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SHE AND VARIK glanced around the room. With his appearance at her door, she’d completely forgotten about the disgusting disaster Thursday had created.
“I’m sorry about the mess...and the smell, but my dog got into the chocolate and,” she made a sweeping gesture, “this is the result.” She uttered a sigh. What a pity her shameless trollop opportunity had to be tainted with dog puke.
At that moment the big mutt, head hung low and limbs shaking, braved a tentative path into the living room.
“This is Thursday, the wretched hound responsible for all of this,” Delaney explained.
The Viking held out a hand and Thursday sniffed it. After sniffing the stranger’s crotch and butt, the dog seemed satisfied. With nary a growl, he planted himself next to the Viking’s long leg.
Delaney hadn’t expected that. “He took to you right away. Thursday isn’t usually that cordial with strangers.”
“Ahh, Thor’s Day,” Varik the Bold said, petting the dog. Lapping up the attention, Thursday lavishly swiped his tongue across the Viking’s thigh. A similar gesture to what Delaney had in mind. “Good Viking name.” Varik’s smile stole her breath away while whipping her hormones into a frenzy of sexual longing.
“Yes.” Delaney returned the smile, just standing there ogling the eye candy while trying to convince herself this was all really happening. “Uh, anyway, my bedroom’s in worse shape than the living room, so we can’t do, um...it in there. The room I use for my writing. It’s got a small sofa bed that I recently slipcovered in the cutest pink and yellow flower material that I found at a church rummage sale for next to nothing, so we can use that instead.”
When he didn’t respond she became edgier. “I made matching throw pillows too. They turned out so cute.” She could feel her smile grow ridiculously wide. “I added a strip of cornflower blue braided trim to the pillow edges, then I took little white pearls and—”
Varik’s vacant stare finally prompted her to shut her big fat motor mouth.
His expression came as no surprise to Delaney. After listening to the veritable bucket of mindless verbosity spilling from her lips, no wonder the poor man’s eyes glazed over. Wringing her hands, she blamed her babbling on her whopping case of nerves...along with her inexperience at being a wanton woman.
She watched the Viking as he scanned the catastrophe her living room had become. The man certainly was substantial—tall, ripped and solid. “I hope the sofa bed’s big enough to fit us both,” she said absently.
“Fault of Thor’s Day?” He pointed to the mess. Closing her eyes, Delaney nodded. When she opened them again, the Viking was waving a chastising finger at her dog. “Not nice, Thor’s Day. Skam deg.” The dog dropped on his back, baring his belly in submission, again mirroring an action at the forefront of Delaney’s thoughts.
Oh good grief, she’d become a sex-crazed slut in less than thirty minutes.
“I say shame on you,” Varik translated.
Nodding, Delaney felt sure she’d be busy reprimanding herself with a round of skam deg as soon as the Viking left. But now wasn’t the time to think of that.
“Not that you even care,” she licked her lips fretfully, “but I feel the need to tell you that I’ve never done anything like this before. Have sex with a paid male escort, I mean. Or any stranger, for that matter. In fact...” she felt her cheeks burn, “to be quite honest, I’m sort of rusty. I haven’t had sex in more than a year, since my ex left me for one of his college students.”
“Sex?”
Nodding, Delaney rambled on, “I’m not experienced in anything, um...advanced. Roger, that’s my ex, wasn’t open to trying anything imaginative in the bedroom. It was pretty much straight missionary style sex, if you know what I mean.” She gestured with one hand flat on top of the other.
Varik gaped at her, repeating the word. “Sex?”
Delaney’s shoulder hiked in a shrug. “Naturally I wouldn’t be telling you all this personal stuff about my sex life if you weren’t a professional. I just thought it might help if you knew the whole situation before we get to the sex part.”
Varik the Bold frowned. “To understand...” He straightened, elevating one eyebrow and clapping a hand to his chest as he eyed her. “You want me sex?”
Delaney gulped. Well hell. He was going to make her say it...ask for it. He looked so fierce, so imposing when he frowned. His size and deliberate manner were intimidating...and exceptionally sexy.
