Chapter Nine
“I’ve tried to send her off for hours.” Hildegarde entered the office behind Arne and put her hands on her hips. They were quite the accusatory pair, my gruff mate and my bear of a secretary. She actually was a bear, so that made sense. Tall, with broad shoulders, wavy brown hair coaxed into a French twist, she wore business suits every day, even though I told her it wasn’t necessary. “Perhaps you can talk some sense into her.”
“Hey, who’s in charge here?” I protested, but in this case, with every muscle and bone aching with weariness I hadn’t acknowledged until they barged in to push me around, I didn’t have the strength to back up the words.
“I’ve got this, Hildegarde, thank you.” Arne came around the desk and held out a hand. “Come on, mate, let’s get you out of here and into bed. It’s very late anyway.”
“No, I—” But I didn’t stop him from taking my hand and helping me to my feet. “All right, I can get an early start in the morning.” A jaw-cracking yawn escaped my mouth.
Hildegarde’s golden-brown gaze held empathy. “If Your Majesty would allow me to do more of this for you, I can make your life easier. I am trained as an executive assistant, you know.”
Secretary was apparently not a title she wanted used. Note to self.
“Can we talk about this tomorrow?” I yawned again. “I think I might need to rest.”
“About time you admitted it,” she grumbled. Some queens surrounded themselves with yes men and women. Maybe they had the right idea.
Arne led me to the tower and dismissed Candace to undress me himself. He treated me so tenderly, I relaxed despite myself. “Come on, into bed, and I’m going to give you a massage.”
I turned to him, surprised. “But don’t you want to…”
“Lie there and let me take care of you.” He rolled me onto my stomach and massaged me from my scalp to my feet, his firm touch finding every sore spot and working it until I sighed before moving on. Then, when every toe had been treated to his strokes and squeezes, he flipped me onto my back and started with my scalp.
“So good,” I moaned. “Are you sure you don’t want to…”
“Shh. Don’t interrupt the masseuse.” His lips followed his fingers down my cheeks, finding my lips and kissing me into silence. “As your loyal subject, I seek only my queen’s pleasure.”
“Ohhh…” I had more to say, but he’d told me not to speak. And as tired as I was, that worked well. My mate massaged and caressed me until I didn’t have a tense muscle left before he returned to my breasts and focused there. My nipples were already stiff peaks because it was impossible to have Arne’s hands on me without wanting more, but he spent long minutes there, sucking one then the other, lapping and nibbling, until I began to wonder if I could come just from breast play. Maybe I was about to find out.
Then, with things already tightening up inside me, he moved south, sucking spots on my belly and tickling me until I squirmed on his way to kneel between my legs and plant my knees on his shoulders.
“Oh, so wet for me already.” Arne tsked as he traced a finger through the cream he’d induced with all of his foreplay. I hoped it was foreplay because I was about to explode. “I have to taste.” He stuck his tongue out and lapped at the copious amounts of arousal. “Mmm.” Oh my goddess. The sound vibrated against my clit. “I have to lick this all up.”
Arne buried his face between my legs and did as he’d promised. But his clean-up plan was only making me much wetter. I laced my fingers into his hair and held on tight, thrusting my pussy toward his face, desperate to reach the orgasm he was managing to hold right out of reach. Then, with a low chuckle that vibrated through my body, he thrust two fingers deep into my channel and found the spot deep inside that guaranteed instant satisfaction.
Instant, shuddering, crying out, soaking his face with my juices satisfaction.
Finally, he lifted his face and wiped away some of what he’d been licking up from his chin. “Sleep now, mate.” He stood and undressed—how had he managed to keep all his clothes on through this? Then he crawled into bed next to me, covered us both up, and held me close. “Tomorrow, no work. Just take the day and relax with your friends.”
“No, I can’t. Everyone needs me and—”
He laid a finger on my lips. “Everyone needs you to be functional and working at your best. You’re going to burn out at this rate. Everyone will survive one day without you.”
I was too exhausted to argue.
But so ready to be marked.
While I slept in Arne’s arms, I learned later, Eleanor worked nearly all night on our plans for the kingdom, Leif arranged a picnic for my new friend Zenia and I on the castle grounds.
I woke to find Arne propped up on one elbow, and it didn’t take much effort on my part to initiate a lovemaking session that left both of us satisfied. More than. I’d been so keyed up, wanting him fully, wanting him to be part of me.
“Are you sure, mate?” His soft voice tickled my ear as his fingers did the same to my breasts.
“Please.”
He rolled me under him and lay between my legs. “If I mark you, it’s forever.”
“That’s nearly long enough.” I spread my legs wider, wanting him to know I had no reservations, and he nudged the soaked folds of my pussy. Then he was inside me, stretching me and filling me, connecting us in a way nothing else could compete with. He plunged in and retreated, over and over, while I clung to his neck and held on for the ride. With each drive, he licked or nipped or sucked on the place where my neck met my shoulder, a hint of what was to come. It was enough of a distraction to keep me from coming the minute he was inside me, but eventually even that couldn’t slow it down, and I clamped down around him. He growled, snarled, and bit down, driving me into another star-speckled, shuddering climax.