Svanna knew she should be prudent and retreat from the bed, get dressed and make some transparent excuse, but somehow, she didn’t want to. Another wave of heat washed over her, leaving her body aching for the relief she instinctively knew only he could give her.
‘I’ll stay,’ she said, not giving herself time to allow reason and prudence to reassert themselves. ‘At least until the turning of the tide.’
His chest shook with barely suppressed laughter. ‘Your choice. Until the turning of the tide it shall be.’
She longed to ask what the turning of the tide actually meant to him, but decided on balance she didn’t want to appear naïve. She simply touched his cheek in response. He turned his face to her palm.
His mouth slowly moved across her jawline before travelling down to where the neck of her gown met the beginnings of the shadowy place between her breasts. There he paused.
His hand brushed against her nipples, tracing small circles while his tongue tasted her skin, drawing ever-increasing circles.
Her nipples became hardened points under his ministrations and the white-hot heat increased until she felt the apex of her thighs grow slick with longing.
Her back arched, seeking relief in the shadowy place between her thighs which she knew his touch would bring. But he ignored her arching and the faint mewling in the back of her throat. Instead, he slowly took one nipple then the other one into his mouth and suckled, while his fingers drew patterns on her belly. All about her, the room exploded in stars.
Slowly, the world righted itself. She found him still and staring at her.
‘Shall I continue?’ he rasped in her ear. ‘Say it, Svanna.’
‘Please.’ She nodded, knowing more words were beyond her. She tugged at his arms, and her body bucked upwards once again. He traced the line of her jaw.
‘I believe I know the solution.’
His knee wedged her thighs open. His hands travelled lower and played in her nest of curls. Round and round until she grew slick.
She moaned in the back of her throat and clawed at his shoulders.
He placed a moist finger against her lips. ‘Impatient?’
His finger traced the outline of her mouth before delving in. She drew it into her mouth and jammed her hips upwards.
Her middle encountered his groin, and she instinctively adjusted her position, spreading her knees wide so that he could impale himself deep within her.
He firmly drove in. His eyes widened slightly as he encountered her maidenhead, but she bucked her hips upwards until he fully sheathed himself. He gave a great sigh and collapsed down on her.
She wrapped her arms about him and held him while he lay there, unmoving. Giving in to her instinct, she rocked back and forth, enjoying the feel of him within her. He then joined her, each time driving deeper.
And she knew all her imaginings, both good and bad, had not prepared her for the sheer intensity of sensations which coursed through her and swept her into their maelstrom.
When it reached its height she clung to him, wrapping her legs firmly about him, and heard her voice cry out, then she shuddered and lay still, utterly spent and replete.
* * *
A good while later, when the chamber was bathed in golden morning light, Rand lay back against the pillows and stroked Svanna’s hair while she appeared to sleep, curled into his side with her head on his chest.
What had passed between had been entirely unexpected in its sheer intensity. He felt as if he’d been sleepwalking through life for a long time and had finally woken to a bright new day.
He’d forgotten what sex could be like, but he had not been prepared for her to be a maiden. In his desire, he’d not taken the time to prepare her properly and when he’d realised, it had been far too late to stop. But he knew he wanted her to enjoy the act as much he did. And he hated himself for believing the lies his cousin had told him back on the boat about how Ingebord must have taken some lover. He’d experienced the proof that she never had. She’d been an innocent. The entire scheme which had led to his beating had been some twisted fantasy of Drengr and his sons.
‘Did I hurt you?’ he whispered, holding her like precious glass but not expecting her to answer.
She touched his face. ‘No more than I expected, and a lot less than I feared.’
‘I took your maidenhead. Too late when I realised.’
She withdrew her hand and propped herself up on one elbow. ‘Is that surprising? You knew my reputation as an Ice Maiden. I spent many years cultivating it. It became my shield. That and Tippi. Even Turgeis worried about her bite after he’d experienced it.’
Her voice quavered on the last word as if it was supposed to be a joke.
