Page 39 of Viking
The hot water pounded against my skin, washing away the grime and terror of the night but doing nothing to calm the anticipation building inside me.I closed my eyes, letting the spray sluice over my face, my hair, cascading down my back in rivulets that carried away blood that wasn’t mine, and the salty tracks of dried tears.Five minutes, he’d said.I counted the seconds in my head, each one bringing me closer to the moment when the door would open again.When everything between us would change.The thought should have terrified me after the night we’d survived, but instead, it felt like the only thing that made sense in a world gone mad.
A soft knock broke through the rhythm of falling water.My eyes snapped open, heart lurching against my ribs as the door opened.Steam billowed around Viking’s massive frame, momentarily obscuring him before settling to reveal him standing there, a stack of fluffy towels in his hands.Our gazes locked through the fogged glass of the shower door, his gaze traveling over me in a way that made heat bloom across my skin despite the spray already turning it pink.
“Brought you towels.”His voice came out deeper than I’d ever heard it.
I swallowed hard, suddenly acutely aware of my nakedness, of the way water traced paths down my body that his gaze followed with unmistakable hunger.“Thank you.”
He set the towels on the counter, his movements deliberate, unhurried.Then, holding my gaze through the steamy glass, he reached for the hem of his blood-stained shirt and pulled it over his head in one fluid motion.
My breath caught in my throat.I’d glimpsed his arms before, the tattoos that decorated his biceps and shoulders.But seeing his chest bare -- broad and solid, marked with black ink and battle scars -- sent a jolt of desire through me so strong my knees nearly buckled.A massive Viking-style dragon curved around his left pectoral, its tail disappearing beneath his belt.Beneath it, the Dixie Reapers insignia spread across his ribs, a testament to his loyalty.
Without hesitation, Viking unbuckled his belt, then pushed his jeans and boxers down his powerful thighs.He stepped out of them, now as naked as I was, his arousal evident and unashamed.A jagged scar ran along his right thigh, newer than the others, still pink against his tanned skin.My gaze traced it, then moved upward, taking in the flat plane of his stomach, the broad chest, the strong column of his throat, before finally meeting his gaze again.
He opened the shower door, stepping into the steam and heat without a word.The shower suddenly felt impossibly small with his presence filling it, the water droplets redirecting around his body to find new paths.I instinctively stepped back, giving him room, but he closed the distance between us, one hand reaching up to tilt my face toward his.
“You’re sure about this?”His thumb traced my bottom lip.
“I’ve never been more sure of anything,” I whispered.
His hand slid to the nape of my neck, fingers tangling in my wet hair as he drew me toward him.Our bodies met, skin to slick skin, the contrast between his hard planes and my softer curves sending electricity sparking through my veins.His mouth found mine, gentle at first, then hungrier as I responded, opening to him, my hands splaying across the muscled expanse of his chest.
His calloused fingers traced my collarbone, then dipped lower, skimming the curve of my breast with reverent caution, as if he feared I might shatter beneath his touch.
“You won’t break me,” I murmured against his mouth, arching into his hand.
A low growl rumbled through his chest.“No,” he agreed, his palm fully cupping my breast now, thumb circling the sensitive peak.“You’re stronger than you look.”
Water cascaded over us as we explored each other with increasing urgency.My hands mapped the ridges and valleys of his torso, the taut muscles of his back, the curve of his ass.His cock pressed hard against my stomach, a reminder of his need that matched the ache building between my thighs.When his fingers trailed down my ribs, across my belly, then lower to find the slick heat of my pussy, I gasped into his mouth, my nails digging into his shoulders.
“Christ, Karoline.”He pressed his forehead to mine as his fingers worked magic, teasing my sensitive flesh.“You feel so fucking good.”
I couldn’t form words, could only whimper as he found a rhythm that had me trembling against him.My hand slid between us, wrapping around his cock, feeling him pulse against my palm.His sharp intake of breath was all the encouragement I needed to stroke him, matching the tempo of his fingers against my pussy.
Steam swirled around us, the hot spray becoming background to the heat generated between our bodies.Viking’s mouth left mine to trail down my neck, teeth grazing my pulse point in a way that made me cry out.My head fell back, giving him better access as his lips continued their journey to my breast.When his tongue circled my nipple before drawing it into the wet heat of his mouth, my legs nearly gave out.
He seemed to sense my weakness, his free arm banding around my waist to support me as his fingers continued their relentless rhythm.I was close, so close, the pressure building to something that threatened to shatter me completely.
“Let go,” he murmured against my skin.“I’ve got you.”
And I did, coming apart in his arms with a broken cry that echoed off the tile walls.Viking held me through it, his mouth finding mine again to swallow my moans as wave after wave of pleasure crashed through me.
When I finally sagged against him, boneless and breathless, he reached behind me to turn off the water.The sudden silence was broken only by our ragged breathing and the steady drip from the faucet.Viking brushed wet strands of hair from my face, his eyes searching mine.
“Okay?”he asked, vulnerability threading through the single word.
I nodded, still unable to speak, overwhelmed by the intensity of what had just happened between us.By the gentleness of this dangerous man who had killed to protect me hours earlier and now touched me like I was something precious.
“We’re just getting started,” he said, a promise that sent fresh heat spiraling through me.
I rose on my tiptoes, pressing my lips to his in a kiss that left no doubt about what I wanted.What I needed.Him.Us.This connection that had somehow become my anchor in a storm-tossed world.
Without warning, Viking scooped me into his arms, lifting me like I weighed nothing.Water streamed from our bodies, creating puddles on the tile as he carried me into the bedroom.I clung to his neck, my wet skin sliding against his, marveling at the strength in his arms and the gentleness in his touch.The cool air of the bedroom raised goose bumps across my damp skin.His gaze never left mine as he approached the bed, the intensity in it making my heart slam against my ribs like a caged animal desperate for freedom.
He laid me down on the mattress with a reverence that stole my breath, the sheets cool against my back.Viking stood over me for a moment, his gaze traveling the length of my body with such open hunger that I felt myself flush despite everything we’d already shared in the shower.
“Are you sure about this?”he asked again, his voice rough with restraint.“We can stop now if you want.”
In answer, I reached for him, my fingers closing around his wrist to tug him down beside me.“I don’t want to stop.I want you.All of you.”
