for a time, but she wanted a child. I couldn’t give that to her.’
Beneath his voice, she sensed his frustration.
‘We tried for years,’ he admitted. ‘And never once did her belly grow round with my child. Elena believed the gods were punishing us for something we did. Or didn’t do.’
Caragh turned to face him. ‘It’s not your fault,’ she whispered. ‘Some men and women are not blessed with children.’
‘The first two years, we kept trying,’ he said. ‘During the full moon or during the crescent. At night and during the morning, until we couldn’t bear the sight of each other.’ His hand came to touch the side of her face. ‘It was impossible to please her.’
‘Why did you stay?’ she ventured, not knowing how he would respond. A fragile hope burrowed within her heart, that perhaps there might be a chance for the two of them.
‘Because I didn’t want to give up. A warrior never surrenders in any battle. It’s not my way.’
‘And now?’ Caragh asked, resting her hand upon his heart. His legs were tangled with hers, and although his body remained aroused, it didn’t threaten her.
‘I thought of sailing away, of giving her distance.’ He covered her hand with his, before bringing it to rest at her waist. ‘When I offered to leave, she said she would come with me.’
He expelled a breath. ‘This, from the woman who never altered her day by a single moment.’
‘She didn’t want to give up on your marriage, either,’ Caragh said, her throat closing up. She could understand that. If she were wedded to a man like Styr, she would follow him across the seas.
But hearing the truth from him only warned that there would be no happiness for them. Not if he and Elena wanted to stay together.
He said nothing, but only held her tighter against him. ‘Every day I’ve spent with you is a betrayal of her.’ The words were a blade twisted inside her, wounding her heart. Then he added, ‘I won’t forget a single moment of it, Caragh. Or you.’
His embrace only deepened the heartbreak. But leaving him now would only heighten the loneliness. Her eyes blurred, and she admitted, ‘I shouldn’t have come here.’
‘Why?’
‘Because it only makes me desire you more.’ She started to sit up, and he caught her wrist.
‘I can’t give you an answer,’ he admitted. ‘Not until I see her.’
‘You’re her husband. I understand that.’ Though she tried to keep the pain from her words, they caught in her throat. ‘You must go to her.’
‘I have to see that she is provided for.’ He kept his hold upon her wrist, drawing her back against him. His hands moved down her side in a caress. ‘And if she wants to return to Hordafylke, I will arrange it.’
‘Without you?’ she ventured.
He turned her upon her back, his body above hers. ‘What do you think?’
She couldn’t breathe from the intensity of heat that rushed over her. Against the juncture of her thighs, she felt the hardened length of his shaft, and she couldn’t stop herself from opening to him. Between her legs, she ached, and even her breasts were sensitive to the weight of him.
‘She deserves to be happy,’ he said. ‘And perhaps it shouldn’t be with me.’
Caragh shielded her heart from the wild hope that beat within her. Though she wanted desperately to believe that he might divorce his wife and stay with her, he’d made no promises.
‘You deserve to be happy, too,’ she whispered, reaching her arms around his torso.
He shook his head. ‘The gods have cursed me. For I have no sons or daughters to carry on my blood.’ He moved to his side, drawing his hand over her hip.
She recognised the warning. He was telling her that even if they did come together, there might never be a child. But she didn’t want to believe it.
‘You might…with me,’ she whispered. She couldn’t believe she had dared to speak of such a thing. Not when they had been so careful to avoid touching.
‘Do you want to know what it would be like?’ His whisper was a half-growl, and she wasn’t sure what he meant by that.
‘Yes,’ she breathed, ‘but it would be wrong.’
‘I won’t lay a hand upon you,’ he said, his voice resonant within the darkness.
‘But I don’t—’
‘You’re going to touch yourself.’
Never in his life had he wanted a woman this badly. Caragh’s hands around him had awakened an arousal he couldn’t deny, instead of lending comfort. He wanted to lay her back and taste her bare skin. Learning what pleased her body.
But then, she was a virgin. Asking her to be intimate in this way would likely embarrass her instead of bringing her pleasure.
‘Or you could return to your tent.’ He offered the escape, uncertain of whether she would seize it.
When he heard no movement from her, the air within the tent seemed to grow warmer. He went rigid at the thought of what was about to happen between them.
At first, he’d believed that she would run away. Instead, she’d met his challenge, leaving him with no choice but to continue.
‘I want all the time that remains between us,’ she murmured. ‘Even if it’s stolen.’
He moved to her, not touching her, but so close he could feel her breath against his cheek. ‘If you stay, you obey my commands. Without question.’
She took his hand and laid it beneath her gown upon her heart. Beneath his fingers, he could feel the harsh beating of her fears and inhibitions. But he lifted his hand away.
‘Remove all of your clothing,’ he ordered. ‘Lie down upon it.’
In the darkness of the tent, he could not see her. But he imagined the delicate skin, the soft curves of her breasts. Her nipples a pale pink, her slender waist flaring to hips he wanted to hold while he drove himself within her.
‘I’m ready,’ she whispered.
He heard the nerves in her voice, the uncertainty. But he would have traded every last piece of silver for this night. He would give rein to his desires, the forbidden dreams of her.
And, if the gods were willing, he would free himself from Elena and one day make love to Caragh the way he wanted to.
He stripped away his own clothing, lying across from her. ‘Do you feel the cool air upon your skin?’
‘Yes.’
