“Naturally.” He raised his own glass in salute. “Well, same as anyone, I expect you to respect that I have the final say in settlement matters.” He took a deep sip. “As far as all else goes, I expect us both to keep an open mind. That’s all I can ask for.”
Impressed by his answer, I nodded. Einar set his glass aside and slid closer to me on the sofa. He then pulled me into an embrace, slowly and deliberately, but with purpose. He leaned towards me, his immense hand cupping my face. The tips of his fingers felt rough, but his touch was very gentle. His lips brushed mine in a kiss.
A tingling sensation rushed up my spine, and I shivered, the feeling foreign and familiar at the same time. I hadn’t felt anything like it in eight years. I had once believed it was only youthful inexperience that used to make me react so strongly to such a chaste, insignificant contact. I had never felt that waywith Petr, had never expected to feel that way again. Einar’s kiss wasn’t just a kiss. It was a reawakening.
“I realise I didn’t give you much of a choice in all this,” he rasped, “but I’m glad you agreed. I know it can’t have been easy.”
I felt the corner of my mouth tug itself upward into a lop-sided smirk. I exhaled a steadying breath while trying to think of a reply.
“To win a shelter for five people that I talked into coming here in the first place? It was the easiest choice of my life.”
His eyebrows shot up in surprise.
“Do you not resent me for it?”
“No. Don’t flatter yourself into thinking you’ve hurt my pride.” I rolled my eyes.
You can’t hurt something that doesn’t exist anymore.
“This has been fun so far,” I said softly, seeing the wary lines on his forehead.
His face sagged slightly as something close to relief flooded his features, a stark contrast to his general aura of harshness. Not only were my instincts telling me that I didn’t need to be afraid of him, despite appearances perhaps, but my long-unfulfilled libido was urging me to put them to a test without further delay.
“You’ve given me a nice evening,” I said breathlessly, having just arrived at a very reckless decision. “But now I would like to find out if you can give me a night just as ... satisfying.”
Despite their natural brilliance, Einar’s eyes flashed dark with comprehension, and a suggestive smile spread on his clean-cut face.
“Your wish is my command.” He gave me a small, solemn nod, eyes sparkling not only with amusement, but with something very close to admiration, which I wasn’t quite sure my words warranted.
He then directed me smoothly to the bathroom, which I found full of luxuries I had not had much occasion for in the preceding weeks: fresh towels, soaps, shampoos, razors, and facial creams. I gasped, too stunned to even thank him for the thoughtfulness before he shut the bathroom door behind himself as he left me to indulge in whatever self-grooming I fancied. The water was teeth-chatteringly cold, but when I was done, I felt cleaner than I ever had in my whole life.
To my immense relief, Einar went to wash straight after, and for the next ten minutes, only the drumming of water against the shower enclosure kept me company. I used this respite to gulp down more wine to restore my drunken haze.
I lay down on the bed, wrapped in an oversized burgundy bathrobe, waiting for him. A soft tremor ran through me in waves, even though it wasn’t cold in the room. Left alone with only my own thoughts for company, I discovered that these were no longer gripped by fear. Instead, they bloomed with anticipation, my skin tingling with it. Looking back on the evening, I was able to discern how craftily Einar had managed to put me at ease with just the right amount of attention to detail, all without appearing obsequious or manipulative. What trepidation I continued to feel wasn’t fright, but rather a wish for him not to frustrate my rapidly mounting expectations of him.
When Einar finally re-entered the room, I tried to sit up, but he motioned for me not to. I stayed on my back and soon he was standing at the foot of the bed, looking down at me with a soft smile.
He was abeautifulman. His wide frame was made of bones that were both long and large, making his body seem solid and unbreakable. His muscles were smooth and firm, the bulk of him inviting to the touch like polished stone. There was a towel wrapped around his hips, but when he had turned around toshut the bathroom door, I got a glimpse of the broad planes of his back and the firm roundness of his behind.
With compact movements, he untied my bathrobe and freed my arms from it, uncovering me. Hastily, I shifted the palm of my hand to conceal the horizontal scar on my lower abdomen. It was but a narrow, faded line by that point, well-healed and inconspicuous. Yet it was the only part of my visage that made me feel truly self-conscious because of what it represented.
Einar’s sharp intake of breath told me that if he had noticed my manoeuvre at all, he paid no attention to it. Lust carved rugged lines in his face, and his eyes shone darkly with desire.
“You’re exquisite, Ren,” he purred, as if in a trance.
He traced his fingers down my chest, between my breasts, and all the way to my navel.
He got on the bed, leaning over me. Propped on his left elbow, he cupped my face with his hand and kissed me on the lips, his breath tasting faintly of wine and toothpaste. I kissed him back, running my hand down his back, relishing the firmness of his flesh. Encouraged by this, he savoured me more forcefully, parting my lips. His mouth felt hard on mine, decisive,purposeful. Soon, he moved down to my breasts, pulling at my nipples with careful, calculated motions, gently biting into them. I whimpered softly, and he smiled up at me, the candlelight twinkling in his eyes.
Then his shoulders were between my parted legs, and he was planting more kisses on my stomach and then the insides of my thighs. I buried my fingers in his rich hair, tugging on it as my breath shortened. A sort of moaning giggle escaped me as his breath tickled me.
“Make that sound for me again,” he commanded softly, looking up at me.
“I can’t do it on demand. You have toearn it.”
“Oh, I intend to ...” he drawled and put his mouth deep between my legs, startling me with his tongue, soft and almost cool against the burning centre of me.
The bathrobe was still trapped underneath me. I yelped and grabbed onto its belt, my knuckles turning white as suddenly he bared his teeth, their edges hard and threatening, and he sucked on my clit, adding a tantalising force to the otherwise gentle friction of tracing it with his tongue. Barely aware of doing so, I coiled the cotton rope around each of my wrists, and I held to its ends. I desperately wanted to tell him to stop but found myself incapable of coherent speech.
