20
“What dae ye think, Emmel?” Isla asked, turning toward the door, only to find that he was gone. Her brow crinkled, wondering why he would leave like this. She glanced at her father, her mouth agog.
“If ye want tae know where he went, I suppose ye should gae and catch him,” he said.
Isla rose from the table and strode outside. She saw Emmel walking away from the house. She skipped to catch up with him and called out to him. He stopped and turned around when he saw her.
“Why would ye leave like that?” Isla asked.
There was sadness in Emmel’s eyes. “It just seemed like the three of ye wanted tae be alone. Ye hae been separated for tae long. I just… It looked like a complete picture, and I dinnae want tae intrude.”
Isla tilted her head to the side. “Ye would nae be intruding, Emmel. After all ye hae done, ye are a part of this family.”
As she looked at him, she could see the confusion and conflict on his face. He was holding something back. “Is there something ye want tae tell me?” she said, hoping that it would prompt him to share. He opened his mouth but hesitated and seemed to rethink what he was going to say.
“I dinnae want tae make yer life more complicated than it haes been. Ye deserve yer peace,” he said, and began to turn away again. Isla caught his hand, preventing him from leaving.
“Maybe I like my life being complicated,” she stated. Her eyes shimmered under the light of the moon. She tilted her head back to look at him. She saw past the bruises and past the hesitation to the man underneath, the man who had become her hero. “Ye know, Emmel, before all this, I swore tae myself that I would never fall in love again because it was more trouble than it was worth, and I didnae want tae risk anyone running away and leaving us again. But the truth is, ye hae always been here for me, even before all this. I just, I could nae see it. I hae never been able tae count on a man as much as I hae been able tae count on ye. Ye saved my son. Ye saved me. Please…dinnae gae.”
Her voice trembled with emotion, and she looked at him with an imploring gaze. His hand was warm. While she had been uncertain before, there was no doubt in her mind now that she wanted Emmel to stay. She had become accustomed to his presence, and the thought that he might leave her brought her great sorrow. She was in the same position as she was before, asking a man to stay when he seemed determined to leave, but with Emmel, it was different. She could feel that he wanted to stay; he just needed to know that she wanted it as much too.
He lifted his gaze past her and saw Ewan and Andrew standing in the doorway, as though they beckoned him. Isla reached up and caressed his cheek gently, bringing his head down so that he could look into her eyes. During the past day or so, she had thought so often about what she was going to say to him, but when the moment came, she knew that words would not be enough. Instead, she rolled forward onto her tiptoes and kissed him. Her arms slowly wrapped around his broad shoulders while his rested against her waist. Their lips met, and it was as though the sun burst open. She was filled with warmth and happiness and hope, and when the kiss ended, she smiled. They walked back into the house, hand in hand, and the family became four.
It was about a week later when the wedding took place. Emmel’s wounds had a chance to heal properly, and his hair was growing back at a good rate, although it would still be a while before he had the lustrous locks of before. Isla’s heart was filled with excitement. After being abandoned by Rune, she had given up on all hope of having a normal life and a normal romance, but here she was as a bride. The village gathered on the shore. The water lapped against the beach, and a soft breeze tugged at her dress. Ewan and Andrew walked beside her as she approached Emmel, who waited flanked by his family. Erik and Brenda were beaming with pride, and Brenda offered a secret smile to Isla.
It was Brenda who addressed the crowd. “One of the finest traditions in our village is that the leader gets to conduct the wedding ceremony should they choose, and I was not going to pass up the opportunity when my brother is the groom. Growing up, we never saw eye to eye, and even recently, we have had our differences. But Emmel has proven himself to be a hero, and I could not be prouder of him. What Emmel and Isla have been through was dramatic, and I certainly hope that the rest of their lives are calmer. I’m sure that they will make each other happy, though, and it gives me great joy to bless this marriage under the sky and under the watchful eyes of the gods. I hope that all our ancestors are watching on from Valhalla and smiling because today is a happy day,” she said, and then performed the ancient rites of both Norway and Scotland, creating a happy union.
