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  In the end she had chased them from the room, saying she preferred to make up the bed herself. The women gave her knowing glances, but departed.

  ‘There goes my excuse,’ she muttered as she plumped up the pillows one last time before she went to the great hall to face the main meal. ‘I will have to find somewhere else to sleep.’

  ‘Did you say something?’ Sigurd asked from the doorway. ‘You appear to be most elusive these days.’

  Liddy’s heart beat a little faster. ‘I was just commenting to Coll about the space in the room. You won’t want a dog sleeping in here, not with these furs on the floor.’

  ‘Coll and I are friends. I see no reason to change his sleeping quarters.’

  She grabbed a pillow and held it in front of her like a shield. ‘There are things I should be doing. The women will be down bathing again if I am not careful.’

  Sigurd came over and took the pillow from her slack hands. He tossed it towards the bed. ‘That goes on the bed.’

  Liddy smoothed her hands on her apron. He was so close that if she stretched out, she could touch him. Her body started to sway towards him. Liddy pivoted too quickly and stumbled backwards, falling on to the bed, landing beside the pillow.

  ‘Oh!’

  Sigurd’s eyes creased at the corners. ‘A dive for your shield? Or an invitation to join you?’

  ‘An unplanned tumble.’ Her voice was far too breathless. Liddy rolled off the bed, painfully aware that she displayed far too much leg as she did so.

  ‘Well, I have much to be getting on with,’ she said into the sudden silence.

  ‘Don’t let me delay you.’ He went over to one of his iron-bound trunks. ‘I only came back for my one remaining practice shield. The other one splintered on the training ground.’

  Something sank a little inside Liddy. He hadn’t come back to tease her. ‘I see.’

  Instead of a shield, he took a game board out of the trunk and placed it on the bed. ‘Later, though, I intend to play tafl with you to decide who sleeps where.’

  ‘Tafl? I’ve never heard of it.’

  ‘A strategy game.’ Sigurd withdrew a leather pouch and spilled the counters on the bed. He gave her a speculative glance. ‘It keeps my mind occupied. I am guessing you will be a formidable opponent if you are given the chance.’

  ‘A compliment, I think.’ Liddy bit her lip. A reprieve of sorts, but it felt like she was falling back into the old ways. ‘I must warn you: once I learn the rules, I intend to win.’

  ‘It is what I like about you Liddy, you never give in.’

  ‘A compliment?’

  ‘An observation.’ The corners of his mouth lifted. ‘But you may take it as a compliment.’

  He began to explain the game. Her heart sank slightly. She was no good at flirtation. He might proclaim that he expected her to win, but he really wanted her to lose. It was how Brandon had been—willing to play until she was better than him. Brandon hated losing to a woman, unless he had planned it. ‘Is something wrong?’

  ‘It sounds very like a game my husband used to enjoy playing.’

  ‘With you?’

  She shook her head. ‘With his brother and...others.’

  ‘Which others?’

  ‘People.’ Liddy plucked at her skirt. There was no way she could confess about how, after the marriage, he had thrown temper tantrums when he lost to her and refused to play again. ‘Kintra is a large estate and Brandon was often absent, fighting the Northmen. It left little time for frivolity.’

  ‘And you were always too busy to play.’

  ‘Yes.’ She forced a smile as a glimmer of hope burgeoned within her. An avenue of escape appeared. ‘It is amazing what needs to be done in a hall. Even now...there are things which should be attended to. I should go.’

  He came over to her and grabbed her elbow, preventing her from moving. She was aware of the way his chest rose and fell and how his hair skimmed his shoulders. ‘You sit now. Study the board.’

  ‘Why?’

  His eyes crinkled at the corners. ‘Because you use your busyness as a shield and my men will be glad of the respite.’

  Her tongue moistened her suddenly dry lips. ‘You are wrong about that. I keep busy because then I don’t have to think about my captivity.’

  ‘It is how I see it.’

