Would it hurt?
Gertrud had said it hurt the first time with the Jarl, and then it had become a tedious chore. But she had also heard from other women that it could be a pleasure.
Dark hair was slowly revealed, and the fabric tightened over the large bulge of his groin. Before she tugged it all the way down, she stopped.
Would he no longer want her after?
Doubts began to fill her mind and she hesitated.
His hand covered hers on his waistband and he tugged them back up. ‘Not tonight, let me be sure I can please you first.’
‘But...isn’t that what men want?’ she asked shakily.
He furrowed his brow. ‘I do not know.’ And then with a sly smile he moved down to kiss her neck. ‘WhatIwant...is for you to wrap yourself around me and hold on tight.’ As he spoke, he gathered her legs around him, and the hardness of him pressed against her intimately. There was the fabric of his trousers between them, but his length rubbed against her in such a way that it felt exquisite, igniting rivers of light within her that she had never imagined possible.
She slipped her arms around his neck and he began to kiss her mouth deeply, even as he slowly rocked against her in a carnal way. The pace increased, and his mouth grew hotter and more urgent against hers, and she found herself rocking mindlessly against him. Encouraging him to press harder and faster with each flex of his hips. All thought had disappeared; only her lust and Runar remained.
‘You are so soft,’ he moaned, and for once she took it as a compliment.
‘I need you,’ he groaned, stroking one hand up and down her thigh in a caress that drove her wild.
It was such a simple touch, his palm smoothing down from her hip to her thigh, his fingers curving beneath her knee before sliding once more back up. Each time, it seemed to drive her closer to the edge of her control, and she clutched him tighter, burying her face against his chest as waves of pleasure washed through her.
She shuddered and cried out his name, then moaned it over and over like a prayer as he soothed her spent body with light whispering kisses.
Chapter Thirteen
The next day they emerged from their tent with shy smiles. Runar felt as rich as a king, but tried not to appear too arrogant in front of his friends, as it might embarrass Embla. Secretly, he wished he could shout it from the nearest cliff, but he knew how important reputation was to a Norse woman, and he would rather pluck out his own eye than hurt her.
Embla had opened the door to her heart, and after taking such a giant leap, he was eager to leave the tribe, so that they could continue their relationship in private.
Pleasuring Embla had been the first step in proving how good a husband he could be for her, and he looked forward to many more nights wrapped up in her warm limbs. But firstly, they needed to get home, so that he could prove to her in every way howgoodhe could be for her.
Iskko arrived with his sleigh, followed by his mother and some of the tribesmen—including Lejo, who came with the two dog teams that would be pulling each sleigh. The dogs were yapping so excitedly it was difficult to talk over their noise. The ropes were attached, and the dogs began to jump and whine, desperate to begin their journey.
He was always amazed by the energy and enthusiasm of the dogs. Sten kept barking at them trying to stamp his authority over them, but they were too young and wild to care. Lejo and Issko whistled a command and they quietened a little.
‘We should get going,’ Runar said to Embla, who gave his mother one last hug of thanks before climbing into the sledge.
Miljá could only hug him around the waist, as he was so tall, but she still threatened him sharply in the Sami tongue, ‘I want to see her again in the spring...and the autumn...and all seasons after that! Do what you can to convince her to stay.’
Hot pain sliced through him. His relationship with Embla had become more intimate, but there had been no promises of her remaining. He tried his best to give his mother a carefree smile so that she wouldn’t worry.
‘I will try my very best, Mother. Stay safe and warm.’
He called out farewells to the rest of thesiidaas he took his seat behind Embla. They would ride the smaller empty sleigh while Iskko took the larger, as he was more experienced driving the dogs. Their sleigh would go ahead of Iskko’s carving the initial path for the bulkier sleigh that travelled behind.
Cracking the reins, Runar called out the command for the dogs to run. There was no need to tell them twice, and they charged forward without hesitation.
Embla’s back was thrown against his chest, and she gasped, ‘Sorry, I didn’t expect them to take off so fast!’
Grinning, he leaned down and whispered against her ear, ‘You can bump against me all day... I would not mind.’
She slapped at his leg with a disgruntled hiss, and he laughed even harder. Iskko behind them released his own team. The children tried to run beside them across the frozen lake, but the strength of the dogs pulled them ahead quickly, and it wasn’t long until they were sweeping up into the forest alone.
The snow was thicker there and the sleighs became more sluggish. But it did not affect the dogs’ enthusiasm as they happily pushed on even harder, their paws churning through the snow with renewed vigour.
‘How long will it take to get back to your cabin?’ she asked, and he tried to ignore the bite of disappointment he felt when she had not called it home.
