Page 45 of Ignited in Iceland
Siggi pulled his top layers off all in one go. Iris grinned, loving his lean, tanned body with its tattoos. She took a step towards him and ran her hands across his chest, pinching his nipples between her fingers and thumbs as she looked him straight in the eye and said, ‘What do you suggest?’
He pulled his trousers down and she saw exactly what he was suggesting. Suddenly, there was nothing Iris wanted more than that. She wasn’t interested in seduction. There would be time for that later. For the first time in her life, she wanted to surrender herself to the feelings that were coursing through her. She pulled off her own clothes as quickly as she could, and with one hand, pushed against Siggi’s chest so he fell backwards onto the bed. She straddled him and could see the lust in his eyes and the excitement when she pinned down his arms with her hands and leant over him, her eyes full of promise.
Siggi unravelled himself from Iris and the various throws that were keeping them cosy, and threw another log on the fire.
‘Don’t go,’ she said.
‘I’m going to the car to get our stuff and to call the office. Stay here. I’ll check the hot tub on my way back.’
Iris lay there with her eyes closed, a lazy smile on her face, thinking that she hoped the Northern Lights trip was cancelled. She wasn’t in the mood to work, and had talked herself into thinking that there wasn’t much point in doing anything else on the report until she’d been to the IMO on Monday. Shehad plenty of holiday days accumulated, and anyway, it was the weekend. Her body felt heavy and more relaxed than she could ever remember it being before, and she could hardly contemplate getting out of bed.
‘I am off the hook!’ Siggi said triumphantly when he came back from the jeep. ‘The forecast is not good, so they have bumped everyone to tomorrow.’
‘That’s great news,’ said Iris, from her snuggly spot in the bed.
‘I confirmed about dinner. We can eat at seven.’ He came and perched on the bed next to her. ‘You want to get up?’ he asked, running a finger down her cheek and tucked a stray curl behind her ear.
‘Not really.’
‘The hot tub is perfect.’
Iris sighed. They should make the most of it, she supposed. ‘Okay. Let me get my costume out.’
‘Haven’t you learnt anything, Iris? We do not need costumes. We just need to shower first.’
‘But —’
‘But no one can see our hot tub from their tent.’
Iris relented, and settled on using a supplied fluffy dressing gown and nothing else, feeling reckless since it was still daylight, just about.
‘You feel naughty?’ Siggi asked as they pulled their boots on for the short walk to the hot tub.
‘Yes,’ she said, laughing. ‘It is the opposite of something I would do normally.’
‘You know, if you go to a swimming pool in Iceland, you have to shower naked before you go in. No swimming costume. Usually open showers with everyone else.’
‘Oh my god, really?’
‘Yes, really.’
‘In that case, this is fine.’
The hot tub was indeed looking inviting. Great clouds of steam were billowing into the air and the smell of wood smoke from the fire underneath only added to the outdoorsy vibe.
Siggi whipped off his robe and stood with nothing on while he toed off his boots. He laughed and held his arms out wide. ‘See? It feels great!’
‘You’re a nutter!’ Iris said, laughing along with him. She took her own robe off and felt the cold air nip at her skin while she took her boots off as well.
Then they both stepped into the steaming water, sinking beneath the surface to banish the cold. Iris thought nothing had ever felt as wonderful as the heat that enveloped her.
‘Oh my god,’ she groaned. ‘It’s absolute heaven.’
‘Better than the bed?’ Siggi murmured, having his own moment of deep appreciation for the hot tub.
‘Better in a different way.’ Iris leant her head back against the side of the tub and closed her eyes, luxuriating in the warmth.
‘Do you know what? I have never been in a hot tub with a woman before. Naked.’
