Wildest Dreams (Fantasyland #1)(31)

“Can I get up now?” I asked snappishly.

He didn’t answer nor did he let me up. Instead he remarked, still quietly, “I’m intrigued about these wedding undergarments I missed.”

“Sorry, Frey, that was a onetime deal. I was all decked out in my wedding finery and you took off. You missed that boat, totally.”

He grinned again then whispered, “More fool me.”

“Uh… hello?” I called then requested, “Can I get up now?”

One of his big hands drifted up my back and he said softly, “I must tell you, Finnie, I like you here. You fit well in my lap.”

Uh-oh.

“Does it matter that I don’t like being here?” I asked.

“Indeed it does, wife, let’s get you somewhere where you’re more comfortable. I’m thinking the loft.”

Uh-oh again.

“Frey, I think I told you, the deal is off.”

He grinned and shook his head. “You know, my Winter Princess, you never renege on a deal with a Raider.”

I blinked.

Oh shit. I’d read that in both of those books. You made a deal with a Raider, you went back on it, you regretted it.

Big time.

Shit!

His hand was now wrapped around the back of my neck and he held me still while he leaned into me.

Once there and he had captured my gaze, he said quietly, “You have ten minutes to prepare yourself and meet me up there. We will see how it goes as to whether we guard against conceiving or, perhaps, forget.”

Ho boy. I knew what that meant because I figured that meant the same thing on both worlds.

“You haven’t had pie,” I pointed out in an attempt to stall.

“We’ll have it later…” he paused and grinned. “Maybe. We might be too busy; we might need sustenance to keep going.”

Ho boy!

“Frey –” I whispered.

He cut me off. “You now have nine minutes, Finnie.”

Shit! Shit! Shit!

“That wasn’t a minute,” I argued.

He pressed his lips together but I knew what it meant this time because his eyes were so close, I saw them dancing.

Then he warned softly and effectively with one word, “Finnie.”

I stared into his eyes.

Then I saw there a clear indication that there was no way I could delay.

This was happening and it was my choice whether it happened in the loft or on the farm table. Since that was my only choice, I definitely needed the loft.

So that was why I muttered, “Oh, all right.”

That got me another grin. It also loosened his arms. And this meant I scrambled off his lap and hurried out of the room trying not to look like I was hurrying. I hit the trunks, found what I was looking for and went to the bathroom space not bothering with the lock on the door because he could easily break it down if he had a mind to.

Only then did I start hyperventilating.

Chapter Eight

Elves

I stood in the bathroom space thinking that I really needed fifteen meals.

Maybe twenty-one.

Or, perhaps ninety.

I was so not ready for this.

And I had been in the bathroom way longer than nine minutes. I was pretty certain Frey was going to bust down the door any second.

I totally shouldn’t have lost it at dinner and thus made Frey skip pie.

I needed pie.

I needed to think!

How to get out of this?

I stared at myself in the mirror.

For reasons unknown to me, probably nervous energy, I had decided to arrange my hair loosely at the top of my head with one of the scads of ice blue ribbons that had been packed in my beautification trunk. I didn’t know what I was going for, sultry vixen or innocent virgin (probably the latter in hopes that Frey would take it slow and be gentle) and to get this to look even slightly good, it took what had to be nineteen minutes, not nine.

I had also changed into the nightgown I was pretty sure Sjofn was supposed to wear on her wedding night. This was because you didn’t sleep in this nightie. This nightie was an occasion nightie, it was meant to be seen and it was way too delicate to sleep in.

It was beautiful, elaborate winter white lace over ice blue satin. The thin straps were ice blue satin too. It had an empire waist and showed serious cle**age and leg. This last was because the skirt only fell low enough to cover my rear…barely. It was mostly simple but that made it elegant, the lace made it extraordinary and the ice blue satin made it beautiful (not to mention it felt great against my skin).

But I thought, at that moment, it was too short, too suggestive and way too sexy.

Not that I had to suggest anything and everything was sexy when you were essentially a sure thing.

But it had been purchased for Frey. And for some crazy, stupid reason (even though he could be a very big jerk), when I’d been considering what would happen that night, I decided to wear it. And I did this because I thought even men should have what they looked forward to on their wedding nights. Like women, they only got one and it should be a good one.

So he messed up his first shot. But before my nerves overwhelmed me, I felt some weird drive to give it to him just the same.

And he sure wasn’t going to get anything like it when Sjofn came back.

So I’d picked that nightgown.

Shit.

I stared at my reflection, my mind whirling.