She hurried to challenge, “Don’t start something you can’t finish, husband.”
His dark eyes smoldered with such passion that she shivered in anticipation.
He stepped to the end of the bed, slipped his hands under her backside to pull her bottom down near the edge, knelt on the bed, and brought her legs up to rest against his shoulders. His hands returned to her backside to lift her just enough to make it easy for him to enter her.
There was no time for enticements, his need was too great as was hers, since a day rarely went by that they didn’t make love. Sometimes slow. Sometimes fast. Always satisfying.
He slipped into her and her wetness welcomed him as she closed around him snugly. He dropped his head back, reveling in the pleasure that rushed through him, then he began to move inside her with haste.
It would be a quick joining, a needy joining, but always a loving one and that thought fired his blood even more.
Raven struggled not to moan too loudly, fearful she would bring unwanted visitors to the open door. She muffled her desire as best she could, her hands clenching at the blanket beneath her as passion mounted rapidly in her. She would come quickly, though she would have preferred not to, but he felt so good deep inside her that pleasure quickened with his every thrust.
He squeezed her bottom as he pounded against her and she tightened around him, forcing a groan from his lips.
“Wolf,” she begged in a whisper.
“Let go, Raven. Let go,” he urged and let himself do the same.
The intensity of his climax almost stole his strength, but he held firm, wanting them both to enjoy every last bit of pleasure that poured out of them.
He wanted badly to drop down beside her when it was done, take her in his arms as he usually did when they finished making love, but there was no room, the bed too narrow. He went to pull out of her.
“No,” she said in a labored breath and reached her arms out to him.
He dropped down on her, unable to resist her welcoming embrace. Her arms wrapped tightly around his back as far as they could go and he relished their loving warmth.
“I love you,” she whispered and kissed near his ear.
His warm breath fanned her cheek as he raised his head and said, “More—I love you so much more.”
Her smile bordered on a gentle laugh. “I won’t argue with you, since your words touch my heart.”
“A heart that belongs to me and me alone,” he said as if it were a command.
“And your heart belongs to me alone,” she countered.
“Always.” he kissed her slow and easy, then reluctantly slipped off her and the bed. He reached his hand out to her. “It will grow dark soon. We should return to the longhouse unless you prefer to spend the night here.”
“No,” Raven was quick to respond, hurrying off the bed. “I’m ready to return home.”
That Raven had embraced the longhouse as home filled him with a sense of peace. His hands went to her waist and he hurried her off the bed and through the open door, then took her hand to walk to the stairs.
“We should stop and see if anyone has dared to steal the knife from the dead man,” Raven said.
“It grows dark,” he reminded. “The theft would be more likely to take place at night under the cover of darkness. We can wait until morning. The guards will let me know if anyone enters throughout the night.”
“Are you sure no one will spot them?”
“The guards won’t be seen but our culprit will,” he assured her.
“Still, it would be wise to see if the knife is still there and limit the time to when it may have been stolen.”
Wolf nodded and they were soon out of the keep and taking careful steps down the hill, patches of ice almost causing Raven to slip a couple of times if Wolf hadn’t kept firm hold of her.
Torches lit a path through the village and Wolf grabbed one of the smaller torches before they entered the shed.
Raven went straight to the dead man’s boots and turned wide eyes on Wolf. “It’s gone. The knife is gone.”
Raven remained in the shed while her husband stepped outside to summon the guards who had been watching it. She hoped only one person had entered, then there would be no question as to who it had been.
Wolf entered with three of his warriors and they stood at the one end of the table while Wolf joined his wife at the other end.
“Tell me of anyone who entered the shed after I left it,” Wolf ordered.
“Lady Raven’s brother was the last person,” the one warrior said.
Arran wasn’t even a possibility and she eagerly waited to hear who else had visited the shed.