Chapter 16 #2
He blinked. There was nothing obvious in that.
In fact, it was just what he had been thinking, that they should not, no matter what happened, find themselves in the same bed at any point.
He blinked again when he turned around and saw that she had stood up and started to remove her dress, her mind already made up.
Was she mad? It was still too early for bed.
And even if she was tired and did want to get to bed now, she didn’t have to undress.
Undressing was the last thing she should be doing right now.
Panic seized him at the same time as blood rushed to his groin.
“Are you sure you—”
“Yes.” The dress fell to the floor.
“Don’t you want to eat something first? Are you not—”
“No.”
Haakon let out a curse.
He had to make the foolish woman understand the danger she was in before it was too late.
Of course he could tell her, but he knew that wouldn’t be enough.
She had to feel in her body the power he could unleash on her if he lost control.
It was the only way to convince her he could not be anywhere near her while she was wearing only her shift.
Drawing her into his arms with more force than he would normally use, he growled in her ear: “Can you feel that, Saxon?”
That being his throbbing member, harder than it had the right to be, nudging at her soft stomach.
“Yes.” A gasp.
“Well, then, that is why we will not be sharing the same bed. I’m a man, and you’re a very beautiful woman. If I lie in bed next to you, I fear I might—”
“Haakon.” Gytha placed a finger over his lips. “I’m a woman and you’re a very desirable man. If we lie next to one another, I know I will beg you to take me. And that is precisely why I want to share a bed with you.”
Damnation. Far from scaring her, his warning had inflamed her.
He should have guessed it would. Nothing was as it should be with this woman.
She shouldn’t be attracted to his gruff side, but it seemed to arouse her.
She shouldn’t be so honest about her desires but she spoke them out loud as if it were only natural.
She shouldn’t stir his blood, but she sent him wild.
Suddenly he stopped thinking and just felt.
Furs. Soft woman.
He and Gytha were not standing anymore, but lying on the pallet, their limbs tangled. How the hell had they ended up there? He did not remember making the decision to tumble her down but here they were, side by side, with their breaths mingling and their hearts beating in unison.
She took his hand and placed it on her hip. “Touch me, please, Haakon. I’m burning.”
How to resist? Haakon slid a hand under the linen of her shift, creeping higher and higher until he found her breast, undoubtedly the softest thing he had ever touched.
He bit his tongue to stop himself from groaning out loud.
Why was touching this breast giving him so much pleasure?
It was not the first one he had touched.
And yet here, he was, melting on the inside while a certain part of him hardened to the point of pain.
He was still fully dressed while Gytha was almost naked, but he didn’t think to remedy the situation.
Not yet anyway. Feeling her skin to skin would be too much.
Touching her was already more than he could bear.
He quickly turned her over so that she was lying on her other side, with her back against his front.
He could have rolled her under him, but he thought it best to place her in that position for now.
The slightly awkward angle would allow him to stay in control for a while longer.
If he kissed her, if he saw desire blooming on her face, it would be over in a heartbeat.
He would spread her legs, plunge inside her and spend before either of them was ready.
If this was to happen—and it was definitely happening—then he should at least make it last. Make it count.
“Haakon,” Gytha moaned, “please, do something.”
“No.” He was implacable. For this to work, he had to give her the initiative. He gave the breast he had taken back in his hand a squeeze. “Not until you tell me how you want me. Hard or slow. Gentle or demanding. I can give you anything you want, just the way you want it, but you need to tell me.”
Dear Lord. Gytha could have sworn something had dissolved inside her at the dark promise in Haakon’s voice. He wanted her to tell him how she wanted to be taken. But the problem was, she had no idea what to tell him. She knew what she wanted, him, but not how.
“I-I don’t know.” Did he have to make her inexperience so obvious?
She had not imagined she would have to admit to the truth before he thrust inside her, or possibly ever.
How would he react when he found out she was untouched?
Would he mind? Would he stop? To add to her confusion, the hand at her breast was caressing her with maddening intent, robbing her of her ability to think. “I’ve never…done this.”
The hand at her breast grew completely still.
