Page 21 of Valkyrie Restored

She wiggled her injured leg, pulling the blanket off it. I dropped to my knees to do a thorough check. When I carried her, I used the opportunity to do a quick feel of it, and of course I examined it from a distance when I stayed the extra few seconds in bathroom, reassuring me that it was healing, but it wasn’t a true examination. I ran my hands over it, relieved to see how the swelling had already decreased. It wasn’t fully back to normal size, but it was a lot closer than what it would have been without the aid of those healing spells.

I poked and prodded, watching her face for any signs of discomfort or distress, but other than a slight tightening of her lips when I hit the worst spot, she didn’t react. Even the bruising looked like it was days old instead of less than twenty-four hours. It looked good, better than I expected, but I needed to double check she wasn’t hiding anything. “Any pain when you move it?”

“No.” She sounded a little surprised. “I mean there is still a slight throbbing and some pulling when I flex my muscles or rotate my knee, but nothing like yesterday. You’re right. I guess my body just needed extra sleep to speed up the healing.”

The look on her face as she spoke told me that she was thinking about how she could return home. Something I wouldn’t allow just yet. Nor would Hurrit. I worked hard to suppress the shudder that went through me when I thought of what his response would be if she left this house under my watch.

I leaned forward and tapped her nose with my finger. “Don’t you be thinking that.”

“What?” she asked in a voice that was sweeter than the syrup I’d used on our breakfast. “I wasn’t thinking anything except how happy I am at how fast my leg is recovering.”

I tilted my head and stared at her without blinking until she shuffled a little, breaking our eye contact. “So you weren’t thinking about how you felt that you could go home since your leg doesn’t hurt as much, because if you were, you can put that thought right out of your head. You still need help. I doubt that you can put your full weight on it yet.”

She crossed her arms over her chest, but under breasts, pushing them up and out. It was like she was serving them to me on a platter. The only way it would have been hotter would have been if she hadn’t still been wearing Hurrit’s shirt or if he’d been the one offering them to me. For a moment I lost my train of thought as I licked my lips, remembering how they’d tasted. But her soft chuckle shook me out of my breast-induced stupor.

“Naughty lass, I should punish you for that.” Her nostrils flared slightly, and she panted. My hard cock jerked, pressing against the zipper of my jeans.Hmm. Does she like the idea of being punished? Of my hand smacking her ass, turning it a pretty shade of pink. The colour her cheeks when I say naughty things in her ear.The idea intrigued me. It wasn’t a dynamic that either Hurrit or I really delved into over the years with our various bed partners, but for her, it was something I wanted to do. Maybe it was the constant challenge she presented to us, her need for complete independence, that brought out that primal, caveman side of me, but I was willing to embrace it even if now wasn’t the time.

“You’re staying here until we know that you can care for yourself without increasing the injury to your leg. So you might as well get used to our help or you will end up with a red bottom that will make sitting difficult.”

She glared at me, but her shoulders slumped as her hands dropped into her lap. “Fine. But I don’t have to like it.”

I leaned over her, sliding my arms around her waist and lifting her up against my chest. If she was true to form, she needed to use the bathroom, but was being too stubborn to say anything. “You’re right, you don’t have to like it, but I think you do.” I swirled my tongue around her ear, making sure to hit that little hollow behind the lobe. “At least you like the orgasms we give.”

She shivered, wrapping her arms tighter around me as she buried her head into my neck. I felt her tongue swipe across my skin before she took my lobe between her teeth, giving it a little nip. “You’re right. I do like them. And I demand more of them.”

“With pleasure.”

The scent of her arousal surrounded me. All my plans to take things slow after I sated my initial craving for her last night, were being tested… sorely. I didn’t want her to feel like once she had sex with one of us that it meant open season on her lady parts even if I did already avail myself to her body.

But every time I touched her, every time I was in her presence, that draw to be closer, to make her mine became harder to ignore.

I deposited her in the bathroom; pleased to see how stable she was even though she only placed the toes on her sore leg on the floor. This time, I left her alone to do what she needed without teasing her or prolonging our contact. Space. Clean air. I needed them both if I was going to make it through the rest of the day unscathed. For the first time, I envied the fact that Hurrit was out on the charter instead of me. Usually I was the one to take solo trips out on the water. It was easier that way since you were confined in a small space with people you didn’t know for hours on end who wanted you to engage with them in small talk besides facts about the lake and fish. A nightmare for Hurrit who didn’t like to talk unless he was comfortable and knew them. It was why he fared better when he solo led the adventure wilderness tours. There you spent long periods without talking as you tracked various animals and when you did speak, most of it was about the wildlife, the plants, and safety.

Yet this morning, Hurrit told me to stay and take care of Elin for him while he’d take the charter out. Why’d he do that? At the time, I thought he was just being nice, but now I wondered if there’d been hidden reasons for his so-called act of kindness.

While she was in the bathroom, I took the opportunity to strip the bed and remake it with fresh sheets. Even though she slept a couple of hours this morning, I was sure that she’d need more rest this afternoon. And if not, well, you could never go wrong with a fresh bed. Something I learned over the centuries.

“Arran? I’m, uh, done. And…”

I chuckled at the resigned sound to her voice. Goddess, she really hated to ask for help and it made things so much fun. “And what, lass? Was that your way of asking for my help?”

“Yes,” she growled in that cute kitten way she had.

Without giving her time to protest, I swooped in, swinging her up into my arms—bridal style to try to limit the temptation. Her stomach gurgled, confirming my resolve to keep things slow. Besides, lunch was ready and waiting for her.

I wanted to set her up like I had for breakfast, but she refused, hobbling towards the kitchen before I gave in and carried her to the table. And although it put me in closer proximity to her while we ate, it also gave us more bonding time. Time that I used to innocently brush against her arm, her leg, her hand. Best of all, those touches were reciprocated.

“Thanks for lunch. And breakfast. Both were delicious.” She wrung her hands as she took a deep breath. I held my silence and waited for her to continue. From the way her face contorted, and she squirmed in her seat, I knew that whatever it was that she wanted to say was difficult for her. She placed hand over mine as she looked me square in the eyes. “And I wanted to thank you for caring for me, for looking after me. I know I can be a hard case, also wanting to be independent, but I really appreciate how you didn’t allow me to retreat into myself.”

“Always lass. We want to take care of you. You’re no longer alone in this world and nothing you do or say can change it.” I leaned across the corner of the table and kissed her lips. It was supposed to be just a quick press of the lips to let her know how much I meant my words, but the moment her breath mingled with mine, I became lost in her.

There was no holding back. My walls crumbled. I needed her, to join with her, to form those deeper bonds with her, like I’d never wanted anything before.

And I was passed wanting to wait.

15

Elin

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