Valhalla Cupcakes (9 page)

“You’re the first woman I’ve been with in over five hundred years,” he said. “You’re the most beautiful of any I’ve seen.”

She couldn’t meet his eyes, knowing with a heady glow that he couldn’t lie to her. “You just don’t remember,” she said self-consciously.

He brushed his thumbs across her nipples. “I remember,” he said.

A warm feeling parachuted from her heart to her knees, then was caught on a gust and swooped back up again, filling her chest with something she didn’t dare try to decipher.

Endorphins, she thought. It was just endorphins. She leaned down to kiss his hard chest, and he slid his hands around and down, making her squeak as he slipped his fingers into her.

“You have to give me a chance, too,” she said, wanting to do some discovery of her own now that she had him splayed out underneath her.

But it felt so good, she ended up melted against him, gasping for breath as he sent her over the edge again. Moments later, he had her beneath him again, sliding languidly against her. She’d get him back tomorrow, she decided. For now, she’d let him do what he wanted. She realized with a jolt that she’d told him earlier he could do whatever he wanted, and had been afraid for a moment that he would leave. But he was still here, and oh God, inside her again.

Stars twinkled at the edge of her vision at the absolute bliss he made her feel, and she gathered him close. His soft hair against her cheek, his strong body tight against hers, his hands expertly holding her, and that strange warm glow in her chest. It was all too much, and not enough. She greedily wanted more. He must have sensed it and pushed harder, pulling her hips closer to him.

“Tell me when,” he murmured near her ear, kissing her neck.

The low rumble of his voice did her in and she clung to him, pushing him back so she could watch him come.

“Now,” she said, her eyes closing on their own at the fresh wave of euphoria that washed over her.

He collapsed on top of her, quickly rolling to the side and pulling her close, burying his face in her hair.

“I’m sorry, Audrey, I was trying to make it last longer. We can go again in a minute.” He kissed her, and dropped his head back onto the pillow, breathing hard but holding onto her so she didn’t roll off the narrow bed.

She would have laughed if she weren’t so spent. She only managed to tip her chin back to look at him incredulously, trying to gather a thought.

“Are you kidding? I think you gave me four, no, five orgasms. That was awesome.”

She thought about what she was saying, essentially turning down his offer to go again in a few minutes. She didn’t know if she could survive, being so out of practice for this sort of thing. She didn’t have her phone with her, all her clothes still strewn downstairs, and didn’t know what time it was. Her exhaustion crept back in as her satisfied languor wore off and she knew they’d have to be back at work before dawn, still so much left undone due to their distracting activities.

She knew she had to finish cleaning downstairs, but she wanted more of what he offered so eagerly. Her body and her brain started an epic battle, and before she could decide what to do, fell asleep in his arms.

***

Erik held onto Audrey as she slept, looking down at her pretty face and glorious body. She shivered and he sadly pulled the blanket over her, tucking her closer to his chest.

From the moment he had to put that ridiculous, insulting hat on his head, he knew he had to find the nearest opportunity to escape this new prison he was in. But then, he’d rather enjoyed working behind the counter, taking money and giving over cupcakes. Those small cakes of Audrey’s made people happy. Once he got the hang of it, it was as simple as she promised, and he’d enjoyed all the attention the customers gave him. He flirted shamelessly, once he saw it made them buy more, and it had all been worth it when Audrey ran excitedly into the kitchen waving the green bills about as if she’d been given the rule of a country.

He supposed the shop she had made downstairs was like her own little country. She was fiercely protective and loyal to it, that was certain. Once again, he couldn’t begrudge her using him the way she did, and he was certainly getting well compensated.

He’d expected it to be enjoyable, as he hadn’t had sex in centuries, but it had been beyond enjoyable. It had been almost frighteningly incredible, like nothing he’d ever experienced, and before he’d been cursed, he’d had more than his fair share of women. He really didn’t want to stop exploring new ways to make her sigh with pleasure, and was sorely disappointed when she fell asleep.

Well, there was always tomorrow. He’d find ways to help her out more in the kitchen so she wasn’t so tired. He could learn to measure, that mysterious thing she seemed to think was of extreme importance and way over his head. He was so sated, the thought of wreaking his vengeance on the witch who locked him in the painting seemed far away and insignificant.

He stroked the hair off her face, trying to cling to that good feeling for as long as he could, but every moment that passed made it recede, replaced with his age old anger. If it was only his life she’d messed with he might have been able to lose himself in Audrey’s touch, but what of his grandmother who needed him, his comrades who would think that he’d cowardly betrayed them just hours before a campaign? He couldn’t allow that to stand. Slowly, the recollection of Audrey’s passionately thoughtless words came back to him.

‘Do whatever you want.’

At the time, there would have been no power in heaven or hell that could have dragged him from her body, but now? He eased closer to her, so warm and soft. And trusting. Really, she shouldn’t be so trusting. It bothered him. If he were the bad sort, he could have killed her in a second the moment she’d returned his free will to him. He didn’t want to imagine what might happen when the money lenders came back and he wasn’t around.

You should take your chance while you have it, Agnarsson, he told himself grimly, for it may never come again. He shook his head, causing her to stir. Gently running his fingers along her hairline, he soothed her back to sleep, continuing warring with himself.

Of course he needed his revenge. He wasn’t giving up on that, merely putting it aside for a short time. Yes, he could leave now, but he still had no money. He thought of the money in the cash register below and scowled at himself. He could never steal from Audrey. That would make him lower than the witch who cursed him, and he intended to have an honorable revenge, knowing he was the better person when he squeezed the life from her lying throat.

He’d made a promise to Audrey to help her with her debt collectors, and she’d promised to free him when that was done. It should have been that simple but he’d wanted retribution for so long, it was difficult to put it aside any longer. He really needed this choice to be taken from him. It was distracting.

