Chapter 35
Chapter Thirty-Five
MAIA
Maybe it was the wrong choice. Maia shouldn’t try so hard to forget all the blood and gore and terror. She’d seen so many people in battle today. She’d stabbed a man, and it was that memory that stuck in her mind more than the rest. Yes, there was the fear of what that soldier would have done to her if Ragnar hadn’t gotten there. There was still a sting in knowing that her own people referred to her as a troll whore.
But the sensation of the resistance against the blade in her hand? How it had felt like his body fought against her before the sudden pop and release of flesh? The gush of blood and how, after that smallest bit of fight, it had been so easy to stab him?
Maia had never been a violent person. Even when she’d been younger and those men had made her frightened in her own house, she hadn’t wanted to hurt anyone. She had just wanted them to go away.
Now? She was a little terrified of the woman she was becoming. Because she had wanted to hurt that man. She’d been so capable of lifting that blade and defending herself. The old Maia—the version of herself she was far more comfortable with—would have laid there and let it happen. She would have gone quiet and hoped that if she just checked out of the moment, it would be over soon enough. But she wasn’t that girl now.
Because the wild and wicked creature who had awoken inside her at the first touch of Ragnar’s hands, the one who sometimes felt like a wild beast, had wanted to fight. That person had screamed out in anger that anyone would dare touch her who wasn’t her husband. That was the same part of her who wanted to go back and spit on the man’s dead body.
Maia didn’t know who she was now, and that was equally terrifying. So the opportunity to avoid thinking about any of it? She’d take that in a heartbeat.
At her admission, Ragnar strode toward what looked like a wall of vines. The blueish leaves glowed in the wisp light, but he walked right through them. The ivy tangled in their shoulders for a moment, clinging to them with little cries of loneliness. The vibrant plants hadn’t seen people for a very long time in this part of the mountain. They wanted Maia to linger, but she just wanted to get away for a little while longer.
And then they stepped into another world.
Light blossomed on the other side. A stream of water moved slowly, creating pools of glimmering light that were so bright, they almost outshone the massive mushrooms that grew all around them. Moss covered the ground at their bases, and they were so large, some of them grew taller than her. They created an almost forest-like effect. Some tall, some short, but all of them glowing with an internal light that bloomed throughout their thin skin.
Ragnar walked with her through this enchanting place, all the way to the edge of a pool where steam rose. It was warm here—so warm and cozy that it really accentuated how chilly the rest of the troll kingdom could be.
This man. He gave her gift after gift no matter what they endured. And for once, Maia knew she would make this choice to forget everything that had happened to them. At least for a little while.
Today was gone. Now it was just her and him.
Breathing out a long breath, she stared up at him as he sank onto the moss near the glowing water. “What would you have me do?” he asked.
She didn’t want to talk anymore. Because if she talked, it was all too easy to remember the trauma they had both gone through. His friend. Her people. His people. All the memories were piling up, and she just wanted to stop thinking for a while.
So instead of responding, she wiggled out of his arms. He swung her legs down to the ground and steadied her when she weaved. But then she was right in front of him, staring up at this massive troll who had saved her life, who had been so kind now that he had given in to what they were to each other.
And by all the gods in the realm, she wanted to please him. She wanted him to please her. She wanted her mind to be overwhelmed with all the sensations that only he could give her, and whatever would make her stop thinking for a while.
Maia reached for the waistband of his hunting clothing. Banded straps of leather held his tight pants on, but she made quick work of them. She dropped his weapons, one by one, onto the moss with soft thuds until she could finally tug at the waistband of his pants. And then he helped her, guiding the leather down his legs until he was nearly naked other than the straps of weapons still held to his chest.
Ragnar got rid of those too, hungry eyes watching her as she stepped back from him. Slowly, ever so slowly, Maia peeled the clothing off her own body as well. Her gaze traced his body, her eyes following the stripes that decorated his skin and the tattoos over one shoulder. She meandered her gaze over the muscles of his body, the thick blocks of his abdomen stacked on top of each other, and the sharp-edged “v” that trailed down to his massive cock.
