Read Pleasured by the Viking for Free Online

her that we wouldn’t suit any longer,” he said, running his mouth against her throat. “It’s why I spoke with her earlier, though she already suspected it.”
    With his hands, Gunnar loosened the tie that bound her braid, bringing her hair to spill over her shoulders. “I want to know what sort of spell you’ve cast over me. Why my blood rises at the sight of you.” He leaned in, his mouth grazing hers in another kiss. “I want to know the woman who was standing in front of me all these months, the woman I was too blind to see. I’m not going to let anyone take you away.”
    The need to claim her, to mark her as his, was rising hard within him. He invaded her mouth with his tongue, leaving her with no doubt of how much he wanted her.
    Something about Auder had captivated him. When he’d seen her starting to surrender herself to the Normans, a primitive urge had taken him with no warning. He didn’t understand what it was, but this night, he intended to use every means to change her mind. Even seduction.
    Breaking free of her kiss, he demanded, “If you tell me no, I’ll take you back to the others this very moment.” His hands rested at her waist, waiting for some sign. When she didn’t move, his hands moved up to cradle her face. “Or I’m going to touch you the way I’ve wanted to since the day you returned to Glen Ocham.”
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    Her lips were wet, her eyes wild as she stared at him. It had happened so fast, she could hardly breathe. Gunnar’s gray eyes were the color of smoke, his shadowed face fierce with sexual need. Tonight, there would be far more than a single kiss, if she allowed it.
    Did she dare? Though her feelings ran deep, she knew what had to happen in the morning. She couldn’t abandon this alliance, despite her personal misgivings. She stared back at the torches outlining the cashel. Tomorrow, she would offer herself to protect her friends and family.
    But tonight belonged to her.
    She could stay with Gunnar, letting him do as he wished. Already she sensed that it would be different with him, that she would not disappoint him as she had her previous lover. The aching need and desire ran deep. She admitted to herself that Gunnar was the man she wanted more than any other, the man she’d dreamed of. She might never again have this chance.
    She’d always felt so awkward and clumsy around men, never knowing how to behave. Reaching up to his face, she ran her fingers from his temple down his jaw. “I should say no to you.”
    â€œBut you’re not going to. You know this was meant to happen between us.”
    Beneath her fingertips, she felt his pulse flaring. And when she leaned in to kiss him, it was as if she’d unleashed a storm. He devoured her mouth, cupping her bottom and nestling her hips close to his. The length of his desire rested between them, and she shivered at the thought of joining with him.
    â€œI want to stay with you,” she whispered. “Even though I know it’s wrong.”
    The air was growing cooler, and Gunnar held her close, warming her with the heat of his skin. “Come with me while I get a horse.”
    â€œWhy? Where are you taking me?”
    â€œFar away from everyone else,” he swore. “Tonight, I want no one to interrupt us.”
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    The long ride was dangerous in the darkness, but Gunnar used the moonlit river to guide them. He brought her to a grove of trees, several miles south of the cashel, and far from the place where the Norman soldiers had made camp. “I’m going to build a fire,” he told her.
    He removed his cloak and spread it on the ground. Auder helped him gather branches and within another half hour, he had a warm fire licking at the wood.
    Against the flames, his silhouette reminded her of a conqueror, bold and demanding. She understood that the time for changing her mind was long past. This was a man who