He rolled away from her, careful not to pull her off the bed with him, and knocked into the bedside table before looking down at her. She still slept like a baby, so he bumped into the side of the bed as he made his way toward the closet where his few items of clothing hung. She still lay there like a log. He’d completely worn her out. With a deep sigh, he kicked the foot of the bed.

“Arrgh,” he cried dramatically, swearing to himself when his toe flamed with pain.

She sat up, looking blindly left and right. “What is it? Erik? Are you okay?”

“Just stumped my toe,” he said, hurrying to the bed and pushing her back down into it. “Go back to sleep.”

“What are you doing, though?” She shoved away from him and wrapped the sheet tightly around herself, sitting up again. “Don’t go, okay? You can’t go.”

He turned so she wouldn’t see his contented smile. Mission accomplished.

“All right, Audrey.”

Audrey stared at the ceiling, finally swinging her legs to the floor. A few hours after Erik had attempted his escape, she woke up to find herself mashed against the naked Viking, one of his hands resting lightly across her chest and the other settling possessively against her hip.

She had liked it so much it alarmed her into fleeing back to her own bedroom, and even though she knew she sorely needed sleep, it took her a long time to settle down. Just as her eyes were drifting shut and her mind stopped its feverish round of recriminations, her alarm cruelly went off.

In the shower, she lathered up, trying and failing to not think about everywhere Erik’s hands and mouth had been. She scrubbed herself dry, flushed with embarrassment that she’d slept with him at all, but on only the second day of knowing him no less. Trying to talk herself down, so she could wake him up and have a somewhat normal day, she looked in the mirror at her shiny, shower fresh face and frowned sternly.

“It’s not that big of a deal,” she said.

So what if she had liked it so much she was afraid she would completely forget her responsibilities and spend the rest of the day rolling around in bed, and on the floor, and on the stairs— oh no, she couldn’t stop dreaming up scenarios. What if they got started and forgot to eat or drink, and actually died? She could see it happening, he was so addictive.

No, she’d fallen asleep last night out of pure exhaustion, and was able to come to her senses. She was almost positive they wouldn’t die. So maybe she could crawl in with him for a few minutes before they got started with the day? She slapped herself. She was already running behind by being a basket case in the bathroom for so long. She needed to get him an alarm clock so she wouldn’t have to wake him up at all, and risk seeing all his golden skin and sinewy muscles. It took her another few minutes to snap out of her daze from just thinking about it, and she slapped herself again.

“It’s not a big deal,” she repeated to herself.

She was a modern woman who could have sex with any cursed Viking who came her way, if that was what she wanted to do. A thump outside in the hall made her jump, thinking he was already awake. She wrapped her robe around herself and peeked into the hall.

It was empty, so she took a deep breath and strode to his room like a general about to face a battle. How badly would she lose this fight? She knocked on the door, shaking her head at her ridiculousness.

When there was no answer, irritation flared in her, knowing beyond a doubt that he was awake and trying to get her to come into the room. Damn it, but he was clever. He probably had the sheet adjusted exactly right so she’d see every mouthwatering inch of him. She closed her eyes and swung open the door.

“Morning, Audrey,” he said.

She opened her eyes to see he sat on the edge of his bed, no less mouthwatering for having a t-shirt and his Thor boxers on.

“You finally out of the shower?” he asked, innocently standing and moving past her without even a glancing touch.

So he was going to be cool about it, was he? Good, she decided. That was helpful. Disappointing, but helpful. She could be cool, too, except she definitely felt disappointed and had to struggle to keep her face neutral. Hadn’t he been affected at all? Apparently not.

“Uh, did you sleep okay?” she asked perversely. Why not just let him get his shower and be done with it? She could have had a batch of cupcakes done by now. “After you tried to slip out on me?” she reminded him, crossing her arms. Wow, way to be cool, Audrey.

He smiled. “I have no idea what you’re talking about. And I slept very well, thank you.” He leaned over and ran his finger down the side of her face, all the way to where her robe closed across her cleavage. “I missed you when you were gone, though.”

“Oh, well, I— it was a little crowded. I mean, not in a bad way, just—”

He smiled harder, as if he was trying not to laugh. “It’s not a big deal.”

She recalled the thump outside the bathroom door, and the fact that he was already awake and somewhat dressed.

“You were listening!” she cried, certain she was fuschia from embarrassment.

“I wasn’t listening, I merely overheard.” He stepped closer. “If that’s how you really feel, I’ll have to work harder next time to change your mind. No man wants to be thought of as not a big deal.” He tipped her chin back and leaned down.

She wanted the kiss. She wanted it more than she wanted to keep living at that moment.

“No kissing,” she said, hating herself and the look of rejection in his eyes. Why did he look so sad? “At least during business hours. We have to get the cupcakes done,” she explained. “If today’s anything like yesterday, I need to make more to be prepared.”

“Okay,” he said. “I can wait until tonight.” His expression turned lecherous and she swallowed hard.

“We’ll see,” she squeaked, hurrying out the door and down the hall to her own room to finish getting dressed.

“You can’t resist me, Audrey,” he called.

Oh, he was maddening. More so because he was right, damn him. She wasn’t sure how she was going to make it through another frustration riddled day of being in the same house with him. She prayed it was as busy as the day before, not only because she needed that money, but to keep her mind and hands occupied.

She resolved to finally give the dreaded ‘no touching’ order, certain her willpower would dissolve if she allowed him to keep randomly stroking her arm or running his fingers down her cheek, or pulling her by her hips to brush up close to him. With an animal noise of exasperation at herself, she yanked on her clothes and ran downstairs, already half an hour behind schedule because of her unruly hormones.