Page 29 of The Shipwreck
“In fact,” he continued, “I’m collared and bound and chained to the wall.It isn’t as if I had a choice in the matter.”
It was true, of course.She’d thrown herself at him.But he didn’t have to come out and say it.
She felt thoroughly humiliated now.She’d made a fool of herself, attacking him with the same raw aggression she’d used on her lovers in that shameful period after her rape.Only this was much worse.This time she’d forced herself upon a man with no power to resist her.Hell, she was no better than the berserker who’d violated her.
Was that why she’d thrown herself at Brandr?Was she somehow seeking revenge upon him for what another of his kind had done to her?
As much as it pained her to admit it, she feared it might be true.She’d treated the Northman with undeserved disrespect.She owed him an apology.Swallowing hard and closing her eyes, she mumbled, “You’re right.It was dishonorable of me.I’m sorry.”
After what seemed an interminable length of time, he breathed, “I’m not.”
Their glances collided then.And in that moment that caught them both off-guard, they were no longer Viking and Pict, no longer prisoner and captor, but man and woman.
What had made Brandr admit the truth about how he felt, he didn’t know.It was reckless and unwise.The more emotionally entangled he became with this woman, the harder it would be to betray her and make his escape.
But he couldn’t deny he felt…something…for the fiery Pictish lass.What troubled him was that it might be something deeper than just physical lust.
Lust he could deal with.It made sense, after all.He’d been without a woman for so long, it was only natural his body should respond at the first available opportunity.But if it were something more…
By Thor, he had to get out of this mess!
Avril, obviously discomfited by his confession, backed away and ushered Kimbery outside, ostensibly to gather cockles, but probably also to get a breath of fresh, sobering air.
While they were gone, Brandr worked at the iron ring, pulling and twisting to try to loosen it from the mortared stone.The woman might not have turned him in to her neighbor this morn, but that didn’t mean she wouldn’t ever.Even if she relished the idea of having captured a Viking, even if she enjoyed lording it over him as her prisoner, even if she found amusement and pleasure in his arms, eventually she’d tire of it…and him.
He shouldn’t have encouraged her.True, he was collared and bound and unable to avoid her caresses.But he could have turned a cold countenance to her.He could have refused to bend to her seductive will.He could have clamped his mouth shut and made fists of his hands.
Instead, in an instant of weakness, he’d ignored reason.He’d let himself be tempted by her feminine desire, allowed himself to drift with her on an erotic sea.And for one moment, he’d almost believed that they were kindred souls floating there, that they shared a common destination and a deeper destiny.
But he had to ignore such feelings.It would only make things more difficult when the time came to play the traitor.
He yanked hard at the collar, bruising his throat.The iron ring wouldn’t budge.He cursed and slumped back against the wall.How much longer did he have?How much longer would it be before Avril decided he was a bad influence on her daughter and a danger to her?How much longer before she turned him in?
Chapter 9
Before she even opened her eyes the following morning, Avril could hear them in the next room—Brandr murmuring, Kimbery giggling.It was a pleasant sound, a sound that reminded her of what it was like to have a real family.Her lips curved up as foolish, sentimental tears brimmed in her eyes.
She’d told herself she didn’t need family.Her parents were dead.Her brothers had betrayed her.And there was little hope of her finding a husband, since she had nothing to offer.She’d convinced herself that Kimbery was family enough.
But the truth was Avril was terribly lonely.
Most days, she kept herself too busy to notice.Her mind she occupied with survival.Her heart she occupied with Kimbery.
Still, regret occasionally crept in, and she grieved for the person she used to be—the young woman who was meant to reign over a noble keep, marry a strong warrior, and have a dozen beautiful children.Most of the time that regret manifested as a righteous thirst for justice and a determination to get back what belonged to her.But sometimes, like this morn, a melancholy pining welled up in her, and she ached for what she couldn’t have.
She definitely couldn’t have Brandr.There was no question about that.He might have felt right in her arms.His kiss might have been sweet and tempting.His hands might have touched her with the deceptive devotion of a lover.But he was her enemy.
Barbarians like him had invaded her land for decades now.They’d razed her villages, stolen her coin, slaughtered her people.One of them had killed her father and raped her.They were brutal, ruthless savages, and they were beyond reason.
Why then was it so impossible to imagine the whispering Viking in the next room wielding an axe and charging unarmed Pictish children?
Kimbery giggled again, and this time she was joined by the Northman.His laugh was deep and warm, and it sent delicious shivers along Avril’s arms.
She swallowed hard and opened her eyes to stare at the ceiling.
What in God’s name was she going to do with Brandr?
She couldn’t turn him in.She didn’t have the heart to deliver him into the hands of an angry mob.Hell, she’d already proven that—hiding him from the man who’d come yesterday.
