Читать книгу Frozen - Morgan Q O'Reilly - Страница 9

Chapter 5

Noreen listened with half an ear as she gathered up their bowls with icy fingers. Gunnar spoke rapidly, repeating instructions his people probably knew by heart. She found a tiny sink, just big enough for the two bowls, by lifting the counter to the side of the burner. There was still half a pot of stew, which she slid into the fridge, taking up the only empty spot. It looked as if they had a few eggs, some milk and butter. The fresh items would stretch out the dried rations, of which she’d seen plenty in the cabinet. She decided to leave their mugs out, then looked at the shower stall. There was no privacy for using the privy other than the half high wall. Was this a time for modesty? Could she slide the panel shut?

The transport came to a stop, something made it jolt, and then it moved forward again, this time going up an incline. She turned to see what was happening.

Gunnar spoke to her over his shoulder. “We’re moving into the empty trailer. Our weight will help keep it steady and it will give us more shelter.” He turned his attention back to driving the smaller transport into the space men in bright orange parkas indicated.

She just nodded.

“Nory?” His concerned tone made her look down at him as he pulled to a stop and turned off the main engine. The rear trailer door clanged behind them, immediately muffling the sounds of the storm and, from the corner of her eyes, she noted people running to connect cables to the transport now nestled in the cargo bay.

“There’s a larger, more luxurious transport a few trailers up. We still have time to get there if you want to make a run…” his voice trailed off as she shook her head. “You want to stay here?”

“Yes. I’ll be fine. Go ahead. There’s plenty here to keep me just fine.” She’d sleep in a camel stall before she stepped into a blowing storm like the one raging outside.

“No, that’s not the point. If I go, you go. If you stay, I stay.” He turned and stood.

“Oh,” she said, staring at him.

“What’s wrong?” He took her hands in his warm ones.

“Nothing.” Well, other than a little privacy. Her father’s final words. And really cold wind. Really strong, cold wind. She squeezed her eyes closed briefly as a gust shook the transport.

“Really, Duke Nordenskiold, I’ll be fine here. You have your crew to take care of. I’m sure they need your leadership during this storm.” She pulled away from him and bent to look out the window. It appeared there were thick cables holding their little vehicle to the floor of the transport. And now the crew members were plugging in what looked like power cables.

She felt Gunnar’s hands on her waist before he put his arms around her and pulled her to a standing position.

“Nory, we’ll be fine here. A little close quarters, but warm and safe. We have plenty of power for heat and lights. We also have plenty of food, and water for washing. What we don’t have are luxury accommodations.”

“I’ve lived in worse places.” She lifted shoulder. He hadn’t spent three weeks on a tramp cruiser. “At least this is designed for humanoid use.” She supposed her nearly suppressed shudder spoke for itself.

“I’m guessing you have some stories to tell.”

She felt laughter bubble up inside as he turned her around in his arms. “Stories? I could keep you up for three days or more with all the stories I have to tell.”

“I’d rather you keep me up for three days another way, with stories in between,” he said, his voice shooting a spark of thrill through her body. “The One…” He sounded dazed as he lifted a lock of her hair and rubbed it between his fingers. “At last.”

“Um, Gunnar.” She swallowed hard, her eyes on his as he moved closer.

“Yes, Nory?”

“We really need to talk.”

“About?”

His hands reached the overall clasps she’d reattached.

“Gods, fathers, and prophesying old priests aside, I feel funny about this.” Her eyes searched his deep blue ones. Only a hint of silver flecks remained. Low lights glowing from near the ceiling made the color deeper, and cast an intimate glow in the small space.

“About what?”

“This… thing… everyone says is between us.”

“You mean the destiny thing?”

Her breath caught as the clasps were undone again. It didn’t take anything for the insulated pants to slide down her legs. The material was stiff enough they didn’t pool in a sexy manner at her feet. So unlike a soft, thin sarong. Before she could think, Gunnar’s lips brushed hers, his hands warm and firm on her back.

“It’s okay, Nory. It’s meant to be. You and me. I have it on good authority.”

“Gunnar—” her weak protest was cut off when he pulled her body tight against his, their tongues meeting in that oh-so-sexy dance. This time it was slow and heat-building as his tongue leisurely explored the inside of her mouth, stroking and tasting every surface. With a groan she sucked his tongue in and gently pulsed her mouth around it.

His response was all she could have hoped for as he crushed her to him. She felt him, hard against the soft swell of her stomach. It reminded her of other pressing needs and she pulled away, breaking the kiss.

“Gunnar,” she tried again only to catch her breath at the feel of his lips on her earlobe. “I need a minute,” she gasped.

“For?”

“Can I just have a minute? Please?”

“What’s wrong?”

She avoided his eyes when he stepped back to look at her.

“Why don’t you go check the tires or something?” she suggested

“We don’t have tires on this thing.”

“Gunnar! Please. Just give me a few minutes, okay?”

Understanding dawned in his eyes. “We’re not going to be able to avoid this the next few days.” The man had the nerve to laugh at her.

