Part 8 (1/2)
With his hands, Gunnar loosened the tie that bound her braid, bringing her hair to spill over her shoulders. ”I want to know what sort of spell you've cast over me. Why my blood rises at the sight of you.” He leaned in, his mouth grazing hers in another kiss. ”I want to know the woman who was standing in front of me all these months, the woman I was too blind to see. I'm not going to let anyone take you away.”
The need to claim her, to mark her as his, was rising hard within him. He invaded her mouth with his tongue, leaving her with no doubt of how much he wanted her.
Something about Auder had captivated him. When he'd seen her starting to surrender herself to the Normans, a primitive urge had taken him with no warning. He didn't understand what it was, but this night, he intended to use every means to change her mind. Even seduction.
Breaking free of her kiss, he demanded, ”If you tell me no, I'll take you back to the others this very moment.” His hands rested at her waist, waiting for some sign. When she didn't move, his hands moved up to cradle her face. ”Or I'm going to touch you the way I've wanted to since the day you returned to Glen Ocham.”
Her lips were wet, her eyes wild as she stared at him. It had happened so fast, she could hardly breathe. Gunnar's gray eyes were the color of smoke, his shadowed face fierce with s.e.xual need. Tonight, there would be far more than a single kiss, if she allowed it.
Did she dare? Though her feelings ran deep, she knew what had to happen in the morning. She couldn't abandon this alliance, despite her personal misgivings. She stared back at the torches outlining the cashel. Tomorrow, she would offer herself to protect her friends and family.
But tonight belonged to her.
She could stay with Gunnar, letting him do as he wished. Already she sensed that it would be different with him, that she would not disappoint him as she had her previous lover. The aching need and desire ran deep. She admitted to herself that Gunnar was the man she wanted more than any other, the man she'd dreamed of. She might never again have this chance.
She'd always felt so awkward and clumsy around men, never knowing how to behave. Reaching up to his face, she ran her fingers from his temple down his jaw. ”I should say no to you.”
”But you're not going to. You know this was meant to happen between us.”
Beneath her fingertips, she felt his pulse flaring. And when she leaned in to kiss him, it was as if she'd unleashed a storm. He devoured her mouth, cupping her bottom and nestling her hips close to his. The length of his desire rested between them, and she s.h.i.+vered at the thought of joining with him.
”I want to stay with you,” she whispered. ”Even though I know it's wrong.”
The air was growing cooler, and Gunnar held her close, warming her with the heat of his skin. ”Come with me while I get a horse.”
”Why? Where are you taking me?”
”Far away from everyone else,” he swore. ”Tonight, I want no one to interrupt us.”
The long ride was dangerous in the darkness, but Gunnar used the moonlit river to guide them. He brought her to a grove of trees, several miles south of the cashel, and far from the place where the Norman soldiers had made camp. ”I'm going to build a fire,” he told her.
He removed his cloak and spread it on the ground. Auder helped him gather branches and within another half hour, he had a warm fire licking at the wood.
Against the flames, his silhouette reminded her of a conqueror, bold and demanding. She understood that the time for changing her mind was long past. This was a man who intended to claim her, and a surge of desire held her unable to grasp the threads of reason.
Gunnar knelt before her, guiding her to sit with him. Auder brought her hands to rest upon his chest, and the old fears brimmed up inside her, though she tried to push them away.
Was it so wrong to want a memory for herself? She deserved at least that much, didn't she? And though it might break her heart to leave him in the morning, she would have this night as her own.
Gunnar moved his hands to the brooches at her shoulders and unpinned them. Auder reached up to help remove the ap.r.o.n that covered her dark green gown.
As he took away each layer, baring her skin, he kissed her, sending ripples of intense pleasure rising up. His mouth moved to the softness of her throat, while his hands reached to fill up with her b.r.e.a.s.t.s.
”You weaken me, Auder,” he said, and with his thumbs, he caressed her erect nipples.
The pleasure rocked through her, and she touched the scar that ran down his neck, needing to reach his skin. Gunnar removed his tunic, baring his warrior's body. A strange sh.e.l.l hung from a leather cord, and he set it aside. ”It belonged to my mother,” was all he would say.
He wove his hands into her hair, sliding it down her b.r.e.a.s.t.s to cover the nipples. He used the glossy strands to arouse her, and she shuddered as her body grew warm with desire. ”Ever since I kissed you yesterday, I've been wanting to do this.” He bent down to kiss each nipple lightly, his tongue sliding across the hard nubs.