His question was straightforward, but not easy to answer. Of course she wanted him. What woman in her right mind wouldn’t? But voicing her desire was easier said than done. Delaney had never been particularly bold when it came to discussing sex. Any such talk made Roger squirm, and not in a good way.
“Yeah, sure, why not?” She attempted to sound nonchalant. “As long as you made the trip and got all costumed up in your Viking gear, we may as well do it, right?”
“Do it? Sex?”
“Oh for heaven’s sake, yes. Yes! I want to have sex with you.” Her hands flew into the air, then crashed at her sides. “There, I said it. Are you satisfied?”
The Viking grinned and nodded. He was all flashing blue eyes, white teeth and irresistible charm.
“Understand.” He scooped Delaney up into his arms as if she weighed no more than a bar of fundraiser chocolate. Before she could blink, he kissed her, plundering her mouth with his tongue. Lord, the man knew how to kiss!
“Wow...” Delaney whispered once their lips parted. “They must teach you guys all sorts of amazing carnal techniques at male escort school.” She couldn’t wait to find out what else he’d learned.
Still cradling her in his arms, Varik strode across the room, sidestepping the putrid blotches of dog barf. Delaney pointed to her office.
“In there,” she said, surprised at how husky her voice had become. “I’ll get the sofa bed ready and jump in the shower.” In the room, his smoldering expression had every muscle in her body liquefying. He kissed her again. It seemed he had no intention of setting her on her feet.
“Varik, you have to put me down,” she said on a satisfied sigh after the spellbinding kiss. “It’s okay if I call you Varik, isn’t it?” Her finger twirled circles on the bare area of his chest. “I mean, your real name doesn’t matter since this is my birthday fantasy, right? It’s probably better if I just think of you as Varik the Bold because I’ll never see you again after today.”
He just smiled again, without making a move to release her. She’d never had a man gaze at her like he wanted to devour her before. It was unsettling...in the best possible way.
“Down, Varik.” She pointed to the floor. “Me, down.”
“Yes, down.” After setting Delaney on her feet, Varik gently eased her to the carpet, straddling her.
“No!” She gasped as her hand flew against his chest. “I meant—” Varik’s mouth opened over hers in ravenous demand. His taste was so appetizing it scattered her senses. “Wait, wait...wait a minute!” she said as soon as they came up for air. It was getting awfully hard to think straight because those professional kisses of his had a drugging effect. “Me dirty. Understand?”
“Dirty sex?” Varik’s eyebrows jiggled playfully.
Desire radiated deep in her belly as she imagined all sorts of deliciously naughty scenarios. “No! Oh for heaven’s sake, Varik. I feel like we’re playing me Tarzan, you Jane. How am I supposed to make you understand?” She grumbled in frustration.
“Not understand.” Varik glowered. “You not Tarzan. Me not Jane. I be Varik. You be who?”
She touched her chest. “I be...I mean, I am Delaney.”
“Delaney?”
“Mmm-hmm. I know, it’s an unusual name. I like it better as an adult than I did as a kid. Kids at school called me Del, which I hated because of all The Farmer in the Dell jokes. My full name is Delaney Malone. It used to be Kullerton but I took back my maiden name after the divorce...from Roger. Roger always called me Del, even though I’d asked him not to because I dislike it but he did it anyway.” She gazed up at him in wonder. “Didn’t they include my name in your work order, or whatever the escort service calls it?”
Damn. She’d been babbling again. Varik’s slack-jawed expression told her his brain had probably short circuited due to extreme verbal overload.
She had one chance to create a perfect memory and she was blowing it. Why couldn’t she handle this tryst with grace and sophistication instead of like a bumbling fool?
Her gaze slipped from his face to his chest. A whimper escaped as Delaney’s mouth went dry. When her gaze journeyed further south to the Viking’s nether regions, she found herself wondering if that particular area was as bold and impressive as the rest of him.
As if in response to her lustful musings, he pressed against her.
If she’d known a Viking song of joy, she would have belted it out just then.
Oh good grief. What had happened to her? She used to be a proper, conventional wife who never thought about strange men’s nether regions...or exploring their broad chests with her tongue. She’d been a chaste wife during the entire time she and the unfaithful Professor Ratfink were married.
