Page 162 of Ironling
Their efforts were aided by the return of her father.
Merrick Darrow returned to Dundúran in midwinter, having lost almost half of the company and at least a stone in weight. His gaunt face shocked Aislinn, but that hadn’t stopped her from embracing him with all her strength. Over the winter, he and the surviving knights were diligently nursed back to health, although many still had a dullness to their eyes, Merrick included.
It hurt Aislinn to see her father so reduced, and most of the duties of Liege Darrow remained with her as he slowly recovered. He took the news of Jerrod’s death with stoicism, although Aislinn more than once found him weeping silently into his hands. She decided not to tell him it was Hakon who’d delivered the killing blow—Hakon himself hardly remembered, and it didn’t seem important anymore.
Jerrod was dead. It was time what was left of their family moved past his sins.
Despite her anxiety over what her father would make of her betrothal to their halfling blacksmith, Merrick took the news with good humor. He welcomed him, and over the ensuing months, Hakon proved himself the son Merrick had always hoped to have. Aislinn watched on, glowing with pride as her father and her betrothed spoke animatedly at dinners or when Hakon bowed his head and listened carefully to Merrick’sadvice.
All in all, it went far smoother than she could have dreamed.
She did, though, receive a stiffly worded letter from King Marius, informing her of thecrown cleaning up her little messand congratulating her upcoming nuptials, even ifthe choice of groom was thoroughly surprisingand wouldn’t she rather consider one of his strapping royal nephews. She might’ve lost sleep over the message had Queen Ygraine not sent her own, her tone much warmer and congratulatory. She welcomed Aislinn’s reign in the Darrowlands and applauded her on her good choice of spouse—as word of Hakon’s suit in the Choosing had spread quickly throughout Eirea.
Friendship and love make the strongest foundation.
“Come back to me.” Hakon pressed a kiss to her inner thigh. “I’m not done with you, and now I must start all over.”
Aislinn groaned as his tongue speared back inside her, demanding her undivided attention and denying her a chance to come down from her first peak.
She loved it when he got a bit bossy. After days spent making decisions and issuing orders, it was a delicious relief to be taken care of. She fell into pleasure each night by his command, and she longed to hear his soft, demanding words. Just a few wicked whispers from him could have her quickening with desire, no matter where they were.
Plucking at her breasts again, Aislinn squeezed his head with her thighs, trying to hasten him. He knew her game, though, and took her flanks in his hands to control her pace. His fingers strayed under her backside, and he lifted her hips up to meet his gorging mouth.
Aislinn threw her head back on the pillows, another release rushing toward its peak. Her hips rolled and rolled with her building orgasm, her world reduced to the slick slide of his tongue against her. He rumbled with satisfaction, a vibrationthat shook her to the marrow and made her see starbursts.
He held her as she thrashed and writhed, that pleased grin on his face.
When her body finally went lax, he carefully set her legs down, kissing each thigh with reverence. His eyes were dark with hunger and intent as he crawled over her. He planted his hands on either side of her head, and Aislinn wrapped a hand around his thick wrist.
“Fates, you’re more beautiful than a sunrise,” he growled, head dipping to capture her lips with his.
She tasted herself on him, and a fresh spark of lust began to burn in her belly. She spread her thighs for him, and he nestled his hips against hers, his cock burning against her mons.
Aislinn gasped at the heat of him.
“Put me inside you,vinya.”
His eyes trained on her with an intensity that made her shudder with desire. She loved it when he looked at her like that, like she was the center of his world.
Keeping his gaze, she reached down to take him in hand. He burned her palm, spend already leaking down the shaft. She slicked her hand up and down in gentle, firm pumps, watching as he twitched and grew hungrier.
“Just ensuring you’ll meet me at the ceremony.”
A deep growl rumbled through his wide chest. “Nothing will keep me away. You’re mine, Aislinn Darrow.”
Aislinn knew it, she just enjoyed hearing it.
She guided his cockhead to her entrance, biting her lip to feel how their bodies sealed together. He wasted no time, pushing deep inside. His hips pressed forward, not stopping until he was fully seated inside her.
Aislinn’s mouth fell open with the deep stretch, delighting in how her body gave way for him. With his size, it was never a truly easy entry, but she loved the burn and stretch, loved howhe opened her wide and made room for himself, demanding his place inside her body and heart and life.
He pulled back only to thrust inside again with a powerfulsmack.
Dropping his head, he rumbled in her ear, “You’re going to feel me all day. Through every speech and ceremony, you’ll feel me here, deep inside you, and know whose mate you are.”
“Yes!” she gasped.
He thrust again, making her breasts bounce.
