Harlequin Historical February 2014 - Bundle 1 of 2: The Major's Wife\To Tempt a Viking\Mistress Masquerade (44 page)

Chapter Nineteen

E
lena rode hard, a spear in her hand. Though she had never used the weapon before, her true advantage was being on horseback. She saw Ragnar cutting down the men surrounding him while Matheus hid behind a shield.

A white-hot anger filled her up as she rode towards the men. She ignored their weapons, screaming at the top of her lungs while she guided the horse into the fray. The animal trampled one of the men and Ragnar lifted up Matheus, handing the boy to her. ‘Take him and go!'

He intended to sacrifice himself for both of them. Elena understood that, even as she held the boy in front of her.

‘Now!' Ragnar commanded, just as another man struck.

But Elena gripped the boy with one hand, wielding her spear in the other. She saw another man attacking and she drove the spear forwards, watching it splinter as a sword struck the wood.

‘Get on!' she called out. Ragnar started towards her, but his path was blocked by another man.

He met her gaze steadily, nodding for her to go without him. Instead, Elena held her ground. She had come this far and she wasn't going to abandon him to die.

She let out another scream, diverting the man's attention, but the horse reared up at the sound, causing her to lose her balance. Elena grabbed for Matheus, holding him tightly before she took the brunt of the fall from the horse. She landed on her back and all the breath was driven from her lungs.

Panic filled her, but she managed to scramble away, still fighting for air.

She found Matheus and was grateful to see him unharmed. Ragnar stood a short distance away, his last enemy upon the ground.

To the witnesses, he stared hard. He cleaned his sword and sheathed it once again, daring anyone else to attack. No one did.

When he reached Elena's side, she hugged him tightly. Matheus came and took his hand. Ragnar ruffled the boy's hair and said, ‘I'll teach you to fight if you wish to learn, son. But this wasn't the right place for it.'

‘Come with me,' Elena said. ‘Please.'

‘I need to see about the ship. Later,' he promised.

But although they were safe now, she didn't want him to go. She didn't want him believing that she would be better off without him, hundreds of miles away.

Elena mounted the horse, and Ragnar lifted Matheus up in front of her. Let him believe that she was going to remain obedient, then. She had another plan in mind and it was time to see it done.

Three other men arrived at that moment and she rode towards them, reminding them of her orders. Hring sent her a knowing look and smiled. ‘As you command.'

* * *

Her kinsmen had taken Ragnar by surprise, after they were away from the fighting area. They'd bound his hands behind his back and he was hooded. From the muffled sounds beneath it, Elena suspected they had gagged him as well.

He was going to be terribly angry with her. Furious to the point where he would be ready to tear her apart. While she ought to be frightened, instead, she imagined how she would ease his fury, seeking to soothe the angry beast.

‘Bring him in,' her kinsman Hring ordered. He raised an eyebrow when he saw the chains Elena had arranged. Though she ought to be embarrassed, she said nothing.

‘Do you want him unbound?' Hring asked.

Elena shook her head. ‘Put the manacles on his wrists. I'll cut the ropes when I'm ready.'

Another kinsman snickered and she glared at him. But they obeyed her, chaining each of Ragnar's wrists. The long chains were attached to the beams of her house, so he could not escape. She had sent Matheus to spend the night with Agata and her friend had promised to look after him.

Ragnar was on his knees and, from the tension in his muscles, she sensed that he was seething. But she fully intended to change his furious mood.

This strong, virile man was her captive. And she would do whatever she wanted to him.

A heady sense of power filled Elena and she moved in closer. ‘I'm going to cut your ropes now. Don't move, or the knife could slip and cut you.'

She sawed through the rope, and when the bonds fell to the ground, his hands could now spread open. Ragnar tested the chains, pulling them until they were taut. His arms strained and the bulge of his muscles entranced her.

She removed the hood and saw that he was indeed gagged. ‘I'm going to take this off.'

His green eyes glittered with fury and she suddenly questioned if this had been a good idea at all.

‘Then again...I think I should leave it for a moment,' she said. ‘So you'll listen to what I have to say.'

His glare was so dark, it was smouldering. Elena took a breath and faced him. ‘I know this might seem offensive to you. I know that you're angry with me for using our men against you.'

In response, he gripped the chains tighter, trying to break them. Agata's reassurance that this would help her to win him back was suddenly appearing questionable.

‘I was afraid if you left me, I'd never see you again,' Elena continued. ‘And whether you believe it or not, I
do
care about you.'

She was nervous, standing in front of him, so she pulled a low stool over and sat. ‘When I was a maiden, I was blind to anyone but Styr. I always thought you were handsome and kind. You were someone I could talk to about anything. Never once did you make me feel awkward or bad about myself.'

Ragnar was listening now, though it was clear that he still didn't like the chains or the gag.

