Page 128 of Wicked Tides
I ambled toward him and his eyes flicked to my feet and the way I was trying not to seem uncomfortable. In two strides, he was next to me, lifting me into his arms so I would not have to walk anymore. I saw his jaw tighten at the pain in his shoulder, but he completely dismissed it.
“You don’t have to,” I said.
“Aye. Doesn’t mean I don’t want to.”
. . .
One more lick of Vidar’s expert tongue over my clit and I was stifling a cry behind my hand and squirming against his mouth. He continued to torment me with his lips until I was finally spent and shaking. Emerging from between my legs, he surged over me, bracing his hands on either side of me so he could claim my mouth in a kiss.
For two days, we shared his hut, though it prevented us from ever getting a good night’s sleep. We were addicted to what happened in the woods and spent hours every night finding new ways to experience it again and again.
Vidar fell to his back atop his furs and blankets, joining me in staring up at the ceiling to catch our breath. During those two days, something swelled in my chest that had not been there before. It was heavy and almost painful, filling a hollow space that had been there my whole life. A space I thought was meant to be there, vacant.
“Will you ever let my mouth do the same for you?” I asked, distracting myself from the deeper feelings.
Vidar chuckled. It was a sound I had come to enjoy.
“With your affinity for biting off limbs? No.”
I bit my lip to keep from smiling when Vidar rolled over, propping himself on an elbow over me.
“Do that again,” he said.
“What?”
“Smile.”
I pressed my lips together, unsure how I was supposed to just smile. I could fake it. I was good at that. But I didn’t want to fake it anymore. When he lifted his hand and let his fingers whisper over my lips, it was like he was doing it for me. I felt my face warming under his touch and it spread across my mouth into a soft, subtle grin. Vidarmirrored it, his eyes roaming my face like he was seeing it for the first time.
That heavy feeling in my chest grew, making my heart skip. I stilled as Vidar’s fingers continued from the corner of my mouth along the scar that stretched across my cheek. He didn’t say anything, but I could practically hear his thoughts rattling inside his skull.
Slowly, I sat up beside him, a large fur tucked around me, and reached for his right hand. He hadn’t taken off his leather bracer in ages. Not in front of me, at least. Gently, I pulled his hand into my lap and started to loosen the leather strings keeping it tight to his forearm. A strap buckled around his elbow and I pulled that free as well until it was loose enough to slide free. Slowly, I pulled it from his arm and the two false, leather-bound fingers with it.
I set the bracer aside and let my fingertips trail lightly down the top of his hand. Turning it over, I did the same to his palm, studying his imperfections.
That horrendous day was imprinted in my mind like a brand. His screams and mine mingled in my ears and I blinked the images away, lifting my eyes to his.
The word was there, right behind my lips, begging to be set free. One word. One, simple word.
“Sorry,” I whispered, my voice quivering.
Vidar stared for a moment, processing what he’d just heard.
And there I was, truly naked in front of him. Vulnerable. The perfect prey. If he wanted to kill me at that very moment, I did not have the will to stop him.
He raised his free hand and cupped the side of my face, his thumb brushing my marred cheek.
“I’m sorry,” he whispered back.
I sighed as if a burdensome weight had been expelled from me. Vidar leaned in and our lips met. But that kiss was different. It was slow and gentle. The warmth of it spread through me like sunlight on chilled skin. When we parted, I slowly licked him off my lips, savoring the taste of him.
“When I was injured, I know you stayed by my side,” I said. “I could feel you there.”
“I tried. Meridan had gotten a little possessive.”
The thought of Meridan made my heart ache a bit. I knew her feelings toward Vidar and I knew her reservations. And now it was blatantly obvious that I cared about him.
“She is afraid I will abandon her for you,” I said softly.
