Chapter 18

CHAPTER EIGHTEEN

H ow would he look with long hair and a beard, Caedmon wondered as he rinsed his clothes in the stream? Would it feel weird? Would Ingrid like to see it? He would have to ask her when he got back home. Of course he would never look like a Norseman but now that he lived in their village and was married to Ingrid, he almost felt like one. With them he'd found the home he'd been looking for, at least. They had welcomed him with open arms. He had already started to learn the language and working with Magnus at the forge had helped to make him an integral part of the community. It turned out that a good number of the men here wanted to lavish their wealth on their wives and having a goldsmith on hand had proven to be what they needed.

Wolf had been his first customer, commissioning a pair of silver earrings for Merewen, and only the day before Sigurd had come to ask if he could make a bracelet for Frigyth, to be given to her at the birth of their child in a few months' time.

"No," Caedmon had answered, enjoying the scowl on the Dane's face. "I'm going to show you how, but you are going to make the bracelet yourself. We both know that's what she would prefer."

Something had flashed in Sigurd's eyes. Anger? Amusement? Gratitude? Probably a mixture of all three. "Bloody hell, you can't help it, can you, Coldman? You really are a good man, down to the marrow."

"Apparently so." He afforded a smile. It was not such a problem anymore. "Now let us see if we can do something that bears no resemblance to vegetables. One turnip is enough for anyone to have to wear, I think."

"It's a bird," the Norseman grumbled.

"If you say so."

There had been only one uncomfortable moment, when Bj?rn had drawn him to one side on the morning of his wedding to promise to tear him limb from limb if he ever caused his sister any pain. His answer—that he would gladly allow him to geld him if that was the case, as he would deserve nothing less—must have pleased his brother-in-law, because they had since become the best of friends.

Caedmon looked at the sky and took in a deep breath. Yes. His new life promised to be a happy one, filled with all the things he had gone all the way to London to try and find. Who would have thought he should simply have gone to the other side of the forest?

Oh, well, it was done now.

Just as he was wringing out the water from the last of his shirts, Magnus appeared through the bushes, a rod in hand, and called out to him. "Caedmon! I'm going fishing. Would you like to come with me?"

Fishing.

He smiled to himself, remembering his discussion with Ingrid the day after she had stitched his wound and how she had pretended he had asked her to go fishing while out of his mind with the healer's potion. How had she hoped to get away with such an outrageous lie? As if he would not remember being desperate for a woman's touch.

He shook his head. "No, thank you, Magnus. There is only one person I would ever…go fishing with."

And he would go to her now. With luck, she would feel better. The last few days had been hard, for both of them. Despite being newly married and happy, Ingrid had suffered from irrepressible sadness two days before her flux started and then from crippling pain when she'd started bleeding. Although he had not had to endure any of it himself, it had crushed him to see her in such a state.

He found her still lying down but smiling. She also looked more rested than she had in days. A wave of tenderness crashed through him. This woman was his whole world, and right now, he needed to hold her. Unable to resist, he took all his clothes off and fell down next to her on the pallet, engulfing her into his arms. She instantly snuggled up against him, all warm and sweet-smelling.

"My love. How are you feeling?"

"Like myself again. Forgive me, it's been a rough few days," she murmured against his throat.

"Don't worry about me. As long as you feel better now."

Seeing how much she suffered, physically and mentally, was agony. He'd only seen it twice but it was twice too many. Knowing there was nothing he could do to help made him feel useless. He'd asked Helga the day before if she could not think of a solution but the healer had admitted to having exhausted her knowledge.

And then something his grandmother had told him had given him an idea. The old woman, whose only obsession was the conception of her first grandchild, had warned him in her usual blunt manner that he would have to keep his distance from his wife for a few weeks after the birth, if not months, and ignore his masculine urges.

"Giving birth is no mean feat, you know. Her body will need to recover so you will have to be patient." She had waved a finger under his nose. "Or see to your needs yourself, my boy, because you had better not let me hear that you went to another woman while your wife waited for everything to go back to normal."

Normal. But that was precisely what neither he nor Ingrid wanted. Normal for her meant suffering.

"I might know a way of stopping your monthly pains, at least for a while," he murmured in her ear.

"Oh?" She didn't sound too hopeful. "Old Helga has tried everything, as well you know. Some things help marginally, but as to stopping them..." She shook her head. "I'm afraid it can't be done."

"Helga cannot have done what I'm thinking." Talented as she was, the healer did not possess something he did. It was worth a try in any case, as he knew he would not be able to spend the next twenty years watching Ingrid suffer agony with each new moon without doing anything.

"What are you thinking?"

He rubbed his nose in the crook of her neck. "I could make you with child. Then at least for a year you would be free from your monthly courses."

A child!

The was the last thing Ingrid had expected him to say. She gave a breathless laugh then stilled when she saw that Caedmon was serious.

Every time they'd made love since their wedding he'd spilled outside her body, as he knew she was dreading the idea of falling with child. She'd been grateful for his thoughtfulness because, yes, she had dreaded it until now. But with this man…With her husband, the man who wanted to alleviate her suffering, the idea was not as frightening.