  His fingers captured her chin, forcing her to look into his eyes. Her mouth ached anew. Her body trembled. He was going to kiss her. She parted her lips, ready to give in, but he let her go and stepped away.

  ‘My opinion is the only one which counts here.’ He gestured to a stool. ‘Sit and play. Let’s see how quick you really are. Indulge me.’

  ‘As if I have a choice,’ Liddy muttered, concentrating on the board.

  ‘What shall you ask for when you win?’

  ‘Not a kiss,’ she retorted. ‘Otherwise you’d contrive to lose.’

  He burst out laughing and covered her hand with his. ‘Ah, Liddy, you are good for me.’

  She allowed her hand to rest in his for a heartbeat longer than she should have, then she reached for a counter. ‘Shall we play, then?’

  The first game she lost badly, but the second one she began to get the hang of it. With the third, she managed to win. Liddy clapped her hands. ‘You see. I can do it.’

  Sigurd stared at the board in disbelief.

  ‘Impossible. I haven’t lost in years. You have to believe I was trying.’

  ‘Why?’

  ‘Because I know how it feels when people let you win.’

  A bubble of pleasure went through her. She had done it and he wasn’t cross with her. She had to wonder if Brandon’s reaction had been because he was spoilt.

  And if he was wrong about that, what else had he been wrong about? Her curse? The boat not being able to capsize? The cause of Keita’s and Gilbreath’s deaths being an accident, and not her fault? asked a little voice in the back of her mind.

  Liddy silenced it as she hurriedly set the board up again.

  ‘We could have another game unless you have other things to attend to,’ she said.

  A frown line appeared between his eyes. ‘I shall have to change my tactics.’

  Liddy pressed her lips together. ‘Perhaps you make allowances for my inexperience.’

  ‘I shall have to try harder and ignore the distractions.’

  ‘Distractions?’

  ‘You know what I mean. Distractions.’ He gave a half-smile and reached out to smooth an errant lock of hair from her cheek. ‘I am pleased you wear your hair uncovered.’

  A warm pulse throbbed through her at the touch. She forced her eyes to focus on the counters. Pleasurable distraction? The man enjoyed teasing her.

  ‘Unintentional, I assure you.’ Liddy moved her first counter. ‘You were the one who commanded my hair be worn down.’

  ‘Shall we make it interesting and play for a small prize?’

  Liddy’s hand trembled on her counter. She could well imagine what he would ask for. Even now the bed piled high with its luxurious furs kept drawing her gaze. She could all too easily imagine the feel of the soft fur against her bare skin. She gulped hard and bade the image to be gone. Sigurd would want something else. Besides, she wasn’t going to lose. She had the hang of this game now.

  ‘What sort of a prize? I thought we were playing for the right to choose where to sleep?’

  ‘Such a woman. Your mind always turns towards the bed.’ He countered her move. ‘No, it would not be fair to put that sort of pressure on you...yet. We play for something else.’

  ‘I will win and then decide,’ she said, banging the counter down and making the other pieces jump.

  ‘That is the sort of attitude I like.’ He covered her hand again briefly. ‘Let the battle begin and
I do expect a fight, Liddy.’

  ‘You reek with over-confidence. This will be easy.’

  The contest was hard fought with Sigurd taking the early advantage, but just when she thought all was lost, she saw a way to win. Liddy rapidly moved her remaining counter and captured Sigurd’s king piece.

  ‘This time you will have to admit it was not a fluke.’

  ‘What are you going to claim as your prize?’ His low voice slid over her skin as he watched her with hooded eyes.

  It was on the tip of her tongue to ask for the long-promised kiss. Her entire body tingled with awareness of him.

  ‘A walk outside the compound with Coll,’ she said quickly before her tongue had other ideas. ‘I want to feel the sun on my face and the wind at my back.’

  ‘I am at your disposal.’ He stood and made a very correct bow.

  ‘Both of us?’ she cried. ‘We are both going outside the fort?’

  He tilted his head to one side. ‘Do you think I would allow you to go on your own? What if you strayed too near the sacred grove? I must insist.’

