Ria Cantrell - Celtic Storm 03 (20 page)

Drew caught Erik’s eye and he shook his head, grinning. Erik just shrugged and went to seek warmer clothes for himself, too. Well, whatever had happened, the beautiful and lively Rhianna seemed somewhat subdued. Her anger had abated and for that Drew was glad. He did not know why, but he really wanted his friend to find love and he suddenly thought that there was no one better for him than the Lady Rhianna.

Rhianna did not realize that riding the horse back to the keep would remind her of the punishment Erik had meted out. Her bum was positively throbbing. She felt her face burn at the thought of it; almost as much as her other cheeks did. Riding had been like getting a second spanking in the exact same spot his hand had disciplined her. She thought it would make her furious to think about him doing that to her, but strangely she was not. Spanking aside, she remembered that the savior of her childhood dream had been him.
It was really him
.

The Fates were not wrong about the other aspect of that dream so Rhianna supposed they could not be wrong about this one. He was there to save her…from what she did not know, but she suddenly felt resigned to it. He was such a mystery. He could aggravate her to the point of wanting to commit violence against him and then in the next instant he was protecting her from her fears and showing tenderness to her that she had not thought he would have been capable of.

Rhianna felt tired. Tired from fighting with Erik, tired from the storm, and most of all, tired of trying to hold it all together since Randall was nowhere to be found. She took herself off to bed and promised to ponder it all again tomorrow. She could not dwell on it anymore tonight for her head was beginning to ache at the implications of that line of thinking. Tomorrow, in the light of day, things may look differently and maybe she would better understand what she felt for the man who had been thrust in her life.

~Chapter Twenty-Five~

Erik paused outside of Rhianna’s door. For the second night since his arrival, he heard the unmistakable sounds of sobbing from within. This time, he was actually plagued with guilt. Perhaps he had punished her too severely. The problem seemed that it was more his fault than hers, really and he felt badly that he blamed her for his lack of discipline and focus. The truth of the matter was that there never had been a woman to affect him like this one did. He had enjoyed bed sport with willing women in the past, but none had sparked his desire like this one had. She had not been trying to tempt him when she climbed to the ramparts of the keep, but he wanted to punish her for his lack of self-control. Yes, she had given him a tongue lashing in front of his men and he had not missed their hidden snickers. When she had stuck her tongue out at him like a petulant child, he lost all sense of reason. He had wanted to spank her, but that punishment seemed to have punished him more than he cared to admit. Still, he was the one who had lost his focus. She was not near the lists as he had told her. The fault lay all with him, really. He knew he would need to make amends for that.

He tried the door to Rhianna’s apartments and once again, found it unlocked. Letting himself into her chambers, he saw that she was in her bed, but was again asleep. The crying was so heart-wrenching that Erik had to hold her and comfort her. He once again removed his boots and he climbed into the bed beside her. Upon feeling him there, she did not start awake, but she mumbled, “Go away, Erik.”

“Shhhh, I just want to ease your dream. Was it the same as it was the other night?”

“It is the same most every night.”

Erik touched her shoulder and she turned to face him.

“You have the same dream every night? The same bad dream invades your sleep every time you rest?”

“Most times, yes.”

“Oh, sweetheart, that is terrible. Please tell me.”

“I don’t want you here, Erik. Despite our truce, I just want to be left alone.”

Erik leaned down and kissed her mouth softly. He asked, “Do you?”

“Yes. I want to be left to my own defenses.”

“I think you have cried enough tears, my love. It is time to let some of that burden go. You can trust me.”

“Trust you? I have never been spanked in my life until today.”

“Aye, but I told you it was necessary…and this has nothing to do with that. This is between a man and a woman; between you and me. Now, do you really want me to go,” he asked kissing her again. When he felt her arms snake around his neck he realized despite what her answer would be, she would mean
no
. He kissed her and felt her respond. She was opening to him but then as her teeth lightly grazed his bottom lip, she said, “I hate you.”

