyes was almost enough to push me over the edge by itself.

I let myself get lost in him, because right now, nothing else mattered. At least until I fell apart, the pleasure too intense to take and unable to be held back any longer.

Much like my feelings towards him, making it all the sweeter.