Elena shook her head. “Put the manacles on his wrists. I’ll cut the ropes when I’m ready.”
Another kinsman snickered, and she glared at him. But they obeyed her, chaining each of Ragnar’s wrists. The long chains were attached to the beams of her house, so he could not escape. She had sent Matheus to spend the night with Agata, and her friend had promised to look after him.
Ragnar was on his knees, and from the tension in his muscles, she sensed that he was seething. But she fully intended to change his furious mood.
A heady sense of power filled Elena and she moved in closer. “I’m going to cut your ropes now. Don’t move, or the knife could slip and cut you.”
She sawed through the rope, and when the bonds fell to the ground, his arms could now open. Ragnar tested the chains,pulling them until they were taut. His arms strained and the bulge of his muscles entranced her.
She removed the hood and saw that he was indeed gagged. “I’m going to take this off.”
His green eyes glittered with fury, and she suddenly questioned if this had been a good idea at all.
“Then again...I think I should leave it for a moment,” she said. “So you’ll listen to what I have to say.”
His glare was so dark, it was smoldering. Elena took a breath and faced him. “I know this might seem offensive to you. I know that you’re angry with me for using our men against you.”
In response, he gripped the chains tighter, trying to break them. Agata’s reassurance that this would help her to win him back was suddenly appearing questionable.
“I was afraid if you left me, I’d never see you again,” Elena continued. “And whether you believe it or not, I do care about you.”
She was nervous, standing in front of him, so she pulled a low stool over and sat. “When I was a maiden, I was blind to anyone but Styr. I always thought you were handsome and kind. You were someone I could talk to about anything. Never once did you make me feel awkward or bad about myself.”
Ragnar was listening now, though it was clear that he still didn’t like the chains or the gag.
“I thought I should love a man like Styr, because my father chose him for me. We all thought he would be the leader, and he was handsome and kind to me. But I know now that Styr didn’t...” She paused, searching for the right words. “He wasn’t interested in me. I could have been his little sister, for all he cared. But you were different.”
Suddenly feeling shy, she gathered her hair over one shoulder. “I think I always knew you loved me. But I didn’t know my own feelings until last night.”
She moved in so close, his face was a breath away. With her hands, she reached behind his head, resting her fingers against the tie of the gag. “I know this was a desperate move. But I didn’t want you to go without knowing that I love you. All these years, you were the man who stood by me. The man who loved me for the woman I was—not the woman I thought I should be.”
She untied the gag, tossing it aside. He didn’t speak, but his eyes held a fire that she feared.
“I would have done anything to be a mother, and I let it consume me.” She reached out to touch his shoulders. “I judged my worth on whether or not I could bear a child.”
She moved her hand down to his heart. “I want a man who loves me,” she insisted. “A man who won’t grow frustrated with me or ask me to change who I am.”
“I never asked you to change. Not once.” His voice was raw but still filled with anger.
Elena felt her breath growing tremulous, and she drew her arms around his neck. “I know.”
Ragnar pressed his hips close, and she drew a sharp breath at the junction of his hard length against her softness. “Why did you take me as your captive, Elena?”
She steeled herself and took a deep breath. “You wouldn’t listen to me earlier today when I told you I wanted to stay with you. Caragh Ó Brannon took my husband captive in this way and she won his heart. I hoped...that I might do the same.”
“Unchain me,” he demanded. From the dark tone of his voice, she didn’t think that was a good idea at all. He would only leave.
Instead, she removed her shoes, standing barefoot before him. Then she unclasped the twin brooches holding her apron in place, setting it aside. Last, she removed her gown, until she stood naked before him.
His expression grew shuttered, as if he didn’t want to look at her. But neither did he look away.
She came closer and loosened his tunic, moving her hands over his hardened chest. “I don’t think I am meant to have children. At least, not children of my blood.”
She lifted up his tunic and wrapped her arms around him, her breasts against his chest. His skin warmed her and she loved the feeling of hard against soft.
“With Styr, I always felt that if I didn’t become pregnant, I wouldn’t please him. With you, I don’t worry about it. It seemed like you only wanted to be with me. The way I want to be with you now.”
His anger had not diminished, and she strongly suspected it was due to his imprisonment. She moved her hands down his tight backside, then around the front to where he was heavily aroused.
