Chapter 22

CHAPTER TWENTY-TWO

“I’m happy fer ye tae stay, of course. I’d never make me worst enemy stay out in this kind of weather. Ye can take me room,” the woman, who said her name was Agnes, told Catalina. Her unexpected visitors stood shivering before her, grateful for the warm blankets she had supplied. Their wet clothing was already steaming on a rack above the fire. Agnes then looked at Ivar with her sharp, dark gray eyes and said, “And ye can take the bairn’s room.”

Although she had looked at him curiously when they had first entered the cottage, saying she thought she had seen him before, she clearly did not recognize Ivar, which Catalina counted a blessing.

“But where will ye sleep if ye give us both yer rooms, Agnes?” Catalina asked, worried for the young woman, who appeared to be living on the farm alone but for her young baby. She had said her husband was away working elsewhere for a few days, and she was glad of the company.

“We’ll sleep out here on the floor, of course, by the fire,” Agnes explained patiently.

“Nay, I cannae have ye givin’ up yer beds fer us. ’Tis nae fair. We can share a room.”

“Are ye married then?” Agnes asked, looking confused.

Catalina exchanged a quick glance with Ivar, who gave an almost imperceptible shrug but said nothing. Seeing she would get no help from him; she made a decision. She was not having their kind hostess and her child sleep on the floor despite the embarrassment it might cause between her and Ivar. They would make do somehow. Or so she tried to convince herself.

So, Catalina found herself smiling at Agnes and saying, “Aye, we’re married. So, ye see, there’s nae need fer ye and the baby tae sleep on the floor. Me and me husband will be perfectly comfortable in the bairn’s room.”

Agnes’ freckled face brightened with relief. “Oh, that’s grand then. If ye get cold, ye’ll find extra blankets in the chest by the window. Help yersel’s. The outhouse is at the back, and there’s plenty of tea in the caddy if ye fancy a drop tae warm ye up. I’ve never seen anybody so wet. Ye can hang all yer other things up by the fire if ye like. They should dry during the night.”

“Thank ye kindly fer yer generosity, Agnes. We’re very grateful, are we nae, dear?” Catalina asked, casting Ivar a meaningful glance.

“Och, very grateful,” he agreed, though his expression seemed rather doubtful, she thought. The baby began fretting in the other room just then, so Agnes bid them a quick good night and disappeared.

They went into the room they had been allotted and shut the door behind them.

“Why did ye say we’re married?” Ivar whispered.

“Is it nae obvious? Would ye have her and her bairn sleep on the floor then?”

“Right, of course. But ye should have taken her room.”

“Why?” she asked.

“Because we’re gonnae have a right old time tryin’ tae fit the both of us in there.” He pointed to the small bed. “Half me legs are going tae be hangin’ out the end.”

Catalina looked, and she could see at once that he was right. She had the sudden feeling that it was going to be an uncomfortable night for them both. “Well, look on the bright side. At least we’re warm and out of the storm, and we have the opportunity tae dry off our clothes a bit fer the mornin’. Who kens, we might even get a little sleep?”

“But what about the bed?” he asked so plaintively, she had to laugh.

“Ach, ye’ll just have tae curl up so yer legs dinnae stick out, I suppose. Come on, let’s get in. I’m startin’ tae get cold.” Clutching the blanket around her, she got into the diminutive bed and snuggled under the covers.

“All right,” he said, hesitating at the side of the bed. “But are ye nae worried about yer reputation? An unmarried lass and a single man sharin’ the same bed. Are ye nae scared?”

“Of ye? Dinnae make me laugh,” she scoffed. “Besides, ye’re nae single. Ye’re due tae marry me sister in three weeks’ time.”

“Aye. I suppose so.” She noted that he did not exactly sound overjoyed at the prospect, but she was so tired by that time, she thought no more of it and closed her eyes. There was a moment of blissful comfort, and then it was shattered as a large weight landed beside her, making the bed shriek, the mattress sink, and leaving her shoved up against the wall. A hot, solid mass stretched its whole length against her.

“What are ye doin’? Tryin’ tae break the bed?” she hissed, struggling to right herself before she suffocated.

“I’m just gettin’ in,” Ivar whispered, his body crushed against hers and his voice right next to her ear. “I cannae help it. I told ye, the bed’s too small fer me.”

“Well, all right, but can ye try tae pull yer legs in and curl them up under ye somehow?” she suggested, wriggling around to put her back to him and find a space for herself.

“I’m tryin’,” he said, clearly trying to arrange his long limbs as best he could and ending up by pressing her nose up against the wall again.

“Ye certainly are,” she muttered as she waited for him to stop wriggling about, trying to get comfortable.

“Look, this is never gonnae work like this,” he said finally. “Turn yer back tae me otherwise we’re nae going tae get any sleep at all.”

“What d’ye mean?”

“Like this.”

Suddenly, she found her back pressed against his chest, his long legs curling around hers until she was folded up like a baby, his arms enfolding her. His warm breath tickled the back of her neck and made her shiver. “There, that’s better,” he mumbled.

“Good. Now, can ye keep still?” she managed doubtfully, staring into the darkness as the reality of the situation started to take hold of her. When they had set out that afternoon, she never dreamed she would find herself in bed with her future brother-in-law. She knew she should be running a mile, never mind the storm raging outside. But seeing no alternative, she decided she would keep as still as possible until she fell asleep. Besides, Ivar’s heat was permeating her body, and it felt good to be curled up against his chest. She could even feel his heart beating against her spine.

