Highlander's Desire: Winter Solestice (Against All Odds Series 2) Read online

  Dagmar looked into copper eyes that flamed with frustration. “I told you I wouldn’t sleep with you again. You may find women like Asgurda more willing, but we have business to attend to.”

  “Business can wait,” Dagmar said. Taking a step closer to her, he didn’t even see her hand before it slapped across his cheek hard enough to make his eyes water. “Dammit, Aila!”

  “I’ll be at the tent with Dragna and everyone else. Join us when you can.”

  ***

  “Aila!” Dagmar roared. What was with that woman? Another minute and she would have trembled beneath his touch, and yet she told him she didn’t want him. She’d even slapped him, damn hard too. Sexual frustration ran hard and fast next to an affection that only Aila pulled from him. He had no doubt the woman would drive him mad, no matter what they decided between them about who should rule.

  Muttering about women and the end of his life, Dagmar dragged on his clothes and finally headed for the tent. He couldn’t explain this feeling, as if he was walking to the gallows, but that was the gist of it. He noted that most of the village had turned out, including Breslin and Bregnan. Asgurda was also in attendance, and on the arm of a man Dagmar knew well. Maybe she’d find with him what she obviously hadn’t found when they’d been together.

  “Welcome, everyone!” Dagmar heard Aila’s raised voice. Looking up, he found her on the stage, looking as stunning as she had just moments before. She seemed unfazed by what had happened between them, a fact that irritated him more than it would have even two weeks ago. Back then he’d enjoyed getting his childhood friend all fired up, but then he’d taken her to his bed. Now all he did was rile himself up with unceasing thoughts of her. He smelled the scent of her when he woke, heard her soft pleas in the night. Damn, he even saw her when she wasn’t around. The idea that he could so easily fall for her didn’t sit comfortably with him.

  “Dagmar and I want to thank you for taking time to consider who you’d like to have as ruler of Hail. We appreciate your opinions and concerns and hope that together we can forge a path forward. I, for one, would like to see us turn our tents into cabins with solid walls, chimneys and fireplaces, even cooking hearths for those of you who would like to stay home for a meal once in a while. Maybe we can finally send Dragna on a vacation that doesn’t include hunting to stay alive.”

  “We would greatly appreciate,” Dagmar interjected, stepping up next to Aila, “your ideas on how to settle this disagreement.”

  “We could split into two different villages!” came a loud voice from the back.

  “Aila and I have discussed this at length, and we know that splitting up is our absolute last hope. We’d like to avoid that altogether if we can.”

  “Why not get married and rule together?” Dragna said, a rueful smile on her face. Dagmar looked at Aila’s face and couldn’t help but laugh.

  “I think we’d like to make that our next to last resort,” Dagmar chuckled. “I might not survive the wedding night with that look on her face.” Everyone aside from Aila laughed. “Are there any other suggestions?”

  “We could take a vote,” someone suggested. Dagmar looked at Aila for confirmation and she softly shook her head.

  “Alright,” Dagmar agreed. “All in favor of having Aila rule Hail, raise your hand.” Dagmar counted the hands and got twenty-eight. “Those in favor of me ruling?” The number came out to twenty-eight as well, although Dagmar was sure some voted twice.

  “A vote does nothing if the numbers tie,” Aila said. “Should we recount?”

  “How about asking who among us wants you both to rule?” a man suggested.

  “Fine,” Aila said, barely hiding her irritation. “Which of you would like both Dagmar and I to rule?”

  Everyone’s hand shot up, making the count of seventy-three hands easily the winner. “I guess we know what Hail wants,” Dagmar chuckled.

  “I can’t do this,” Aila said, storming out of the meeting into the chilly night air.

  “Uh, thank you everyone for coming out tonight and making your wishes known. Aila and I will let everyone know what we’ve decided in a couple days.” Dagmar excused himself and chased after Aila. He checked her tent first and then headed for the clearing where she always went to think. When he didn’t find her there he thought about forming a search party, but knew Aila was smart enough not to wander too far away during the night. Remembering their rendezvous at the hot spring, Dagmar headed there next. He saw her white tunic and leggings laying out on a rock and grinned. Aila was as steady and predictable as anyone he’d ever known. It was one of the traits he appreciated in her. He was finding that he appreciated just about everything Aila brought to the table, save perhaps her occassional surly attitude. Still, given the option, she’d make hima breathtaking and lively mate. As he approached her, he found that the idea of joining with her in marriage wasn’t as distasteful as he’d once believed.