“You don’t mean…” It was shock she heard in that whisper, but also resentment, and perhaps even anger. “You’re a virgin?”
Well, yes, she was, even if she was not completely innocent. “I am.” She covered his hand with hers, willing him to stay with her.
“I thought you had…”
She knew what he had thought, because she had wanted to give him the impression that she was as experienced as he was, not impressed by his masculine bluster.
She had once told Alberic that who she fucked was her business and just now she had told Haakon she would beg him to take her if they lay in bed together.
She had wanted to appear as if she knew what she was doing.
And apparently it had worked, all too well.
“I know. I allowed you to think I was experienced because I didn’t want you to think me ridiculous, but the truth is, I’ve never lain with a man.”
Slowly, he drew away. The move was gentle, she could tell he was trying not to hurt her, physically or emotionally, but she felt the rejection deep in her bones.
He stood up and raked a hand through his hair, disbelief, confusion and, yes, anger etched on his handsome face. “I should—”
“You did nothing wrong. Don’t leave me, not now,” she pleaded, raising herself to her knees.
Indecision was fluttering in Haakon’s eyes, making them appear almost dark. She didn’t talk, not wanting to ruin her chances. Then he sighed. “No, I’m not leaving you. We both know I should but I’m not going to. I can’t.”
Hope surged through Gytha. Despite her lies, despite her inexperience, Haakon wanted her so much that he was going to do what his reason was urging him not to do.
“Lie down.”
The curt order was enough to fan her need back to life. Heart beating, she stretched over the pallet, offering herself, waiting for Haakon to join her. A moment later he did. His hand, firm, and assured, slipped under her shift once more and took hold of her breast.
Gytha relaxed into the hot, possessive embrace. There would be no stopping now. The iron-hard member poking at her thigh made that clear.
“Are you scared?” Haakon rasped in her ear.
Scared? She was anything but scared. “No.”
“Well, I am. I don’t want to hurt you, but I know I will. The idea is unbearable.”
“It is not to me. I’ve always known this would happen. I’m a woman, it is inevitable. But I’m strong. And I want this.” She covered his hand again, urging him to resume his caresses on her breast. “I want you. Please, Haakon.”
“I’ll do my best to be gentle.”
This was what he had told her the day he had pierced her ear. The memory made her smile. Once again he would be in charge. Once again he would draw blood. Once again he would cause her pain by doing something she had wanted to do for years.
She didn’t mind, because she hadn’t lied.
Just like with the earrings, it was the right moment.
She would become a woman in the arms of this man, who had done nothing but protect her from the moment he’d happened on her sewing in the woods, who piqued her interest and roused her senses like no one else she’d ever met.
“First, we’ll remove your shift and I’ll remove my clothes. I need to touch you, I need to see you, I need you to feel me, skin to skin.”
“Yes.” This was what she wanted too. She watched as he sat on his knees and lifted his tunic and shirt above his head in one fluid motion.
Then he reached to the laces at his braies and freed the most impressive erection she had ever seen.
Well. Considering she had only ever seen Theodebert’s, this was perhaps not a very meaningful observation.
But Haakon’s was magnificent. As was every part of him.
Thrilled, she saw that he was indeed wearing an arm ring on his bicep. It looked just as intricate and beautiful as she had imagined. At any other time she would have asked to examine it, but right now she could only think of welcoming him into her body.
Everything else would have to wait.
She disposed of her shift in the blink of an eye, regretting that she didn’t have the patience or the skill to tease him, reveal herself bit by bit.
It didn’t seem to matter. Haakon’s eyes caught fire when he saw her and he closed a hand around his shaft, as if to stop it from erupting. She shivered at this image of pure lust and masculine power. Had she made the right choice? Or was he too much man for her to handle?
She was about to find out.
Without a word, he took his position behind her again, bringing her in close contact to the warm body that utterly dwarfed hers.
She would have preferred him to face her but she didn’t dare ask for it.
He must have his reasons and she had done enough begging for one day.
His hands started to caress her all over while his mouth nibbled at her throat.
It was delicious, sending shivers all the way to the place that was pulsing between her legs, demanding to be filled.