The Barbarian's Stolen Bride (Northmen Barbarians 1)

Fuck!

And when I was spent and my balls drained, I felt my arousal still pounding through my veins. I realized this was a poor comparison to what I knew I’d have with my Prima. And in fact, jerking off only made my desire for her even fiercer.

I continued to stare down at the water, feeling shame over the fact that I’d just come in the bathing pool when I had the most beautiful woman sleeping in my bed. It seemed such a waste of my seed when I could be filling her up with it and making her big with my child.

That thought had another wave of possessiveness slamming into me. I growled again in feral need at the thought of her big and swollen with my baby.

But I forced those thoughts away and climbed out of the pool, grabbed a cloth that was neatly folded on a table, and quickly dried myself off.

I meant what I’d said to Prima. I wouldn’t touch her until she asked me to. And she would. Eventually. That, I had no doubt about.

She would be my greatest victory.

And as I thought of that, a smile formed on my face. Battle or not, eventually I’d have my Prima surrendering to me.

8

Prima

I slowly blinked open my eyes and stared at the wall in front of me. I was still on my side, seemingly in the same position I had been when I’d fallen asleep. The memories of the night before came rushing back, and my heart immediately started racing as I thought about Fenrir. I looked over my shoulder at his side of the bed but found it empty.

His side of the bed? Am I now thinking of this as ours?

I felt this weird disappointment that he wasn’t beside me, and those emotions waged war within me. I was thankful he’d kept his promise and hadn’t touched me without my consent, was grateful he let me sleep in peace. But I’d be lying to myself if I didn’t acknowledge that he made me feel all kinds of things that were unfamiliar to me. And one of those was the feeling of disappointment at not being beside me when I woke.

I sat up and pushed my hair from my face, my body stilling and my heart stopping as I locked eyes with him from across the room.

He sat behind a table, a spread of first-meal foods laid out before him. I’d never seen so much food in one sitting before. It was fit for a literal king. At that thought, my cheeks heated. He was the ruler of Kaldir. Of course he’d have as much food as he liked.

“I waited for you to wake, hoping we could have our first meal of the day together.”

I licked my lips and ignored the tingle of awareness that his deeply masculine voice caused within me. “You didn’t have to. I wouldn’t want you to wait to eat if you’re hungry, or to eat cold food.”

The corner of his mouth curled up, and he leaned back in his chair. “It was just brought in. But regardless, I wouldn’t have cared if the food was iced over as long as we're together.”

I felt that familiar tendril of pleasure fill me at his words.

He didn’t say anything else or move; he just watched me. I straightened my shoulders and pushed the furs back, letting my legs hang over the edge of the sleeping platform before slowly lowering myself to the ground. The flooring was ice-cold, and a shiver raced up my body.

I wore the shift from last night still, obviously, and I felt my nipples pucker underneath the thin material. And when I noticed how he lowered his eyes to look at that fact, instinctively I wanted to lift my arm and shield myself out of shyness.

But the very erotic expression that covered his face, and the way he shifted on his seat as if he were slightly uncomfortable—or maybe trying to ease something very hard that he sported—had that embarrassment slowly leaving.

He gestured toward the empty chair across from him. I breathed out slowly as I made my way over, sitting down on the plush fur-covered cushion and staring at all the food presented on the table.

“I hope you’re hungry,” he rumbled and leaned forward, plucking a piece of fruit out of a wooden bowl and popping it into his mouth.

The way he chewed shouldn’t have been as attractive as it was, but I felt that instant wet heat flood between my thighs.

I looked down at the food and focused on that—or tried to, at least. I reached for a piece of fruit and brought it to my mouth, took a bite of the sweetness, and tried not to moan at how good it tasted. Fruit was a delicacy, especially this time of year, and not something a lot of villagers could afford.