XLIII. Building Dreams

The water was cool against his skin, sending waves of shudders through him. He watched as her lips trembled with a shiver. She stepped closer to him, the water seeping into the fabric of her undergarments until they were plastered against her skin in translucent ripples.

He groaned and walked deeper into the water until it reached his chin and then he stilled. His chest expanded with his breath, which he tried so hard to keep in check.

His nostrils flared as she neared him and he flexed his hands, stopping himself from reaching for her and devouring her mouth with his.

The weight of the past weeks had been lifted and all he needed now was her.

“Elva.” He warned, his voice heavy with need.

She stepped closer still, until her feet barely touched the floor. She waved her arms across the water, her breasts joining the motion.

They pressed against the fabric and Eksel could not keep his eyes away from those brown crowns that stared back at him.

“I-I can’t swim,” Elva whispered.

Eksel reached for her, wrapping his arm around her waist and pulling her flush against his chest. She wrapped her legs around him, and he shut his eyes tight, clenching his jaw.

Their breathes intermingled and Elva stretched her neck, pressing a kiss against his lips. Eksel groaned, meeting her kiss with much more ferocity, though it pulled on the wound on his face.

His body was tense, wired up with a hunger only she could satisfy. The water moved around them as he wrapped his hand around the back of her neck, bringing her closer.

She moaned, tangling her fingers in his hair, scratching the skin of his scalp. Eksel welcomed the pain, it reminded him of just how real this was.

How powerful it was.

Her lips felt like forever and he was ready to loose himself in them. He groaned, tightening his arm around her waist until she pulled away to gasp for air.

Her lips were red and swollen and Eksel’s chest expanded in a prideful wave. She was his.

Her lips trembled as she lifted those beautiful hazel eyes to his. “I’m sorry.”

He shook his head. “You don’t have to apologize to me.”

He rubbed his thumb across her cheek giving her time to catch her breath.

“I do want to,” She whispered, avoiding his gaze.

He smiled wide. “I know, little thing.”

He grimaced when she shifted, his body vibrating and his hardening cock twitched between them.

Elva’s cheeks turned tomato red and she bit her lip to stop her giggle.

Eksel lowered his hands to her thighs and pulled her tight against him until not even air could pass between them. Elva choked on her breath, her body tensing when she felt him between her legs.

“What’s so funny?”

She exhaled a shaky breath and shook her head. “Nothing.”

He inhaled a hiss. “I want to, too.”

She nodded.

“But I can wait.” He released her slightly, letting her keep her legs around his waist.

She looked up at him. “Thank you.”

Eksel cleared his throat, wanting to change the topic to clear his head. “The men will begin cleaning up the mess in the village.”

“The mead hall?”

Eksel nodded, “All the bodies have been buried. We just need to clear the rubble.”

“I can’t believe this is truly over,” She whispered, pushing herself up to wrap her arms around his neck.

He gripped her waist, his thumbs rubbing the bottom of her breasts. “It is.”

“What about us?”

Eksel tilted his head. “What do you mean?”

She bit her lip. “As much as I love Sten and Sigrid, I do not think sharing a longhouse with them will work. In the long run, I mean.”

Eksel smiled knowing exactly what she meant. And no, he would not want anyone listening in when he took everything she was willing to give him.

“I’ll build us a home.”

Elva’s lips parted. “Really? I just meant that we could find another-”

“I want to build you a home. Something just for you.”

“Us. For us.”

Eksel nodded, his throat swelling with emotion. He rubbed circles into her skin and watched as goosebumps rippled across her skin. Her breath was heavy and her face was red. He smiled to himself, knowing that her body responded to his just as he responded to her.

“Can the house be big?”

“What? Building you a normal size house isn’t enough for you?”

He tickled her side with his fingers and she gasped, trying to pull away as she held in her laugh.

“No! No! That’s not what I meant.”

He ceased his teasing, rubbing circles onto her skin and she melted into his embrace.

“What did you mean, then?”

She sucked her bottom lip into her mouth and chewed on it as her cheeks turned red. “It’s just, so we can have animals.”

He nods. “That’s a given.”

“And-for our children.”

His chest puckered with a pleasantly surprising sharpness, like the zing of a sour lemon. “You want to have children? With me?”

They had never talked about children. He couldn’t lie to himself and say he did not want them. He pictured himself teaching his son to hunt and fish and fight. He pictured the happiness of coming home to a full house. He imagined a young girl with hazel eyes like Elva and his frown as she argued with him about something trivial.

He imagined Elva pregnant. Waddling as she walked to him.

The image was like a dream.

A distant and broken dream.

He didn’t know the first thing about being a father. His was a devil. How was he supposed to do this?

He looked at her, his fears racing around in his mind. She was everything and he knew he would give her anything she asked of him. But what if he wasn’t good enough?

Elva frowned, tilting her head as she studied the features on his face. When she saw that the doubt was real, she pressed her fingers to his jaw. “Of course.”

A warm tide of comfort washed over him and he tightened his hold around her waist. “What if-”

“Eksel.” She cupped his cheeks with her hands, bringing him back down to reality.

Eksel inhaled, slowing his thoughts and reminding himself that they would talk through this. They would think through this together.

Elva smiled at him, though her heart ached for him. How could he doubt himself so much after everything?

“You will be a great father. I know it.”

“How?”

She tilted her head. “You love me.”

He nodded, his jaw clenching.

“You will love our children.”

He blinked. Of course he would. They would be his, and hers. Of him and of her. They would be the truest expression of their love.

“And you do everything you can for the ones you love. You fight for them, comfort them. You are the most amazing person I have ever met.”

He flinched, wanting to argue, wanting to list all the ways he was not, in fact, good.

But he loved her.

And he trusted her.

He had to trust her now.

He pressed his lips together. “I-I’ll try.”

She smiled. “You say try, but I know you will be the best father.”

A cascade of gentle waves spread through his chest and he leaned toward her, pressing his lips to hers in a promise.

He would love her forever and he would protect her. He would fight for her and cherish her. He would give her a home to be proud of.

He would be a father that would erase the curse of his. He would be the father his future children deserved.

And he wouldn’t let anything stand in his way.