Tro (Elsker Saga Book 3) (22 page)

Go
, I mouthed, waving her toward Gunnar. She turned and ran across the room, nearly tackling him as she jumped into his arms.

“Somebody is happy,” Ull whispered in my ear.

“That makes two of us.” If I had to have a bodyguard, I was glad it would be one of my best friends.

“So, we are going back to Bibury,” Ull confirmed.

“Yep.” I leaned back into him as he wrapped his arms tighter around me.

“You do not mind, do you Olaug?” Ull spotted her at a table nearby, chatting with Elsker, Sif and Thor. He pulled me over to her.

“Mind what, my boy?”

“Going back to Midgard?”

“I never mind going there.” Her eyes crinkled. “Has Odin approved?”

“Yes.” I grinned. “And Inga’s going to be my bodyguard.”

“Oh, how wonderful for you both.” There was genuine pleasure in Olaug’s eyes. She knew how long Inga had wanted a position like this.

“What about you, Elsker? Where will you settle now?” I turned to the tiny woman.

“Why, Bibury, of course. I’ll want to spend lots of time with the baby.” She winked at me.

“Baby!” Sif squealed from her seat.

“Baby? What baby? Kristia, are you pregnant?” Olaug jumped up.

“Not yet,” I hissed. “Elsker, you can’t go around doing that!”

“I am a Norn.” She waved her hand, unconcerned. “These visions just come to me.”

“Well, you don’t have to blurt them out.” Honestly, nothing was private around here.

“There’s going to be a baby!” Olaug was off in another world. She practically skipped toward the Bifrost, babbling giddily about pudgy baby legs and toes.

“I guess we had better follow her.” Ull shrugged. “Mother, Father, Please visit often.”

“We will, Son.” Sif hugged him tightly. “Oh, a baby!”

“Sif,” I moaned. Not her too.

“It’s just so exciting! Take care of each other.” She kissed me on both cheeks.

“Of course. See you soon.” I shook Thor’s hand.

“Absolutely.”

“Gunnar! Inga!” Ull called across the room. “Are you ready?”

They sauntered over to us, hand in hand. Inga’s eyes were bright. “Let’s go.”

“Elsker.” Ull leaned toward the Norn as an afterthought. “Do you have any insights about the baby?”

“Hmm.” Elsker narrowed her eyes. She stood and put both hands on my stomach. “Ahh. I see.”

“What? What do you see?”

“Asgard’s little prince will make his appearance before next summer. And he has a very special gift for our realm.” Elsker stepped back, her face glowing with happiness.

“Before summer,
ja
?” Ull looked at me.

Oh, great Odin, his parents were
right there
.

“Come, darling. I need to get you home. Now.” He placed his hands on my hips and ushered me toward the Bifrost. I heard the laughter behind us but I was too mortified to look.

“Heimdall, Bibury, please.” Ull instructed the gatekeeper as we caught up to Olaug. Inga and Gunnar piled in with us, and once again I had the uncomfortable sensation of traveling through the realms. I was more than a little relieved when my feet touched the grassy meadow behind Ýdalir.

“We’ve got some house hunting to do. Olaug, you’re coming with us. The lovebirds need some privacy.” Inga dragged Gunnar and Olaug off in the direction of town. The one realtor in our village wouldn’t know what had hit her.

“It would seem we have Ýdalir to ourselves, Mrs. Myhr.” Ull grabbed my waist and pulled me close, leaving no room for questions. I breathed in his heady scent, intoxicated by his nearness. I stroked one substantial bicep, looking up, up, up until my eyes finally reached his. His mouth was pulled into that adorable half-smile and I reached up to brush the stray lock of hair from his eyes. My insides turned soft. He grabbed my wrist and pulled it to his chest. Then he kissed me. Hard.

I pulled away, breathless. “What did you have in mind?”

The smolder in his eyes grew and he swept me off my feet, running past the startled sheep grazing in the meadow. The movement was surprisingly smooth, but despite his graceful sprint the butterflies in my belly took flight, as if someone had jabbed them with a branding iron. In an instant my hands were in Ull’s hair, pulling his face to mine. My lips peppered hot kisses along his jawline, the coarse fibers of his perma-stubble scraping my sensitive skin. I didn’t care. I wasn’t acting on any logical level anymore. My entire being was consumed with the overwhelming need to be Ull’s, in every conceivable way. And if my lips endured a few abrasions in the meantime, it would be more than worth it.