‘I thought I should love a man like Styr, because my father chose him for me. We all thought he would be the leader and he was handsome and kind to me. But I know now that Styr didn't...' She paused, searching for the right words. ‘He wasn't interested in me. I could have been his little sister, for all he cared. But you were different.'

Suddenly feeling shy, she gathered her hair over one shoulder. ‘I think I always knew you loved me. But I didn't know my own feelings until last night.'

She moved in so close, his face was a breath away. With her hands, she reached behind his head, resting her fingers against the tie of the gag. ‘I know this was a desperate move. But I didn't want you to go without knowing that I love you. All these years, you were the man who stood by me. The man who loved me for the woman I was—not the woman I thought I should be.'

She untied the gag, tossing it aside. He didn't speak, but his eyes held a fire that she feared.

‘I would have done anything to be a mother and I let it consume me.' She reached out to touch his shoulders. ‘I judged my worth on whether or not I could bear a child.'

She moved her hand down to his heart. ‘I want a man who loves
me
,' she insisted. ‘A man who won't grow frustrated with me or ask me to change who I am.'

‘I never asked you to change. Not once.'

Elena felt her breath growing tremulous and she drew her arms around his neck. ‘I know.'

Ragnar pressed his hips close and she drew a sharp breath at the junction of his hard length against her softness. ‘Why did you take me as your captive, Elena?'

She steeled herself and took a deep breath. ‘You wouldn't listen to me earlier today, when I told you I wanted to stay with you. Caragh Ó Brannon took my husband captive in this way and she won his heart. I hoped...that I might do the same.'

‘Unchain me,' he demanded. From the dark tone of his voice, she didn't think that was a good idea at all. He would only leave.

Instead, she removed her shoes, standing barefoot before him. Then she unclasped the twin brooches holding her apron in place, setting it aside. Last, she removed her gown, until she was naked before him.

His expression grew shuttered, as if he didn't want to look at her. But neither did he look away.

She came closer and loosened his tunic, moving her hands over his hardened chest. ‘I don't think I am meant to have children. At least, not children of my blood.'

She lifted up his tunic and wrapped her arms around him, her breasts against his chest. His skin warmed her and she loved the feeling of hard against soft.

‘With Styr, I always felt that if I didn't become pregnant, I wouldn't please him. With you, I don't worry about it. It seemed like you only wanted to be with me. The way I want to be with you now.'

His anger had not diminished and she strongly suspected it was due to his imprisonment. She moved her hands down his tight backside, then around the front to where he was heavily aroused.

‘A child was never as important to me as you are,' he admitted.

A dizzying rush of relief filled her and she stepped back, letting him see her smile. ‘I love you, Ragnar. And I want to be with you, sharing whatever lies ahead.'

He studied her for a long moment. ‘I've loved you for as long as I can remember. But I was afraid that I would be the same man as my father. That one day, my love of fighting would change me into a person who might hurt you or Matheus.'

‘You would never harm me,' she insisted. ‘I trust you with my life.' And she saw in his eyes that, for the first time, he believed it.

‘Take off my chains,' he commanded. ‘I want to touch you.'

Instead, Elena knelt below one of his hands, placing her breast within his palm. An intrigued expression came over him and when he teased the erect nipple, she reached over to help him remove his leggings. His tunic still hung loose against the chains, but she took his shaft in her palm as he touched her. The shudder in his breath excited her as she stroked him, revelling in the power.

‘I can't take off the chains,' she confessed. ‘I don't know how.' An unexpected laugh broke free and she asked, ‘Should I call the men back?'

‘No,' he growled. ‘Not while both of us are naked. But since you didn't consider this, I think you should obey my commands.'

She stepped back, biting back her smile. ‘It seems to me that you're the one in chains. Perhaps you should obey my commands instead.'

A wicked look crossed his face and he added, ‘Since I can't use my hands, I'll have to use my mouth,
kjære
.'

She blushed, fascinated by the idea of this chained man using his mouth upon her body. When she drew close again, he bent down to take her breast in his mouth. He licked the nipple, sucking hard until she felt the wet spiral of need spinning within her. She touched his hair, closing her eyes as the sensations gripped her.

He punished one breast, then the other. An idea occurred to her and she broke away for a moment, bringing a stool for him to sit upon. Then she straddled him, holding on as he continued to nip at her breasts. The new position brought her intimate flesh directly against his hard shaft and she caught her breath as the proximity brought a new pleasure.

With her hips, she edged against him, using the pressure of his erection against her wet folds. It was a delicious torment and she started to stand up, intending to sheathe him inside her. But to her shock, Ragnar dropped down to his knees. With her legs spread apart, he used his mouth against her intimate opening.

‘Don't move,' he commanded and the vibration of his voice against her flesh evoked a new sensitivity.

