Chapter 16 #2
“Yes,” he agreed, drawing her against him. It was exactly the same for him. “It’s everything with you. Lust, hope, tenderness, gratitude, and just pure, unadulterated bliss. I think there is a simple way to describe this jumble of emotions.”
“Love,” she breathed, her face lighting up with a joy he had never seen on anyone’s face before.
“Love. I suppose that after pretending we had become lovers, it was only a matter of time before we really did.”
“I suppose so.”
They stared at one another a long moment relishing in the realization that their friendship had transformed into something even more beautiful.
He smiled to himself. Not so long ago he’d been hoping that fate would place what he needed in front of him and that he would be astute enough to recognize the opportunity and seize it. Against all odds, he had.
“You know, my mother told me the other day that I was in the hut with her and your mother the night you were born. I slept through the whole labor and when I woke up, I walked over to you. Apparently, the steps I took to reach the pallet were my first real ones. As soon as I saw you, I took your hand in mine. You grabbed my little finger and refused to let go.”
The awe he saw in Aife’s eyes mirrored the swelling he felt in his chest. “I did?”
“Yes.” He closed his fingers around her wrist, encircling it. “It seems I was the first man to ever touch you and I want to make sure I’m the last one as well.”
That was what his mother had tried to make him understand that day, Torsten now realized, that he would never want to let go of her.
She smiled. “I want you to be the last one, too. The only one.”
“So what say you? We pretended to be a couple to make others believe we cared about one another. Will you marry me to show them that we do belong to each other? To make my life complete? To—”
“Yes. Yes and yes! I’ll marry you, Torsten.”
The kiss that followed was the best answer she could have given him, hot, passionate, full of pent-up need and love. Soon, however, it became obvious that she intended to give him much more than a kiss. Which forced him to address the issue he knew he could not avoid. He stilled.
“I… Aife, wait.”
Sensing his anguish, she drew back. “What is it?”
This would be painful, but it had to be done. He placed his forehead against hers, putting his fate wholly into her hands.
“I’ve only just regained the use of my legs.”
“Yes. Thank the gods you have.”
He swallowed, for she didn’t seem to want to see what he was getting at.
But he could not help but fear his body would no longer be able to function like it had before.
And even if it did… There were still no guarantees he would be able to bed her.
He knew only too well that he’d had problems following through on the desire he felt for a woman.
What if it happened with Aife, too, despite his very real desire, his love for her?
What if, by marrying her, he was condemning her to a life of frustration? He would never forgive himself.
“What I’m trying to say is… Would you rather we tried to sleep together now, before we got married, to see what happens? In case I-I could not give you what a husband—”
“No,” she instantly cut in. “I trust you. I want to be with you, no matter what you can or can’t do.
I want to be your wife. You love me, and you know I love you.
We will not ‘try’ to sleep together when you’re ready, we will sleep together.
Everything will be fine between us, I know it.
I already know of one way to bring you pleasure, I’m certain there are plenty others we can explore together.
” She took a step back, determination etched on her face, love shining in her eyes.
“In fact, I refuse to sleep with you until we are wed.”
“What?” he spluttered. This was not what he’d expected to hear moments after she’d given him the most scandalous kiss of his life. Not what he wanted to hear.
He’d just been telling her the opposite, that they should try to sleep together now, damn it all. He was ready for it.
“You heard me. If you really want me—and I think you do,” she added, nodding at his groin meaningfully, “you will have to marry me first. You will have to be brave enough to accept that what you can give me is exactly what I need.”
Torsten’s chest squeezed at this proof of love and trust he’d desperately needed to hear, and in truth, he believed her claim that everything would be all right.
He felt an all-consuming desire for her, and his body had responded as it should to their kiss.
Right now he was hard as iron. Still, that was not the same as actual possession, he knew that all too well.
Unfortunately, he could not be sure his body would cooperate once it was time to plunge inside her, but he would make damn well sure it tried his hardest.
“Let’s get married tomorrow then,” he said, drawing her back into his arms.