They lay like that for quite some time in silence, as if they were both afraid to move. She could sense he was awake though. Suddenly, the ridiculousness of the situation struck her and despite her concerns, laughter bubbled up from inside her.

“Are ye all right? Ye’re shakin’. D’ye have a chill?” he whispered anxiously in her ear.

She could not answer because she was in the grip of a fit of uncontrollable giggles.

“Cat, what is it? Ye’re nae cryin, are ye?” he whispered.

She snorted with laughter, her whole body shaking against his. She felt him lean up in an elbow and peer at her in the darkness.

“Ye’re laughin’,” he said, his voice so serious, it made her giggle even more. She put her hand over her mouth and nose to try not to make any noise and wake Agnes.

He laid back down again, tightening his arms around her. “Ye’re laughin’,” he repeated into the gloom. After a few seconds, Catalina felt his body begin to shake too, and she knew he had succumbed as well to the hilarity of their situation. He snuffled into her neck, clearly trying to stifle his laughter as well, but it tickled so much, she giggled even harder. Soon, they were both laughing silently, helplessly, into the darkness.

“Stop makin’ me laugh,” she told him when she could finally speak, wriggling around within his arms to face him. “Ye’re just makin’ it worse.”

“Dinnae blame me,” he whispered brokenly, “ye’re the one who started it.”

She could just make out his face a few inches from hers and feel his breath as soft as a butterfly against her cheeks. His silvery eyes seemed to reflect the small amount of light in the room, and she could see he was crying with laughter, just as she was. A great wave of affection for him took hold of her then, followed by some unknown force inside her that she could not resist. Hardly knowing what she was doing, she reached up and brushed the backs of her fingers gently against his stubbly chin, her eyes fixed on his.

For a moment, he was completely still. She began to worry that she had made him angry. Then, he moved infinitesimally closer, slipping his arms around her and pulling her against him until their noses were touching, their eyes locked. Softly, with great delicacy, his lips found hers and gently nibbled at them, taking her lower lip between his lips and sucking at it.

An incredible feeling shot through Catalina, animating every fiber of her body as she reveled in the warm softness of his mouth while he traced the outline of hers with tip of his tongue. The caress was so tantalizing, so inviting, it felt perfectly natural to Catalina to reciprocate. After all, it was what she wanted most in the world at that moment.

She twined her fingers his hair, pulling his face closer, and opened her mouth. She had never been kissed by a man before, so she followed his lead, lazily exploring the firm softness of his lips and mouth with her own, capturing his lower lip and caressing it gently with her teeth, abandoning herself to the sheer sensuous pleasure of his touch. It was like nothing she had ever experienced or could have imagined. It was… wonderful.

“We should nae be doin’ this,” he murmured after a while, cupping her face with a tenderness she had only ever suspected him of harboring.

“I ken it,” she agreed in a whisper. “So, shall we stop?”

His answer was to cover her mouth with his own and deepen the kissing, his tongue sliding into her mouth and tangling with hers more forcefully, as though his hunger was growing more urgent, and he would possess her. A flame had crackled into life within Catalina, and she could only answer his caresses with more of her own, her body gripped by a great desire to have more of him.

“Cat,” he suddenly breathed, pulling back slightly, brushing her hair gently from her face.

“Mmm?”

“We must stop.”

She fell back against the pillow with a sigh. “Aye, I ken. I’m sorry. I’m ashamed of mesel’. I’ve never kissed a man before. I dinnae ken what came over me.”

He was silent for a moment, his eyes glittering in the gloom. Finally, he sighed

and said, “Look, ye dinnae need tae feel ashamed. I’m more tae blame. It’s just… this attraction between us is strong, that’s all. Let’s forget this ever happened and try tae get some sleep, eh?”

“So, ye feel it too, the attraction?” She was at the same time disappointed and amazed.

“Aye, I cannae lie tae ye.”

A thought struck her. “Is that why ye’ve been so cold tae me and would nae forgive me fer hurtin’ ye? Because of the attraction?”

“I expect so. At least, I think that must be part of it. I try nae tae feel things, and ye make me feel them. It’s scares me.” He curled himself around her again, and it took everything in her not to touch him as she burned to do. Her lips were tingling from their kissing, and her body felt as though it was on fire.

“Since Thor, ye mean.”

“Aye, since Thor,” he admitted. “His death changed me so much. All the joy went out of life when he went. If he had tae die, I should have died with him. It’s been too hard tryin’ tae carry on without him.”

Catalina clutched his hand in hers, wanting to offer him comfort. “Aye, I feel like that often about Brenna. She wasnae me twin, she was more like a maither tae me and Ana. We lost our maither at a very young age, and she sort of took over. Faither is kind, but I think bein’ left with three daughters was hard fer him. Brenna was the center of our universe. And one day, she was gone, just like that. I dinnae think I’ll ever really get over it. So, I may nae understand everythin’ about ye and Thor as he was yer twin, but I can still see why ye would want tae shut yersel’ off from feelin’ things. ’Tis painful tae feel, tae carry on livin’ when they’re gone.”

She had tears in her eyes as she stopped speaking, and a small sob escaped her lips when she thought of her beautiful, lost sister.

Ivar held her more tightly in his arms. “Dinnae cry, Cat. I’m sorry I was nae kinder tae ye before. I was wrong tae be so cold. I can see now that ye and me, we’ve both been hurt by losing those we love. We have our grief in common. That’s a bond between us nay one can break.”

“Thank ye fer sayin’ that, Ivar. ’Tis a great comfort tae me tae hear ye say so. And I like it when ye call me Cat.”

She smiled into the darkness as he snuggled closer, and after a while, tired as they were, they fell asleep.