Page 55 of Yule Know It When You See It
“They raid together. Protect their clan together.”
Damn the wire. It can puncture my skin now for all I care.
He takes another step closer. “But the battle they fought today? It was unlike any other. They almost took their journey to Valhalla and would’ve been happy to do so.”
My chest pulses up and down, and breathing becomes an erratic nuisance.
“But the universe still has plans for them. And to celebrate their lives together, the opportunity to still give the worldsomething—” Axel looms over me now, his finger trailing up my exposed calf, making me shiver. “—the Viking leads the Shieldmaiden to his furs in the longhouse and tells her—” He plucks the pen from my loose grip, tossing it to the side. “—time to lay down sword and shield—” He peels the notebook from my chest with nimble fingers and tosses it on the marble kitchen island. “For tonight, instead of cries of victory—” His hands slip between my knees, gently coaxing them apart. “—it’ll beroarsof pleasure.”
I’m a complete and utter mess. I can’t remember my own name, let alone what planet we’re on.
Axel’s lips hover near mine, and suddenly, he’s smiling. “How’d I do?”
“I—” Nope. Still a mess. My mouth gapes and all I can do is sway. His thighs are between my legs, my center brushing his jeans, and only the thin lace of my underwear separates us. “—I retract my statement?”
His hand raises to press against the wall near my head. “That day I caught you daydreaming? What were you honestly thinking about?”
There’s no sense in hiding it. Especially not after this display. I mean, holy hell.
“You Axel. I was thinking aboutyou.”
A low, rumbly growl bubbles in his throat, and as his eyelids grow heavy, it darkens his gaze. “Tell me.”
As much as I don’t want to move from where we are, a small part of me hopes he wants to reenact it.
I push a hand to his chest, and he slides backward, letting me move away from the desk. “Not surprisingly, you were a Viking and had just returned from battle to visit my tent.”
His hands clench at his sides like he’s about to pounce me at any moment, and the thought has that spot between my legspulsing. “And why would I be visiting your tent?”
Gulping, I play with the hem of my green dress. “I was yours, and you wished to settle the—frenzy—with me.”
Veins bulge in his arms now, giving the tattoo edges and shadows. “Did we bother taking off our clothes?”
No sooner do I shake my head than his hands are on my hips, lifting me from the ground and storming us back to the desk. His mouth crashes to mine, our tongues melding, teeth occasionally clattering from the sheer chaos of this kiss. He rests my butt on the desk, the coolness shocking at first, enough to make me gasp, but the infernal heat coursing through me soon douses it.
He's undoing his belt, one hand flicking it open while the other tangles in my hair, and he keeps kissing me. The sound of the zipper going down has my heart catapulting into a furious gallop, and when his hand leaves my head to join the other in bunching my dress at my hips, I damn near lose all sense of control.
His hardness is on full display now, and it doesn’t disappoint. Its sheer size should make me feel hesitant or reserved, but I just don’t care. It could be a tantalizing mix of short-lived pain mixed with pleasure until the ecstasy took over, and I wouldn’tcare. Callused fingers trail my folds as he peels my underwear to one side. A single finger slips in, and this alone has my back arching. He adds another finger, probing in and out of me, and I whimper.
“Damn, Theo,” he gruffly whispers against my temple.
He’s undoubtedly talking about the torrential downpour I’ve become over him.
“You going to work out the frenzy, Viking?” I catch his gaze, my nails scraping the back of his skull. “Ortalkabout it?”
At this, he grabs both calves and pulls me forward until I’m balancing on the desk’s edge. Our gazes are locked but the sound of him tearing the foil packet open, his knuckles brushing my inner thighs as he works it over his shaft has me panting. My eyes focus on his forearm flexing, but when the hardened tip pushes into my entrance, the dim lighting in the room makes me see stars. He pauses only long enough for me to flutter back to reality before driving the rest of the way in. I cry out, not caring that I forgot to ask about neighbors. With one hand on the wall behind me for leverage, he thrusts over and over, my skin squeaking against the gloss desk, wood pounding against the wall with every pump.
I keep one hand gripping for dear life on the desk and the other curls behind Axel’s neck, using my strength to pound against him every time he comes forward. Our bodies slap together in glorious unison, the tightening, pleasuring ache forming in my core. Tilting my chin to the ceiling, I let it consume me and moan through my climax, tightening around him and making him grunt against my neck.
He dives into another round of conquering thrusts and pounds and he’s holding onto both butt cheeks now, ramming into me with the ferocity of a damn bear. I cry out again and he joins me this time, coming undone, stilling, twitching, and soon boneless and leaning over me on the desk.
“Was that myJulgift?” I ask, playfully sliding my foot up the back of his leg.
A sheen of sweat coats his bronzed skin, his breaths shorter but not near breathless. “I’ve not evenbegunto gift you, Romance.”
He cradles me in his arms, and carries me to the plush chocolate couch resting between the tree and a glass coffee table. He tosses me onto it but doesn’t join me straight away, giving his back to me as he tosses something away. I sit up on my elbows and greedily bite my bottom lip. The desperation to see Axel fully naked is an ache carving into my bones. How elaborate is that tattoo?
As if reading my mind, he faces me and peels the shirt away first. The tattoo goes up his bicep, over his shoulder, and continues to his pec but stops just above the nipple. When he turns to take off his boots, I spy the tattoo coursing over most of his upper back on that same side, too. His jeans are off in one sweep.