“So soon?” Aife giggled but she didn’t refuse. “It’s not even Friday.”
“I’m sure Frigg won’t mind.”
Being the goddess of marriage, surely all Odin’s wife was interested in seeing was that two people who were in love did get married?
The when did not matter. He knew she would not begrudge them this breach with tradition.
Tightening his hold on Aife, he gave her another kiss, just as hot and passionate as the one he’d interrupted earlier.
She responded in kind, moaning into his mouth, sending shivers all the way up to his scalp and down to his toes.
By the time they drew back, he didn’t have any doubt whatsoever that when the time came to make her his, he would rise to the challenge.
“Tomorrow will be perfect,” he rasped against her lips. “You haven’t forgotten what day it is?”
“What d-day?”
Well, apparently she had. He smiled. His kiss had thoroughly undone her. Good. That was what he wanted.
“It’s Michaelmas. I cannot think of a better day for us to get married considering it already is our special day.”
“The day you first touched me.” She grabbed his little finger, in the way she would have done all those years ago. “This time you will touch all of me.”
Yes. Every delicious inch.
“Even if it was not our special day tomorrow, I would still marry you, because I don’t think I’m going to be able to wait until much longer to have you,” he said, rubbing his groin against her, making her feel how ready he was for her.
She ground back like the temptress she was. “Yes, I can feel that.”
“Yes. So, the sooner the better. Unless you’d rather wait because you want to give your cousin Edita time to come to our wedding?” he added in a whisper.
“Mm, that’s an idea,” she answered in the same breathy tone.
“Well, too bad, I’m not waiting for her. She will just have to be told about it in a letter and think what she wants. Besides, Wulfric might not want to let his wife back into a village of ‘simply too incredible to be believed’ Norsemen, for which I don’t blame him.”
“No. Me neither.” Aife let out the throaty laugh that shot straight to his cock.
No, with this woman, he didn’t think he would find it a problem performing in bed.
“In any case, the only person I would like to attend my wedding, apart from the family who lives here, is my sister. But it would take months to wait for Hedda. So tomorrow is just perfect.”
“Yes, perfect. And so now,” Torsten said, straightening his spine. “All there is left to do is tell Moon.”
“You don’t look too shocked, I have to say.”
Torsten arched one eyebrow in surprise. Moon was standing in front of him, a tranquil expression on his face, when he’d expected him to show at least some reaction.
“That may be because I’m not shocked,” his friend answered. “I knew all along this would happen.”
“Did you now?”
“Yes, because the alternative was unbearable.” A heavy hand landed on his shoulder. “All the same, I will say this: ’Tis good to see you on your feet, my friend. Seeing you lying down on your pallet felt wrong.”
Oh, he thought they had come to tell him about his recovery. Torsten gave a small smile. “It certainly did.”
He had hated every moment of it. After the first few encouraging tries with Steinar and Sven, he’d practiced on his own, doing it at night so that no one could visit by surprise and see how weak he’d become.
To his relief, however, it had not taken long for him to see that his body was indeed recovering well.
“Let me take this opportunity to thank you again for what you did with for Aife. You protected her with your body, placing your own in danger, and you saved her life.”
“Which is more or less what you did with Eyja when you both went to war,” Torsten answered wryly.
Moon had made sure that Eyja, who’d been foolish—some would argue, brave—enough to join the Saxon army, had made it back home unscathed.
“It would seem we both cannot help but find ourselves embroiled with each other’s sister. ”
“Yes. So it would seem.”
Torsten cleared his throat in readiness. Moon had not expressed any surprise when he had seen him enter the hut on his own two feet, but he might be shocked by what was to come.
“Speaking of which, there is something you need to know.”
He gestured to Aife, who’d been waiting for his signal outside the hut. She entered, bold and unashamed and immediately took his hand in hers. A burst of love surged through him at her unwavering support.
“What’s this?” Moon asked, addressing her. Though it would be clear what was happening, he appeared reluctant to believe what his eyes were telling him. “I thought you two were only pretending to be together?”
