Between kisses, Rune pulled off my shirt, then followed it with his own. Heart in my throat, I spread my fingers across his chest, feeling the softness of his skin and every dip and rise of his hard-won muscles.
“You’re beautiful,” he murmured, gazing down at me.
“So are you,” I whispered back.
With his eyes locked on mine, Rune slid his body between my thighs, and his hard length pressed against me. I gasped at his size. Just like everything else about him, he was large enough to make my pulse race.
Are you sure you want this?I heard him ask.
I’ve never been more sure of anything in my life.
And as I gazed up at him, I felt something pass between us that I’d always dreamed of finding. Happiness. Contentment. Hope. Against all odds, I’d found the thing I’d been looking for all my life.
I’d fallen in love with Rune.
I’ve fallen for you, too, Frida. In every possible way.
Tears filled my eyes. I couldn’t leave him. Not for my brother. Not for my father. And certainly not for the fucking guild. Suddenly, it felt as if a film had lifted from my eyes, and I could see the world for how it truly was. As much as I loved my family,I couldn’t lose who I was just to have them in my life. I needed to live for myself.
I needed to choose my own happiness.
Rune searched my gaze, the Hugur sand allowing him to read my every thought.
“Does this mean what I think it means?” he asked, almost timidly.
“Yes, Rune,” I said, the tears sliding down my face now. “I want to stay here. I want to start a life on this island, one with you by my side. If you’ll still have me. But I can’t promise it’ll be easy.”
“I would have you, even if the storms plagued my every step. I don’t care if it’s hard. You’re worth it, Frida. You’re worth everything.”
With his hand cupping my waist, he slid inside me. I gasped at the feel of him and how well his hard length filled my core. He slowly inched inside until he hit the very back of me. Another shudder shook my body.
“Fucking fate,” Rune said, groaning. “You feel so fucking good. I don’t think I can control myself.”
I met his eyes. They were only an inch from mine. Everything within me soared.
“Then don’t,” I whispered.
Rune gripped me tighter. He pulled back, then thrust deep inside me. I gasped, arching against him. Bracing his arms on either side of my head, he thrust again, harder and faster than the time before.
But it wasn’t enough. I wanted more.
As his pace quickened, I curled my fingers around the rug and hooked my legs around his hips, a desperate need coming over me. His cock hit the back of me again, filling me completely.
Rune’s lips found my ear, but it wasn’t his voice I heard.
I love you, Frida.
My pleasure stormed forward.
I love you, too, I thought back.
And then I reached the edge, my orgasm pounding through me once more. Rune’s pleasure reached its crescendo a second later, as if my moans fuelled his. Together, we breathed, holding tight to each other, sweat coating our skin. It was a long time before either of us moved, and when we did, we didn’t dare let go.
25
RUNE
Sunlight slanted through the open window, casting luminous light on Frida’s bare back. Smiling, I drew lazy circles across her skin and buried my face in her hair, breathing in the floral scent of her. Fate, I couldn’t remember the last time I’d felt this much at peace.