He drew her mouth to his, and Auder clung to him while he struggled to remove the rest of their clothing. The heat of his skin seemed to brand hers, and she welcomed his weight atop her, even though she shouldn't.
”Gunnar,” she said softly, her voice breaking slightly. ”I'm not good at this. I'm sorry if I displease you.”
”You couldn't displease me if you wanted to.” He claimed her mouth in a rough kiss while he rolled onto his back, bringing her atop him. The motion brought her into full contact with his shaft, and she couldn't stop the shudder of need that pulsed inside. She was wet, ready for him to claim her. Parting her legs, she straddled his waist, kissing him deeply. In response, Gunnar moved his hips, lifting her body against his erection to caress her.
”This is your last chance, Auder,” he breathed against her throat. ”If you want me to leave you untouched, I will. Or...” He ran his hand down her throat to the generous curve of her breast. The nipple tightened instantly, and she felt his thick length nudging at her opening.
”Or what?” she whispered.
”You're going to be my captive. And I'm going to touch you until you scream with pleasure.”
Chapter Three.
Her heart was beating so fast, she could hardly speak. It was both terrifying and exhilarating, watching Gunnar's face transform with harsh need. ”I don't want you to stop,” she admitted.
”You told me that you'd taken a lover before. And that you didn't enjoy it.”
She shook her head slowly. ”I thought I'd done what I was supposed to do. I lay beneath him and let him join with me.” Her face was burning with shame. ”Afterward, he left without saying a word. What else was I to think?”
”He was a selfish b.a.s.t.a.r.d,” Gunnar said. He laid her down gently upon his cloak and reached for her s.h.i.+ft. Made of the softest linen, she wondered if he meant to put it back on her. Perhaps he'd changed his mind after all.
Instead, he took her wrists and bound her hands together. ”Tonight, I promise you'll enjoy every moment.”
The wool of his cloak was rough against her bare back, and the sensation of being bound was unexpectedly arousing. Though she wanted to touch him, he lifted her wrists above her head, trapping her in place.
”You're a beautiful woman, Auder. And tonight, you're mine to claim.”
With that, he took her nipple into his mouth, his tongue moving over the hardened tip. She was helpless to stop him, and he sucked gently, tantalizing her. Between her thighs, she could feel his length, and she grew wet simply imagining him inside. His mouth caressed and nibbled at her skin, and she couldn't stop herself from arching against him, wis.h.i.+ng he would release her hands.
”I'm going to take your body and sheathe myself inside you,” he said against her navel, and his tongue swirled against it, make her s.h.i.+ver. He let go of her bound hands and spread her legs apart, forcing her to bend her knees. His mouth was dangerously close, and she didn't think- Sweet G.o.d above. His tongue slid over her woman's flesh, and she couldn't stop the cry that broke free. Her nipples were tight, and she couldn't stop the trembling when he licked her intimately. He used his tongue to ma.s.sage the hooded flesh above her opening, and the sensations brought even more wetness surging.
”Let go,” he demanded. ”Give yourself to me.” He sucked against her, his tongue caressing her, while his hands filled up with her swollen b.r.e.a.s.t.s. Her hips arched, the rigid need rising higher, achingly close.
When he pulled back, she nearly sobbed with frustration, until he started again with the torment. His mouth devoured her secret flesh, and he used one thumb to enter her body. Perspiration broke over her skin as he stimulated her with his thumb, entering her in a gentle rhythm while his tongue lapped at her most sensitive place.
”Gunnar,” she cried out, trying to reach for him.
In answer, he used his strength to keep her bound hands trapped while he raked his teeth and tongue over her. When he entered her again with his fingers, his stroking rhythm finally pushed her over the edge. A sudden release broke over her, and Auder pulsed against his hand, shattering with the melting pleasure.
When she met his eyes, no longer was he the kind man she'd fallen for. He'd become a ruthless invader, intent upon taking her. She bit her lip, waiting for the moment when he would press himself inside.
Instead, he sat, guiding her bound hands around his neck. It forced her b.r.e.a.s.t.s against his hardened chest, and her wet folds came into contact with his manhood. He teased her, lifting her hips to graze his length. ”Did you like that?” he murmured, taking her breast into his mouth once more.
Her breath caught at the savage pleasure of him suckling at her breast. It was as if she felt an echo within her womb, and she rose up, trying to slide his length within her opening.
”I want you inside me,” she pleaded.