That was then.
Now her lascivious desire for the Viking obliterated everything else. Her clothes scratched against her hot skin. There was amazing stuff going on inside her she couldn’t even define. If she felt this good now, she could hardly imagine what she’d feel like once she and her paid escort with the substantial family jewels got down to the business of—
“Delaney.” His voice was as deep and seductive as the look in his eyes. “Good name. I like.”
Spilling from Varik’s lips, Delaney sounded like poetry. She’d never think of her name the same way again.
“You have to let me up, Varik.”
“Up?”
She nodded. “You, me, up.”
“Dirty sex up?”
Delaney dissolved into laughter. “I have absolutely no clue what you mean but—” She stopped herself from adding, frankly, it sounds good and I have a feeling I’d probably like it.
Scooting out from under him, she scrambled to her feet as images of raw, sweaty vertical sex danced across her mind. She’d never done it that way, didn’t even know if it was possible or just something they did in those romance novels she read. But one look at the tall, muscled Viking told her if it were at all feasible, he’d definitely be able to pull it off.
“Just so you know, I was this close,” she held her thumb and forefinger an inch apart, “to being a virgin when I got married so...I’m not really very experienced.”
“Virgin?” His eyebrow elevated.
“Well no, not anymore...but I used to be.” She rolled her eyes at her idiotic response. “Well of course everyone was once. I just meant that...”
Good God, she needed to just shut the hell up.
Reclining on his side, Varik levered himself up on one elbow, propping his head on his fist. He gazed at her as if she were a three-scoop banana split draped with hot fudge. Even if he’d been trained to do that at escort school, it still made her feel like a sexy Viking queen.
“Not worry. I be tenderly with Delaney, ja?”
“Ja,” she repeated with what she feared was a dopey grin.
She glanced at the decades-old Kodak Instamatic camera her mother forgot to take home with her after she’d stopped by for dinner the other night. Disregarding the teasing she got from Delaney and the rest of her kids, Astrid refused to give up the camera she and her late husband had used to take all the family photos as the kids were growing up.
Delaney practically knew her mother’s refrain by heart: “I don’t know, maybe it’s silly but I think there’s something special about this old camera, and holding an actual photograph in your hands, then keeping it in an album. So you young people can keep taking photos with your phone cameras. I’m sticking with my trusty vintage model.”
The old camera gave Delaney a deliciously naughty idea. Kodak in hand, she asked, “Um...do you mind if I take your picture? As long as it’s not prohibited by the escort service. It would be a wonderful memento. Plus,” she shrugged, “I doubt I’ll ever have the opportunity to snap a photo of Varik the Bold, my very own personal Viking, again.”
“Fotografi?” He touched his chest in question. “Ja sure.” He got to his feet. “Like this?” Drawing his sword and positioning his shield, he posed.
He looked so tantalizing every nerve ending in her body quivered. Expelling a dreamy sigh, she nodded. “Yeah...exactly like that. Just let me pop in one of the flashcubes and...” She snapped the first photo.
After she’d taken half a dozen, he held out his hand. “Now together.” Embracing Delaney with one arm, he held the camera in his other hand pointing the lens toward them. The film counter showed two shots left. She made a mental note to take another couple photos to use the film up as soon as he left, then take it in to get it developed. Immediately.
“I guess this is how they took selfies in the old days,” she quipped, met by Varik’s quizzical expression. She couldn’t help smiling, certain this would be the best selfie ever.
These photos wouldn’t end up in a coffee table album. She’d keep them in her nightstand drawer to gaze at longingly at...special times. Imagining the raised eyebrows of the film developers upon seeing her gorgeous Viking made her cheeks grow warm.
“Rosa kinn,” Varik said, touching her cheeks. She didn’t need a translation to figure out he’d noticed her blush.
Gesturing to the wall clock, he added, “Must sex now so I play.” An engaging smile lit his face.
“Ah yes...the clock is ticking.” After draping a fresh sheet over the sofa bed, Delaney stood in the doorway, raising a finger. “I’ll be right back after my shower. I’ll be fast.” She walked out of the room, then popped her head back in. “Don’t go anywhere.”
