Lord of Fire and Ice Read Online Free Page A

much as a copper arm band between them. Her dead husband must have been a man of means.
    Once she sat at the end of her bed to pull on her stockings, Brandr felt it was safe for him to stir. So long as she didn’t realize he watched, this morning’s entertainment might become a regular occurrence.
    “Oh! You’re up.” She eyed the bulge at his groin with suspicion. “How long have you been awake?”
    Long enough. He yawned and stretched, then followed her gaze to where his cock tented the coarse tunic. He shrugged. “You’ve been a married woman. Surely you know men often wake in a happy mood.”
    “You’re a thrall. You’ve no cause to be happy.”
    So you think . He smothered a grin behind his hand.
    “You’re a free woman. You’ve no cause to be miserable.”
    She slipped the silver chain that bore the keys to all the locks in her household around her neck. “Who says I’m miserable?”
    “The frown line between your brows.”
    She put a hand to the spot and tried to smooth the furrow out.
    “That’ll work only for so long, and then that line will become permanent,” he predicted. “A person is as happy or unhappy as they decide to be.”
    “I’ll be happy when you give me a fair day’s work.”
    He rose and crossed over to her. “Let me start by giving you a reason to not to scowl so.”
    “What do you think you’re doing?” she said when he closed the distance between them.
    “Rest easy, princess. I mean you no harm.” He touched her cheek, moving slowly, as if she were a spooked mare he was trying to gentle. “I want only to see if I can make you smile.”
    “This does not…” Her words trailed off as he glided a thumb over her bottom lip. Her eyes flared wide, but she didn’t move away.
    When she tipped her chin up, he detected a slight tremor of need in her. It called to him. He’d started this little gambit only to see if she’d allow him to kiss her. Now he ached to.
    Before she could protest, he put his arms around her and claimed her mouth. She struggled a bit. He’d have been surprised if she hadn’t, but she was so tiny it was no trouble to hold her still while he slanted his lips over hers. And she’d thank him later with a smile, he was sure.
    Women of the South bathed in scent till their fragrance was overpowering. Katla smelled of clean wool and cedar shavings and warm woman. An earthy scent. The scent of home.
    He dragged in a sweet lungful of her.
    Then, as he’d hoped, he felt her unstiffen in his arms. Her lips parted softly, and his tongue swept in to explore the sweetness of her mouth. She began to kiss him back, nipping and playing with his tongue.
    He moved a hand up from her waist to cup her breast.
    She moaned softly, and he loosed his grip to allow more space between them. He wanted free rein to explore her body through the layers of her clothing. If he reached under her hem, he’d lay odds she’d be wet and welcoming.
    For all her harsh words, Katla was ripe for the taking.
    She rested her hands lightly on his shoulders, and then with no warning at all, she brought her knee up hard and sudden to his groin. He’d been a captain in the greatest corps of fighting men on earth, but he hadn’t seen that ambush coming.
    “Odin!” He released her and doubled over, fighting nausea while he cupped his throbbing balls. “Why in Hel did you do that?”
    “Because it was the best way to get your attention. Fetch me some water, thrall.” With a mocking smile, she dropped an empty bucket in front of him. Not at all the smile he was hoping to see.
    “You had my attention.” He forced himself upright to face her. “And you were enjoying that kiss as much as I.”
    “No, I wasn’t.”
    Her lips might deny it, but her cheeks flamed, and her nipples stood out beneath her clothing. She trembled, either with rage or need. He couldn’t be sure which.
    “If you kiss me again without my permission, I’ll reconsider my decision and let my brothers geld