  “Aila?”

  She turned toward him, her face illuminated by the beautiful full moon. “I don’t want to talk about it right now Dagmar,” she said.

  “We don’t have to talk about anything. I just wanted to make sure you were okay.”

  “I’m fine, thanks.”

  “You know I can see through that, right? You’re not fine and I’m not a sucker.”

  She smiled at last, her gorgeous eyes lighting up. “I just don’t understand how no one can see it but me. We aren’t any more prepared to rule together than we are to get married, especially to each other.”

  “Why?”

  “Why?” Aila laughed. “Because we can’t stand each other, apparently. You almost always have sex on your mind, and I don’t want to rule next to a man who can’t put his own wants aside to take care of our people.”

  “You think I can’t put my needs, or wants second to what our people need?”

  “I think you struggle putting anything before what you want, Dagmar,” Aila sighed. “I love you. I’ve loved you since we were little, but working with you day in and day out isn’t possible. It certainly isn’t possible inside a marriage.”

  He couldn’t explain why, but the fact that Aila didn’t see him as marriageable material irked him. It was a humbling experience to find yourself overtaken by love for someone. The fact that he felt that way about Aila was a whole new level of humbling.

  “You’re right,” Dagmar said, stepping closer to the edge of the water. “I’ve been a selfish prick for most of the time we’ve known each other. I didn’t want the responsibility of caring for someone else, at least not intimately. I wanted the freedom to do whatever I wanted without having to worry about who I might be hurting. Then I had this incredible opportunity. I made love to a woman who’s been my friend for nearly as long as I can remember.”

  “Dagmar-“

  “Please, let me finish. The next day I tried to dismiss the way I felt. I invited Asgurda to my tent because I thought just maybe I could shake the feeling and kick free of it, then I couldn’t get into being with her and you came by. Even when you’re pissing me off I can’t seem to escape the way I feel about you, Aila.”

  Aila watched Dagmar as he stripped out of his leggings. Covered now only by a loincloth, he looked dangerously good. The kind of good that made her quiver with anticipation. The look in his eyes spoke to her heart, echoing exactly how she felt. The scary thing about all of it was that she still didn’t know if she could trust this man. He was a friend, but did she really want to open herself to him as anything more?

  “I get it, you know,” Aila said, her voice more confident than she felt. “I completely understand why you’d seek me out after that fiasco of a solution meeting.”

  “Can you?”

  “I think so,” Aila smiled. “I’m safe, have always been safe. You convince me to marry you, to rule with you and you get everything you want. I, on the other hand, get next to nothing that I want.”

  “You’d be able to rule, you know. A point I believe I’ve pointed out at least a dozen tim
es.”

  “Until I get pregnant. Then what? Would you let me rule when I’m huge with our baby? Would you let me rule when our child is toddling around? If you go on a hunt, who would rule then, especially if I’m close to delivering? Don’t you see that I’m not ready for that yet?”

  “You could already be pregnant, Aila,” Dagmar said, the realization leaving him next to breathless. The feeling that came next made him grin. “I wouldn’t mind that, you now. You’d make one heck of a mother, walking around with my baby in your womb.”

  “Damn you, Dagmar,” Aila said, diving into the hot water as Dagmar stepped into its warmth. When she surfaced she didn’t see him anywhere in the water, nor could she tell where he’d gone until she felt his large hands on her ankles and went under fast. When she surfaced she heard Dagmar’s laughter ringing out. Aila barely caught a glimpse of him through her thick lashes before his mouth claimed hers. He was still laughing and her solid punch to his midsection stole his breath.

  “I don’t think so, love,” Dagmar chuckled again. His strong arm snaked around her waist, dragging her against the hard muscles of his well-made body. His lips nuzzled her neck, laughing as he felt the electrical shock run down his body. Aila found herself breathless as his touch tightened her nipples and made her ache in a way only this man could. “Let me have you. You’re consuming me every other way. Why shouldn’t we give in and enjoy it?”

