Destiny of the Heart (Viking Destiny) (38 page)

Guy and Mel were wrapped in each other's arms and
Mel lay there listening to the beat of his heart. She had missed
him so much this last trip he made to America that the thought
of him being away from her again, with the possibility of dying,
burned her heart. She didn't like it, especially now that she
was pregnant. But, she knew Kristen would need all the help
she could get.

"Mel, if you don't want me to go, Derrick and Kristen
would understand." He said softly as he rubbed her belly.
"I don't want you to go, but you have to."
Guy smiled. His Mel was just as fierce as Kristen in her
own right. She didn't fight like a warrior, but she surely had the
heart of one. He knew she wasn't happy about this, but she
loved Kristen as much as she loved him. She would want him
to be there to help her.
"Then I'll go."
"When does she plan to set sail?"
"Derrick's letter said in one month. There is much to
prepare for, and Kristen doesn't want to wait too long for fear
the king will attack England because of Nikolas'
disappearance. Word of the attack on the docks was bound to
get back to him."
"Well, then we have a month together before you
leave." She propped herself up on her elbows and kissed him
deeply. "I think I can prove just how much I love you in that
time."
Guy rolled her over onto her back, moving to cover her
but keeping his weight off her stomach.
"I don't think that's nearly enough time." He whispered
huskily. "But, I shall endeavor to show you that I love you
more." He filled her with the length of him and began a slow,
steady pace.
Mel moaned in pleasure, clutching at the husband she
loved and wishing the night would not come to an end.
***
Tristan rolled off of Chelsea and pulled her into his side,
settling her against the length of his body. He rested his chin
at the crook of her neck and rubbed his thumb against her
hand absently.
"Marry me." He said.
Chelsea smiled. Mel had been right, and she couldn't
have been more pleased. But, there were still doubts. What if
he were only asking because he thought there was a good
chance he might die?
"Chelsea?" He prompted.
She rolled over to face him. He scooted his head back
so that he could see her, and she stroked the side of his face.
Tristan was worried she might actually say no and suddenly
felt like an ass for giving Derrick a hard time of it when Kristen
had refused him.
"Tristan, this trip you must make, I understand. But, you
could die. It is perhaps better to return me to my family."
He turned angry, angrier than she had ever seen him,
though she did not shrink away from him in fear as she once
had. She loved him, fool that she was, and she knew he would
not hurt her.
"I believe we've had that discussion, m'dear."
"Yes, but circumstances have changed, have they
not?"
"That hardly matters - "
"If you die, I will be here alone, with no one. This is not
my country, Tristan."
"I love you, damn it. You're not going back to them, and
that's final!" He growled.
Chelsea stared at him in disbelief for all of two seconds
before she kissed him. When she was done, she took his
hands in hers.
"I love you, too. But, I fear for your life."
Tristan breathed a sigh of relief. She wanted to be with
him, but she was scared. He could understand that.
"I will be fine. A few scrapes and bruises perhaps, but I
will come back to you. I promise."
"You are too arrogant for your own good, Tristan. You
cannot promise such a thing."
"Say that you will marry me and I can."
Chelsea laughed softly. She studied his face. He
looked anxious, as if her answer was the most important thing
in the world to him. She kissed him.
"If you return home to me, then I will marry you. But, not
before."
Tristan smiled brightly, and for a moment, she was sure
his eyes had lit up like Derrick's. It was uncanny. But, then it
was gone, and he was just her Tristan. He hugged her close
and kissed her again.
"Have it your way, m'dear. But, tonight I plan to make
love to you all night." He nibbled on her neck and covered her
breast with his palm, giving it a gentle squeeze.
She arched into him, moaning. "Do you promise?" She
asked wickedly.
He laughed and pulled her on top of him. He slid into
her easily and let her set the tempo. She arched her hips and
rocked against his evenly, slowly at first but building a steady
rhythm as the pressure built inside of her. Tristan lifted his
head and sucked on one of her breasts. She gasped and
slammed her hips into his. Tristan growled low in his throat
and flipped her over onto her back, his hips thrusting into hers
fast and hard. She cried out in pleasure as she slipped over
the edge and grabbed on to his shoulders. Tristan thrust once
more, joining her in ecstasy.