He wanted to help, he wanted a child with her, a family, and he would be there all the way. He would not abandon her or the babe, he would love her and raise their children like he would have liked to be raised. Emotion welled in her chest when she imagined him cradling their newborn son or daughter against his naked chest. Yes, perhaps pregnancy was a solution for both of them…

To hide her reaction, she decided to make light of his offer.

"I've never heard a worst seduction ploy in all my life," she said, shaking her head in mock disgust. "But you know, you don't need to resort to such devious methods to get me into bed. I am more than willing. Aren't I here already? Didn't I marry you?"

"You certainly did." He drew her atop him, forcing her to straddle his lean hips. Despite the teasing, his face was serious. "But this is not a ploy. I mean it. If you gave me a child, you would make me the happiest man in the world and, as a reward, it would earn you months free of pains."

Reward…The reward would be the child itself, of course. A little boy with his smile or a little girl with his eyes. The idea was irresistible.

Caedmon's hands stroked her hips longingly, lovingly. "I know you said you were scared of pregnancy, but I think you were more scared of having to deal with it on your own, of not knowing who the father of your babe was or whether you could rely on him to raise it with you. With me, your husband, you won't have to worry about those things. I will be the father of your baby, in all the ways I can be, and love every moment of it." The hands at her waist gave a small squeeze. "So what do you say, love? Is it worth a try?"

"I suppose." Definitely. She placed a hand over his straining hardness, eliciting a groan from him. It was obvious that he, at least, was ready to try. Not that she was overly surprised. He always responded to her proximity, as she did to his. "Let's see what you've got, then, Saxon."

Desire flashed through his eyes. "Let's see you first. Take your shift off. I need to touch you, I need to see you."

Before he'd finished his sentence her shift was thrown to the other end of the hut and she was naked, poised above him, ready for his possession.

"Now, you are going to ride me. You are going to use me for your pleasure and you are going to let me watch." One devilish eyebrow arched. "And then you're going to let me touch. Everywhere."

She moaned. Oh, how she loved it when he took charge.

"Anything you want, but..." she started, pretending to be confused. "I don't understand. Don't you want to reach your pleasure as well? How are you going to make me with child if you don't come?"

"Ah, you minx, don't you worry about me," he growled, tightening his hold around her waist. "I will hold my end of the bargain and fill you up. I can't wait to feel your heat around me while I erupt. It might happen sooner than either of us would want, in fact."

She could well imagine. Up until now he'd had to stay in control when they made love, and make sure he did not spend inside her but today he would be able to let go and enjoy their joining as much as she did. The mere idea brought her close to release.

Slowly, she lowered herself onto the hardness waiting for her. This position had always been a favorite of theirs. She loved the feeling of power it gave her, as well as the sensations it created in her body and Caedmon liked to be able to watch her while she was exposed. Nestled between her breasts, warm and smooth, was the pendant he had given her on their wedding night.

"Here," he'd said, placing it in her hand after they had made love for the first time. "A dog rose to hang on the Norse chain. My favorite flower. Now you and I are linked forever, just like the chain and the pendant."

She had cried and then cried some more when the following day he'd presented her with a ring adorned with a blue stone.

"The color of your eyes, as blue as a deep lake in the sunshine," he'd told her. "It took me a while to find it."

"I'm going to be dripping with jewels, at this rate," she'd whimpered while he'd slipped the ring on her middle finger, next to the chiselled band he had given her during their wedding ceremony.

"That's the idea. I will have my wife unable to move without being reminded of how much I love her."

"I'll forget my own name before I forget that."

How could she forget, when he looked at her as if he could see the sun rise in her eyes, when he touched her as if he wanted their skins to fuse together? Just like he was now, while they were joined as one?

"So beautiful," he murmured, cupping a breast in one hand. With the other he grabbed her hips with possessive eagerness, lifting her slightly. "Move for me, wife. Let me give you what you need."

She did. While he held her, she undulated above him. Despite the slow, languorous movements, or perhaps because of it, it was not long before an unbearable heat invaded her. Caedmon was panting as well, helping her movements, driving her higher and higher into ecstasy.

"Tell me what color my eyes are when I'm inside you, love."

Ingrid almost swallowed her tongue. He really wanted to talk? Now? He had slowed down, and she knew she would not get away with not answering. If she wanted to come, she would have to tell him.

"When you're inside me it's not the color I see, it's the brightness," she rasped. "They are…lit up from within."

"Yes." He gave a lazy thrust, making her body quiver anew. Oh, she was so close! This new rhythm was doing wonders for her. Usually their couplings were rather frantic and she loved it, but this…This was something else. "I'm not surprised. I feel lit up from within when I'm inside you."

Yes. And so did she.

"Please, I need more," she whimpered.

Taking pity on her, Caedmon placed his thumb over her sensitive bud and started to rub. It was too much, just what she needed to tumble into the abyss. In a rush, she started to squeeze him, her body spasming with unprecedented force. On and on it went, draining every ounce of energy out of her, replacing it with joy. Just as her orgasm was subsiding, she felt his, powerful, hot, and deep inside her. She cried out, surprised at the pleasure it gave her to have him come while they were still joined. Never again did she want him to leave her when he reached his pleasure. It was too good to know he found completion in her body, to feel his warmth flood her.

Exhausted, she fell onto his chest. "I love you, Saxon."

She felt rather than saw his smile. "I love you too, wife."