Page 55 of Ironling
And now look. No Lady Aislinn. A spurned potential partner—and Brigitt was likely to speak of him to the other maids, which meant his immediate prospects with anyone else within the castle were slim.
Only want one person in the castle,growled the beast.
Hakon violently wrenched the head of his cock, the pleasure-pain searing through him. That was all his beast ever said. Never anything useful, nothing that would help him build the life he wanted.
It was hard enough living as a halfling amongst humans and looking for a potential mate. It was difficult enough finding the woman of his every dream only to discover he could never have her.
He didn’t need an unhelpful, stubborn beast making it more difficult.
And yet, that’s exactly what he got.
Hakon shook his head from side to side as his orgasm ripped through him, a blazing moment of pleasure that never lasted long enough and never left him satisfied.
Oh, he could imagine her there with him, her skin glowing and rosy from the steam. He could see how her golden hair would pool around them on the surface as she smiled up at him. Those intelligent eyes would flutter at him as she took himin hand. That brilliant mouth would grin a precious little grin before bestowing teasing kisses up and down his length. She’d torment him for as long as she wished, testing his mettle, and he’d savor every moment of agony, waiting for that glorious moment when she’d slip his cockhead inside the hot well of her mouth.
The picture of her in his mind, those plush pink lips wrapped around the angry green of his cock, had Hakon shouting into the stones, ropes of spend hitting the water.
When it was all finished, he was left heaving. He leaned heavily into the wall for support, his legs weakened and shaking in the water.
The ritual was complete. A day’s worth of frustration and unrequited desire purged.
But he feared he’d never be free of her. Every new day brought new hope, new dreams that would wilt and wither as the sun crossed the sky.
He was caught in his own trap, unsure how to escape. Everything he’d wanted, the sacrifices he’d made to come to Dundúran—they were all for nothing if he couldn’t get his head on straight and give her up.
With a sigh, Hakon slumped backward into the water, floating aimlessly on his back.
The steamy air was heavy in his nose and lungs, but he couldn’t seem to make himself leave.
Other than the smithy with Lady Aislinn in her designated chair, the baths were his favorite place within Dundúran Castle. Sourced from a natural spring beneath the castle and supplemented with a hypocaust, the baths were a sprawling network of heated pools. The natural spring had been hewn into rock formations with veins of glittering minerals, as well as columns that supported arching passageways. The floors were inlaid with small tiles and glass squares, set in intricate mosaics.
The baths were split down the center by a metal mesh screen, the openings just large enough to allow air but not to see into the other side. Should a woman be bathing on the opposite side, he’d be able to make out her silhouette, but no features.
He was always careful to wait and ensure no one was in either bath before taking himself in hand. Even if a woman could only see a silhouette, his was distinctive within Dundúran.
Hakon drifted for a long while, his body warm and spent.
The situation wasn’t out of hand yet. If he could break his beast of its obsession with the heiress, perhaps then he could finally get serious about meeting a potential mate. One he could truly have and make a life with.
Fates, it all sounds so simple.
Nothing ever truly was.
Hakon grumbled and set himself upright. Pushing out of the water, he grabbed his bath sheet and made quick work of drying. He pushed his legs quickly into the loose linen braies he wore just to the baths and hung the sheet around his neck.
Determined to leave the morose thoughts behind, he climbed the stairs back up into the castle.
He’d made the convergence of the stairs leading down to the two sides of the baths when he heard quiet voices and steps coming down to meet him.
Hakon looked up in surprise.
Lady Aislinn and Fia looked back at him much the same, their faces cast partially in shadow by the lantern Fia held.
Both were obviously bound for the baths, linen chemises peeking out from brocade dressing gowns. Lady Aislinn’s was a rich claret color that caught the light of the lantern where it curved around her body—her shoulders, her hips, her generous breasts. Her golden hair fell in soft, unbound waves down her shoulders and back, framing her lovely face.
She looked as undone as he’d ever seen her, and he knew thesight was branded onto his mind forever.
Ears burning, Hakon dropped his head. “My lady, forgive me, I…”