Besides, that stubble was sexy as all Helheim.

Ull bolted through the back gate as my teeth grazed his earlobe. He let out a shudder, the tremble rocking through his body and resonating where his arms wrapped around the backs of my legs. He set his jaw and ran faster, not bothering to close the French doors after he ripped them open. I shifted in his arms, pulling myself higher so I could trace the top of his ear with my tongue. The butterflies flapped harder as Ull put one hand on my hip. He swung my legs free and I wrapped them around his waist. Now I clung to him, legs cinched tightly around him like a belt, and arms twined around his neck. He moved one hand to the small of my back, fisting my hair with the other. As he neared our bedroom, he turned so he ran in reverse. He slammed his back against the door, sending wood chips flying.

“Ull!” I giggled. “You broke it!”

“Not exactly my concern right now, sweetheart.” Ull dove for the bed, cradling me in his arms to cushion the fall. He landed with a soft thud, then rolled onto his back.

I pushed myself up on my elbows and gazed adoringly at my real-life Norse god. My fingers traced the outline of his mouth and he parted his lips, sucking lightly on the pad of my thumb. His tongue was hot, and it sent a surge through my body, making me flush in a way that wasn’t remotely unpleasant. As I stared at the pale pink skin of his lips, he turned his head, teeth raking my skin.

“Breathe,” he reminded me. I sucked in air like I was drowning. In a way, I was. There was a very real possibility I could stay lost in this moment forever.

“Kiss me,” I demanded. Ull’s eyes shifted to my favorite shade as he threw his arm across my back. Before I could take a second breath, he was on top of me, the full weight of his massive frame pressing me into the soft down of the mattress. An involuntary sigh escaped me as Ull covered my mouth with a commanding kiss. His tongue pushed at my lips, exploring every surface with a frenzied need. I felt like I was about to burst out of my own skin. My nails scraped against the muscles of his back as I tugged his sweater over his head, throwing it somewhere on the floor. Or maybe it was on the nightstand. I didn’t care. I wanted—no, I needed to be as close to Ull as possible. Now.

He raised himself on one elbow and pulled his T-shirt off. The movement made him press against me in a way that sent my head spinning. My torso tensed as I willed him to hurry up. The twinkle in his inky blue eyes made it clear my message came through.

“Once a mortal.” He chuckled. “Still impatient?”

I was too distracted to respond. Ull was right there, in all his shirtless glory. The muscles of his shoulders jutted out, and his biceps bulged as he shifted his weight again. It was more than any girl could handle. I turned my head to kiss the hard surface of his tricep, then slowly made my way up his arm. Ull groaned when I moved to his neck. He put his hand under my head and tugged at my hair. I reluctantly pulled away, my eyes wide.

“Before we do this.” Ull paused. He sat back on his knees, and stared down at me. His hands moved slowly across my stomach, his fingers drawing a light pattern along my ribs. A searing heat that ran all the way to the tips of my toes immediately replaced the shiver that wracked my torso.
Gods, he needs to hurry this up
. I was about ten seconds away from spontaneous deific combustion.

“Before we do this,” Ull repeated. He reached the bottom of my sweater and slid his fingers under the fabric. Searing heat became an unbearable inferno. I squirmed, but Ull continued at his own languid pace. He moved his fingers up my burning abdomen, and finally lifted the sweater over the top of my head. My head fell back on the pillow as my breath came in ragged gasps.

“Oh my God, before we do this,
what
? What? You know you’re
killing
me right now.” My voice came out as a whimper.

“You are immortal.” Ull winked. I whipped my head to the side and buried my face in the pillow so I couldn’t yell at him. No matter what I was, if he didn’t finish this
right now
I was going to explode.

“Before we do this,” Ull said for the third agonizing time, “I was thinking. For our son’s name, how do you feel about…” He leaned down and brushed his lips against my ear, whispering something so sweet that I smiled in spite of my frustration.

“I love it.” I turned to stare into Ull’s eyes. They were endless, deep, twinkling orbs that only skimmed the surface of his beautiful soul and stretched into the depths of forever.

Just like our future.

But it wasn’t the time to focus on our tomorrows. My very own Norse god commanded my full attention. As he would, thanks to the interference of a well-intentioned Norn, for the rest of our existence.

“DO NOT LIFT THAT!”
Ull jumped in front of me and picked up the box. “You have to take care of yourself. This is too heavy for you.”

