Chapter 2
The girl was growing increasingly agitated.
In the bright moonlight Wolf watched her writhe and moan on the sheepskins.
She had been sound asleep when he had returned to the hut earlier but had been getting uneasy for quite some time now.
She had kicked her covers and would not lie still.
At first he had tried to ignore her and get the sleep he needed but he was now getting concerned.
Was something ailing her?
Frowning, Wolf took a few tentative steps toward her, expecting her to bark at him, ordering him to stay away.
But she was still asleep and, he could see now, all but naked.
A beam of moonlight, strategically placed, allowed him to see her from neck to navel.
She had discarded her dress before going to sleep and her torn shift was gaping open over her chest, exposing the two perfect breasts he had not been able to get out of his mind.
White in the silver light, crowned with dark red berries, they called out to a primal part of him.
The sight affected him so much that he overturned to stool in front of him.
He stilled, bracing himself for her reaction. It never came.
Either she could still feel the effects of the draught or she was exhausted, for she did not even flinch at the noise.
Forcing himself to ignore her nakedness, he focused on the source of her discomfort.
What was wrong with her? Stomach upset? Fever?
He had not checked her body for injuries earlier and she had not appeared to be bleeding but perhaps she was hurt all the same.
Had it been a mistake to favor her modesty over her health?
Perhaps he should have at least asked if the trader had harmed her in any way.
While he was debating what to do she snaked one hand between her thighs and wrapped the other around her left breast, giving it a squeeze. A feral growl escaped Wolf’s lips.
Oh, she was prey to a fever, but not one caused by a festering wound! The girl writhing on the bed in front of him was caught in a licentious dream and trying to reach her pleasure.
His blood surged so fast that he had to sit on the stool he had kicked earlier for fear of collapsing. Never had he seen anything half as arousing as this girl with her hair fanned around her like living fire stroking herself and he did not even consider for a moment averting his gaze.
At first she seemed satisfied by her caresses but it quickly became obvious that she was doing little more than stoking her desire without managing to bring about the release she so desperately craved.
Hitting the floor with her flat palm, she let out a grunt of frustration.
“Ah, please,” she moaned, turning her head toward him. With her face in the shadows he couldn’t be sure her eyes were opened. But it sounded as if she had awoken and was begging him. “I need…”
Wolf didn’t think, he didn’t even blink. A heartbeat later he was by her side, ready to take over if she asked.
“What do you need?” he rasped, even though he had a fair idea of the answer.
“You.” That one word sent shards of need through his veins. Before he could answer she pulled him by the neck to shove her breast into his mouth. Well. It did not get any clearer than that and Wolf was not one to deny a woman her pleasure.
When his lips closed over her erect nipple she cried out and arched her back so much he feared she would injured herself.
“Yes!” she panted.
In answer to his growl she buried her fingers into his hair to anchor him in place and spread her legs, the invitation clear.
Fighting the urge to bite her, Wolf extended a hand to gather the hem of her shift to her waist and was shocked to touch only silken skin.
The girl had already bared herself in readiness for his touch.
Oh, she was awake, and demanding to be pleasured.
He didn’t even try to resist. With a possessive groan he closed his hand over her soft curls.
Wet heat burned his fingers, wrenching another groan out of him, causing him to suckle her harder.
By the gods, how was he going to give her the pleasure she needed and then find the strength to leave it at that?
The girl was so desperate for release that her body started to pulse as soon as he moved to stroke her most sensitive flesh. A raw cry escaped her lips and the hands at his neck tensed, while she dug her nails deep into his scalp. A series of shudders rocked through her, then finally she went limp.
Releasing her nipple Wolf sat up, feeling drained himself.
That, without a doubt, had been the most erotic moment of his life.
For a long moment he contemplated her in the moonlight, ignoring the raging need throbbing in his body.
She was so beautiful! He could not recall ever seeing a woman who appealed to him more.
Even his wife had not been as alluring because she had possessed no inner fire.
In bed Solveig had been as cold as the ice covering the lakes of his native land in winter but this girl was as hot as the water spewing from its geysers when you least excepted it.
The thought of what they could do together almost caused him to erupt with the same force.
After a while she started writhing again. Her release had been too quick, and had left her unsatisfied. She wanted more.
“Again?” he murmured, more than ready to give it to her.
“Again,” she whispered back, her dark eyes fastened on him.
Teasing her hard nipple with his thumb he watched, transfixed as her face transformed under his caress.
Her lips parted, her cheeks reddened, her eyes closed, her breathing grew more and more labored.
Moaning, she started to move her hips in an evocative, rhythmic movement that left no doubt about what she wanted.
Unable to resist the silent plea, Wolf slowly eased a finger inside of her and let out a harsh curse.
This would be the death of him. She was so hot, so wet, so tight! Perhaps he could ask…
No.
Wolf stilled, for suddenly he felt the proof that the girl had not known any man.
The sobering realisation brought him back to his senses.
He could not take an innocent, not like this, without talking about it first. He would do what she had asked, help her and bring about the pleasure she had tried to find by herself but he would not breach her maidenhead, not now, not in this way.
With her senses on fire she would not be thinking clearly.
That she wanted pleasure did not mean that she wanted to be taken, much less deflowered.
“I won’t take you tonight,” he said quietly. “But I can give you what you need.”
She sighed, as in relief, and placed her hand on top of his.
Obeying the silent instruction, he stroked her gently, careful of not going too deep and compromise her innocence. In no time, he heard a long rasp that almost caused him to come undone himself.
Bending down over her, he trailed his tongue along her bottom lip. At the same time he curled the finger that was still inside her. She erupted, crying out her pleasure into his mouth. It was too much.
With his free hand Wolf tore at his braies and brought about his own release with frightening speed, feeling as if his whole body was bursting at the seams. Panting, he raised his head to the ceiling and groaned.
Never in his life had he felt such explosive pleasure.
And he had not been inside her, not even felt her hands on him.
What would he feel if they made love properly one day? He could not begin to imagine.
By the time he had recovered, the girl was peacefully asleep once more, her small hand draped over the one that was still cupped over her sex.
Something was different.
Whether it was good or bad Merewen wasn't sure but she had never felt that way before. There was a strange languor in her body and a pleasant peace in her mind. Then she understood.
The dream! Of course!
The dream that had pursued her for months had come to her last night.
She bit her lip when she remembered the extraordinary feeling that had flowed through her veins, the final explosion.
All this time she had tried to achieve such a release, without ever succeeding. And finally last night, she had.
It had been glorious, breathtaking.
With a contented smile, she stretched. Soft fur met her hands and her shift fell open, revealing her breasts. She sat up in shock as it all came back to her. The slave market, the torn shift, the potion!
She was not at home in her bed, waking up after a sensual dream. She was in a miserable hut with a man who had bought her like an animal! Immediately her hands went to cover her breasts but a quick glance around assured her that, mercifully, she was alone.
Merewen stood up on shaky legs and hastily got dressed.
The last thing she wanted was for anyone to walk in on her while she was so exposed.
Of course Wolf had already seen more of her than was decent, but she did not intend to show him an inch of flesh that was not on her face or on her hands.
From now on, even her hair would be tightly bound.
It was imperative that she guard herself against him and the temptation he represented because she suddenly realized that the face she had seen in her dream when her body had exploded in pleasure was none other than his.
Usually the men she pictured were only vague images that bore no resemblance to anyone she knew but the piercing blue eyes and sensual mouth she had seen poised over her last night had definitely been those of the tall Norseman.