“Do you ever wonder what things might be like if we hadn’t shown up in Riverwold as rival tavern owners?” She sucked in a breath, as if anticipating my answer. The weight of that expectation made me pause and consider my words. There was something she wanted me to say, and gods be damned, I wanted to make sure I did.
“Truth be told, I’m happy things turned out as they did. Because it means I’m here with you now, sharing a campfire and talking about ale and life and dragons. How could anything be better than that?”
She seemed to deflate a bit. Inwardly, I cursed myself. I thought that answer had been pretty damn good.
The firelight splashed across her face, illuminating her reddened cheeks and her lips. “Right, of course. I’m glad it turned out this way, too.”
But there was a tightness in her voice. There was something she wasn’t saying. Swallowing, she touched a finger to her lips, then looked away into the dark forest. Fates be damned, I was such a fool.
“Lilia.” I reached out and tucked a wayward strand of silver hair behind her ear, my fingers gently brushing her skin. She shivered and looked back at me. The flush had crept down her neck. “Come here.”
Her eyes darted back and forth between mine. “I am here.”
“Come closer, so I can kiss you.”
Her lips parted as a shudder went through her. I slid my fingers through her silken hair, gently tugged her to me, and then captured her mouth with mine.
19
LILIA
Ragnar was kissing me. My mind caught on that thought, repeating endlessly. He had looked at me with a heat I felt within my bones, and then he’d kissed me. Heart thundering, I leaned into him, clutching his tunic. His luxurious lips swept across mine, his fingers still curled into my hair.
When his thumb brushed my cheek, a part of me came undone. I sighed against him, pent-up tension easing, while another part of me found a new reason to clench. Ragnar’s hands swept down the length of me and rested on my hips. His touch set me aflame.
His kiss deepened, his tongue spearing my lips. Trembling, a moan crept up my throat. Ragnar groaned in response and lifted me onto his lap. I spread my thighs around him, one leg around each side of his hips. When the hard length of him pressed against me, an ache spread through my core. I couldn’t help but shudder.
“Gods, you’re beautiful,” he murmured against my lips. His strong hands gripped my hips, then travelled to my backside. He shifted against me, and his length brushed my inner thigh.
I clutched at his shirt, unsure how to respond. I’d never done anything like this before.
Suddenly, my belly transformed into a bundle of nerves. What was I doing? Gasping, I pulled back, my heart hammering so hard I swore it might burst right out of my chest.
“Ragnar, I…” I wet my lips, wiping my hair out of my face. “I don’t know what got into me. I’m sorry.”
His lips curled into a heart-melting smile. “You have nothing to apologize for. I quite like what you’re doing right now. Can’t you tell?”
Oh, I could tell. There was no mistaking how hard he was. He shifted beneath me again, the length of him driving against just the right spot. Delirious pleasure clutched me by the throat, so intoxicating that I had no idea what to do with myself.
I felt very, very warm, and I didn’t think it had anything to do with the heat of Ragnar’s power.
“I’m nervous,” I finally whispered, worried he might get annoyed by my inexperience. This was the first time anyone had ever touched me like this—the first time I’dletanyone touch me like this—and while I wanted to give in to the pull of this heady desire, I also wanted to run.
His eyes softened. “You don’t have to be nervous with me, Lil. I would never do something you didn’t want.”
Releasing his grip on my thighs, he leaned back on his palms and waited for me to take the lead. My heart pounded. I reached out and slid my fingers along his rough jaw. Desire tugged me toward him, impossible to ignore. I’d been so wrong about him when he’d shown up at the festival. This man was strong and powerful, but also kind. And far more gentle than he looked, at least with me. Sighing, I leaned in and kissed him.
His lips moved gently against mine, and his hands stayed right where they were, palming the dirt. Still straddling him, I shifted closer and wound my arms around his neck. And even then, he did not rush me. His kiss was softer now, gentler, and it made my heart beat even wilder than it had before.
When I pulled back, a lazy, satisfied smile lined his lips, even though we’d barely done a thing. “I could spend all night like this, but we should probably finish our meal, eh?”
I relaxed against him. He would have gone so much further, I knew, but he saw my hesitation. His understanding of my inner thoughts made me want to kiss him all over again, but truth be told, my stomach was growling and I hadn’t consumed nearly enough water for all our walking.
Slowly, I extracted my tangled limbs from his lap and settled onto the bedroll beside him. I rustled around in my pack, then produced the wrapped slices of cake Nilsa had insisted I bring with me.
His brow raised. “Cake? You’ve been holding out on me?”
“I was tempted to eat both of them myself, but since you didn’t get to finish your pie back there, I figured I could share.” I held the cake aloft. As he reached for it, I pulled it back. “Ah, ah. Not so fast. You can have this, but only if you answer a question.”
