Page 59 of Merciful Salvation
His heart liquefied. Unable to contain himself, he hooked his right arm around her waist, then pierced her in one frantic stroke. She cried out, her fingernails digging into the bark. Afraid she’d cut herself, he whispered, “Easy, my love, I’ve waited too long for you. Please don’t hurt yourself.”
If he could, he’d stay inside her forever. But he couldn’t concentrate, his body needed release. Days of pent up frustration, anger, fear, and love threatened his endurance. Without thought, he slammed into her again and again. “I love you, Kara. Please, never doubt me again...”
Chapter Seventeen
Surprise
“You’ll finish theale, then I’ll escort you home.” Aaron shook his head. The girl never seemed to understand why she needed a bodyguard with her at all times. “Norway is under siege.”
Her eyebrows arched. “We’ve been invaded?”
Her flirtatious choice of words brought a wicked grin to his face. Plundered seemed a better expression for what he’d done to her less than an hour ago. “I’m referring to marauders, the ones who populate the forests and mountains between your father’s lands and here.”
“Erling is dead.”
“I’ve been unable to verify it, lass.” The very thought of that bastard surviving made his blood boil. “Until then, we’ll assume the worst. He’s alive and his men are waiting for the perfect time to strike. I believe they’ll come here.”
“With so much happening, with so much at stake, wouldn’t I be safer here?”
His gaze swept the clean, but sparsely decorated hall. Only three tapestries hung on the walls and a fire crackled in the hearth, but Aaron needed to invest some money in furniture and new tapestries. Perhaps a few hunting trips with his cousin to get some furs. The master’s bedchamber was comfortable, with a freshly stuffed mattress large enough to accommodate four people. But not ready for his future bride.
“Have patience—let’s resolve our issue with Frieda first, then I’ll speak with your father.”
She frowned. “Can’t you find a different way to go about it? Marry me first?”
“Are you proposing?”
She flushed, gulping down her drink. “You twist my words.”
He squeezed her hand affectionately. “I’ve made my intention of marriage to you quite known. Amund?”
The captain lounged near the fireplace with three other men. “Milord?”
“Give the lady a full account of what I told you about her.”
Amund smiled, then cleared his throat.
Kara raised her hand. “I believe you, Aaron. Return to your drink, sir,” she addressed the captain now. “Jarl McNally is teasing us.”
Amund nodded, then raised his cup in salute.
“You’re in rare form today, milord.”
Should he remind her why? “Are you ready to go?”
“Only if you promise to go inside Jarl Sigurdsson’s hall with me.”
“Not today.” His face grew stern. “The less Frieda knows about us, the better.”
“I don’t understand.”
“If she finds out we’ve made peace, she’ll no longer confide in you. Although she’s a perceptive woman, her tongue wags as carelessly as the next housemaid’s does. Eventually the truth will come out.”
“I believe you’re one of the most devious men I’ve ever known.”
“Second only to your father?” After seeing the reaction on her face to what he said, he opened his arms to her. “I didn’t mean to open an old wound, come here.”
She rested her head on his chest and he smoothed her long, unbound curls. This is what he wanted. Freedom to hold her anytime he pleased, freedom to love her.
