Page 33 of Ignited in Iceland
IRIS HAD SPENT the whole of the walk back to the jeep, and the time it took for them to change out of the drysuits wondering what had come over her. She’d kissed Siggi. And far from the instant regret she’d been expecting to feel, all that was there was a surge of emotion towards him.
Why was she fighting this? Okay, so it wasn’t practical when she was leaving in a week or so, but she’d never wanted to kiss anyone as badly as she’d wanted to kiss Siggi when she’d climbed out of the water. It wasn’t something she could ignore any more, and she’d concluded that trying to suppress the feelings she had for Siggi was going to make her just as miserable in the long run as she might be if she fell for him and then had to leave him behind. At least this way, she’d have some lovely memories to take with her.
‘So you have changed your mind,’ Siggi said softly once they’d tried the kiss again. More than tried it again. More like leant into it for a good while.
Not wanting to ruin the moment, but feeling the need to clarify, Iris said, ‘I’ll still have to leave next week.’
He nodded, amused. ‘I am not sure a kiss is a declaration of anything except that you wanted to kiss me.’
‘There might be more to it,’ she said with a shy smile. ‘You know, no one has ever done stuff like this for me before. This, and the volcano the other day. You know what makes me tick.And it’s quite… hot.’ She had a feeling that telling Siggi she thought he was hot would go straight to his head.
‘You think I’m hot?’ He had exactly the look Iris had predicted. He was pleased. And preening.
‘Is that what I said?’
‘It could also translate to be sexy.’
‘Okay,’ she said with a laugh. ‘But I think what I mean is that your thoughtfulness is making you…hot. Sexy. Whatever.’ She felt her cheeks flush.
‘You are sexy when you are flustered.’
‘Oh, shush.’ She pulled him in for another kiss, full of joy that he’d said she was sexy. No one had ever told her she was sexy. His stubble was grazing her chin in the most delicious way, and all she could imagine was how it might feel if he kissed her in places other than her lips.
‘So we are doing this? More than friends now?’ he murmured, in a brief pause between kisses.
She nodded. ‘I’m not used to doing this kind of thing.’
He looked bashful and said nothing, leading Iris to assume that wasn’t the case for him, but she already knew that because of Embla from the hotel. Bríet had said she was always angry with Siggi, but she was probably hurt.
Iris knew that even if she hadn’t as much control over her emotions as she’d like, she had to control something. ‘But I know enough to realise that it isn’t something that can carry on after I leave. It won’t work for either of us.’
‘I understand, Iris. And for the next however many days you are here, you are mine and I am yours.’
That sounded so good. Any thoughts of what would happen after she left, that she might be broken-hearted by then if she fell too hard for him, vanished. Siggi consumed all her thoughts. Here, now, and turning her on like she’d never imagined possible.
They drove back to Reykjavik, calling in at the unit again to clean and drop off the equipment they’d used. All the time they were in the jeep, on the straight roads, at least, Siggi had his hand on Iris’s thigh, with hers on top. They kept stealing glances at each other, but Iris loved watching him when he wasn’t looking at her. The way his hair grazed the collar of his fleece, the back of his hands, tanned and capable as he drove the car. And the creases in the corner of his eyes that made it look like he was smiling all the time.
‘You don’t think this is a bad idea?’ She hated herself for asking. For second-guessing herself, but she needed reassurance.
‘Of course not,’ he said. ‘I think we are two people who like each other and why should we not enjoy that while we can? Life is too short to deny ourselves things that we want.’
‘That’s true. Do you think we can be friends afterwards?’ Iris doubted it would be possible. Self-preservation would probably mean it wouldn’t be a good idea.
‘Do you?’
Perhaps that response meant that Siggi was thinking along the same lines.
‘I want to, but it might be hard.’
‘You are not friends with any of your old boyfriends?’
‘No. And I don’t have that many old boyfriends.’
‘That cannot be true.’
‘Don’t humour me,’ she said, not interested in being flattered.
‘I’m not.’ He looked surprised that she thought he was joking. ‘You are very smart and beautiful. Is it work that gets in the way of having a boyfriend?’
