Page 11 of Odin

He set the book down on the table. "Of course."

It took two of them to wrestle her mattress down the narrow corridors and into the library, which got its name from the shelves lining one wall, filled with a mixture of academic texts and tattered novels. She let go, and the mattress thumped to the floor, taking up most of the available space.

"I will help you carry the bedding," Olaf said, leaving.

It wasn't until she'd finished making up the bed, with pillows and linen and a couple of extra blankets she'd found in the cupboard that she realised there was no space for another mattress for Olaf.

Who had already begun stripping out of his overalls.

Holy fuck.

She'd noticed his muscles before, but now she looked at him, really looked at him...

She needed to keep her hands off him. Even if they had to share a bed and he was going to be doing it...

Gulp.

Naked.

"No funny business. Keep your hands to yourself," she said. "We're only sharing a bed to keep warm. That's it. Hopefully the power will be back on tomorrow and we can go back to normal sleeping arrangements."

Olaf nodded. "As you wish."

Well if he could sound that professional and disinterested...like last night's sex had been nothing out of the ordinary for him...so could she.

"Good night," she said, climbing under the covers and turning her back to him. If she didn't look, then she wouldn't be tempted to do something she shouldn't.

"Sleep well, Doctor Freyja," he replied, as he slid in beside her.

At first, she couldn't sleep, hearing his every breath and wondering if he was going to say something. Or do something.

The next thing she knew, she was pressed against something hot and hard and her hands were wrapped around...

Fuck. She rolled over, put her back to him, and stuck her hands firmly under her pillow, glad he couldn't see her blush burning in the dark.

An hour later, she woke up again. This time, she'd hooked her leg over his and was all but dry humping him.

She jerked away.

"Doctor Freyja, is there something you wish to ask me?" his voice rumbled out of the darkness.

Fuck. She had woken him up.

"No. Just...we're only sharing a bed to keep each other warm, right? Nothing else."

She heard him shift, then felt the mattress move as he rose. Then the door opened and closed, and he was gone.

She let out a long breath she hadn't known she was holding. Fuck. Fuck. Fuck.

THIRTEEN

He could sleep beside a woman, even snuggle up to her for warmth, and not put a finger past propriety. He'd done it for years with Frigg, who he knew had no wish for his body in any romantic sense. But Freyja, whose hands caressed and stroked, who'd even pressed her wet centre against him as she'd started to climb on top of him...now she was driving him well into the realms of madness, for she obviously wanted him as much as he wanted her.

That's when he remembered the little sheaths from last night – the ones she'd said would keep them safe from little surprises. He'd seen a box of them in one of the store rooms during his explorations earlier, so he left to get some.

Her breathing was still rapid and uneven when he opened the door to the scriptorium, so he knew she wasn't asleep. He tossed the square packages onto the bed. All except for one, which he opened so he might sheath himself with the sticky casing inside.

Then he lay beside her on the bed, ready for her.

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