Redeeming Her Viking Warrior

And he was still holding on to her hand, he realised. Not just that, but his fingers had somehow become entwined with hers, joining their bodies together as if they were one and not two.

* * *

‘Danr?’ She spoke when they reached the base of the valley again. ‘Your hand. It’s too tight.’

‘Too...? Oh.’ He frowned and immediately loosened his hold. ‘Forgive me.’

‘There’s nothing to forgive, but you should let me take a look at your arm.’

‘It feels better now.’

‘I’ll be the judge of that. Stop.’ She dug her heels in and tugged back against him with surprising force. ‘Unfasten your tunic.’

‘Later.’

‘Now!’

‘You can see there’s no blood.’

‘That’s not the point.’ She pulled her hand away from his so she could place both of hers on her hips. ‘Remember our agreement? You said you’d do whatever I asked. Now, unfasten your tunic or I’ll do it myself.’

‘Fine.’ He heard the catch in his voice as he undid the fastenings at his neck, loosening his mail and tunic and drawing them both down over his injured arm. ‘There. Happy now?’

‘Not yet. I need to look properly.’ She caught his eye for a brief moment, the pupils of her own swelling slightly before she bent her head to examine the wound.

‘What do you think?’ His voice was a bare rasp of sound, his mind filled with memories from the night before—the feel of her body in his arms, the silken touch of her hair and skin, the scent of herbs and woodsmoke, the sound of moaning as his lips moved over her...

‘The wound hasn’t opened again,’ she murmured, ‘though it must have hurt a great deal.’

‘I didn’t notice.’

‘Liar.’

His lips quirked. ‘Maybe a little, but I had other things to worry about. I wasn’t going to lose you.’

‘You might have fallen, too.’

‘Then we would have fallen together.’

‘Together...’ If he wasn’t mistaken, her breathing hitched before she cleared her throat. ‘We should get on.’

‘Why?’ He covered her hand with his own as she drew his tunic back over his shoulder. ‘Where are we going? If the journey’s so dangerous, why don’t you just tell me what happened to you?’

‘Because I don’t know if I can.’ Her face clouded. ‘I’ve never told anyone. I need to show you.’

‘All right, but no more pretending to be mountain goats. We stay in the valleys, Gaels or no Gaels.’

‘It’s a longer route. We’ll have to camp overnight.’

‘Then we camp overnight.’

‘Very well.’ She pursed her lips. ‘But in that case you have to talk.’

‘Are you saying you want me to talk?’

‘Yes. The quiet was unnerving before, especially after...’ Her voice trailed away as a swathe of red crept over her cheeks.

‘Ah.’ He nodded with comprehension. ‘Then I’ll talk—we’ll talk—but I’m leading the way from now on.’