And it really was massive. She was shocked she’d managed to fit that thing inside of her.
The bars looked even more intimidating in this light, but she remembered how good they’d felt inside of her. How she desperately wanted to feel them again.
His massive hand fisted that cock, slowly jerking up and down as her gaze lingered on it.
“Is this what you want?” he asked.
She licked her lips and nodded.
“Then get on your knees, fire hair. Let’s see how much more of it you can take.”
Those words shouldn’t have sent a blistering heat throughout her body, but they did. She could feel a rush of liquid between her thighs as she knelt down. Pressing her knees together tightly, she tried to create some friction even as she reached for him.
She trailed her fingers down the bars, one by one. Ragnar stepped a little closer, his breathing ragged as he watched her. Every muscle on his stomach and torso was rock solid, rigid as he held himself in place for her to play with the piercings that she’d never quite gotten time to touch.
Leaning forward, Maia trailed her tongue along the middle row of them. The metal was warm, even though she’d been quite certain that it would be cold. She had no idea what he would like, or if the metal made him even more sensitive. She wasn’t sure if what she wanted to do would hurt him. Then she trailed her tongue higher, following the grooves of the metal, and stilled at the sound he made. The guttural groan was animalistic, almost painful to hear.
His eyes had rolled back in his head, she realized. He’d fisted his hands at his sides to stay still, and that was more than enough proof that he was enjoying every bit of what she was doing.
Maia moved to the head of his cock, laving her tongue over the slit that was already leaking pre-cum. She could taste it. Salty and sweet, just like he was. And then she gave her best effort to swallow him down.
Her jaw ached at being forced that wide open, but she had to try. She could fit the head of him just barely, and it stretched her jaw so much that it almost hurt. Still, she kept going when he made that wonderful groaning noise again. Saliva gathered on her tongue, dripping down the head of him and her chin. The bars were too wide to fit into her mouth anyway, so she could only take her time sucking on the head of his cock, swirling her tongue around it and gathering more of that salty sweet taste.
Another of his groans filled the clearing, and then his hands were on the back of her head. He drew her a little closer, forcing her jaw slightly wider until she whined. Only then did he ease his grip, petting his fingers through her hair as she worked him.
“Such a talented little thing,” he murmured, his hands on the side of her head and drawing her away from his cock. “But right now isn’t about me, as much as your lovely tongue could make me come far too quickly.”
He picked her up off the ground like she weighed nothing, arranging her how he wanted her. Ragnar laid himself out like a giant mattress on the ground, sitting her right on his chest while he cushioned his head on the moss. He quirked his brow when she flattened her palms against his chest, assuming he was feeling rather rushed and wanted to get on with the main part of the show.
“What are you doing?” he asked, when she slid herself down his stomach.
She froze. “I was going to... well... you know.”
“Come here,” he said, grabbing both of her thighs and jerking her back up his chest. Then he grabbed her hands and lifted them forward, bracing her against the stalk of a mushroom just over her head. “Hold on to this.”
“Why?”
But then his hands were on her hips again, lifting her up... up... up...
He grinned up at her between her thighs. “Sit on my face, fire hair. Fucking crush me, if that’s what it takes. But I want to feel you come on my tongue before I make you scream on my cock.”
And then he buried his face between her thighs.
She saw stars. Maia grabbed onto the mushroom for dear life as he licked her. He was slick and warm and groaning against her as he feasted on her flesh. His teeth nipped at her, gently scraping against her clit before circling it with his tongue. And then... fuck, he sank his tongue as deep as he could inside of her.
How was it so big? How was he able to move it like that inside of her body, licking and undulating before he pulled it out and then sank two of his fingers deep, deep inside.
She arched against him, hissing out a long breath as that talented tongue circled her clit while his fingers moved in and out, a rapid pace that already had him slamming deeper and deeper inside of her.
