16
RORIK KNEW WHAT he should do. She was right, he was a man whoa??d had his share of women, enjoying them as he trusted theya??d enjoyed him as well, and much more than that, hea??d had a wife, and shea??d been a virgin when theya??d first come together, so he should be completely confident in himself.
He should know when he should do what and how he should do it and for how long.
Aye, this night was the beginning of their life together.
Hea??d spoken smoothly to her; hea??d spoken with sincerity, and gently. He was scared to death.
He wasna??t ready for it, not for any of it. With all her strength, Mirana was still helpless against him. She knew naught of what was to come. Thus, he thought, he would simply try to enjoy himself and her and hope that she would come to him willingly. He didna??t want to hurt her.
He pulled the shift over her head, then took a step back to look at her.
Hea??d seen her naked in the bathing hut, and hea??d looked his fill at her then.
Hea??d fondled her breasts, to torment her, to punish her, but not for pleasure, shea??d been right about that.
But this, by all the gods, this was different.
This was his wife and there was no anger in him now, and none, he prayed, in her toward him.
But she was hesitant, she had misgivings about him and his body and what would happen, and he saw it. He would go slowly. That was the only thing he could make his mind comprehend at this moment.
His eyes fell from her face to her breasts to her belly. He was, he realized, staring at her as intensely as she had stared at him. He was the one who knew what would happen so it wasna??t well done of him to scare her now by looking at her like a hungry wolf.
a??You are very nice,a?? he said, forcing his eyes back to her face. a??You are pleasing to me.a??
a??Thank you,a?? she managed. a??You are too, Rorik. Youa??re very different from me.a??
That made him laugh. He crossed the few feet between them and pulled her into his arms, pressing his hands against her buttocks to bring her firmly against him.
a??Ah,a?? he whispered, feeling all of her, and knowing deep inside that it was good, beyond good, and that it was right.
His hands came up her back, and he felt the suppleness of her, the narrowness of her waist, as he stroked the soft flesh, feeling the lithe muscles.
He hugged her, kissing her ear. Then he took her face between his hands, drawing her up, and he kissed her, very gently, light nipping kisses.
a??You feel very strange to me, Rorik,a?? she said, her breath warm in his mouth and very sweet from the wine shea??d drunk. a??I like your mouth especially.a??
He laughed. a??A woman who knows her own mind. That pleases me too. Now, kiss me. Thata??s right, open your mouth and give me your tongue.a??
Mirana was glad she didna??t hesitate, for the feelings that stormed through her when his tongue touched hers made every uncertain thought flee her mind.
She gave herself to him in that moment, gave him herself and her trust, and Rorik felt her acceptance.
It amazed him and astounded him and made him want to fall to his knees and thank Thor and Odin All-Father and especially Frey, who would surely bless their union with many children.
He kissed her, holding her head in his hands, feeling her soft hair, stroking through the deep ripples, and growing harder by the instant.
He pressed against her, never releasing her, until she fell back onto the box bed. He came over her, his knees gently opening her thighs. He came down between her legs, felt her breasts soft against his chest, felt his member pressing hot and hard against her womana??s flesh.
He dimly realized that she was lying very still beneath him.
He was going too rapidly for her. She was a woman, slower to peak in her desires than a man, and more than that, she was a virgin, untried in the ways of men and women.
He forced himself to draw up onto his elbows.
He looked down at her breasts, soft and white as her belly, and closed his eyes against the intense pleasure as he pushed himself against her.
He felt the warmth of her, the smoothness of her flesh, the lingering softness of her thighs and her belly.
He watched her as she closed her eyes. Very slowly, she pressed upward.
Rorik groaned, fell on her and kissed her until both of them were panting for breath. It shouldna??t be possible, but it was. He wanted her so badly, he knew hea??d spill his seed if he didna??t have her, now, at this very instant. a??Mirana, I must have you now. Will you accept me?a??
