And she was beautiful.
Britta must not have brought undergarments for his lady wife, thank the gods, for the thin fabric of her gown molded her womanly curves. She was slender as he had originally thought, but not uncomely so. Once again, he berated himself for being such a dim-sighted fool.
His lips twitched with a grin of anticipation. He reached for a drying cloth and slowly, languorously blotted the moisture from his body, watching her the entire time.
And she was watching him, too. Warily.
He felt himself grow hard under her steady scrutiny.
She blushed and looked away.
“We are finally going to consummate our marriage. You know that, Eadyth, do you not?”
She hesitated, biting her bottom lip, then nodded grudgingly. “But do not think I will be standing on my head for you.”
Eirik’s eyes widened. “Well, mayhap, it will not be necessary now that I see you do not look quite like the back end of a mule.”
Eadyth shot him a look that said clearly he was the one most resembling a mule’s arse. “And-do not think I am going to give you one of those five-hour candles for your lusty purposes,” she added shrewishly.
“Huh?”
She waved a hand dismissively. “You know… that five-petaled lotus thing you boasted about. Oh, I know that I cannot escape the marriage bed now, but do not think you will get me to cooperate in your perversions.”
Understanding began to dawn on Eirik then, and he laughed aloud. Good Lord, Eadyth believed his outrageous tale of five-hour sexual bouts, and no doubt she expected such a performance from him on this their wedding night.
“Ah… refresh my memory, Eadyth… how many times did I say the woman in that tale peaked in one evening?”
“I disremember,” she said, her face flushing prettily. “Seven or eight times, methinks.”
“Sev… seven or eight?” he said, amazed at his own fantastic stories. Then he thought of something else. “And how many times did I say the man peaked during that five-hour session?”
“Twelve,” she said without hesitation.
Eirik made a small, choking sound deep in his throat and stepped closer. He took the comb from her hand and threw it to the ground. Then, putting his hands on her waist, which fit rather nicely into his palms, he lifted her off the ground so their bodies met—thigh to thigh, belly to belly, breast to chest.
Lowering his head, he murmured huskily against her lips, “Eadyth, I fear I will not last five minutes, let alone five hours.”
“Ah, I should have known. Men ever boast of prowess they have not.”
He put the tip of his tongue to the mole above her lips, then traced the edges of her finely sculpted mouth with mind-splintering pleasure. “Do you challenge me already, wife?”
“Nay, we are in agreement on that, at least. I care naught for any extended periods of love play. I would just as well get it over with and be done,” she said in an unconvincingly defensive tone as she leaned her head backward, trying to escape his lips. Her movement only gave him access to her smooth neck.
“Ah, that is where you are wrong, wife. We will light your blasted five-hour candle,” he said, nuzzling the warm skin, “and I promise to make your pleasure last… even if we both have to peak over and over and over ’til we get it right.”
For once, Eadyth had nothing to say. But the wildly beating pulse in her neck jumped traitorously against his lips.
Chapter Thirteen
As they walked back toward the keep, Eirik draped an arm casually over her shoulder.
She glared at him.
He winked.
What kind of husband winks at his wife?
Eadyth ducked and moved away defensively. “Stop teasing me,” she demanded and started to walk ahead of him at a brisk pace.
The brute called after her with seeming innocence. “Me? Teasing? I was just behaving as a husband should. By the way, Tykir was right about your hips.”
She looked back over her shoulder and saw his eyes riveted outrageously on her backside. Holy Saint Hilary, the man’s mind ran on one path only. She stopped and waited for him to catch up. She was not going to display her posterior for him in her flimsy silk gown, especially since Britta had failed to bring her a chemise or any undergarments.