  ‘I gave my promise. I will return. A little bit of freedom.’ Liddy hated the pleading in her voice. ‘And you promised no more bodies.’

  ‘They have been buried,’ Sigurd confirmed. ‘The soothsayer was whining about it earlier. I allowed one of your priests to say a few prayers over the women. The sacred grove is empty, but it remains sacred. My men have a right to their religion.’

  ‘I wouldn’t go near it.’

  ‘If only it was that simple...’ He brushed her face with his hand. It took her all of her willpower not to turn her face towards his palm. ‘I was taught to mistrust, Liddy. I won’t change a habit of a lifetime, not even for you. You go outside the fort with me or not at all.’

  * * *

  The woods were dappled in sunshine and filled with birdsong. In front of them, a butterfly flitted from one wildflower to the next. Liddy walked slowly, breathing deeply, enjoying the fresh air and appreciating the silence. Sigurd was right. It was good not to have to do anything.

  Coll bounded alongside them until he caught the scent of a rabbit and went off to investigate. Lately, if Sigurd was with Liddy, Coll seemed content to wander off on his own.

  ‘It feels wrong somehow,’ Liddy said, determined to ignore her growing awareness of the man beside her. She had thought that being outside would banish the intimate feeling she had in the bedchamber.

  ‘Why?’

  ‘You wanted me to supervise the women. They will find excuses to go to the loch and bathe.’

  ‘They always seem busy to me.’

  ‘They hope to catch your eye and warm your bed.’

  He put his hands on her shoulders and spun her around. ‘And that bothers you?’

  ‘No,’ she lied. ‘I’m fine with it. They are welcome to it. I would hardly like to be churlish.’

  ‘Truly? You are a very poor liar.’ He touched her cheek. ‘Your eyes appear ready to spit fire at the mere thought of another in that room. I heard you were determined to do the room on your own.’

  She tilted her head upwards and met his dark gaze. Every particle of her was aware of him. Her heart raced quickly. ‘One last check for the missing gold. I desire my freedom above all things.’

  His thumb traced the line of her mouth. ‘I do think you protest overmuch.’

  Her mouth tingled, but moving away was beyond her. ‘You are not playing fair.’

  ‘Who ever said I did?’ His mouth was a breath away from hers. ‘Is there something you want, Eilidith? Something you truly desire?’

  She knew she should move away from the temptation of his mouth, but her feet seemed to have turned to stone. All the reasons not to kiss him which had seemed sensible only a short time ago faded into nothingness and all she knew was that she wanted to, because she could—out here in the green wood where they were not master and slave, but a man and a woman.

  She raised her mouth and brushed her lips against his. ‘Kiss me. Kiss me now.’

  He lifted a brow. ‘Is it what you truly desire?’

  ‘Yes,’ she whispered against his mouth.

  His arms went around her instantly, crushing her against him. Her body thrilled in his nearness. She drank from his mouth, revelling in its clean taste. His tongue tangled with hers, teasing and probing deeper. Her body arched closer, meeting the hard planes of his chest.

  His hand roamed down her back and pulled her closer still. The evidence of his desire for her pressed into her belly.

  ‘I did wait,’ he murmured against her ear. His breath did strange things to her insides. ‘But I took pity on you. I didn’t make you beg.’

  His mouth trailed a line down her throat. Each new touch sent the fire burning inside her a little higher and she knew she wanted more.

  She tugged at his shirt, wanting...no, needing to feel his skin against hers. He seemed to understand what she wanted and immediately divested himself of the garment. His skin gleamed gold in the late summer sun. She touched the pale scars which criss-crossed his skin with a gentle finger and then, giving in to impulse, she traced the lines with her mouth. They were smooth to her touch.

  ‘You’ve suffered greatly,’ she whispered.

  ‘Time heals most things. Makes you stronger than before.’

  ‘I hope you are right.’

  He captured her hand and raised it to his lips. ‘Unless you want to continue, stop. If we go much further, I cannot guarantee I will have the strength to pull back.’

