The Barbarian's Stolen Bride (Northmen Barbarians 1)

Big and strong. Unbreakable.

He wore a tunic that didn’t hide the sheer masculine power of his chest. Although it was slightly loose around his torso, I could still make out the definition of his muscles underneath the white material. The collar was cut into a V, his skin golden and firm. The leather laces were twined within that V cut of fabric, the ends of the straps loose on either side, showcasing the top of his chest and his powerful throat. His shoulders were broad and tapered down to the biggest biceps I’d ever seen.

With a little bit of pressure, he tipped my head all the way up so I was now staring into his eyes. They were icy and cold like the sow that covered the kingdom during the cold season. And I was being swallowed whole within them, as if they were these black pits of spilled ink.

My breath caught as I was lost in all these different emotions and sensations. I had my hands curled tightly into fists again at my side, his finger still under my chin, his thumb tracing the top line of my lip.

My mouth parted from his gentle, soft touch. He was big and massive, triple my size, as if he wasn’t even human.

Descended straight from giants.

He had dark facial hair, the same shade of the short strands that covered his head. His hair was slightly messy as if he ran his fingers through it, or maybe how it would look when he removed his war-scarred helmet.

And the longer he stared at me, the more I felt like I was drowning, as if a current took me under and I was too lost to even care.

“Absolutely breathtaking,” he finally said, his voice nothing but a husky rumble, the deepest I’d ever heard. Those words moved throughout me, going through my whole body before exploding out the tips of my fingers. More chills claimed me, a shiver moving right through my core. I was dizzy, light-headed. Was it the wine, the mead, or was it the insane attraction to Fenrir himself?

He let go of me, and I exhaled roughly, having to reach out and grip the edge of the small table that held the decanter and mead. He didn’t move away from me, just continued to watch me. My neck was still craned back, the only way I could look into his face. He was just massive, a presence that took up the entire room.

I’d never considered myself small in stature, my height comparable to what was average for the females in our village, but standing in front of Fenrir made me feel as if I were the tiniest thing. My head came up to the center of his chest, my body frail compared to his sheer bruteness. I couldn’t help but think about him taking me to his furs, or how we would even fit together. As in… how would he fit inside me?

And that had me lowering my gaze down his chest and looking at his trews, which showed his massive bulge. My eyes widened, and I snapped my head up, expecting him to taunt me for looking, maybe even smirk in male arrogance. But he said nothing, showed no emotion. He just kept watching me as if he were a wolf in the woods stalking a rabbit.

And of course I was the helpless animal that was his prey.

And then he took another step toward me, and my entire body tightened. I didn’t breathe, expecting him to pull me against him and take what he wanted right now. But I was shocked when he just moved past me and went for the decanter, filling up a goblet with mead and bringing it to his mouth. Fenrir took a long drink, watching me over the rim, his eyes calculating, the intelligence behind those blue depths evident.

It was like he didn’t want to tear his focus from me.

He finished off his goblet and refilled it, and then I watched as he filled mine… the one that was now half-empty because I’d spilled most of it with my shaking hand.

He handed the newly refilled cup to me, and I took it, knowing I didn’t need any more alcohol, but then rationalizing that it would make tonight a lot easier if everything was a little hazy. So I brought it to my mouth and drank deeply, unable to tear my gaze from him, even though staring into his eyes was a little unnerving because he was so focused on me.

When he walked past me, the mesmerizing hold he had over me was momentarily broken, and I leaned against the table. He moved toward the firepit, and just seeing his big form shrouded with shadows and flickering firelight had my entire body feeling like it was set aflame.