“We’re not anymore.”
“I thought you were interested in Sven?”
Aife didn’t hesitate, even if her cheeks flushed slightly. “I’m not ‘interested,’ as you say, in him anymore. I know I have been ‘interested’ in many unsuitable men over the years, but there is only one man I love.”
“Love?” Moon repeated, taking a menacing step forward, his gaze fastened on their clasped hands.
Torsten drew Aife closer to him in a protective gesture.
If he had to fight with his best friend to prove the strength of his feelings for Aife, he would do it, just like Moon had taken a beating from him and Steinar to defend his feelings for Eyja, but he would not have her upset. “Wait, just what the fuck is this?”
“It is exactly what it looks like,” Aife answered, squaring her shoulders.
“Aye, apparently. And you,” Moon snarled, turning to face Torsten once more. “What is wrong with you? You let a woman speak in your stead? You hide behind her like a coward?”
“This is not ‘a woman,’ but the love of my life and I’m not hiding. But Aife is your sister and she insisted on coming in case you decided to, you know, pummel me to the ground, like you clearly want to do.”
“Of course, I— You bastard!”
“He’s not a bastard,” Aife interposed before Torsten could even react.
“But Wolf’s true son, as we all know. Or are you saying it is impossible that a good man should fall in love with me?
Are you saying that you don’t trust his sincerity, even if I do, even if he’s your best friend?
Are you saying that Torsten should not have trusted your intentions when you fell in love with his little sister?
That he should have accused you of only amusing yourself with Eyja before discarding her like an old sock?
Should he have beaten you to a pulp simply for wanting to be with the woman you loved?
Should he deny his love for me just because—”
“All right!” Moon exploded. “I think you’ve made your point! You’re in love! It’s all wonderful.”
Torsten took Aife’s hand back in his, sympathizing with his friend.
Being a woman, and more sensible than men, she would not understand that it was not all that simple for a man to imagine his little sister as a woman in the arms of a man, especially if that man was a friend.
But he knew his intentions were as pure as Moon’s had been where Eyja was concerned, and he knew his friend would finally come to accept the change because he was a good man.
“I know how you feel because I felt the same when you started to see Eyja.” He glanced at Aife and gave her a slanted smile.
She would remember he had accused Moon of amusing himself with his sister at the time, and that he and Steinar had tried to beat him into a pulp, even if she’d chosen to behave as if it hadn’t happened.
“But we are in love and it is wonderful. I promise that I will strive to make Aife as happy as you make my sister.”
Exasperation flashed across Moon’s face but Torsten knew he had won, because the muscles in his jaws had relaxed. It would be all right. In fact, his friend had shown more restraint that he’d had the right to expect.
“Well, if that’s the case, I suppose there is nothing I—”
“What’s this I hear?”
Eyja walked in through the door, her baby daughter in her arms. Her eyes were gleaming. At least Torsten didn’t have to worry about her reaction. She was clearly delighted by this turn of events.
“You were there all along?” he asked, amused. Trust her not to intervene, even when she heard how irate her husband was getting.
“Yes, I was feeding Frida outside the window.” With a smile, she handed the baby to Moon and then fell into his arms before reaching out to Aife for another hug.
“I’m so happy for you both. Don’t worry about Halfdan, he will soon come to see reason, if he hasn’t already.
” She always called her husband by his real name when she disapproved of something he did, which, admittedly, was not very often.
“There is no stopping two people in love.”
Indeed there wasn’t. “Thank you, sister.”
“When is the wedding?”
Torsten smiled at this, for he had not mentioned any wedding yet but he knew Eyja would already be making plans. Moon inhaled sharply, but with the baby pressed against his chest, he did not dare let out the growl evidently building in his chest.
“As soon as possible,” he answered, nodding at his friend. Would this proof that he was serious help appease him? Perhaps. “We’ll go see your parents now, ask their blessing and tomorrow, we’ll be married.”
“Perfect.” His sister beamed. “We’ll all be there.”