Chapter Twenty-Two

Erik had seen plenty of men and women like Mark, losing the ones they loved. While overseas, he’d supported his people, giving them a shoulder to lean on as they tried to imagine a life without a partner. He couldn’t ever fully relate, never having been in love as much as they had been, heart and soul welded to another’s.

Now he did.

The kiss when he had interrupted her sparring had been a spontaneous event, a spark of desire turning into a slow, simmering fire. This one wasn’t going to be like that, or like any of the others they’d shared since that first, fateful meeting.

It was going to be better.

He had waited long enough. Their time together could end at any moment—he couldn’t pass up this chance.

Her arms went around him, fingers clutching at the thin T-shirt as she pulled him close.

Their first kiss had been a chaste brush of lips on the battlefield. The second a hesitant, nervous kiss. The one in the photo booth, those since—nothing compared to this one.

This was a hungry, driving need as her tongue dueled with his, stealing his breath away.

Her hands slid along his back, moving under the shirt to grip his shoulders as her leg moved between his, pressing against his growing arousal. His hips bucked forward, seeking more.

Damn.

The cloud in his mind spread as he grabbed her around the waist, skimming his fingers along the edge of his jeans.

Erik pulled back and stared at her. Her eyes were unfocused, her lips now swollen and wet.

“Ah…” He groaned and shut his eyes as she reached down and pressed a hand against his too-tight jeans, cupping him through the fabric. “I’m not sure how to ask this but are you…”

“A virgin. Yes, I am.” The sultry rumble in her voice had him almost falling over the edge right there, before she’d even touched him. “Is that an issue?”

“No.” He drew in a deep breath, trying to tamp down the pulse pounding in his hears. “I’m sort of sorry I’m not.”

Brenna laughed. “I’d rather one of us know what to do.”

He entwined his fingers in hers, squeezing lightly. “I don’t want to pressure you. We can do other…”

She silenced him with another kiss, a light one. “I’m not going to die before knowing how a woman should be loved.”

She curled one hand around the back of his neck. “Kara will find us, and she will kill us. It is a fact, something we can only delay and avoid for so long. You just spoke about me helping you find the strength to survive. I…” She paused and wet her lips. “I kissed you on the battlefield because I wanted to. Something inside me called out, overrode what should have been an automatic reaction—to take you to Valhalla. I gave in to my inner needs, my demands.” A soft breath escaped. “I wanted you.”

He kissed her again, harder this time because he heard the truth in her words.

She drew back, pressing her forehead against his. “When I was sent to kill you, I told myself it’d be difficult, but I needed to do my duty, send you to Valhalla. Except I couldn’t.” She caressed his face. “I’ll be tormented through eternity for not following my orders. I’d rather die knowing you like this than living one day more without you. I’ve waited long enough. We’ve waited long enough.”

Erik took hold of her hands. He turned them outward before kissing each palm. “We can’t. Not here. Not in the middle of a campground. You deserve the softest mattress, a fine meal with expensive wine and all the chocolate you can devour for dessert before we do this.” He locked eyes with her. “You deserve better.”

“Where would we be happier than out under the stars and sky?” She brushed her lips over his left temple. “Wherever I am with you is where I want to be. I say here and now.” Brenna smiled.

The confidence in her voice shot straight to his groin, and he didn’t have the will to fight anymore.

“Right. Let me get things arranged.” Erik pressed her fingertips to his lips, one at a time. “Back in a minute. Stay here.”

She brought him in for another bruising exchange, her hands sliding around the waistband of his jeans. After a few blinding minutes, she pulled back, breathless and flushed.

“I’ll be here.”

He stole another light kiss before stepping back, trying to collect his thoughts.

Right. Don’t look suspicious.

We’re all adults here. No need to make a big fuss. No reason at all.

Erik stepped over to the back of the van and opened the door. Some brand-new sleeping bags had been donated at their last stop. He picked the two bundles up along with another thick blanket.

He froze as he spotted a movement out of the corner of his eye. The figure moved closer, the recognizable shape resolving itself.

“Stand down, soldier,” Jake said in a low conspiratorial whisper. “’Bout time you two got some private time. And I’m not talking about sneaking out into the woods for a make-out session.”

“Ah…” Erik looked at the sleeping bags. “We…”

“I’m old but not blind, stupid, and dead.” He grinned.

Erik chuckled in spite of the embarrassment he felt, his face burning already.

