“Leave Gunnar out of this.”
“I will not if you continue to be difficult when all we are trying to do is keep you safe,” Magnus said. Freydis was like a sister to him and he would not see her harmed any more than he would Saga or Vigdis.
She turned on her heel and mumbled something as she re-entered the cottage. She emerged a moment later with an armful of clothes and closed the door behind her.
“This is all I need to take right now. If I need anything else, I will come for it, and I will take someone with me if that makes you feel better.”
Freydis climbed into the cart and arranged some of her belongings then sat cross legged and pouted. Magnus shook his head and mounted his horse.
“Has she always been like that?” Giric asked.
“As long as I’ve known her.”
“I pity her future husband.”
“That may very well be my brother.”
Giric tilted his head back and laughed. Magnus chuckled as well. Gunnar seemed to find mirth in another’s discomfort in a playful way and so it seemed fitting he would have to tread lightly in his own personal relationship.
“Your brother would have his hands full with that one. Why are they not together?”
“We all thought they would have married a couple of years ago, but they had a disagreement and have been dancing circles around one another ever since. Gunnar has been a little lost since she came to live with you and Saga. Perhaps her sour mood is a reflection of missing him as well.”
“Mayhap you’re right. We have other healers and a midwife we can call on to help Saga with the babe when the time comes. Freydis can return to Islay whenever she wants. She would be as protected there as here and so the only person standing in the way of that decision is herself.”
“I suspect that is the reason for most of that woman’s turmoil.” While he was jesting, he could never understand why Gunnar and Freydis had not simply settled their differences.
An image of red hair floated across his mind’s eye. If he was even remotely convinced Elspeth felt for him as he did for her, he would move mountains to claim her. No argument or living arrangement would keep them apart. Of that he was quite certain.
The closer they rode to the castle, the more his guts tightened. Even just a few short hours away from her was too much. He wanted to show her that being away from her was likely to make him miserable. How that was even possible, he had no idea. And he really didn’t care. All he knew was that she had not left his thoughts since the moment they met and his enchantment with her grew with each passing second.
Magnus wasn’t sure how much of her time he was permitted in private, if any. But he would speak to her and he would let her know how he felt. Not just that he wanted to protect her from harm. But that he wanted to know her in every sense. He shifted on his horse. His damned trews were still tight and every time he had even the smallest thought of kissing her delicious mouth, he thickened and unfortunately the leather was not yet broken in enough to have any give. The result was painful ride to the castle.
Before long, he was riding through the gates, dismounting, and tossing the reins to the stable hand. Magnus strode into the hall to find only his sisters there.
“She’s in her chamber,” Saga said with a strange grin on her face as she nodded to Vigdis. He didn’t know what was so funny and he didn’t care.
Magnus took the stairs two at a time and hesitated outside Elspeth’s door. His arm was raised to knock when she opened it and drew him inside. He had no words for her. He looked upon her beautiful face, deep within her eyes and placed his hands on either side of her face.
Magnus leaned down and brushed his lips across hers. He loved the way her small hands felt on his body as she slid her arms around him and drew him closer.
“Is this permitted?” he whispered to her.
She smiled and reached up to return his kiss. Magnus drew her toward him and deepened the kiss. He played with her lips then urged her mouth open with his tongue. Once inside he tasted her sweetness and he was lost to everything but the sensations flowing through his body from their connection.
She pressed her breasts against him and he was undone. Magnus reached down and lifted her body and pressed her against the wall. He hooked her legs around his waist and pressed his erection against her skirts. Sweet Freya, he wanted to slide his hard cock inside her and pleasure her until she couldn’t take anymore. Her hands were wild in his hair and she pushed her body back against him.
“I want you so badly,” he said in a hoarse voice when he broke free from the kiss to catch his breath. He kissed her chest and her neck. “Tell me you want me as much.”
He didn’t need to hear the words; her body told him everything he needed to know. But he wanted to hear them anyway.
“I want you Magnus. I want you like you want me,” she said softly.
The soft tone of her voice tempered his desire. He pulled them away from the wall and walked to the chairs by the hearth. He placed her in one and sat in the other. Magnus raked his hands through his hair and stroked his hands over his face. He needed a moment to cool his thoughts. Never could he have imagined that she would respond to him the way she had. No woman had ever responded to him like that and he was a little overwhelmed by the force of their mutual desire.
He drew a deep steadying breath and smiled at her. For the first time in his life, he had no idea what to say.
* * *
