Page 146 of Prize for the King
“Kiss me some more.”
I do, getting lost in his scent and taste, his warm fingers shaping my back and waist until he gets tired from bowing low to reach me and takes my butt in both hands, lifting me high. I straddle him with a gasp, my skirts hiked up, flashing my stockings. He presses me into the wall until my back leans comfortably against it, and takes my mouth in deep, growling kisses, as if filling up on them in advance of the journey.
Someone clears his throat behind Magnar. I try to pull away, embarrassed to be found like this, but he steals one more kiss before turning.
It’s only our knights. Khay grins and sends me a kiss, and I relax. I don’t mind them seeing me disheveled and aroused.
“We’re done with everything, and we arranged for supper to be delivered into the queen’s chamber,” Raduna rumbles with a smile. “You handled your duties, too. Come and rest with us until it’s time to ride in the morning.”
He winks at me, and I remember with a hot, fluttery feeling that I promised him a reward. I still haven’t given Arvi what I promised him, either. Just like Magnar tried to fill up on kisses, I think my knights want to take me before we leave. I shiver, and my husband chuckles.
“Yes, pet? Eager to go to bed?”
I drop my gaze and nod, face hot from embarrassment and need. He laughs, then looks at the knights.
“We must be careful, though. Caliane is pregnant.”
Their words of congratulations are warm and joyful, but no onesounds surprised. Khay grins, coming closer to press his body to my back as I still straddle Magnar. I am now stuck between them, and Magnar’s words from before—me and Khay—make my mind blaze.
“Does it mean we get to fuck her pussy yet? She’s already pregnant by you, right?”
But Magnar shakes his head. “Give it a few more months. I need to be certain.”
“Don’t I have a say?” I ask, and Magnar kisses my pout away.
“You do, after I make sure I have a blood heir. It was my father’s wish, pet. I promised him. After that, your knights can breed you, I don’t mind. All your children will be my legitimate heirs, no matter if Khay, Arvi, or Raduna are their fathers. Or me again.”
Warm shivers engulf my back and arms as I look into his eyes. We are a family, aren’t we? Me, them, and any children we have. I understand at last that Magnar’s moods are not born of jealousy and greed. He’s happy sharing his wife, his heritage, his crown—with those who sacrificed everything to be loyal to him.
He could have been a petty king. He could demand everything and give nothing in return, as my father did. But Magnar isn’t like that.
His jealousy was maybe not jealousy at all, merely longing and rejection. I give him a kiss, things shifting inside me. Not enough—I can’t say the words he wants to hear yet—but I’m moving in the right direction.
“Let’s go to bed.”
XLV Dance
Magnar carries me, sucking possessive kisses into my neck on the way.
“We won’t have time or energy for fucking when we travel,” he murmurs, licking a sensitive spot until I gasp from the rough texture of his tongue. “And I want you even more now that you’re so nicely bred. You’re killing me, pet.”
“Are we in for a sleepless night?” I ask, gasping when he bites my throat gently, licking the sting away at once. I blush harder, knowing it probably bleeds, and he has no qualms about licking it off.
“Oh, you can sleep, love. Sleep like an angel.”
It sounds like a repeat of my wedding night, only much more pleasant because I know what to expect. My insides tingle and warm, and I tighten my thighs around his waist and roll my hips until Magnar growls and squeezes my bottom.
“Finally.”
He pushes the bedroom door open with too much force, catching it at the last moment before it bangs the wall. The table is laid with food, but he ignores it, putting me down on the bed. He makes short work of unbuttoning my dress and takes my clothes off with quick, impatient movements, leaving only my stockings. When I reach down to untie the ribbons holding them in place, he catchesmy hands.
“No, pet. These stay on. My belt.”
I have enough practice by now to undo it fast, and Magnar exhales sharply when I work him open, a sly smirk curving his lips.
“We’ve actually prepared something for you. Come here.”
He throws off his clothes and sits on the bed, feet planted on the floor. When I stand in front of him, unsure of where exactly he wants me, he pulls me in for a kiss, then turns me around.