  She stared at him. He was giving her the option. It was her choice about what was going to happen here. She could pull back and pretend that it wasn’t what she wanted. But she was finished with pretending. She wanted to explore this fire which was burning inside her. She wanted to see if it had been truly her who had been as cold and unfeeling as Brandon had accused her. Right now her body burnt, teetering on the edge. Her stomach knotted. ‘Do you think I want to stop?’

  He took a half-step backwards. There was a vulnerability about his look that she hadn’t noticed before. ‘Do you?’

  ‘I want this. I have dreamt about it. You’ve been invading my dreams,’ she cried before she gave in to her memories of how everything went wrong with Brandon. Sigurd wasn’t her late husband.

  ‘I have dreamt about it as well.’

  She gave a shaky laugh. ‘I hope I live up to the dream.’

  ‘More than.’

  Instantly his hands returned to her body, holding her as though she was special. He recaptured her mouth, swooping down. This time his tongue probed and stroked, penetrating deeper than he had before, feasting on her. Her body arched towards him and she felt his rampant arousal press into her middle. She rubbed her body against him, seeking relief from this burgeoning feeling which kept growing inside her.

  He quickly undid her cloak and it fell on to a bed of ferns.

  He slid his hand down her shoulder, capturing her breast under her gown and teasing the nipple until it became a hardened point. It rubbed against her shift, sending fresh waves of heat through her. She whimpered and tugged at his head.

  He raised his eyes and gave a very masculine smile as he proceeded to play with the other nipple, teasing it until it, too, ached.

  Her hands pushed at his trousers as the heat within her became unbearable. He pushed them away and undid them. His rampant erection emerged. Giving in to temptation, she curled her hand about his steely strength and felt him grow and pulse under her fingers.

  ‘I can’t wait any longer,’ he rumbled in her ear as he eased her down on to her discarded cloak. She parted her legs and pushed up her skirts.

  She was more than ready for him. Her body opened as he entered, enveloping him. She matched his thrusts with answering arches of her body. Faster and faster until the world was
made new. And she knew then that she’d been wrong about the act of joining. It could be wonderful and magical if it was with the right person.

  * * *

  Sigurd drifted slowly back to earth. He had taken her far too quickly and not how he had planned at all.

  Liddy had fallen asleep in his arms. He watched her chest rise and fall and the way her bare legs were entangled with his. The gold of the shackles contrasted with the whiteness of her skin and seemed to rebuke him. Had this woman truly had a choice?

  She was the most exquisite creature he had ever seen. Her hair only hinted at the depths of passion she possessed and he knew he wanted to explore it and wring every last drop out of her.

  What he and Liddy had shared had been indescribable. His only regret was that they were lying on a hard bed of ferns, rather than on the furs he’d carefully arranged on the bed. She was still dressed in her shift and gown, which was less than ideal. He wanted to explore every inch of her body.

  A surge of protective feelings ran through him. He gathered her close. He wasn’t ready to give her up yet. She would remain his. He struggled to remember the last time he had felt this much at peace.

  She murmured softly in her sleep.

  He pressed a kiss against her temple. ‘Time to go.’

  Instantly she was awake and straightening her skirts, hiding her gorgeous legs.

  ‘It is getting late,’ he said with a smile. ‘And the next time, I want to experience you in that new bed of mine.’

  ‘There will be a next time?’

  He silently cursed her husband. What had he done to her? ‘Of course—did you think I’d tire of you that quickly?’

  The irony of his words was not lost on him. Unlike the other women he’d bedded in recent years, Liddy was more than a warm body in the night. He’d been a fool to consider that simply bedding her would ease his desire for her. He wanted to expose every part of her. More than he wanted to possess her mind.

  ‘I had no idea. I have no expectations.’

  He placed a kiss against her temple and tried to ignore the sudden tightening in his gut. She was thinking about her late husband and he wanted to erase all memory of him. ‘Stop judging me by your husband’s actions.’