Page 60 of Lord of Fire and Ice

“Ja, so he says, but we’ve all seen the iron on his neck. We’ve naught but his word for the rest.”

Gerte pulled back the bedding and waved her over.

“Quick, my lady, the men will be here soon. Then once they see the pair of you settled, you and your man will have the whole night together,” Gerte said. “Of course, in my day, the men stayed to see the bride deflowered, just to make sure the knot was tied good and proper.”

Katla’s brows arched in surprise.

“It wasn’t as bad as it sounds. My husband kept me covered up while he did the deed. But don’t you worry your head. Those days are past, and it’s not as if you’re a green maid. They’ll leave as soon as your husband orders them out.” Gerte frowned, obviously recalling her previous comment about whether the word of a former thrall would be obeyed. “I hope.”

Then she lifted her bony hands in a gesture that consigned the coming events to the lap of the gods, and slipped out of Katla’s chamber.

Bridal night or not, Katla wasn’t about to face a drunken mob bare as a peeled twig. She hopped out of bed, donned a thin night shift, and scrambled back under the covers as the door to her chamber opened.

Brandr’s broad-shouldered form was framed by the doorway for a moment as he accepted some lewd advice with a good-natured laugh. Then he firmly closed the door on the crowd gathered on the other side, not even allowing them a peek at Katla in the bed. He slid the latch home with a loud click.

He turned toward Katla. Brandr’s face was fixed with a look of intense concentration as he met her gaze, the raw-boned lines of his features divided into light and dark planes in the flickering flame of the lamp. Then he pulled his tunic over his head and stripped off his undergarment, baring his chest and arms.

“I thought we had an agreement,” Katla said. “You said you were leaving as soon as the iron collar was struck.”

He shrugged. “I’m a free man, am I not? I’ll leave when it suits me.”

He toed off his boots and pulled off his socks. Then he turned his back to her, untied the drawstring at his waist, and peeled out of his trousers. The smooth skin of his tight buttocks was kissed by the lamplight. Corded muscles stood out in stark relief beneath the skin of his thighs and calves. When he turned back to face her, his cock rose.

If he’d had to claim her before witnesses, he was certainly equipped to do it.

Katla drew a ragged breath. He was even more beguilingly male than she remembered. Or maybe the punishing pace of work she’d set for him had burned away the last traces of softness, leaving him even more hard bodied and deeply sculpted. She cleared her throat loudly. If she didn’t speak now, she’d lose the will to.

“What if I want you to leave?” she asked.

Brandr narrowed his eyes at her. “If you want me to leave, I will. But you’ll have to convince me that’s truly your desire.”

She sat up straighter. “That’s truly my desire.”

“I don’t believe you.”

“How can I convince you?”

“Only your body can do that. If you don’t want me to stay, I’ll know.” He took a step closer to the bed. “If you’re lying when you say you want me gone, I’ll know that too.”

Chapter 21

He dove onto the bed with her. The ropes beneath the straw tick creaked in protest. The sheets smelled of her, cedar and warm woman and just a hint of musk. He slid under the linen and hitched a possessive leg over hers.

“Brandr, I don’t think—”

“Good.” He nuzzled her neck and nipped an earlobe. “You do too much of that as a general rule.”

“But we need to talk about—”

He silenced her with a hard kiss. Once her body unstiffened and her lips softened and parted in welcome, he suckled her bottom lip for a moment and then drew back. “No more talk. And nothing else can stand between us either.”

He hooked a finger over the neckline of her night shift and traced along the edge, teasing her bare skin. Then he gave the bow between her breasts a hard yank. The thin fabric parted, baring her to the navel.

Her lips parted softly, but she didn’t protest.

She wants me to look at her, he thought, almost giddy with lust.

Her skin was a wonder, warm and smooth. Gooseflesh rose in the wake of his fingers. Her nipples became taut as he teased around them. Her breath hitched, and she made a small, needy noise in the back of her throat when he bent to taste them.