heard what you said, Jazz.’
‘So?’
As Jazz waited for him to reply, he could sense her thinking: What do I have to do to get through to this man? She had risked everything, her pride, her self-respect. God, what a monster he’d become.
Why should Tyr respond when he was only here acting out the role of groom to get her out of a hole? She had no idea how to handle a rejection as comprehensive as this. She would never take anyone for granted again, Jazz vowed fervently. She had thought she could handle anything Tyr threw at her, but then she had thought she was strong too. Turned out she was wrong on all counts. When you loved someone as she loved Tyr, this was always going to hurt.
‘I’m sorry, Tyr. I should never have put you in this position. Of course we should sleep. Sex has to be by mutual consent and not to order. I know that much.’
Lifting his head out of his hands, Tyr straightened up and turned to face her. ‘You don’t want this, believe me.’
‘I’m not frightened of you, Tyr, if that’s what you think. And how can you doubt that I want this?’
‘Brave words, Jazz.’
‘They’re not just words.’ She stared into his eyes. ‘We can’t go on like this. What’s wrong with you, Tyr? It’s not like you to back away from opportunity.’
‘I’m not backing away. And this isn’t an opportunity, as you put it, Jazz. I’m trying to protect you. Can’t you see that?’
‘You’re trying to protect me by making me feel like the most undesirable woman on earth? How does that work, Tyr?’
‘I’m trying to protect you from me.’
‘Why? Are you such a beast in bed?’
‘Jazz—’
‘You probably are a beast in bed.’ Her shoulders lifted in a shrug. ‘How would I know?’
‘Jazz,’ Tyr exclaimed with exasperation. ‘Take the big bed and try to get some sleep.’
‘I’m not going anywhere until you tell me what you’re saving me from, Tyr. And you’d better come up with something good, because right now I’m feeling pretty—’
Tyr’s fierce growl of impatience made her reel back as he closed the gap between them. His face was so close. ‘OK, I shouldn’t goad you.’
‘And I shouldn’t overreact, elskling,’ Tyr murmured, his minty breath brushing her skin as he held her suspended in his arms. ‘And as for goading me?’ Eyes that speared deep into hers lit with a glint of humour. ‘Why change the habit of a lifetime?’
That hint of warmth gave her hope. ‘I’m not about to,’ she flashed with all the old spirit as Tyr steadied her on her feet.
‘You know I’d never hurt you, Jazz?’
‘I absolutely know that,’ she confirmed. ‘But as I don’t have anywhere else to be tonight...’
Looking away as he raked his hair, Tyr huffed a laugh.
‘And, by the way, Tyr, I asked you a question and I’m still waiting for your answer.’
Folding his arms behind his head, Tyr rested back on the pillows, allowing his corded muscles to relax. ‘Repeat the question.’
‘I want you to make love to me, Tyr. This is our wedding night and I’m a virgin with everything to learn, so I’m asking you, my husband, to teach me everything you know about sex.’
‘In one night?’ Tyr raised an amused brow.
‘We can make a start,’ she suggested.
CLOSING HER EYES, Jazz reached out. At first her touch was tentative. Tyr was so firm and warm and vital, but this was the first time she had ever touched a man’s naked skin, and it took a little time to gain enough confidence to explore him more thoroughly.
When she did, he was a revelation. Tyr was so packed full of energy, her fingertips tingled. He was so toned and fit, his slightest movement allowed her to feel the shift of muscle beneath her hands. Drawing in a shaking breath, she dipped her head to brush her lips across his chest, where his distinctive clean man scent filled her senses.
Her feelings for Tyr were so strong, she was desperate to please him, but was concerned she might do something he wouldn’t like. Should she trace his scars, or ignore them? She kissed them, regretting each terrible and unimaginable incident that had carved them into his bronzed skin. Tyr and she were different in so many ways and she only wished she could put the guilt instilled in her by centuries of tradition aside. Intimacy between a man and a woman was often discussed in a community divided by gender, but never in front of an unmarried girl, so the little Jazz had learned, she knew from eavesdropping and reading, and from various media sources, but nothing could have prepared her for a titan like Tyr Skavanga in the flesh.
Instinct told her that what Tyr needed even more than sex right now was tenderness. It was time to forget her hang-ups and think about him. Tyr was still a prisoner in his mind without an outlet for his feelings. Maybe she could help him with that. Reaching her arms around him, she rested her head against his powerful chest and hugged him tight. Tyr instantly grew tense, and for a few moments she thought she’d done the wrong thing, but then tremors racked him and like a dam breaking he clung to her and she clung to him as if her life depended on it. There was only one thing missing, and that was to tell Tyr it would be all right now, but a trite response was no good to him. Only time would heal his wounds.
‘You don’t have to tell me anything right now,’ she whispered with her mouth against his chest. ‘I just want you to know I’m always here for you.’
‘Just so long as you keep on hugging me.’
She thrilled to hear Tyr’s voice so warm and wry. ‘It’s a deal.’
Removing the robe she’d thrown over her shoulders, he tossed it aside. ‘Relax, Jazz. Move down in the bed so you’re more comfortable. You can even steal the covers, if you like.’
‘It can get bitterly cold in the desert at night,’ she agreed.
She laughed softly when they both glanced at the braziers surrounding them at the same time. These had been lit as soon as the sun went down to keep the pavilion pleasantly warm.
‘I know you’ve led a sheltered life,’ Tyr murmured as he toyed with a lock of her hair.
‘What are you saying?’
‘Why don’t we find out?’
The look in Tyr’s eyes was everything she’d hoped for. And they were husband and wife, Jazz reminded herself, so nothing was forbidden. It wasn’t so bad feeling small and vulnerable when you felt so safe. Safe and with every nerve ending on super-high alert. Her thigh only had to touch Tyr’s to start trembling, while her shoulder quivered when it brushed his arm.
Where