Scott lay on his side, tracing a finger over Nicole's
enlarged belly. She was due any day now, and frankly he was
surprised she didn't have the baby during all of the excitement.

"You're worrying about your brothers again, aren't
you?" She asked.
He looked at her and smiled. "It just seems to be one
thing after another. I fix one problem and three more sprout in
its place. It's no one's fault, just our cross to bear, I suppose."
Nicole cradled his cheek in her palm. "You're a good
man, Scott. But, your brothers have to live their lives the way
they see fit. And, Kristen, well she's unique all unto herself,
isn't she?" Nicole grinned. "Did she honestly tell a Viking king
that he punches like a girl?"
Scott laughed. "Apparently."
Nicole shook her head. "Our family has character, that's
for sure."
"That's definitely one way to put it."
Scott pulled her close, wrapping his arms around her.
He kissed her shoulder, then her neck, then nuzzled her ear.
She sighed contentedly.
"Will you be going with them?" She asked.
"No. I have responsibilities here. Plus, you're getting
ready to have the baby."
"Nonsense. I can handle things here."
"Yes, but if something happens to me, then who will
handle the dukedom?"
Nicole chewed on her lip. "How confident is Kristen that
she can bring everyone back alive?"
Scott snorted. "She can't guarantee something like that,
my love. And she doesn't try to. She's confident she can come
up with a plan to minimize damages, but she doesn't promise
that no one will get hurt."
"Still, you have to go." She insisted.
"It's not practical, Nicole."
"It's not about being practical, Scott. It's family. You
have to be there. I can manage things here, even with a
newborn. If something happened to you, whichever brother
comes back can take over until our son, because I'm confident
this one is a boy, turns of age."
Scott frowned. He wanted to be there to help, but he
didn't like the idea of leaving Nicole with the kids, especially a
newborn. And, he didn't like the idea of leaving all the women
there unprotected while the Shane's went off to war.
"No. Someone will need to be here to take care of you,
Mel, and Chelsea. I think Guy and Tristan would prefer that to
be me."
Nicole smiled. She didn't truly want Scott to go, but she
knew that he wanted to be there for his brothers. She didn't
push the subject anymore; instead she turned her neck, and
Scott propped up on his elbow so he could kiss her.
"Thank you for understanding, either way." He said
against her lips and then kissed her again.
"Anytime." She said against his.
She rolled onto her back, and Scott leaned over, careful
not to put his weight on her. He kissed her deeply and slid his
fingers into her hair. He couldn't do much more than that in her
condition, but it was still enough to make her toes curl.

***
Alice and Adrian sat across from each other on the bed.
"I can't believe I let you talk me into staying here, Alice."

Adrian grouched.
"You'll get over it, I'm sure."
Adrian snorted. "Not bloody likely."
Alice smiled and shook her head, then laid down to get

some sleep. She was exhausted from all of the traveling, and
she was still feeling guilty about all she had done.
"What are you doing?" Adrian asked sharply.
"What does it look like I'm doing? I'm going to bed." She
said as she fluffed her pillow.
Adrian laid down next to her and put his arm around her
waist and nuzzled her neck. She shrugged him off and pushed
his hand back on his side of the bed.
"We talked about this."
"Yes, but we didn't agree to anything. Why won't you let
me touch you?"
"Because I don't trust you."
"I left Norway for you, what more do I have to do to
prove that you're my world, Alice?"
Alice's green eyes sparked angrily, and she rolled over
and poked him in the chest.
"Don't take that wounded
tone with me, Adrian. I spent five long years training under
you, and they were far from pleasant. I fancied myself in love
with you once, and you crushed any part of me that could feel
love. You were quite effective in your training."
Adrian blanched. He knew he deserved that, knew it
might even be true. But, he was hoping that since she had let
him make love to her once before, it was a sign that she was
starting to trust him. But, he supposed he would have to
practice patience in order to win her over. He broke her once,
he could certainly mend her heart now. Though he knew he
didn't deserve her love, he would keep trying to win it.
Adrian smiled and kissed her forehead. "As you wish,
my love."
Alice narrowed her eyes suspiciously. Despite the fact
that she wanted to trust him, she couldn't bring herself to do it.
He seemed to have changed from when she studied with him,
but she'd been deceived by him many times before and it
always came back to hurt her. Although, in his defense, he
had been the one to tell her about Sander's plans to kill
Kristen. And, he helped her through the dungeons where
Kristen was being held so they could rescue her. And, he had
left everything he'd ever known, for her. That should count for
something, right? She leaned across her pillow and kissed him
on the lips.
"Thank you." She said softly.
"For what?"
"For helping me get Kristen out of Norway. She didn't
deserve the fate that Sander had planned for her."
"You care for her, don't you?"
Alice weighed her words carefully, again not absolutely
certain that Adrian was being honest with her. "She has shown
me great kindness where none was deserved. She is special,
Adrian, and she should be queen."
Adrian nodded in agreement. "We will help her in any
way we can." He promised, then kissed her hand.