She stared up at him, knowing what he would do, but still just looking at him, at his beautiful eyes that were glazed with his need, at the flush on his cheeks. She stroked her hands down his back to his buttocks. Very slowly, she opened her thighs wider.
a??Aye, Rorik,a?? she said, nothing more, and he went wild with her acceptance of him, rearing back, pressing her thighs wider apart, and then he was staring at her womana??s flesh, his fingers there, parting her, and he was breathing so hard he thought his heart would burst within his chest, but he didna??t care, he only wanted to come inside her and stay there until he . . .
a??Mirana,a?? he moaned, and slowly came into her.
a??By all the gods, it is too much.a?? Coming into her was more than hea??d thought it could possibly be, though what hea??d thought, if anything reasonable, he didna??t remember.
Her warmth, the smallness of her, made gaining entrance difficult and this tightness chaffed his flesh, making him mad with lust, but he held himself in control, going very slowly, now watching her face, seeing her begin to feel the pain he couldna??t prevent, seeing her want to pull away from him even though she didna??t move, and he tried to draw back just a bit, but she lifted her hips, now biting her lower lip in her pain, but he came in more deeply and he couldna??t have pulled out of her had the longhouse been afire.
Slowly, he repeated to himself over and over, he must go slowly.
He mustna??t savage her. He finally felt her maidenhead, and he shoved against it, going out of his mind now, lust pounding through him, shoving at him, making him want to thrust deep into her, so deep he would be at her womb and he would feel all of her and know her, actually be a part of her for a few precious moments.
By the gods, it was impossible not to thrust with all his strength now, to breach that barrier that kept her from him, that kept him from his ultimate knowledge of her.
And so he did, throwing his head back, thrusting deep, hearing her cry above the pounding of his heart, above the mad swirling of his blood throughout his body, hard and driving and hot, and he was deep inside her, pressing frantically against her womb, and he knew he couldna??t wait, simply couldna??t hold back for another moment, another instant.
She felt him tensing over her and opened her eyes.
He was arched back, all his weight on his hands, the muscles bulging and knotting in his arms, and the cords in his throat strong and working wildly, and he was moaning, deep raw moans, and then he was tearing into her and crying out as if he were dying.
She felt the wet of his seed then, felt him stiffen with the power of his release.
He almost fell on top of her, but managed at the last moment to keep some of his weight from her. He was breathing heavily, his body sweating and limp against her.
A mana??s pleasure, she thought, but didna??t begrudge him his short eternity of madness.
The pain had lessened, it was nearly nothing now.
Only a weak fool would bemoan the discomfort.
He wasna??t so full inside her now and there was his wetness to ease her.
She felt herself begin to relax beneath him, though his weight flattened her into the feather mattress.
She lightly touched her palms to his back and his shoulders.
She threaded her fingers through his thick hair, and tugged.
He raised his head and looked down at her, his eyes beautiful and quite vague.
a??I want you to kiss me,a?? she said.
He smiled and did. For a very long time. Until she realized that he wasna??t inside her any longer, that he seemed oblivious of what he was doing.
She gently shoved at him. He gave her another vague look and rolled onto his side.
His arm fell over her belly, his fingertips lightly stroking her pelvic bone.
In the next moment, he was deeply asleep.
Mirana moved his arm to his side, then came up on her elbow to stare down at him, this time enjoying her freedom to study him, without him watching her, without him knowing she was looking her fill at him.
His member was flaccid, wet from himself and from her, and now nestled in the thick golden hair at his groin.
She saw blood on herself and on him and knew it was from the rending of her maidenhead.
She felt no fear. She continued to stare at him.
Strange that he could change and grow so very much in such a short time.
Lightly, she splayed her palm on his belly.
The feeling of the crisp golden hair, the dampness of his flesh, the unconscious clenching of his muscles beneath her fingers, it all delighted her.
Very lightly, her fingers touched him, gently encircled him, but when he suddenly moaned, deep in his throat, his hips coming up, she released him. He quieted again.