Total pages in book: 65
Estimated words: 59320 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 297(@200wpm)___ 237(@250wpm)___ 198(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 59320 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 297(@200wpm)___ 237(@250wpm)___ 198(@300wpm)
“Erik is a good warrior,” Rolf said. “He’s my oldest friend. We used to play together as children in Møre, you know. He was a strange little thing but loyal. Loyalty is hard to find these days, believe me.”
“Has he always been so…cold?”
Rolf smiled and tore into a bite of roast beef. “Yes, that’s Erik. You know, he’s a rather brutal man. A killer through and through.”
I nearly choked on my caramel. This wasn’t the Erik I knew.
He licked his lips at my worry. “Don’t look so shocked. You can see it, can’t you? He is still Erik the Axe. He would jump into battle, chopping off heads like they’re dying trees.”
“You called him civilized,” I began.
“He’s much more civilized now, but don’t be fooled. There’s a killer in his heart, and that killer will always be dying to come free. That’s why you’re with me now.”
My heart thudded against my chest as I paused. “What?”
“Of course, I couldn’t leave you in his charge for much longer. I only asked Erik to take care of you because I didn’t have the time. Too busy strategizing, you know. But I didn’t want to push my luck. I was afraid that the longer you were with him, the more harm he would do to you.”
It was a blow to my chest, shattering my reality. Could he really be right about Erik? He had always been kind and gentle towards me—most of the time, anyway. I thought I had seen the real man hidden beneath his icy exterior.
“He’s insanely jealous too, and even though the agreement was that he was saving you from death, saving you purely for me, I couldn’t trust him to do anything else. Some days, I feared for your life, my beauty. But none of that matters now. Erik won’t be touching you anymore. You’ll be with me and with me alone. That does interest you, doesn’t it?”
I gave him a weak smile, unsure of what to think anymore. “It does.”
“I understand, though, that you need some time to warm up to me. Pure sexual pleasure isn’t enough for some women. So, ask away. Ask me anything. Get to know me.”
I bit my lip and tried to ignore the betrayal coursing through my veins. I had to forget about Erik, fast. I took a deep breath and sat up straight on the log.
“Alright, Rolf. Tell me...were you ever married?”
A shadow fell across his brow, and he looked down at the ground. “Yes,” he said thickly. “I was. I had a wife and a little boy, Bjorn. They’re both dead now.”
Heat flared across my cheeks. How could I have been so stupid to ask him something like that?
“I am so sorry, milord. I-”
He raised his hand and fixed his coal-colored eyes to the distance. “You couldn’t have known. And please don’t call me something that stuffy. I am but Rolf to you. And maybe a future duke, if you could be my duchess.”
His words hit me as softly as the falling leaves. I wasn't sure how to comprehend any of the things he said to me. First, Erik being painted as a barbarian, then the loss of his poor wife and kid, and now he was talking about making me his duchess. I looked to him, bewildered. He placed his hand on top of mine and squeezed it.
“As long as you don’t find me repulsive. You don’t, do you?” he asked, his eyes roaming over every delicate plane on my face.
“Of course not,” I whispered, tempted to look away from his gaze. He was looking too deep, and I didn't even know how I was feeling. He was asking me to be his duchess when he would no doubt be crowned duke. Me. A duchess. A peasant with no money, no skills, no family. How could I ever become anything more than just a beautiful woman trapped in never-ending labor and poverty?
But it had been several weeks since my old life ended. It was time for me to stop thinking about the past, time for me to look forward and embrace my new life as much as I could.
I sniffed delicately and squeezed his hand back. “I’d be honored to be your duchess, Rolf.”
He wasted no time in showing me how happy that made him. He cupped my face in his hands and kissed me passionately. I fell into an easy rhythm, lips against lips, enjoying the intimate connection.
After a few minutes of fiery kisses, he stood and grabbed the rope that had tied the basket to my saddle. My eyes widened at the sight of it between his tanned hands, the taut way he pulled at both ends.
“Don’t fear, my beauty,” he told me. “I will not harm you. I just wonder if you’d oblige a fantasy of mine.”
I feared, regardless. “What is it?”