Page 53 of Viktor at Sea

“Is it working?”

“Kind of.”

“But not enough?” I asked, and she nodded. “Do you want to talk about it? Or am I the last person you want to talk to right now?” I half-joked, struggling to ignore the nerves which slowly crept up, feeling as if the emotion would strangle me.

“I’m not nervous,” Astrid whispered.

Something clicked in my mind. “You’re worried about not being nervous?”

Astrid nodded and chuckled quietly. “I always thought that I would be nervous for my wedding, that I would have cold feet and worry about all sorts of things, but I don’t feel any of that.”

“What do you feel instead?”

“Calm,” she whispered, her lips turning up at the corners into a small, breathtaking smile that had my heart beating in a frenzy. “I’m calm and excited. I can’t wait to get married to you tomorrow and start this new chapter of our lives.” Her lips tilted up even higher at the corners. “Although, you’ll still always be the annoying pirate who made it his mission to bother me whenever he was back on land.”

“I’ll always be your annoying pirate,” I grinned and gave in to the urge to lean in and press a sweet, lingering kiss to her temple.

When she laughed, I couldn’t help but join in. Her laughter was infectious, and I wished for us to spend the rest of our lives like this. Laughing through everything, all the happiness, the pain. Everything. Just laughing and together. That was all I wanted for us.

“I hope I’m not keeping you from that swim,” Astrid suddenly said, her eyes widening slightly in alarm.

“I was just about to head into the water now,” I grinned and stood up, reaching for the bottom of my tunic. “Care to join me?”

“I’m not a very good swimmer.”

“Well, it’s a good thing I’m a great swimmer then, isn’t it?” I asked with a grin, our eyes locked on each other’s. For Astrid’s sake, I kept my trousers on despite usually going swimming nude or only in my undergarments.

“I don’t want to ruin your fun,” she hesitated, and despite her words, she slowly rose to her feet. “And I haven’t got a dress to change into afterwards.”

“I doubt anyone would see you head home in a wet dress.” A wet dress that would stick to her figure and every womanly curve of her beautiful body. It would be a total feast for my eyes.

The moon didn’t do nearly as good enough of a job as the sun did during the daytime, but I could still briefly make out Astrid in the dark blue dress I had spotted her wearing earlier today. That was before Katarina had shooed me away as she claimed there was still a lot of preparation they needed to complete before the big day tomorrow.

“Well, since you insist,” Astrid gave in with a dramatic sigh despite not holding up much of an argument in the first place.

I held out my hand and my heart faltered when she accepted it without a hint of hesitation. Instead, she clasped my hand tightly before running off toward the water, dragging me with her. Not that she had to drag me anywhere. For the rest of my life, wherever Astrid was, I would be also, and I wouldn’t want it any other way.

The water was cold to the touch and akin to an ice bath. Astrid shrieked at the initial touch, but before she could turn around to escape it, I grabbed her around the waist and lifted her over my shoulder. Her shrieks turned into happy giggles as I ran deeper into the water, my hold on her tight as she had toldme several times that her skills in the water were poor. That was something I looked forward to changing after marriage.

Astrid wasn’t being modest when she said she wasn’t a good swimmer. Within the first minute, her head dipped under the water, and I feared that would be the last I would see of her. The rest of the time we were in the water, I remained close to her and supported her when she would let me. My hand was under her back when she floated, and when she wanted to try swimming, I swam backwards and held her hands to pull her along. When she got tired of swimming, she pushed away from me and splashed me with so much water that I felt as if I had just taken a shower in that one splash.

“Tell me you didn’t enjoy the late-night swim with me,” I chuckled, surfacing above the water and immediately reached out to pull her into my arms. Other than her arms braced against my chest and the wet material of her dress that now stuck to her body like second skin, there was very little that separated us. The moment was so proper and improper at the same time. Proper because I knew nothing would happen as I wouldn’t let it, not the night before our wedding. And improper because my mind swirled with such despicable thoughts that no amount of holy water could cleanse me.

“It was lovely,” she grinned at me, wrapping her arms around my waist. “We should do it more often.”

“I look forward to spending the rest of my life swimming with you,” I murmured, slowly inching my face closer to hers. When she didn’t pull away, my lips twitched at the corners.

“I hope not,” she snorted, and her arms slowly travelled over my bare chest and shoulders until she looped them around my neck, gently playing with the wispy hair there. My hair wasn’t nearly as dark, luscious or long as hers, but I liked it and wore it like a mane. Except when it was wet from the sea and impossible to tame, but that was nothing a rubber band couldn’t fix. “If youdon’t agree to limit it to one couple-swim a week at the very most, then I will object to marrying you tomorrow.”

“Oh, is that so?” I cocked a humoured brow, and when she giggled, I dug my fingertips in her side, tickling her. Her melodious laughter was infectious, and I only stopped when she started wheezing for air. “Do you still plan to reject me at the altar tomorrow?”

“Never in a million years,” Astrid murmured, staring at me from under hooded eyes. A brief look of hesitation washed over her face, but before I could ask her about it, she leaned in and pressed her lips against mine, initiating the kiss once again.

With her lips pressed hard against mine and her tongue licking along the seams of my bottom lip, asking for permission, I couldn’t bring myself to deny her.

I tightened my arms around her and pulled her closer. I slanted my mouth over hers to deepen the kiss, and when she moaned, I took advantage of her parted lips and slipped my tongue into her mouth. My tongue wound around hers and stroked it sensually, the feeling going straight to my cock which was pressed up against her stomach. When she moaned loudly at the feeling, it took everything I could not to push down my trousers and give her a teaser of the kind of pleasure I would give her for the rest of our lives.

When we both ran out of breath, panting against each other’s mouths, I pulled away slightly and pressed my forehead against hers. Her every exhale was my inhale, and vice versa, and I wished we could always stay this close.

---