“I stay.” Pointing to her phone, Varik asked, “I telefon? Need for lock.”
Not sure what he meant, she said, “You need to make a phone call?” He nodded. “Sure, go ahead.” She scurried out of the room. Her desire for the Viking had escalated from smoldering to an aching, aggressive heat. It was murder to walk away from him at that moment, especially since her time with him was counting down, but after the rotten day she’d had, she felt grimy.
Besides, she certainly couldn’t have Varik the Bold peel off her clothes to find sturdy white cotton underwear. No, if Grandma Bekka went to the trouble to send her a sexy bought and paid for Viking stud, the least Delaney could do was sex herself up a little.
Everything had to be as perfect as possible. The memory she’d lock away must be remarkable enough to sustain her for a lifetime. That meant she had to be clean and wearing... What? She didn’t own anything even remotely sexy.
Roger had never shown any interest in embellishing their sex life with seductive garments, candles or champagne. It was nothing but practical basics for him. Delaney hadn’t bothered buying sexy nighties since Roger didn’t care, and because he kept their bedroom only moderately warmer than their refrigerator. So it was flannel nightgowns and pajamas for the cold months and oversized T-shirts for summer nights.
About to give up hope, Delaney remembered she owned one alluring Christmas outfit. She’d purchased it online during their first year of marriage, before she’d learned Roger was an unimaginative stick in the mud who loathed anything holiday-related. She’d only worn it once, taking it off when he frowned, expressing his displeasure at what he called her cheap, tawdry, streetwalker getup.
Other than prancing back into the room buck naked after her shower—and she definitely didn’t have the confidence for that—the holiday outfit was her only choice. At least it was sexy. She hoped. She also hoped the decade-old getup still fit.
She gave a dismissive wave, reminding herself that it didn’t really make a damn bit of difference how good she did or didn’t look in the outfit, or out of it for that matter. She’d never see the Viking again. The guy was probably paid to tell her she looked great even if she wore a burlap sack.
She padded into her bedroom, dug the outfit out of the deepest recess of her closet and headed for the shower. She’d almost tossed the outfit in the trash after Roger’s less than enthusiastic response, but she held on to it, hoping one day he’d become more playful in the bedroom.
Once she was clean and fixed up as pretty as she could make herself, Delaney took a deep breath and walked down the hallway. Varik must have located her music app, tuning in to classical selections, because she heard the inviting melody of Debussy’s “Clair de Lune” playing softly in the background. Yes...this was the time for classical music.
Before reaching the room she spotted the golden flicker of candlelight. She had one large pedestal candle in the room that he must have spotted. She was amazed the man had taken the time to set the stage with mood music and lighting, making this one time experience even more memorable for her.
Then she reminded herself that these were probably exactly the sort of extras he was paid to think of.
Crossing her fingers, praying she looked alluring, Delaney turned the corner, entering the room.
As soon as he saw her, Varik’s eyes popped.
And as soon as she saw him, her eyes popped.
“Delaney!” He leapt to his feet, naked except for his helmet and the round shield strategically positioned in front of his Viking family jewels. “You be Mrs. Julenissen.” His grin, wide and genuine, lit his eyes, forming little crinkle lines at the outside corners.
The name tickled Delaney’s memory. “Right, Mrs. Claus,” she confirmed, recalling Grandma Bekka’s stories about Norway’s version of Santa. “Boy, the escort service sure didn’t skimp at filling you in on background information, did they?”
She patted the white-fur-trimmed red velvet panties and matching pushup bra. The elastic in her panties was dried out and crackly, which, she supposed, is what happens to ten-year-old elastic. She hoped the panties stayed put until it was time to remove them.
“I’m sorry,” she shrugged, “it’s the only semi-provocative thing I own.” The panties started a slow glide down her hips and she tugged them up.
“No be sorry.” He shook his head slowly. In a low, sexy rumble, Varik told her, “You so beauty. Much sexy.” He held up one finger. “Delaney stay.” He moved toward the camera, holding it as he squatted with his shield still covering his dangly Viking bits. “These fotografi for Varik after develop.”