“I know.”

Her eyes widened and he laughed. Then he said, “But you don’t mean it. You are very confused and very vulnerable right now. Besides, Rhianna, I don’t hate you.”

“Don’t you?”

“No.”

Erik trailed kisses down her throat and he said, “No, my love. Try as I might, I cannot hate you.”

He nibbled over her nightrail and gently closed his mouth over a peaked nipple beneath the soft fabric of her sleeping garment. He felt her gasp as his mouth tortured her with sensations that were both new and exciting. He continued, “The reason I cannot hate you, Rhianna, is because somehow, beyond all reason, I think I am falling in love with you.”

“Love,” she spat and she tried to push him off of her. “You do not love me. You are just trying to trick me into bed with you.”

“Nay. I want you, t’is certain. I want to be with you; here tonight, but not if you don’t want me to, for I will never force you. I am a man of honor, despite what you think of me. It’s just that today so many things became clear. You have had to fend for yourself while you were still a small girl. You did the best you could and I admire you so much.”

“Y-you admire me?”

“Yes, Sweetheart. But you do not have to fend for yourself any longer for I am here to share it with you, now.”

Rhianna did not know what had come over her, but at his words she pulled Erik down to her and kissed him fiercely. This time, she heard him moan as her mouth seemed to plunder his. Her tongue lifted against his and he was pleasantly surprised at her reaction to his words. He pulled away long enough to tease her with soft bites down her neck and onto her collar bone. His hand slid into her nightrail and softly cupped a breast. Rhianna arched up to his hand and although she knew she should stop him, she could not. She wanted more. The feel of his hand upon her sent a tremor through her and she could only succumb to his mesmerizing touch. He moved away momentarily and she almost protested when his hands left her. Her eyes watched him and she felt she could not speak. He lifted his tunic off of his body, exposing his muscular torso to her gaze. This time, her breath did catch in her throat. He was magnificent and outside of a few old scars, he was perfect. Rhianna had not had time to give the male form much notice. She had heard maids talking and outside of a cursory wonder, she did not have time to give merit or to savor such thoughts. She had a fleeting notion that she was entering a point of no return with this man and once done, there would be nothing she could do to change it. She also knew that if she asked him to stop, he would. He said so. She also knew she would not ask him to.

He came back to her bed and he could see she looked a little frightened, so he assured her, “I will not hurt you, my love. I promise to be careful with your heart most of all.”

Rhianna was not certain but she somehow knew that when Erik Ragnorsen gave his word, nothing could make him break it. Swallowing up any fears, she allowed the bedding to slip down her body and she sat up, holding one hand out to him. His eyes raked her form, which was illuminated with the soft glow coming from the dying fire in the hearth. Erik sat beside her and he touched her, through the sheer shift of her nightrail. He began to tug at the hemline of it, and he slowly and tantalizingly lifted it up her legs. His hands brushed against her skin, which suddenly seemed sensitized. Everywhere his hands made contact seemed to electrify her flesh. She was not even aware that she held her breath until his hand rested on her hip and he whispered, “Just let me get this. Rise up a little.”

She sucked in her breath harder, but she obeyed, raising herself slightly so he could lift her gown over her head, but not before he teased her as he went. He said, “Beautiful. You are so beautiful. You are perfect.”

She laughed a little nervously. She was just thinking the same thing about him. He kissed her, taking her into his arms and he deepened the kiss, till he felt her again respond to him. He had taken his fair share of kisses from her these last few days, but this time, she held nothing from him. She met him, nibbling against his lips and her tongue greeted his. While he kissed her, he slid his hand down her middle, and she nearly bolted at the feel of it. Instead, he just drew her back into the kiss and he moved his hand between her tightly clenched thighs. She was still guarded, but only for a moment. He felt her legs part and he carefully stroked lower. Before he continued, he asked, “Will it be alright for me to touch you now?”

He half expected her to shun him so he was pleasantly surprised when her large sexy eyes met his and she simply said, “Yes.”

