Wouldn’t she?
She was beginning to doubt even that. Could the end of their loneliness be found with each other?
No.Runar was right. People did care for her, and they were relying on her to come back.
‘Thank you. You are kind to make the boys gifts. Especially after you have made so many already. Do you not ever tire of making them?’
‘What else am I to do with my time? Unless...’ His eyes brightened, and he gave her a heavy look. Slowly, his hands slid up her thighs to hold her hips, and then he rocked forward to steal a quick kiss from her lips. The heat in his eyes was full of promise and a simple question.
Embla giggled, and swatted at him dismissively. ‘It is the middle of the day!’
‘No, it is getting late. You have been distracted with your decorations and have not realised how dark it is getting,’ he declared.
She looked up at the shutter, through which a hazy light still filtered despite the linen cover. She tied a red bow around her straw goat’s neck and placed it on the table. It was a little family, a mother and father, with three baby goats nestled around them. She thought it made a cheerful centrepiece.
‘Should I make our evening meal then? As it is so late?’ she teased, rising to her feet and breaking his hold on her. She was about to walk over to the fire when strong arms wrapped around her waist and plucked her off her feet.
She squealed as he carried her to their bed, dropping her down upon it so that she bounced a little as she hit the straw mattress.
‘No need to cook just yet. There is still a little light,’ he said, throwing aside his belt.
‘You just said it was dark!’ she laughed.
He shook his head firmly, dropping down beside her. ‘I said it wasgettingdark. Take off your clothes. I wish to see you properly in what light remains.’
A blush bloomed up her face and neck, and a heavy weight settled in her stomach. He had seen her naked, but always in the dim firelight of the evening, never fully in daylight like now.
‘Is something wrong?’ he asked.
‘You will think me silly,’ she whispered already cringing at the thought of revealing her deepest fears.
‘Never.’
She smiled at the confidence in his tone. ‘I am a little shy... I mean, it is the middle of the day. The time for...that...is at night.’
Leaning a little forward, he gently eased off each of her slippers and set them on the floor. ‘But I have been thinking ofthat—’ he smiled slyly, teasing her with her own timid description ‘—since I woke up this morning, and I wish to see you in the light...all of you.’
Heat engulfed her face, and she had to look away from the intensity in his eyes.
‘Would you feel braver if you saw me first?’ he asked.
Curiosity gave her courage and she nodded quickly. She had to admit the idea of seeing him properly...and in full...was far more appealing to her.
He stood up, peeling off his tunics and casting them aside onto one of the nearby chests. Her greedy eyes ate up the sight of his strong torso, and she found herself easing down onto her back so that she could watch him undress more comfortably.
The fur slippers she had made him wear were kicked off next, and then he hopped awkwardly from foot to foot as he removed his socks. She giggled when he nearly toppled over onto the bed, and he had to grab the mattress to stop himself. Grinning at her amusement, he undid the ties of his trousers and smoothly pushed them down to the floor so that he could step out of them.
It was as if Embla’s body had forgotten how to live. Her breath felt tight in her chest, and she shivered with heat, as if she had a fever.
He was perfect in every way, from the golden colour of his skin to the sharp, angular lines of his body. Broad shoulders, narrow hips, and long, muscular limbs. His cock was long and stiff. She blushed furiously when she realised she had been staring at it for far longer than would be considered polite.
Last night she had stroked him until his own release had come hot and sticky over her hands. But it had been beneath the blankets, and she had to admit she liked seeing him in the daylight. Knowing she could pleasure him with only her touch gave her a strange sense of power, and she longed to do it again.
Sitting on the bed beside her, he slowly removed her leg wraps and socks. Then his hands gently roamed over her feet and ankles in a loving caress that scattered her thoughts like leaves in the wind.
‘Will you undress for me?’ he asked hoarsely, and she gave a dazed nod.
She rose from the bed, and he moved further on to it, lying back against the feather pillows with his arms behind his head, as if he were about to enjoy a performance by a skald.