Drumming up her confidence, Delaney posed as beguilingly as she could for the hired Viking while Varik snapped the last two shots left in the camera. Apparently he wanted to add her picture to his wall of...what was it they called a male prostitute’s female clients? Not Johns. Jills maybe? In any case, he’d never see the shots because they’d never see each other again.
He gave her a slow appraisal. His smile was different now. Hot. Hungry. Expectant. So steamy it made Delaney’s toes curl, which wasn’t evident because of the matching fur-trimmed red velvet stiletto-heeled ankle boots she teetered on—the ones with the turned-up elfin toes with jingle bells attached at the ends.
She didn’t even want to think about the single silver bells centered on each breast or the jingly cluster sewn into the white ball of fur on her butt.
Until Varik flicked the bells on her bra.
One lousy little jingle had her moaning. God she was easy.
She watched as his smile turned almost feral.
Snapping one of the bells, he informed her, “Make happy sex.” His grin was slow, suggestive, wicked. “Then we go play.” He advanced until his legs were on either side of hers. His Viking shield pushed snug against her belly while one of his big hands cupped her butt, kneading and stroking her cheeks. His touch had her squirming against him in response.
“Whatever you say, Varik. You’re the expert. Or should I say sexpert?” She laughed at her silly quip, then let her head drop back so she could look up at him. It was weird and wonderful being with a man she didn’t tower over. He was so tall, probably a good six-six, she felt like a sprite next to him. There was nothing more delicious for a towering, amply-padded woman than to feel positively diminutive next to a brawny man.
She smiled, tracing the outline of his jaw with her thumb. “Just how big are you, anyway?”
“Big.” He tossed his shield aside and ground against her.
Holy Moses... The escort service obviously employed only the cream of the crop.
Unable to resist, Delaney backed up enough to look down. “Oh my word! You’re...”
“Ja. Big,” he finished for her.
She clutched his chest with one hand while the other hand curled over his biceps. Before she knew what she was doing, her hands happily, shamelessly, traveled down his back and grabbed his butt. Those Viking buns were of mythic quality.
Dear Diary: Grandma Bekka may have been old, but she clearly knew how to choose a stud.
A smile tickled at Delaney’s lips when she pictured the old woman scrutinizing a stack of male escort photos and selecting the perfect Viking for her granddaughter.
“Be sex with Delaney now.” Varik looked stern and mighty as he nudged her toward the sofa bed. “Inside you.” He nudged harder. “Make you melt under my flaming eyes.”
It was amazing how much the man could convey in so few nonsensical words.
At a rare loss for words, Delaney stood mesmerized. When the back of her knees hit the edge of the sofa bed, her panties conveniently slid down until the jingle-belled backside met the mattress.
Giving a gentle shove, Varik straddled her, devouring her with his gaze as he tugged the bell-trimmed cups of her bra down, exposing her breasts. The look in his eyes and the raw groan rumbling deep in his chest delighted Delaney to no end.
“Plenty.” Varik’s hands closed over her breasts. “Big beauty.” He slipped his hands beneath her, unhooked her bra and snatched it from her chest, tossing it aside with a jingle.
Delaney felt hot, flushed and completely exposed under his unwavering stare. His mishmash mixture of accented words, as strange as they sounded, were the most beautiful any man had ever spoken to her.
He took his time playing with her, showing such loving appreciation of her that Delaney almost cried. He seemed to enjoy all the preliminaries, the foreplay Roger could never be bothered with. The difference in technique between her ex and her Viking was incalculable.
“Oh Varik,” she sighed absently, “this is my dream come true. You just can’t imagine...”
Releasing her for a moment, he reached up to grasp his great horned helmet. “Sorry. Forget take off.”
“Oh...no.” She stilled his arm. “I’d...I’d rather you left it on.” She felt certain her cheeks blushed crimson. “Part of the Viking fantasy, you know?”
“Viking fantasy sex?” She nodded. “Understand. Viking make fantasy sex to beauty Delaney now.” His gaze was intent, taunting, sensual.
