Alrek(25)
The following morning, Alrek insisted they ignore their duties for a while and spend some time together. After being awoken by the beautiful Viking teasing her between her thighs and a healthy dose of lovemaking, Ilisa found herself more compliant than usual. Besides, there were two of them to see to everything now. No longer would she be rushing around, fighting to keep her farm running. Her shoulders felt lighter, her mind freer.
Hand in hand, they strolled down to the beach. Ilisa paused to take off her leather shoes, eyeing the cloudless sky as she did so. Mayhap Alrek was right—his gods had blessed their union . The thunderstorms and rain had stayed away and in Pictland it rarely stayed dry for such long periods of time.
“Will you not take your boots off?” she asked.
His lips curled. “And get sandy feet?”
“Is my Viking afeared of a little sand?”
“Vixen,” he shot back, but knelt to loosen his boots and slip them off. He took her shoes from her and placed them near a rock, presumably so they’d remember where they were.
The sand warmed her feet and slipped between her toes. Alrek took her hand, his coarse palm heating the rest of her body. Had she really had this wild warrior in her bed? It seemed like a dream to her. And he loved her! As soon as the words had come from his mouth, she had understood he felt the same as her. Alrek was a good man, and he set her body and soul alight. He had proved his worth over and over since she’d rescued him. She never wished to be parted from him.
“What?”
She must have been staring. She twisted her head away to gaze out at the endless ocean. An odd thought that her lover had come from there. Ilisa had never sailed anywhere yet he had travelled far and wide. And had chosen to stay with her. The smile that refused to leave her that morning widened.
“Naught. I am just happy.”
He nodded and released her hand to wrap an arm around her waist and draw her in. Alrek pressed a kiss to her head and they headed down to the glimmering sea. Even the waves had calmed, only lapping gently at the shore. Indeed they must be blessed.
Ilisa sucked in a sharp breath when she dipped a toe into the sea. Alrek chuckled.
“’Tis cold,” she protested and jerked his arm so he’d follow her in. He let out a hiss and she giggled. “See?”
“And you braved such temperatures to rescue me,” he murmured.
“You were fortuitous indeed to survive such exposure.”
“I was fortuitous to have you happen upon me. Anyone else would have left me to die. You are a giving woman, Ilisa. I admire that about you so very much.”
Her cheeks warmed. Alrek had a way of speaking to her that was so forthright and flattering, as if he knew the words that would speak directly to her heart. “You have given me much in return.”
Ilisa stepped back from the gentle waves and settled on the sand to stare out at the horizon. Alrek didn’t join her immediately. He paused, hands propped on his hips and eyed the ocean. Would he regret being tied to the land? Her warrior was an adventurer. Would he grow bored of her eventually? “Will you miss your homeland?”
He twisted to face her, brows lifting. “Nay.”
“I would miss mine.”
He came to sit beside her, taking her hand in his. “A Viking’s culture is so strong that it carries him wherever he goes. We are explorers by nature, hungry for more.”
“And will you not wish to explore again?”
“I am not young, Ilisa, and I have found all I need right here.” A finger grazed her chin, lifting her gaze to his. “I do not doubt there shall be adjustments to be made on both sides of this, hjarta mitt, but I shall always fight for you. Never can I regret loving you.”
Inside, her heart threatened to melt. Who could resist such words? Alrek destroyed her doubts as sure as if he’d taken an axe to them. A finger still under her chin, he shifted closer and put his lips to hers. This was no desperate kiss. His lips explored hers slowly until fire kindled inside her belly and an ache gathered between her thighs. She wound her hands around his neck, fingers under his fair hair, and relished the rough tickle of his beard.
She found herself looking up at the sky as he pushed her against the sand. He loomed over her, his flexing muscles beneath his shirt and his strong features sending a flutter to her belly. To many, he would seem a dangerous man. Not to her, however. She knew of his tenderness and his honour.
Ilisa gripped his shirt and pulled him into her to press a fierce kiss to his lips. The hard body against hers made her nipples peak and more warmth surged between her sex. “I need you in me, Alrek,” she whispered against his mouth.
His slow kisses vanished, his soft hands gone. Her words had awakened the warrior and he was going to take her now. That she affected him so gave her a sense of power. She, a woman who could no more be in battle than she could take another’s life, brought this Viking to his knees. She lifted herself in invitation and he tucked an arm underneath her to bring her breasts to his mouth. Alrek nuzzled them through the material of the dress before yanking apart the laces and putting his hot mouth to her skin and nipples.