“I believe you’ve earned another piercing, troll wife,” he said, drawing back only slightly to look up her body into her eyes. Those talented fingers never stopped moving, seemingly spreading her even wider as he added a third finger to stretch her even more.
“Another?” she breathlessly asked.
And then, obscenely, impossibly, he stuck out his tongue for her to look at. He really did have a tongue that was longer and thicker than a human’s, and that wonderful silver ball at the tip. But then he drew it back into his mouth and wickedly said, “I’ll get my tongue pierced again for you. You’ll like it better when I eat you.”
Oh. Fuck.
He returned to doing just that, tonguing with her a ferocity that had every muscle in her body tensing. What did he mean she’d like it better if he had more piercings? What would that even feel like?
But then she focused on the single ball sliding around her clit, and it was almost all too easy to imagine more metal on his tongue sliding against her, rubbing, smooth and hot and...
She shattered. Unexpectedly. Suddenly. All at once in a rush of pleasure that was all too consuming.
She rocked against his mouth, seeking more friction from his tongue so that this feeling wouldn’t disappear. She wanted to chase it a little longer. She needed to feel him just a bit more.
And he didn’t complain. If anything, he only groaned louder as she released that mushroom and instead let her hands fall behind herself to brace her weight against his abs. It gave her a different angle to grind against his mouth.
When she finally could breathe again, she looked over her shoulder to stare down at his bobbing cock. It really was intense to look at, but now she wanted nothing more than to see if she could fit the whole damn thing inside of her.
“Easy,” he muttered. “We’ll get it all in you this time, fire hair.”
He rolled with her, looming above her for a moment and pressing his lips to hers. He tasted like her, she realized. Earthy and warm, until he broke free from the kiss and made her turn. “Hands and knees.”
Hands and knees?
She supposed she could do that. But the moment she was in the position he wanted, her arms started to shake. Because the head of him pressed against her core, and she couldn’t focus even on bracing herself upright. He was so big , so much , so...
She groaned as he sank inside of her. Easier this time. Though there was still the pinch of pain, it wasn’t like the last time. In fact, the burn felt good as he pushed a bar deep, two bars in, more and more until she was crying out.
“Stop?” he asked, his voice a little breathless.
Frantically shaking her head, she sank her fingers into the moss. “More, more, Ragnar. Please.”
“Such a pretty plea.”
Then he gave her more. With each thrust, more bars fit into her. Scraping along her insides in little lightning bolts of pleasure. Five, six...
She held her breath. Ragnar let out an angry sounding groan and the last two bars slid into her. They moved so beautifully, so intensely, and all her thoughts were obliterated as his hips pressed flush with her bottom.
They both froze, breathing hard. She tried to think about anything other than how full she was, but then he moved .
It was like he’d set her body on fire. Something happened when he was inside of her like this. The pain, the pleasure, the overwhelming need that sparked with every glide in and out. Every movement. Every snap of his hips that was followed by the cracking sound of him slapping into her, turning her mind to mush.
“More,” she whispered, falling onto her forearms. “More, Ragnar.”
And he gave her more.
Ragnar wrapped her hair around his wrist, tugging her head back so he could arch over her and bite her shoulder like he had before. “Beg for me, fire hair.”
“Please,” she whimpered, the sound throaty and breathless.
He pounded into her until there was nothing but the endless search for pleasure. Nothing but him and her and the ache that built inside of her until it was too much, yet again.
Would it always be like this? Would she come so hard with him inside of her that the line between pain and pleasure blurred into something she didn’t recognize?
“Fuck,” he hissed. “You’re so fucking tight.”
The heat inside of her turned blistering even as she felt him stiffen. His cock jumped, and he sank as deep as he could just as she came around him in a clenching wave. They both hissed out long noises of pleasure as they came together so powerfully she wasn’t sure she would ever put herself back together.
Breathing hard, she let him roll her into his arms. Still inside of her, he spooned against her back, holding her to his chest as he rained a thousand kisses upon her shoulders, back, and neck.
She’d needed to forget about everything. And he’d damn well delivered.