But hearing the truth from him only warned that there would be no happiness for them. Not if he and Elena wanted to stay together.
He said nothing, but only held her tighter against him. “Every day I’ve spent with you is a betrayal of her.” The words were a blade twisted inside her, wounding her heart. Then he added, “I won’t forget a single moment of it, Caragh. Or you.”
His embrace only deepened the heartbreak. But leaving him now would only heighten the loneliness. Her eyes blurred, and she admitted, “I shouldn’t have come here.”
“Why?”
“Because it only makes me desire you more.” She started to sit up, and he caught her wrist.
“I can’t give you an answer,” he admitted. “Not until I see her. If she’s still alive.”
“You’re her husband. I understand that.” Though she tried to keep the pain from her words, they caught in her throat. “You must go to her.”
“I have to see that she is provided for.” He kept his hold upon her wrist, drawing her back against him. His hands moved down her side in a caress. “And if she wants to return to Hordafylke, I will arrange it.”
“Without you?” she ventured.
He turned her upon her back, his body above hers. “What do you think?”
She couldn’t breathe from the intensity of heat that rushed over her. Against the juncture of her thighs, she felt thehardened length of his shaft, and she couldn’t stop herself from opening to him. Between her legs, she ached, and even her breasts were sensitive to the weight of him.
“She deserves to be happy,” he said. “And perhaps it shouldn’t be with me.”
Caragh shielded her heart from the wild hope that beat within her. Though she wanted desperately to believe that he might divorce his wife and stay with her, he’d made no promises.
“You deserve to be happy, too,” she whispered, reaching her arms around his torso.
He shook his head. “The gods have cursed me. For I have no sons or daughters to carry on my blood.” He moved to his side, drawing his hand over her hip.
She recognized the warning. He was telling her that even if they did come together, there might never be a child. But she didn’t want to believe it.
“You might...with me,” she whispered. She couldn’t believe she had dared to speak of such a thing. Not when they had been so careful to avoid touching.
“Do you want to know what it would be like to feel such pleasure with me?” His whisper was a half-growl, and she wasn’t sure what he meant by that.
“Yes,” she breathed, “but it would be wrong.” Even as she spoke the words, desire flooded through her, making her ache between her this.
“It would be, if I touched you,” he agreed, his voice resonant within the darkness. “But we won't do that.”
He pulled his hands away, and she veiled her own disappointment. “I know. We shouldn't—”
“No. But if you stay here tonight, you obey my commands.” He stared at her with a silent question.
It would be her choice.
Chapter Twelve
Never in his life had he wanted a woman this badly. Caragh’s hands around him had awakened an arousal he couldn’t deny, instead of lending comfort. He wanted to lay her back and taste her bare skin, learning what pleased her body.
But then, she was a virgin. Asking her to be intimate in this way would likely embarrass her instead of bringing her pleasure.
“Or you could return to your tent.” He offered her the escape, uncertain of whether she would seize it.
When he heard no movement from her, the air within the tent seemed to grow warmer. He went rigid at the thought of what was about to happen between them.
At first, he’d believed she would run away. Instead, she’d met his challenge, leaving him with no choice but to continue.
“I want all the time that remains between us,” she murmured. “Even if it’s stolen.”
