Chapter 9

Skorpa sat up and his gaze roamed over me, taking in every inch until I felt as if my entire body was blushing. A smile spread across his face and he pulled back the animal furs to invite me to join him. I slid into the bed, relieved to be covered again when he let the furs fall over me. He took off his shirt and tossed it onto the floor, before lying down beside me. We faced each other, still some distance apart, until Skorpa snaked an arm around my waist and tugged me against his body. I gasped as he pressed against me. My hands were trapped between us, my palms resting on his chest. A small amount of coarse hair covered his skin, and I felt his heart beating underneath. I slid my hand up to his neck under his hair, and my breasts brushed against him, making me shiver. That part of him that was hard nudged my belly and moved against me as he held me tighter. A combination of fear and excitement filled me as I thought of what was about to happen. Then he kissed me, and I ceased to think altogether.

Despite my inexperience, my response came naturally. As he thrust his tongue into my mouth, and rolled me onto my back, I slid my other arm around him and parted my legs. His lips crushed mine, and I kissed him back almost desperately, not wanting the moment to end. My fingers tangled in his hair and when he left my mouth and trailed kisses down my throat, I arched my neck and sighed with pleasure. Heat spread through my body and my skin tingled deliciously where every part of him touched me. He cupped my breast and rubbed his thumb over the nipple, which quickly firmed in response. I moaned softly and squirmed in his grasp, aching for more.

"You are so beautiful." Skorpa lowered his head more and replaced his hand with his mouth, teasing my breast with lips and tongue until I thought I would explode.

"Oh Lord, please," I heard myself say, in a shockingly wanton tone.

Skorpa chuckled and returned his lips to mine. He slid his hand down my body to my leg and pulled my knee up. I raised the other knee in the same way and curled my toes into the blanket beneath me. Then he reached between us and guided himself. As he drove into me, the sharp pain made me cry out, and I quickly bit my tongue. I had not been expecting it, although I supposed I should have. Skorpa paused, holding still. I knew he was staring at me even though I had my eyes closed. I tightened my arms around him and pressed my face into his neck. He cursed quietly and began to move again, slowly and carefully. The pain lessened and I felt only a mild discomfort as he slid in and out of me, groaning with pleasure. When he stilled again and I felt warm wetness within me, I smiled blissfully, glad that it had been with him and not Aethelbert.

Skorpa slid off me and turned me onto my side, still holding me in his arms. "Why did you not tell me?"

"Tell you what?"

"That you were untouched. I thought your husband would have—"

"Well, he did not."

"I hurt you."

"Only a little."

"I would have taken more care if I had known." He touched my cheek and kissed me softly on the lips. "Did he not want to touch you at all?"

"Well… now and then but, um—" I sighed with embarrassment. "Not in the normal way."

Skorpa frowned, then smirked a little. "It sounds to me as if he wanted the title and all it brought him, but not a woman. Perhaps he prefers other men."

"If so, then I am glad of that. I am happy it was with you." I pressed closer to him and ran my fingertips down his back. They touched many rough lines of skin on the way down and I stilled my hand. "What has happened to you?"

"It was a long time ago. I was younger than you are now. Only fifteen."

"Tell me."

"I wanted to leave Denmark. My parents were dead, and my elder sister married. I slept in her barn and worked on her husband's farm. I hated it. I had big dreams of being a warrior. So, when I heard of a group of men getting some ships together to travel here, I joined them. Of course, they did not see me as a warrior. I was a scrawny whelp and the only fighting experience I had was with another boy in the village. We liked the same girl, but she had no interest in me." He laughed a little. "I became a ship's slave. It lasted a year. I quickly toughened up and grew muscles, but the leader lashed us with his whip when we did not row fast enough. My back was torn open many times."

I held on tighter to him. "How did you get away?"

"I learned everything I could from them—how to fight with a sword, a dagger, and an axe. The next time he tried to punish me for something, I killed him. I had no weapons, but I overpowered him and, well—" He broke off and I imagined he must have bitten the man. "Four of the other young men who had been on the same ship left with me. Over time, I gathered a decent group of men and eventually became a war lord. Now, it is I whom people fear."

I smiled at him. "I am not afraid of you."

"Not even when I first captured you?"

"Well, yes, I was then, but at the same time I was so anxious to get away from Aethelbert, I wondered if you might be a better prospect. Even though you had blood on your face and had just cut off his hand."

Skorpa laughed. "And now? You want to stay with me?"

"Have I not made it obvious?"

He kissed the end of my nose. "I cannot imagine why you would want me, but the fact that you do makes me happy."

"You make me happy, too," I murmured. "You have been nothing but kind and gentle with me. It does not matter to me what you have done. The way you treat me is something I have dreamed of."

"You dreamed of being kidnapped by a Viking and carried off to his fortress?" he teased.

"Would you believe me if I said yes? It was either a prince or a warrior. I did not care which, so long as they took me away from Winchester."

"Alfred will come with his army to try to take you back," he said more seriously. "Whether I asked for a ransom or not."

"I know." I pressed my face into his hair.

"When I brought you here, I saw a way to amass great wealth. But that no longer matters. I have no intention to send a note now. Let them come if they wish."

My heart swelled at his words. I was worth more than silver to him. "Nothing will make me go back," I whispered.

We stopped talking then and lay in each other's arms. I listened to him breathing until the sound lulled me to sleep. When I woke hours later to find daylight seeping in through the window, neither of us had moved. He still held me close as if I were the most precious thing in the world. He slept on, and eventually I slipped carefully from his arms and stepped behind the curtain to use the night bucket and wipe the small amount of blood from where he had broken me. It was a little sore but not as bad as I expected. I returned to the bed and snuggled close to him again. A few minutes later, he opened his eyes and smiled.

"Good morning." His lips brushed mine.

"Good morning." I returned his kiss.

He stroked my arm and my back, exploring my soft skin with his rough hand. I felt him grow excited again, but after a moment he drew away and sat up. Perhaps he was anxious not to hurt me so soon after the first time.

"Is there anything you need?" he asked me. "Something that would improve your room, or—?"

"It is fine. But I would like to be able to bathe."

"I will have a tub sent up. Elflyn and one of the other women will fill it whenever you need."

"Must Afra and I remain locked in?"

"There is no reason for that any longer. In the beginning, I wanted to ensure your safety. But none of my men will dare touch you now. Your maid can work with Elflyn if she wishes, when you do not need her."

"Thank you." I leaned over and kissed his cheek. "I will return to my room now, if I may. I would like to freshen up."

"Of course. I will have the riding clothes I brought back sent to your room. You can try them out later."

"I will like that." I slid out of the bed, suddenly shy, and kept my back to him as I dressed.

He laughed softly. "Not so bold this morning, Lady."

My face burned. "This is very new to me."

"And me. You know of my reputation. But it is many years since I slept the night with a woman. I was close to your age."

"You tease me." I turned around, surprised.

He smiled and shrugged. "I have not had the desire to."

I smiled back. "Then I must think of myself as special." I let myself out of the room and hurried back to my own.