Page 76 of Alliance Bride
Eadlyn didn’t hesitate this time. She reached for him, curling her hand behind his neck, and rising on her toes as she pulled him down into a kiss. For a heartbeat, it was just the two of them, but the crowd howled with approval, hoots and whistles breaking through the quiet. She was pretty sure Kian yelled, “Finally!” and Aevar chuckled against her lips as they parted.
He blinked at her, dazed but delighted. “If that’s the prize for winning. I might have to challenge someone else.”
She laughed, her cheeks burning with a mix of joy and embarrassment. “Don’t push your luck.”
He leaned in again, pressing his forehead to hers. Just for a moment. Just long enough to make the noise of the crowd fall away again.
Eadlyn was breathtaking.
Aevar didn’t know how he’d been fortunate enough to have married two such amazing women in one lifetime, but tonight, in the fire-lit summer dusk, he couldn’t take his eyes off her. The blaze of orange and purple across the sky cast a soft glow against her dark hair, while the bonfires scattered along the beach made the beads on her chest shimmer like the stars above them. Her smile, bright and unguarded, outshone them all.
She was radiant. Not just beautiful. Radiant in a way that had nothing to do with her dress or the way the firelight played along her skin. It was the way she laughed, the way she tilted her head while listening to the village women, the way her eyes searched for him when she thought he wasn’t watching.
He looked forward to more time alone with her, whatever that looked like. He would not rush her. Not now when things were so good between them. But after a full day of feasting, games, dancing, and merriment, even a quiet repeat of their time this morning would be welcome.
She caught him watching again.
Her cheeks, already rosy from the heat of the fires, deepened in color. Aevar’s pulse quickened, thinking of how she had kissed him after the grappling match earlier, right there in front of everyone. Though her shyness had been plain, her boldness had been just as real.
She ducked her head, tucking a stray hair behind her ear, but not before her smile carved itself into his chest.
“Good for you,” Braan’s voice cut through his thoughts like an elbow to the ribs, “following my advice.”
Aevar raised a brow. “Who said it was your advice I was following?”
Braan smirked. “She looks happy.”
“I believe she is.”
“And you look happy.”
Aevar didn’t hesitate. “I am.”
His brother clapped a hand on his shoulder, heavy with approval. “Then go dance with your wife before someone else does.”
Aevar chuckled and downed his mead—the second and last cup he would have tonight—and motioned toward Heida. Braan wasn’t fond of dancing, but he would not let his brother get out of it.
“Your woman’s waiting too.”
Braan’s eyes found her. Tonight was one of the rare occasions Heida wore a dress, and she even had flowers in her hair. Despite how long they had known each other, Braan’s expression softened with the intensity of a man deeply in love. That was the kind of relationship Aevar hoped he was building with Eadlyn. The kind he’d shared with Thora. It seemed almost foolish to hope he would find that twice, but he was willing to do his part to make it happen.
He worked his way through the crowd. The other women parted for him without question, and Eadlyn turned as he reached her.
“Would you like to dance again?” he asked.
Her eyes sparkled. “I would.”
He took her hand and led her toward the circle of dancers, where the rhythm was lively and quick. Her laughter rang out as they joined in, her skirts spinning, her gaze never straying far from his. It was everything he needed to know he’d made the right choice in letting the past go and focusing on building the future.As Erik had counseled, he would not waste this second chance. A second chance he did not believe the gods had granted him…but maybe Eadlyn’s God had.
Later, as the dance slowed and others broke away to catch their breath or refill their cups, Aevar pulled her just beyond the circle of firelight. Stars dusted the sky above them like silver sparks, echoing the ones drifting up from the fires.
Eadlyn leaned into his side, breathless and happy, and tipped her face toward the night sky. Aevar wrapped his arm around her. When she looked up at him, it wasn’t with hesitation. Only trust. He lowered his head and kissed her once more.
The crowd might as well have vanished. She sank into his arms, her lips soft beneath his. He didn’t know how long the kiss lasted, only that it was wholehearted and certain. A few shrill whistles and intoxicated hoots rose from nearby, and someone shouted something unintelligible. Aevar just grinned into the kiss. He had never cared who saw him loving his wife.
A scream tore through the night.
They broke apart. Eadlyn turned toward the sound, tensing against him. He was about to reassure her that someone had probably just fallen from too much mead, but another cry split the air. This one sharp with panic. Voices erupted in a sudden flurry. He tried to find the cause in the darkness, but saw nothing past the rings of firelight.