“Protection comes in all types. Here’s my donation to the cause.” Jake held out a pistol. “Safety’s on, no bullet in the chamber. Full magazine. Keep it close, stay safe, and if you get into trouble, shoot into the ground, whistle, or yell fire—we’ll come running.” The crow’s feet around his eyes deepened. “We hear anything else, well…going to ignore that. We’ll see you in the morning. I’ll let everyone know you two are taking a little walk.” He gave a sly wink as Erik accepted the weapon.

Erik couldn’t help grinning as Jake turned away, walking around the van back toward the campfire.

He tucked the sleeping bags and blankets under his arm before grabbing a water bottle and a handful of granola bars.

Brenna was staring at the stars as he came back around. Her open-mouthed glee at the sight had his heart bursting for joy.

“I think I miss flying the most.” She sighed. “I loved to fly.”

“I can understand that.” He offered his hand.

They walked along the narrow path leading out into the park. They’d parked at the edge of the campground as usual, a national park bordering the area. Now it’d prove helpful in giving them privacy.

Erik lifted her hand to his mouth and kissed her palm.

She laughed. “I’m not sure what I’m supposed to do. I mean, I know the physical details and all. But this…” She drew a deep breath. “This is something I’ve never had to deal with.”

“Then we’ll take it slow. Whenever you want to stop, we’ll stop. Say the word and we’re done.” Erik tamped down the raging desire shooting through his body, centering in his groin.

The night closed in around them, but he could still see, the full moon overhead casting just enough light to follow the path. Water bubbled nearby, growing louder as they moved further into the woods.

“It’s wonderful.” Her grip tightened in his as her free hand brushed the tall grass. “I never really saw the beauty of it all. How strange.”

“Not surprising. You were going from battlefield to battlefield, taking souls. They’re not usually beautiful places.” He thought of Beirut and Lebanon, the images from his history books showing what magnificent, vibrant cities they used to be. “Not by the time you get to them. You visit them on their worst days, when they’re dying and on their last breath like the warriors you reap.” He looked at her, loving the way her hair glowed in the moonlight. “Tell me about Valhalla.”

“We don’t have forests like this. Green patches between the buildings but nothing so long, no trees so tall.” She lifted her gaze skyward. “The Great Halls are always filled with laughter. They eat and drink and carouse until daybreak, when they pick up their weapons and begin fighting.”

“Fighting?” He spotted a clearing off the path, under a large oak tree.

She nodded as they moved into the tall grass. “During the day, they fight to stay in practice, battle to the death. After they fall, they lay on the ground until the sun disappears and they are reborn anew—whole and unhurt. Then they return to the Halls to start the cycle all over.”

“What do you do? When you’re not flying over war-torn areas?” He unrolled the two sleeping bags and zipped them together, folding the blanket at the bottom of the makeshift bed.

The pistol went atop a plastic bag nearby, within arm’s reach.

“We fight and train for Ragnarok, as I said. Not all the time. We collect the offerings to Freyja, Odin—all the other Gods.” Brenna tucked her hands into her pockets. “Many people still perform the daily rituals here on earth. We care for them and do what we can, appear to those who are loyal and worthy. In very rare occasions, we’re called to bring fallen souls to Odin himself, exceptions to the rule.”

“Then you are guardian angels, of a sort.” He drew her down on the soft coverings, kneeling beside her.

“Of a sort,” she repeated as she shrugged off her light jacket.

“You and your sisters were never interested in the warriors around you?” He dragged his hand along her bare arm, reveling in the goose bumps left in his wake.

“No. I was a little girl when Freyja brought me to the barracks. I read about things, saw them in the Halls. But…” Brenna fell silent as he pressed a finger to her lips.

He leaned in, stopping just before kissing her. “Say the word and I’ll stop.”

She smiled, calming the last of his concerns. “I need you. There’s a hole inside me, a hollow I can’t imagine anyone filling but you.”

He couldn’t top that, so he kissed her.

…

Brenna’s head was spinning, her heart beating so fast she feared it’d jump out of her chest. She had witnessed what went on with lovers plenty of times in the Halls. It just never appealed to her, being dedicated to one thing and one thing alone—doing her job the best she could. Her life, her entire existence, had rotated around serving Freyja.

When Erik had called to her on the battlefield, it’d released something inside her. She should have ignored his shout and touched him with her lance, ending their interaction.

Instead, she broke all the rules, took off her helmet, and kissed Erik, starting an avalanche of events leading to this moment, this time between them.

Brenna had lost this battle.

She didn’t care one bit.

Erik sat back and stripped his shirt off. She drew her hands over the toned muscles, the small scars pitting the once-perfect skin.

He didn’t pull away from her inspection, didn’t flinch as she ran her fingers along the waistband of his jeans.

“Patience,” he murmured. “We’ve got all night.”