For Isla, the ceremony was a blur. In a way, it seemed to be happening to someone else. She was so focused on Emmel that the rest of it happened in the background. The world seemed to fade away whenever she was around him, and being with him made her realize that what she thought had been love with Rune had not been anything like the true emotion. It had been a poor echo of love, something that she had conjured from her heart because she had been too young to know what love was.
With Emmel, she never had to wonder what he was thinking or feeling. She never had to be afraid that he would leave and come back, and she didn’t feel as though she had to strive to impress him or keep his attention. It was natural, easy, and effortless. Loving him came as easily to her as breathing, and she knew it was the same for him as well. She had never been surer of anything else in her life, and when she promised herself to him, she spoke with all the vigor of her heart. Her eyes sparkled, and it wasn’t just the fact that he was accepting her as his wife, but Andrew as his son as well.
When the vows had been made, Emmel picked up Andrew and threw him up to the heavens in celebration. Andrew squealed with delight, and Isla knew that she could not have asked for a better father. Her face began to ache from beaming so much, and she was glad that she had been able to escape the ten years in the wilderness.
There were many nice words said to the happy couple as a great feast took place. Isla and Emmel accepted them all, although there was a sense between the both of them that they wanted to get away to be alone together. As the tension had grown between them, they had never had a chance to be together without being interrupted, and it would have been rude to leave the feast too early. They danced, and they sang, and they gave thanks to the gods. Stories were told of the great deeds of old. A fire burned, and everyone was in good spirits.
Eventually, night drew in, and the sensual moon hung in the sky. Emmel and Isla were aching to get away to enjoy some time together. Ewan kindly offered to stay with Andrew in the village to allow Emmel and Isla the chance to have Isla’s home entirely to themselves for the evening. Emmel smiled widely, and they left to cheers and hollers. The feast would continue without them while they were about to have a celebration of their own.
They walked into the house, and Isla shut the door behind her. There was an awkward moment where Isla wasn’t entirely sure what was going to happen next. They had waited so long for this moment, and now that it had arrived, she was unsure of how they were going to proceed. However, Emmel didn’t seem to share the same hesitation. She was about to speak to break the tension, but before the words could leave her lips, he was rushing toward her, his body a storm of emotion. His hands curled around her neck, and the kiss he gave her was hard—so hard that she was pushed back and pinned against the wall. She gasped for breath as she was lifted off her feet, pinned between the wall and his body, two hard things, but only one was burning.
She flung her arms around him and kissed him back, enjoying the heat that surged through her body and scorched her insides. Something twitched inside her, and she could feel a burst of energy surging and swelling and aching to be free. She drowned in his kiss. It was tender and sensitive and passionate all at the same time, and within his kiss, she could feel his deep longing for her. Their tongues danced, and their breaths mingled, swirling in the air together. His hands gripped her body, and she felt so small compared to his mighty strength. She caressed his neck and back, arching her neck back, offering her throat to him. He kissed up and down her neck, his breaths growing deeper and more primal as though a savage hunger was taking hold. He held her body tightly and swung her around. The world was a blur, and suddenly she was on a table, her legs wrapped around him. One of his hands was clamped around the back of her head; her hair flowed through his fingers. The other was pressed against the small of her back, pushing her into him, bringing them as close as two people could be without melting into each other.
She could feel every angle of his body, all tight and hard and hot. Heat emanated from him in a glorious burst of passion, and all she wanted was to tear his clothes away. She clawed at him, feeling the tautness of his broad chest, resting her hand against his heart to feel the thunderous drumbeat. There was a moment where he bit her lip, and pain blurred with pleasure in a burst of ecstasy. Her hair fell across her face, and she could feel herself falling into this burning, tumultuous abyss.
It was scary and exciting all at the same time. Her body was alive with desire in a way it had never been before. Emmel had awakened something vibrant inside her, something that now couldn’t be denied. She furiously tugged at Emmel’s top and pulled it over his head, revealing the muscles that were coated with a thick bed of hair. A guttural moan rumbled from her throat as she gazed at this manliest of men, swooning at the thought he was all hers. She allowed her hands to roam all over his body before suddenly she was swept up in his arms again.
They continued kissing as they made their way to the bedroom, occasionally stopping to give in to their desire, barely able to spend one fleeting moment without kissing each other.