He rotated his hand over the soft feminine swell of her belly and then he moved it back between her legs. He swallowed her gasp with his lips and kissed her. He was met with moist heat and he was enchanted. She was so hot as his fingers carefully parted her. He looked into her eyes and he smiled, “Ahh, you are wet, my love. I love that.”

He was so handsome; she could not break her gaze from him. She knew she should feel embarrassed by his discovery, but she could not. She felt herself opening completely to him. She had an earthshattering realization. By God, she wanted him, too. She really did.

She murmured, “Please.…”

“Shhh, patience, my love. I have to take my time, so you will feel no pain. You are a very small woman and I….” He let the obvious words that did not need to be spoken fade.

Rhianna no longer cared if there would be any pain. She was a woman used to acting on her own will and now that she had decided that she wanted Erik Ragnorsen, completely and fully, she was impatient to have him.

Seeing the look of frustration on her beautiful face, he said, “Alright. I will make you feel better. I promise.”

He gently laid her back against her pillows and he pulled the bedding all the way down from her legs. Despite wanting him, she could not help blushing as his eyes took in her naked form lying there before him. He opened her thighs a bit wider and he circled his fingers through her dark silken hair which was damp with her dew. He wanted to taste her, but he just was not sure she would not bolt at so intimate an act. He could feel how her body dripped her honey onto his caressing fingers. He could see her chest rising and falling rapidly as she struggled to control her breathing. He kissed over her navel and he could almost taste her sweet nectar as he slid one long finger deep inside of her. She moaned out loud and Erik smiled. Good, she was open to passion and he was going to bring her through it.

Before he could say any words of encouragement to her, he felt her clenching around his finger that was buried in her. He let his breath out in a hiss. She was so tight and he felt his cock twitch at the thought of her clenching around it instead of his finger. He moved that finger in and out of her slowly and he watched her as she lifted her hips; moaning again. She was so responsive to him. He almost thought he had a different woman before him because she held back nothing. She had let her guard down completely. He asked, “Does that feel alright?”

“Oh, aye, yessss. I did not realize.…”

“Ahhh, was
this
what you were afraid of?”

“Yes,” she answered honestly. Realization of what her fear had been hit Erik hard. Had all her resistance to him been because she feared the act of bedding a man?

“Shh, nothing to be afraid of. I promise to make it enjoyable for you.”

She just thrusted her hips up to his wonderfully invading finger and he felt her tighten about it again. She no longer cared if she appeared wanton for she needed to feel his touch. He circled his thumb carefully over her little nub and he heard her cry out. He laughed a little and he said, “Yes…I want you to feel good.”

She lost all sense of reason when he did that to her. She knew she should protest, but save her soul, she could not. It felt wonderful and wicked and she just could not tell him to stop.

Erik alternated circling his fingers around her sensitive bud and thrusting his middle finger deeply into her. When she thought she could take no more, he did something that undid her completely. He shifted so his mouth hovered over where his fingers toyed and he parted her with his other hand. He lowered his mouth onto her. She wanted to tell him he should not do it, but she suddenly could not find her voice. She arched up to his mouth and he flicked his tongue over her. He loved the taste of her. The flavor of her on his tongue made him harder still. It was almost unbearable, but he wanted her to find release and he would not seek his own satisfaction until she had. He watched her reaction and when he saw her hips lift high, he buried himself between her now widely parted legs. He pumped his finger in and out of her and he could feel her thighs quivering against his face. She was going to come and he wanted to bring her to it right there. She began to move faster beneath him and she could not contain the wave of pleasure that suddenly overtook her. She did not recognize her own voice as she keened in the throes of passion. She felt as if everything was magnified. She could feel the brush of his daily growth of beard prickling against her thighs. She could feel the bedding bunched up beneath her. She could feel his warm breath fanning over her heated flesh. Mostly, she felt intense pleasure coursing through her. It began where Erik’s finger and tongue touched her core and then radiated throughout her entire body.