Chapter 1 The Viking’s Warrior Bride #2
For a moment, she wondered if he might change his mind.
Perhaps living in this new land, his view of the future would be different, and he would want a more permanent arrangement now.
She shook off the thought. That was not for either of them, and they knew it.
How could she tell him? Despite what she had said to Elisedd, she had not planned to.
She had tried to persuade herself that she would when it became a certainty, but as the days passed, she grew less and less convinced that she wanted to tell him at all.
Once he knew, she was sure he would want nothing to do with either her or the child.
He would retreat into silence as he had done after his father’s death.
Of that, she was sure. He had always been clear that he would never be a father.
Or else he would expect her to stay at home as a wife and mother while he lived the life she wanted for herself.
She could not agree to that — not for anyone.
A strong breeze propelled them across the loch’s surface, with no need for anyone to row and all too soon the boat grounded on the beach.
She looked up at Car Cadell. The last time she had been here, there had been only silence and a fort full of the dead.
Briefly she thought she could still smell the dead burning — over fifty men and boys and some women, too.
Her stomach twisted again. She pushed herself to her feet, gathered her things together and climbed from the ship before splashing through the shallow water and onto the mixed sand and shingle of the shore.
As soon as they were on the beach, Elisedd raced towards a woman standing just outside the palisade.
Ylva smiled as she watched mother and son unite joyfully.
Whatever had happened to Rhiannon, she was still alive and eager to see her son.
Tears sprang to Ylva’s eyes at the sight, and she ducked her head so no one would notice.
The sensation of dry land played havoc with her sense of balance.
The queasiness threatened to overwhelm her and, not wanting Bjorn to see her in this state, she hurried to the edge of the woods.
As soon as she was hidden by the forest, she sat down and put her spinning head between her knees.
She drew in deep breaths through her nose, determined not to give in to the whims of her body.
She had learned to fight on through the pain of strained muscles and torn flesh — she could learn to ignore the discomforts of impending motherhood.
It wasn’t as easy as she’d thought, however.
She wished she had some more of the dry bread Elisedd had given her earlier — she would need to make sure she carried some with her at all times — but a soft gurgling alerted her to a small stream nearby and she stood and made her way slowly over to it.
She washed her hands and face and took a few sips of the cool, clear water before heading towards the path that led alongside the beach to the fort.
She heard a faint sound in the woods behind her and turned.
Nothing. Still, she headed towards the beach.
She could hear someone walking along the shingle towards her.
She leant against the trunk of a tree and tried to keep her breathing steady.
She peered around the trunk and closed her hand over the handle of her sword.
She shifted the bundle of her belongings towards the centre of her back and stepped out, sword pointed towards the figure that stood at the edge of the beach.
In front of her stood Bjorn, grinning. She kept her sword up for longer than necessary, then lowered it and smiled back despite herself.
She had forgotten how much his physical presence affected her.
The way he looked at her with a mixture of desire and laughter had always appealed.
She sheathed her sword, and he took a step towards her.
She breathed in the familiar scent of his leather armour and the man inside sending her senses reeling as it always did.
“Miss me?” he asked.
“No,” she lied. “Why? Did you miss me? Is that why you came looking for me?” She mustn’t let him know she had thought of him almost every waking minute - especially over the past few weeks.
She wondered if he had another woman here, although the fact that he had purposefully sought her out would seem to suggest he didn’t.
“You didn’t arrive with the others off the ship, and yet Elisedd told me you were anxious to see me.”
“Did he now?”
“I thought you’d be in more of a hurry to see me.”
“You thought it was me who was in a hurry to see you?” Ylva’s gaze slid lower to where the bulge in his breeks suggested it was his own lust that made him anxious to see her.
“The nights here have been cold and empty.” Bjorn took a step towards her, drew her towards him, and lowered his mouth.
He paused, his lips almost, but not quite, touching hers, and she knew he was waiting for her to kiss him.
She slid her sword back into its scabbard and waited.
What if he was able to tell? That was ridiculous.
She had hardly known herself. And it wasn’t as if anything they did together now would make the situation worse.
Even if his desire for her was only physical, she shared those same desires.
Everything was about to change. For now, she wanted to pretend things between them were as they had always been.
Simple and purely physical. She leaned forward and kissed him. She couldn’t get any more pregnant.
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