His dark eyes shimmered with golden sparks from the fire, and she could see the lines of his face more clearly now that he was so close. He was handsome in a hairy, unkempt sort of way, and broad shouldered, so big that he made her feel tiny in comparison. Something she was not used to, and yet, strangely liked, despite the possible danger it posed.
It appeared he was not done with teasing her, as he leaned in closer, his body arching around her, as he stroked his index finger down her cheek. ‘I think we could have fun together...so let me know if you change your mind.’
‘I won’t!’ she cried indignantly, but her voice sounded so weak it was barely above a whisper, and she realised she had dropped the knife completely.
‘As you wish,’ he said simply, and turned away from her. The mountain of his back now lightly pressed against her. Despite her rejection he was still willing to share his body heat.
A wicked part of her was a little disappointed he had given up so easily.
Chapter Four
As was winter’s way, the day started with a cloudy and weak light. The sky barely changed from black to blue. The light that entered the cave was so fragile it barely illuminated the walls.
Her stomach rumbled with hunger, and she pressed her cold face closer to the blankets, torn between the choice of searching for food or giving in to more sleep. The warm cloth rose and fell gently beneath her cheek, and her eyes flew open as she realised what she was lying on.
Runar’s chest lay beneath her head, and the soft movement was his quiet breath. She flinched and tried to turn away. But his arm was locked around her shoulders, hugging her tightly to his chest.
Not only that, but to her horror she was far from innocent in this embrace. Her thigh was draped over his waist, held in place lightly by the weight of his palm, and her hand was clutching at his tunic as if she feared he would leave her. Entwined around him like tenacious ivy, even her dress had betrayed her. The fabric had bunched up around her thighs during the night, and the blankets were haphazardly draped over them both as if they had fought with them to get closer to each other’s bodies.
There were icy rocks all around them, but somehow Runar felt as hot as an oven. For a moment she feared he might be ill, but the hound at her feet was just as cosy.
Clenching her teeth, she tried to unwrap herself from him as quietly and subtly as possible. Firstly she tried to ease her thigh off his waist, but his fingers tightened slightly—as if he didn’t want to let her go. She stilled, holding her breath.
Glancing up, she was relieved to see his eyes were still closed, but there was now a little furrow to his brow. As if, even though he were asleep, he did not want to lose her—like a child unwilling to be parted from their favourite toy.
It reminded her of when little Magnus insisted on sleeping with one of his father’s ceremonial hammers. Embla had been worried he might accidentally hurt himself with the weapon while he slept. So each night, she would slip it from his grasp and replace it with a rolled blanket. He never noticed the exchange, and would simply presume he had dropped it during the night, as every morning he would find it on the floor beside his bed.
She did not have a rolled blanket to replace her leg with, but maybe if she pressed her body and thigh close for a moment, and then pulled away, he might not realise the loss immediately?
The other option would be to move away quickly in one smooth movement. But she feared if she did that, the jerk would wake Runar, and it would be far more obvious that she had found comfort in his arms...a thought that gave her the steely resolve she needed to proceed with her plan.
Pressing her chest and thigh against him, she waited three heartbeats before attempting to roll away. She tried to ignore how nice it felt to be held by a man, especially one as big and as muscular as Runar. It made her feel feminine and desirable, a rare feeling for Embla.
When his fingers finally relaxed once more, she slid her leg away with a soft sigh of relief.
‘Mmm...’ drawled a husky voice from above. ‘Have you changed your mind?’
‘No!’ With a horrified shriek she sat upright and shuffled back a little. ‘I thought you were asleep!’
Runar gave a wide yawn, propping his head beneath his arm as he looked up at her. The light from the mouth of the cave was faint, but she could clearly make out the self-satisfied smile on his face.
‘What is a man to think when a woman presses her body so tightly against him?’ He turned and drew a finger lazily up her arm. It was the lightest of touches, but disturbingly pleasant. She moved back another foot, and would have gone further if it weren’t for the glowing ash at her back.
‘I wasobviouslytrying to untangle myself without disturbing you!’
‘Ah, apologies.’ He grinned. ‘It has been a long time since I slept with a woman. I was confused, and thought you wished to make love.’
Embla inhaled sharply and choked on her outrage. ‘You are obsessed!’
He chuckled and rubbed his eyes sleepily. ‘A man gets lonely in the forest, even if it is by his own choice.’
Surprised and curious by the sincerity of his words, she asked, ‘How long have you lived out here...alone?’
‘Most of my life. Do you not believe me?’
‘I believe you. But...why? I heard you were part Sami. Why not live with them?’ She didn’t dare bring up why he had been banned from Gudvangen’s gates... Better to avoid that subject entirely, although she was dying to know the truth of the matter.
He shrugged. ‘My mother was Sami and my father was Norse. You could as easily ask why do I not live in Gudvangen.’ Dark eyes pierced hers, and she looked away.