  She wanted to, wanted to let go. Still, it nagged at her, the fact that he’d only come after her when he’d been ready. When would her wants be answered? Could she really trust that Dagmar would care for her fully, not to mention any children they might make together. Automatically her hand went to her womb. The wonderment of possibly being with child brought a sense of awe to her, swamping her with a fierce love she’d never felt before. It spoke easily, almost reverently of the love she already felt for the man who seemed to want her.

  “I don’t trust you, Dagmar,” Aila finally whispered.

  “Then let me prove myself. I deserve that much.”

  Turning in his arms, she rested her hands on his toned biceps and smiled at the boyish look on his face. No one knew him like she did. They’d spent months on the North Sea together, sharing everything from their seasickness to their joy over seeing land. Dagmar had been her absolute best friend and she his. Could that really lead to a solid union that had a more solid foundation than simple sex? Even if the sex was mind-altering?

  “Alright.” Aila smiled. “I’ll let you prove yourself. Starting tomorrow, you won’t bring another woman to your tent. You won’t look at another woman in hopes of bedding her. If you really want to prove to me that you can love me wholly, then love only me.”

  “Deal,” Dagmar smiled. “But why start tomorrow? Why can’t I just start now?”

  “Because tonight, you’re already loving me.” Aila grinned. With a fuller knowledge of what it meant to be with him, Aila brought her mouth to his, sighing when he took her under.

  Dagmar tightened his grip on her, pressing her lean body against him. One large hand splayed out across her back and he fueled their need by cupping her tight breast with the other. He’d known plenty of women, but never one who gave almost constantly of herself. Aila’s body yearned in a way that only a woman in love would understand. He knew now how precious a gift she’d given him. A woman’s innocence was something to be treasured, a gift not to be taken lightly. He was ashamed he’d never seen it that way until now.

  Needing her, Dagmar ran his hot tongue over her flesh, tasting the salt that hadn’t washed away in the spring. Pleasure coursed through him when she moaned. He took her up slowly, sampling her breasts in slow, tender bites that had her gasping, her hips bucking against him. Her thighs locked around his waist and Dagmar realized that Aila would rule tonight, no matter what tomorrow brought them. Letting go, he let her lead. Her head fell back, sinking her thick, auburn hair into the water and inviting him to feast on her. His mouth came to her, suckling her flesh. Her nipples peaked as if offering themselves up to him. With a grin on his face, Dagmar took one between his lips, savoring the way her hips moved against him when he ran his tongue over her. He nipped her then, smiling broadly when she gasped half in arousal, half in shocked surprise.

  Looking up, Dagmar caught the look of love in her beautiful gray eyes. It swamped him then, that intensity of love she hadn’t quite talked about. He realized then that the way he felt about her wasn’t a burden, it was a gift. It was something they could share that would only be for the other. No one would touch the love they had for each other, because it was solely theirs.

  “Take me, Aila,” Dagmar whispered, a grin spreading over his lips. He pressed them to hers and felt the first stirrings of her arousal. Even in the warm water, Dagmar could feel the slippery wetness between her thighs. He met it with a small thrust and chuckled when Aila backed up. “Doesn’t take long for you to take charge, does it?”

  “No,” Aila grinned. Those gray eyes, eyes he’d looked to for advice and for consolation, eyes that had chastised and praised him. Those beautiful eyes met his dark, stormy blue ones and spoke what neither of them were ready to say. Then she took him into her, pressing hard against his throbbing cock. The blood rushed through Dagmar like a flood as he moved with her now. Each thrust beckoned him deeper, her wet pussy swelling. Her tight, warm snatch greeted him lovingly each time he pierced her, over and over again. Hungry for her release, Dagmar moved his lips over her flesh as their bodies joined in the most intimate way. Her breasts begged for his attention, and he was glad to oblige them as Aila moaned at his touch. Aching, Dagmar built himself up too fast. Trying to slow her down, he took her hips in his hands, but found that Aila had a mind of her own and so, apparently, did her body. He came hard, sheathing his pulsing cock deep in the warm welcome of her hot pussy.