“Don’t make me pull rank on you,” she growled.

An odd light entered his eye. “Noreen, this can’t be avoided without great discomfort. Take care of business while I cover the windows. And don’t lower the bed until I go.”

He pulled her close and kissed her nose. There was no getting around it. With as much dignity as she could muster, she pulled off her boots and overalls, then braved the half stall. At least the floor seemed warm. Probably from the engines. Thankfully he waited until he heard the flush before turning back.

“We’re alone now,” he told her. “The crew is lining up the transports and we’re going to get a few more klicks behind us. Might even reach the nearest thermal pools.”

“Great.” She busied herself by folding up her parka and overalls, trying not to listen as he washed up. How did she get here?

“Would you like a shower first?”

“Um, no, that’s okay. I washed up already.” It wasn’t a proper bidet, but a wet cloth worked just fine in a pinch.

In a matter of a few minutes the panel was pulled down and the feather bed fluffed. Gunnar’s attention to the corners puzzled her for just a moment before she was distracted by the cold.

“Come on, you’re shivering.” Gunnar pulled her over and held up the covers for her.

The bed was soft, she’d give him points for luxury linens, but even with extra fine Kookorian cotton flannel sheets and a thickly woven alpaca and silk blanket, it was damn cold. Hadn’t he ever heard of bed warmers? She rolled to her left side, facing the back wall trying to give him room in the narrow bed. Comfortable for two, sure, if the two were very thin and very small. Like children. He was probably one of those sprawler types who took up the entire bed with his wide shoulders. She heard the rustle of clothing before she felt him climb in the bed and wrap himself around her back. She pulled the covers up around her ears.

“You’re cold?”

“This ain’t Sandy Topiary,” she quipped.

“Where’s that?”

“It’s about three hundred light years from here. And a thousand degrees warmer.” A slight exaggeration, but damn it was cold! Why had she come during the winter?

“You know what’s wrong here, don’t you?”

“I took off my parka,” she said through chattering teeth.

His chuckle was low and warm in her ear. “You didn’t take off your silk undies.”

He slipped his hand under her top and before she could protest, the warmth of his hand began to seep into her back.

“Silk is warm,” she retorted.

“Flesh is warmer.” Lips teasing the skin behind her ear demonstrated the flesh on flesh theory. “Smart of you not to wear a bra.”

She shivered more, but guessed it wasn’t entirely from cold. “The undies aren’t coming off, so get any wild ideas out of your head right now.”

“What ideas?”

Noreen swallowed heavily as a shudder wracked her frame. This was insane! Her father had given her to this man and practically ordered them to bed. If that wasn’t a mood killer she didn’t know what was. Besides, it was damn cold in here still.

“I thought you were going to turn up the heat a little.” Did that sound like whining?

“I did. It’s practically roasting in here.”

“N…n…no…it…isn’t.” Her teeth chattered more forcefully. Her nose and ears were cold and now her unbound hair was caught under him. Should have cut it like she wanted to. Fiona had talked her out of it. Nosy, bossy servants. “W-why…d-did…you…undo…m-my…hair?”

“Because, it’s very sexy and I wanted to feel it and see it loose. Now I want to see it hanging down, creating a curtain enclosing just the two of us.”

His hand slid from her back around to her abdomen. She could feel the warm skin of his stomach against her back where he’d left her shirt pulled up. Shaking too hard, she couldn’t reach around to pull it down. Warmth followed the hand slowly moving across her body.

“First chance I get, I’m cutting it. It’s too hard to take care of if you’re going to unbraid it on me.”

“No.”

Where did he get off telling her how to style her hair? His audacity rendered her speechless.

“Why did you dye your hair?” he asked.

“Don’t like white.” There, her voice was coming back as her space in the bed began to warm. “Too cold.”

“This red is awful.”

“It makes me feel warmer. I like red.”

“Well I like your red undies. Wish they were a little more brief though,” his chuckle was warm in her ear and a shiver ran down her body. “Still cold?”

“A little.”

“And the brown lenses for your eyes? More disguise?”

“Yep.”

“So what was this about you soon being the ex-Crown Princess?”

His body was a far more subtle seductive force than his eyes. Dangerously close to cupping her breast, his hand spanned the plane of her stomach, his fingers touching the beginning swell of flesh. In an attempt to preserve what remained of her modesty, she placed her hand over his to hold it from moving more.

“I came home to abdicate in favor of Coreen so she can marry you and do the royal princess stuff she was born to do.”

That apparently struck a nerve.

Gunnar’s hand stopped moving. He stopped moving. Not even a breath. It was as if the man froze.

A second later Noreen was on her back staring up into blue eyes flashing with angry silver sparks.

“What?” he demanded.

“I’m a horrible princess,” the words tumbled from her in a rush. “Cory’s the one interested in politics and ruling. She’ll be the better queen. That’s why we can’t make love. You’re meant for the Crown Princess and I’m abdicating. Since you’re going to be my brother-in-law, I’m not going to have sex with you now. Or ever. That’s why you should have gone to the other transport while you had the chance.” Ooh, he didn’t look happy.