A month had passed, and I was absolutely thrilled that Elsker and I had been right—I was carrying Ull’s baby! Inga and Gunnar had bought the cottage next door, and Bibury’s resident domestic goddess was helping me prepare a care package to mail to Ardis. She’d fallen in love with all things British on her European vacation, and was going through major McVitie’s withdrawals now that she was back in New York. I placed a strip of tape along the edge of the packing box. It was filled with Caramel Digestives, Hobnobs, and an array of English teas. The entire thing weighed five, maybe six pounds, tops. It was totally manageable for a human to handle, and even easier for a goddess.

However, my overprotective husband thought I had the constitution of an orchid.

“Ull,” I protested. “I may be pregnant but I can lift five pounds. Honest.”

“This is more like ten.” Ull easily raised the package with two fingers. “I know you think I am being overbearing, but I do not want you hurting yourself. Or our precious cargo.” He set the box on the counter and cradled my belly with both hands. “
Hei hei
, little one.” He kneeled so his face was level with my stomach. “Daddy loves you so very much. Yes he does. We are going to have so much fun together; do you know that? When you come out I will teach you to play football and rugby and wield a sword, and handle a mace, and—”

“Um, do you know any activities that
won’t
require a helmet?” Our son wasn’t even born yet and Ull was plotting to rough him up.

“Of course.” Ull gave me a dazzling smile and returned to my belly. “We can read stories and sing songs. I cannot wait to kiss your little toes, and your tiny little fingers, my darling baby boy.” He kissed my stomach and looked up at me tenderly. “Thank you for giving me a son.”

I tousled his hair. “Thank you for making me your wife. I’m glad we’re growing.”

“Me, too. You two are my world.”

“I know. But I promise I won’t hurt either of us if I carry some cookies in a basket.”

Ull frowned as he stood. “Nonetheless. Inga,” he gestured, “you will carry this for her.”

“Aye aye, Captain.” She saluted with a giggle. “Can we go now?”

“Are you sure you do not want me to come with you? It is a long way to the post office.”

“It is one-point-four miles. I’ll be fine. The scariest thing I could encounter in Bibury is an errant cow.”

“An errant cow can be plenty dangerous,” Ull muttered darkly. “If one had not fed Ymir, we would not have jotuns, or fire giants, or…forget it. I am coming with you.”

“No, Ull. It’s fine. You’re working. And I’ll have Inga with me. She’s the most formidable woman I know, Sif excluded.”

“All right,” Ull acquiesced. “But take your mobile. If you feel at all uncomfortable, ring me and I will be right there.”

“I know.” I stood on tiptoe to kiss him. “I love you, my sweet, overbearing husband.”

“And I you, my beguiling, stubborn wife.”

We kissed as Inga picked up the cookies that had caused so much contention. “Now may we leave, or do you want to put a GPS tracker on her?”

“Inga,” I chided, before adding sheepishly, “You know, there’s one on my phone.”
Stupid fancy new phone
. My flip phone mysteriously ‘disappeared’ the day Ull found out I was pregnant.

“Sorry. Ull, I promise to take care of your wife and baby if you grant me leave from your castle.” She gave her sweetest expression.

“Get out of here, Inga.” Ull cuffed her shoulder as he headed back to his library.

“Ull?” I called after him.

He turned.

“Let me know if there’s any news on Loki, okay?” The monster’s trial had been a short one, and Odin was expected to deliver his verdict that afternoon. If Loki got anything less than a life imprisonment, Ull and I would need to leave immediately to search for the cure for Olaug. Neither of us wanted to undertake our search for the lost artifact while I was pregnant. Not to mention that we didn’t want to worry about Loki ever getting near our child. A lifetime sentence would kill two birds with one stone.

The outcome I was rooting for wasn’t exactly charitable.

Ull nodded. “You know I will. But do not worry about Loki. It is not good for the baby.”

“Thank you, Dr. Myhr,” I teased.

“Any time. Be safe, my love.”

I blew him a kiss and turned to leave. Inga shook her head as we closed the front door behind us. “Boy, never thought I’d see the day Asgard’s fiercest assassin talked to a tummy.”

“Tell me about it. You know he sings to the baby at night,” I confided.

“No!” Inga’s eyes popped.

“It’s really cute. Little lullabies in Norwegian. He rubs my belly and sings for a good half hour.” Of course, I had pretty much no idea what he was singing. I quickly added
learn better Norwegian
to my list of nesting activities.