Lost in the sensuality of the moment and charming cadence of his admiring words, she was only vaguely aware when Varik opened a condom packet with his teeth and sat back on his heels to roll it on. After her earlier demands that he use a prophylactic, she’d forgotten all about it. No doubt men of his trade were schooled to ensure both his safety and hers.
He made love to her. That’s the only way she could describe their union. Sex would be too pedestrian a word for the way he pleasured her in ways she’d only read about. Varik treated her as if she were a cherished treasure, worthy of adoration. His warm, admiring smile and growling sounds of enjoyment boosted Delaney’s joy quotient to a new level.
She relished the feel of her Viking’s idyllic masculine body. He was every bit as magnificent as her dreams and fantasies. Everything about their joining was perfect, so much so that she feared he might suddenly disappear and she’d discover he’d been nothing but a divine hallucination.
Her hands roamed his muscles. She’d never had the pleasure of being skin to skin with anyone like Varik before. Roger’s physique was thin and soft...like a squishy pillow with bones. Varik was hard and firm in all the right places and supple where it counted.
Sex with Roger would have been over long ago and she’d be up making him a pot of green tea by now. As her time and pleasure with Varik progressed, Delaney no longer had any trouble imagining how to spend two blissful hours in bed with a man.
Sensing her initial timidity and apprehension, Varik was patient, considerate, whispering beautiful foreign words in her ear and gently massaging her tense muscles. Once her nervousness subsided, Delaney found herself responding to her Viking in bold ways that surprised her, and seemed to delight Varik.
“Such goodness you be. Excellent happiness you sex make me.”
She feathered a kiss across his lips. “I guess when you have sexual relations with a skilled professional, reacting appropriately just comes naturally.” Saying nice things to her was probably part of the services her grandma had paid for—no doubt Bekka had opted for their premium package. But for now, Delaney pretended he really meant them.
Her mind wandered as they enjoyed each other. The Viking must have passed Sex 101 with flying colors at escort school, because he knew exactly how to satisfy a woman. She wondered if he had a specialized degree...something like Bachelor of Orgasm. She was confident Varik, or whatever his real name was, had been at the head of all his sex classes.
Just when she thought she’d experienced the ultimate in ecstasy, he did this amazing twisty thing that had her writhing and caught up in a lingering moan.
“Good?” Varik asked.
“Incredible.” He must have hit some internal erogenous zone of hers, just like he had GPS. Until that moment, she figured they’d neglected to equip her with one of those spots when she was created. Of course, that’s before she’d encountered a man who lettered in sex.
She sighed, succumbing to the sweet sensation of a man’s strong but gentle hands cherishing her. He slowed his rhythm, folding his body over hers until his lips were a mere breath away.
“Delaney beauty make my heart melt,” he whispered, capturing her mouth in a drugging kiss. Varik’s words and gestures seemed so heartfelt, so sincere, they brought tears to her eyes. It was increasingly difficult to remember he was nothing more than a paid escort, superbly trained in the art of satisfying a woman.
But she didn’t want to dwell on that during one of the most perfect, glorious moments of her life.
“You’re my very own Varik the Bold.” Her voice was low and throaty. “All mine. Every delicious, scintillating, magnificent inch of you. Just for tonight.” She slid her hands over his torso, exploring the unyielding muscle beneath her fingertips. “Just for these two, magical, beautiful hours,” she whispered, vowing to imprint the moment on her mind forever.
Varik’s smile left her breathless. “Not just tonight. I always be Varik the Bold for Delaney. Love make sex to you many time, many night.”
“God help me,” Delaney said through a husky chuckle, “if I could afford it I’d take you up on it. Every Saturday night, at least.” Something akin to a tornado whirled inside her as he worked his sensual magic. Whatever was coming had such power and intensity it almost frightened her. Gasping, she clutched at his biceps, digging her fingers in hard.
“Relax. Be happy.” He kissed her. Not just her mouth, but her nose, her eyes, her chin, her cheeks. “I take you visit Valhalla,” he vowed. “We go Viking heaven together.”
An instant later, Varik the Bold kept his promise.