“I have enough trouble with the gods messing with my destiny. I don’t need you doing it any more than you already have,” he growled at her.

“What are you talking about? I’m freeing you. It’s obvious you’re in love with Cory. You don’t even know me.” She tried to wiggle out from under him but he just pressed his body more firmly against hers. How’d he get between her legs? Why did he have to come to bed naked?

“Y-you…” he stuttered, as if he were choking on the words. “You spoiled little brat! You ran away ten years ago and put me through hell waiting for you to show up. You dumped your responsibilities on your sister and left your entire family to cover for you. I’ve never heard of a more selfish act. That’s what your father was talking about.”

Noreen put her hands on his chest and tried to push him off her. “How dare you!” When that didn’t make him move she thought about trying the clap again. “I was just getting out of Cory’s way!”

Gunnar’s eyes sparked even more and he grabbed her hands, pinning them to the bed on either side of her head. “Oh, no, you don’t. Not again. You won’t call down Thor’s Hammer on me again. Ever.”

Angry, she bucked her hips trying to dislodge him. Damn, he was heavier than her. She wasn’t tiny, but he had nearly double the raw muscle mass she had.

“Oh, yes, there you go, älskling,” he crooned. “A woman with spirit, that’s what I like.”

“Of all the insufferable… You arrogant… Egotistical… Maniacal…goat! I thought you were pure!”

“My flesh has never touched another woman’s flesh. At least not like this.”

Noreen gasped when he thrust against her. He felt… huge.

“No!” she shouted. “Not like this. You can’t!”

Panic clawed at her heart and she felt the start of burning tears sting the back of her eyes. She’d never been forced before, each lover treating her like a precious jewel, never taking more than she allowed. Always the one in control, she’d never had so much as a bruise unlike the ones most likely forming on her wrists right now. Fear made her gasp and fight against him.

“I can… but I won’t.” He was unmovable as he stared down at her. “I won’t rape you, even though I’d probably have not only your father’s blessing for doing it, but Odin’s as well. You’re right. I’m arrogant enough that I want you willing and begging for me.”

Her mouth dropped open to let loose another barrage of insults, but his mouth stopped her. Pinned beneath him, with his hands easily holding her wrists, she was no match for him when he kissed her. Before she could even think, he sucked her tongue into his mouth and used his to stroke it. A mad, sensuous clash erupted as she fought to push him away and he used subtle strength to hold her in place. The ease with which he restrained her was frustrating. And his kiss… Moder Freya… she’d never experienced anything like it.

All thoughts of cold flew right out of her head. Heat, delicious and consuming, flashed though her, starting where his cock pressed against her and seared her to her fingertips and toes. Burning, she surrendered to the kiss and melted into the feather bed. His grip on her wrists loosened, but he didn’t release her even as his kiss gentled. Now straining to get closer, she writhed beneath him, her hardened nipples pressing against his hard chest through the silk.

Intent on the kiss and the feel of his body against hers, she didn’t pay attention when he slid her hands to the corners of the bed, spreading them wide. All she wanted was his hands on her body, his lips covering her skin. Cold clicks took her by surprise. Something both soft and hard replaced his hands around her wrists. With a squeal of protest she tried to pull her hands away and found them trapped, the rattle of metal grating to her ears.

Lips on her earlobe stole the heat of her protest.

“Gunnar,” she moaned as a wave of fire rolled down her body, directly through her nipples to deep in her center. “What did you do?”

“Just playing,” he murmured, his tongue hot against the skin of her neck just above the high neck of her shirt.

She pulled against the restraints as he kissed a spot right behind her ear. Oh, she’d never felt that before and turned her head to let him reach it better. Funny, instead of feeling cold, now she felt hot. She’d never felt this hot on this planet.

“Don’t fight it, baby,” he told her.

As long as he kept his lips on her body she wouldn’t argue.

“Why?”

“I’ve heard it’s fun this way.”

“But…”

“Shhh. I won’t hurt you. I promise.”

He kissed her again and her head spun. The man was a genius. Where did he learn…?

Whimpering, she twisted away from the kiss. “I thought you were pure?” she gasped.

He pushed up on his elbows and looked down at her with a tiny smile. “I am. I’ve never made love to a woman without a barrier. Not even when she used her mouth.”

“What?” Stunned at his revelation, she couldn’t complete the thought. “I…I…I thought…”

“I was a virgin?” He smiled down at her as he stroked her cheek. “Oh sweetheart, ten years is a very long time to wait for your true love to show up. I’ve never spilled my seed in or on another woman. I saved that all for you. But that didn’t mean I didn’t do some studying. The way I see it, this is my final exam, sort of like the test to get my transporter’s license. Everything up until now has been training for this moment. If you aren’t both satisfied and pregnant by the time we pull into Stravicsholm, we’ll just run off to your apartment and lock ourselves in until I get it right.”