  Looking up he saw Aila’s smiling eyes and grinned. He pressed an affectionate kiss to her brow before resting his against hers. “I’m supposed to wait for you, you know.”

  “I was in a giving mood.” She smiled. He let Aila move back, but not before he caught her hand.

  “So what do I do if I’m in a giving mood as well?” Dagmar grinned and pulled Aila closer. Letting love lead, he used his hands to excite her, kneading her breasts and running his palms over her body. When one hand slid between her thighs, he watched her eyes flutter closed on a sigh. He sank his fingers into her, filling her fully. He let his thumb tease her clit, creating a rhythm with his fingers that had her moaning. Dagmar found her irresistible, and his own need for her nearly insatiable. The more she moved with him, the more Dagmar wanted her, so much so that he pulled his fingers back and filled her to the brim, again, with his hard cock. Over and over again he took her, her hips bucking wildly as the surprise registered in her eyes. “Meet me this time, Aila,” he whispered.

  Aila, swamped by greedy love, rode the high arcing waves of bliss as her body gloried in a side of Dagmar she’d never expected. Her body, sated by his touch and attention, rose with her, pushing ever faster toward that rocky edge she’d tossed him off of earlier. Except this time, he wanted to take her with him. His mouth claimed hers again, his hot tongue sliding easily, happily against hers. He tasted the way he had last time, a musky flavor that spoke of courage, an unseen fragility and, if she wasn’t mistaken, a love he was just discovering. Knowing just how he felt, Aila reached around his back and slid her long fingered hands over his buttocks. Gripping him tight, Aila brought him back to her, matching his rhythm so that her body wrecked itself and tumbled over the edge of completion.

  “Dagmar!” she cried, buring her face in the strength of his shoulder.

  “Hold onto me, Aila,” she heard Dagmar say before he carried her from the water. It didn’t take long to start shivering in the frigid cold. But once she was dressed, Dagmar picked her up again.

  “Look!” she squealed, pointing up. The first snow fall of the winter and the Solstice season had started in earnest. Big, fat flakes fell from the
sky, turning the once-green grass to a white landscape that spoke of rest and coming renewal.

  “It’s a welcome sight,” Dagmar agreed. By silent agreement they went to his tent and Aila bundled under the thick cowhide blankets he had laid out. “I never said it, Aila, but I’d like to say it now.”

  Aila took the cup of brew he offered and sipped, closing her eyes when the first taste hit her tongue. “Okay,” she said, and smiled. When his finger touched her chin she looked up into blue eyes that always seemed to remind her of dangerous adventure. Could he provide safety and security as well?”

  “I love you, Aila Dagny Forsberg,” Dagmar said. “I won’t ruin it by elaborating.”

  Aila giggled, feeling better than she had in a long, long time. For the first time, she thought that it might actually be possible to join her life to Dagmar’s and rule together. Not that she was ready to share that hope with him just yet. She had to trust him first.

  “I can’t believe Solstice is less than two weeks away,” Aila said, sitting her cup down. She patted the blankets next to her, her bright eyes expectant.

  “Anything special you want?”

  “Other than figuring out how to take care of our people? No.”

  “You really love them, don’t you?”

  “Yes,” Aila said simply, moving over to make room for him. “Not in the same way I love you, but I have a deep and abiding affection for everyone who looks to me—us—to lead them.”

  “We can do this, Aila,” Dagmar said.

  “We’ll see,” was all she wanted to say about it. Snuggling next to Dagmar, Aila listened to the constant, steady beat of his heart. It soothed her, helping relax her body and even out her breathing. She fell asleep to that sound with a smile on her face.

  Chapter Three: Treasure

  Dagmar woke with a start, listening in the silence. As his eyes finally adjusted, he took stock of his home, noting most importantly that Aila still slept by his side. Looking down at her, he smiled. Her dark hair lay like a curtain against the tan color of his arm. Her thick lashes lay still against her cheeks and the sound of her even breathing told him she slept soundly. “Aila,” he whispered. “Wake up, love.”