‘I don't think I can remain standing,' she admitted, as he delved into her secret places, tasting and sucking at her tight nodule. Her body was reacting violently and her knees shook as he used his tongue to arouse her.

‘If you do, it will be worth it,' he promised. ‘Use your hands to touch your breasts while I taste you again.'

She felt shy but obeyed, stunned when the shimmer of pleasure tore through her. She jerked with shock, her breath coming in short gasps as he drew out her need. She was so very close to the edge, her entire body was trembling. And when he sucked hard, using his tongue upon her hooded flesh, she bucked and came apart. Elena grabbed him to keep from falling, but she couldn't stop the tide of release that took her under.

She helped him to sit back on the stool and mounted him, so grateful to be joined with his flesh. He was unable to touch her with his chained hands, but she moved up and down, loving the sensations of him sheathed inside her.

‘Turn around,' he ordered. ‘Reverse it.'

She'd never tried such a thing, but if it would please him, she didn't mind changing the position. When she raised herself off him and turned around, he drew his knees together and she straddled him, sinking down so that she took him in deep. The friction was different as she rose up and she found her rhythm, plunging and riding him.

His shaft kept bumping against her in a new way and she convulsed as the pressure continued to build. Higher and higher it intensified and she cried out as she peaked again, her body shuddering upon his.

‘I love you,' she admitted, riding out the crest of the wave as she continued to let him pump against her. ‘I always have.'

Ragnar thrust inside her as she sat against him and, when she heard the shift in his own breathing, she quickened her pace. She was achingly wet for him, her body accepting his in the wild lovemaking frenzy. And finally he jolted against her, straining with the chains as he let out a shout.

‘I love you, Elena,' he said, pressing a kiss to her shoulder.

She lifted slightly and turned around, wrapping her legs around his waist. The intimacy of being with him was wonderful and her body felt satiated in a new way. ‘Don't leave me,' she pleaded. ‘Stay.'

‘Only if you wed me.' He kissed her chin, nibbling a path down her throat.

‘Yes,' she whispered. ‘And especially if our nights together are like this.'

His hips moved against hers, and at the intimate touch, she felt another surge of desire rising.

A smile holding the promise of temptation was his answer.

Epilogue

‘H
e's looking at me,' whined the eight-year-old girl. ‘Make him stop.'

Elena exchanged a silent look with Ragnar, who was hiding his amusement. Beata was one of five children they'd fostered, besides Matheus. Though none of them was of her own blood, she loved them. Some days she felt more like a shepherd than a mother, herding the children, feeding them and dressing them.

She sent the five-year-old boy off to play with his older foster-brother and took Beata by the hand. ‘He meant no harm. I imagine he was looking at the embroidery on your apron.'

Beata rolled her eyes. ‘He's a boy. They don't care about embroidery.'

‘Brothers and sisters were born to fight with each another,' Ragnar intervened. ‘You'll learn to ignore his faults, one day.'

‘That will be a
long
time from now,' she pronounced, before adding, ‘Matheus is my favourite brother. At least he doesn't talk.'

Elena resisted the urge to answer, but she was grateful that her other foster children had accepted Matheus so readily. He was growing taller and, though he'd never spoken, he'd been apprenticed to a shipbuilder. His attention to detail and his willingness to complete the repetitive tasks no one else wanted had earned him respect.

When she was alone with her husband, she yawned and he came over to take her into his arms. ‘They will fight more tonight,' she predicted. ‘But I love them in spite of it.'

‘You were right,' he admitted. ‘You were born to be a mother.'

Her hand passed over her swollen middle and his hand covered hers. This pregnancy had taken her by shock, after so many years of being childless. She'd fully believed she would never bear a child, particularly after she'd learned from their kinsmen that Styr and Caragh now had children of their own. Never had she imagined that the blessing would come to pass.

Now, only a few months remained until she would hold their own child in her arms.

‘I pray that the gods will keep you safe when this one is born,' Ragnar added.

She leaned back to look into his green eyes. ‘They will, though I never expected I would bear our own child.'

‘The gods rewarded you, because you took care of the children no one else wanted,' he said.

Elena tightened her arms around him. Over the years, she'd taken sickly children, some who could hardly walk or run, and one child who had been born without sight.

‘They are a blessing to me,' she admitted. ‘Each and every one.'

But the greatest happiness was not the love surrounding her each day. Nor was it the settlement they'd built, a dozen miles north of Gall Tír. It was the man who had given her a love beyond any she'd ever dreamed of. It was his steady presence at her side and knowing that he loved her even through the worst of times. She'd given up on having children, only to be surprised by this pregnancy at the least expected moment.

Ragnar kissed her and the familiar affection brought a warmth to her heart. Her first marriage had been born of duty and the dreams of a young girl's heart.

But the man she was meant to love was standing here now. And she intended to do so for the rest of their lives.

* * * * *