When they got to the bedroom, he threw her down onto the bed. The bed creaked as she landed, sprawling out. He dived onto the bed with her, and they descended in a mess of kisses again. They clawed at each other’s bodies and tore away their clothes. One by one, their garments were tossed away haphazardly, creating a mess on the floor, but neither of them cared. The world could have been breaking apart outside, and they wouldn’t have noticed, so lost were they in each other.
He was hard while she was soft. His hands were huge, and they roamed about her body easily. She gasped as they drifted from her neck across the curves of her body. His fingers passed over her voluptuous curves, and when they touched her nipples, she gasped. Tremors of pleasure turned into waves that radiated through her body. They started in the molten core middle of her and swept through, becoming faster and more intense with every passing moment. He dug his fingers into her soft flesh. Pain blurred with pleasure. She twisted and writhed as all this hot energy inside her yearned to get out. She felt the contours of his body, her hand running down the vast expanse of his flesh, being drawn to his arousal. She burned too.
Their hands mirrored each other, passing down each other’s bodies, caressing and stroking and enjoying flesh that was quickly becoming slick with sweat. Isla threw her head back as Emmel began kissing her everywhere. His lips started at the hollow of her throat and then worked their way down, not stopping. He quickly found the parts of her body that made her gasp the most. She was overwhelmed with pleasure as her mouth opened to an oval and long, languorous moans poured forth. Her legs twisted, as did the features of her face, for she was so caught up in her passion. Her vision was blurred as Emmel descended down her body, his hands sliding around her thighs, his fingers teasing and tormenting her as they brushed her inner thighs, getting closer and closer to the aching source of her arousal. She whimpered, and her eyes clamped shut as he held her legs apart, and his lips now traveled up her thighs, inching toward her, and then suddenly he was there, at her delta, his tongue flicking and sliding against her, his breath crashing, and a myriad of sensations whirled through her mind.
Isla had never known pleasure like this. She had never even been aware that such a thing was possible. Emmel lapped at her and kissed her, and her body careened with pleasure. Low gasps echoed around the room as she felt this ball of energy surging through her. She hadn’t realized that she had held so much within her all this time. It seemed she had needed Emmel to find this hidden part of her, though. Her head lolled from side to side, and her body felt as though it was on fire. Her arms splayed to the side, and then Emmel touched a certain part of her that made her entire body thrum with pleasure. Her arms came flailing across, and they clutched Emmel’s head, pushing him deeper and deeper into her until he was gorging on her. The moans became longer and reached a higher pitch. The pleasure careened through her and left her breathless. Hair was matted to her scalp by sweat, and the world spun, and everything was sweet and wonderful. Her chest heaved as she panted. Her skin was flushed, and she shuddered as all the warm heat poured through her.
Emmel lifted his head. It seemed as though he was just as breathless as her. He wiped the glistening sheen off his lips, and she rose to meet him. He caught her trembling body in his arms, and she fell against him, her soft curves falling into him, becoming one. Her hands fell down his body, her fingers curled around his manhood. A lump formed in her throat as she felt him, swollen and huge. She caressed him up and down, stroking his tip, feeling the tremors of passion ripple through his body. He was so strong, so manly. Their lips met in a long, deep kiss as her hands continued to caress. His muscles swelled as he embraced her, and he pushed her to the bed again. He fell with her and landed on his back. She landed against his body, still holding his erection. It was tall and straight and thick, and she wanted to make him feel as good as she had.
Her hair fell against his thighs and stomach as she took him in her mouth. She tasted the musk and let the warmth slide against her tongue, bringing her head back and forth. She could feel the tension in his body. Guttural moans burst out of him, and she loved how she was making him feel. A hand came down and swept hair away from her face. She looked up and met his gaze. Their eyes locked, and they knew they were sharing something intimate, something profound. Her tongue slithered around him as every sinew in his muscle drew taut. The air was hot and thick with lust, and her body continued to thrum. After some time, he pulled her up and turned her around, coming over her like a shadow. His body pressed against hers, his hand resting against her waist. They kissed as they shifted together, their bodies naturally attuning themselves to each other. She could feel him getting closer and closer, and then suddenly, there was exquisite bliss as he entered her.