“Never one of my virtues,” she whispered.

He laughed and kissed her again before tugging her shirt up and over her head, following with the sports bra. He tossed it to one side and looked at her.

Brenna didn’t try to cover herself. There was no need to be shy, not here and not now.

“Has anyone told you how beautiful you are?” Erik asked.

She looked down, suddenly unable to look at him.

“Hey.” He cupped her chin and pulled her up to meet his eyes. “You are. I can’t believe no one’s told you this before.”

“You’re the first.” She reached out and brought him in for a kiss. “In so many ways.”

Erik slid one hand to the back of her neck, holding her as he deepened the kiss, the slow steady burn sending her pulse soaring. His fingertips danced along her breast, pausing to gently squeeze and caress. She held her breath, the sensations swirling through her body.

“Hmm.” He pulled back and smiled at her. “I love the way you taste. It’s addictive.”

“Addictive?” she repeated.

“Just can’t get enough of it. And not sure I ever want to.”

He lowered her to the sleeping bag, the fabric cool against her heated skin.

She dragged her fingers over his body, inhaling deeply as she caught the deep musky smell of man.

My man.

The thought drummed through her veins, her mind soaring.

He lowered his mouth to her nipple and drew it in, his tongue rubbing over the tip.

“Ah…” The moan broke free before she had a chance to call it back, her hips thrusting up toward him. He slid one hand to the other breast, beginning the sequence again.

He lifted his head with a satisfied smirk. “You like that.”

“I do.”

“Good. So do I.” He pressed on with ragged determination, lavishing the same devotion on the partner. His arousal pressed against her, thick and hard.

She undid his jeans and slipped her hand inside his underwear. He groaned as she took hold, stroking him with a gentle but firm grip. She drew her thumb over the tip, marveling at the moisture gathering.

Brenna remembered seeing this done before but never imagined it would give her such a sense of power, of desire, of a need to fulfill his every wish.

“Careful,” he warned. “Don’t want this to be over before we even begin.”

She raised an eyebrow. “Then you better hurry up.”

Erik growled and nipped her neck with his teeth, the flick of pain flashing to her core. His lips met hers again, the passionate kiss bruising her senses.

He had her jeans and underwear down and away in a matter of seconds, pushed into the tall grass before she had a chance to react.

He laughed into her mouth as she moved against him, feeling clumsy as she attempted to remove the last of his clothing.

“Here. I’ll help.”

Then he was naked and lying beside her, and a quiver of fear started to snake through her body, the trembling beyond her ability to stop.

“Hey. Hey.” He kissed her again, a slow gentle brush of his lips. “This isn’t a sprint to the finish. It’s a marathon. You’re in charge. Say ‘stop’ and I stop. We have tomorrow and the day after that and the day after that.”

She nodded, bereft of words.

“But until you say the word…” An impish grin appeared. “Let’s see what other sounds I can get out of you.”

He slid atop her, bracing himself on his arms. He kissed one breast and then the other, dragging his tongue over her nipples with such delicious friction that she almost screamed.

Her fingers tangled in his hair as he slid down, dropping light kisses on her torso and thighs. He dragged his lips over the sensitive skin, drawing it into his mouth before releasing it with a loud pop.

She laughed as he kissed it better, the mute apology accepted.

It was a slow, sensual torture as he moved to stroke her legs from the bottom of her feet up to her knees, the light touches sending her ablaze with anticipation. She spread her legs, urging him on.

Then his tongue was on her, swirling over and under with long delicious draws dragging gasps out of her very soul.

Brenna writhed under his touch, the possessive grip he had on her hips keeping her in place. Her fingers dug into the soft fabric under them to give her some foundation, some sense of reality.

She’d pleasured herself before, learned what she enjoyed and what pushed her over the edge—the swift rush to release and the breathless recovery.

This…this was nothing like that. No comparison, his skills dragging new levels of arousal out of her with expert precision.

He devoured her like a fine wine, exploring every bit of her with determination and patience. The sparks started in her core, catching fire as he pursued his goal with an enthusiasm only seen before on the battlefield.

Then his lips sealed around the tiny nub, tongue flicking out with a rough rhythm that broke her apart.

She threw her arm across her mouth, struggling to keep from screaming. Her teeth dug into the skin, balancing the pleasure with a dash of pain as she came back down.

He didn’t stop.

As she drew a staggered breath, he continued to kiss and stroke her thighs, one hand dipping into the dampness to tease her opening. She relaxed into his touch, giving herself over to him without hesitation, knowing there was more to come.

She held back a quiver of anticipation, eager to see what would happen next.