Kristen stared into the fire as Derrick pulled the covers
back for bed. She had been thinking a lot since leaving
Norway, and she was scared to death. She didn't want Derrick
and his family involved, but she knew that if she had any hope
of succeeding, she would need their help.

She grinned and turned to look at him. He was
sprawled across the bed, naked. Her body immediately
responded to the sight of him, and all of her fears of him being
dead and never knowing his touch again faded away like a
bad dream. She lifted herself from the chair and with the fire to
her back, she removed her night gown, pulling it slowly over
her head and stretching her arms so that her breasts stuck out
provocatively. She heard Derrick inhale sharply and smiled.

With the night gown over her head, she tossed it to the
side and walked slowly to the bed, her hips swaying slightly in
the firelight. Derrick watched with lusty anticipation as she got
closer. He had been eager to hold her close and make sure
she never left his side since Finn had taken him to the cell. He
was scared of her plan to go back, scared to lose her again,
but he was determined not to think about it tonight. When she
reached the bed, she crawled on top of it and moved toward
him slowly. Her tantalizing movements excited him, and he
reached over and grabbed her wrist, dragging her on top of
him.

Kristen laughed huskily as she slid across his body.
She could feel his heat envelope her and the familiar unfurling
in her belly began. Liquid heat pooled between her legs, and
she knew she was ready for whatever he was willing to give
her. Derrick slanted his mouth across hers, his kiss full of
hungry need. It had been months since they had last made
love, and Kristen realized this would be the first time since
they had gotten married. She shivered with anticipation and
smiled when Derrick flipped her on her back and pinned her
hands above her head. She lifted a brow, but let him continue.

Holding her hands above her head with one hand,
Derrick used the other to trace a slow path down her body.
When he reached the apex of her womanhood, he kissed her
as his thumb slipped between her soft curls and gently rubbed
her until she moaned. He slipped a finger inside and felt the
heat of her core cover him. He dipped his head and lapped at
her neck as his finger danced in and out, creating a steady
rhythm in tune with the hum of her body. When Kristen arched
her back, Derrick slid another finger inside of her and took one
breast into his mouth, sucking gently as his fingers continued
their steady tempo.

She was nearly undone. Each time she made love with
Derrick, she learned something new about herself, and just
now she learned that she really liked what Derrick was doing
to her. Her brain couldn't focus on which sensation to pay
attention to. His fingers were creating a series of waves in her
abdomen while his tongue was sending whispers of flame
across her breasts. She thought for sure she would explode
right there on the bed.

Derrick watched her happily as her body responded to
him perfectly. He kissed her deeply, and when his fingers sent
her over the edge, he replaced them with his shaft and
continued to ride her until her body shuddered with pleasure
as she came there with him inside her. But he didn't stop. He
pushed her body to new heights. He lifted her leg and rested it
against his shoulder, rocking his hips into hers. Kristen
gasped, feeling him even deeper inside her, not knowing that
such a thing was possible. Just when she thought her world
might shatter again, Derrick pulled out and kissed her.