with rage when he got home, so he poured himself into a report on sustainable hydroponics.
It didn’t work.
When he got off the train, Aldric was waiting with his horse. His second must have checked in with someone in the city.
“ Tak ,” he muttered his thanks.
“ Velkomst .” Aldric raised his eyebrows. “One would think you’d be happier to see your beautiful wife.”
“Keep your eyes to yourself.” Reinn surprised them both with the growl. He didn’t share his wife, but he’d always been proud of the appreciative looks she got from friends and admirers.
Now he wanted everyone to leave them alone.
“Of course.” Aldic waited until they were underway before trying again. “Feel like beating the shit out of me with a sword later?”
Reinn let out an honest-to-goodness belly laugh. Yes, that sounded perfect. “Consider the challenge accepted.”
Aldric stared straight ahead for a minute, his face as placid as that of his horse. “You know I was kidding about the part where you win, right?”
“We’ll see about that.”
It was an easy twenty minute ride to the farm. When they arrived, Aldric took both horses to the barn without being asked. He was a good second, even if he needed to keep his eyes to himself.
He found Ashleigh in the kitchen, and she barely had a chance to put down the knife she’d been chopping vegetables with before he swept her into his arms. “I’ve missed you,” he said after kissing her more than a few times.
Navena laughed from a stool at the table a few feet away. He nodded gruffly in her direction.
“It’s been nine hours, my Viking. We regularly don’t see each other for a few days in a row.” Ashleigh patted his cheek. “What’s gotten into you?”
“That’s changing soon, right?”
“Depends. Are you going to insist on shuttling me back and forth to the city as I get heavy with your child?”
“Yes.” Well, it was honest, if not smart. “No?”
She shook her head. “I love you, Reinn. How’d the security meeting go?”
“Ah, you know.”
“Yes, I do. I realize I’m now a trophy wife and a diplomatic pawn, but until a few months ago I was a liaison officer of some merit. So…how’d the meeting go?”
He grimaced. “There’s debate over creating a no-fly space over our farm.”
She laughed. “For real? Oh my. That doesn’t sound like a great use of resources.”
“I don’t care about that.”
“I do. And of course you do. All this nonsense will die down. And if they get a few images of me and the baby, so be it. Maybe we can cut that off by inviting reporters here on our terms. And raise some funds for flying hospitals while we’re at it.”
On the far side of the room, Aldric opened the side door. His normally passive face got a curious look on it when he spied Navena at the table. He nodded at Ashleigh, then wandered in and looked around awkwardly.
“Hey there, Viking man,” Navena said easily.
Ashleigh bit back a smile. “Aldric, would you stay for dinner?”
“Uhhh…” His second glanced at the other guest, then at the floor. “Maybe.”
Reinn wasn’t sure if he was helping, but he waded in anyway. “Aldric and I were going to spar a bit, should we wait until after dinner?”
Navena’s eyes lit up. “Swords? Can I play?”
Aldric turned pink. “Errr.”
Ashleigh grinned. “Go on. Don’t hurt him,” she added, pointing her finger at Navena.
Aldric shot him a panicked I can’t spar with an Earth woman look, but Reinn wanted a few minutes alone with his wife. He shrugged and watched as the other man haplessly followed Navena outside.
“Do you want to chop?” Ashleigh asked him innocently as soon as the door banged behind them.
He shook his head.
“Slice the meat?”
He grinned and pulled her close. “Nope.”
“Set the table—Oooh!”
“I’m never going to tire of picking you up and tossing you on the nearest flat surface, woman.”
She wiggled on the countertop and splayed her legs,
It didn’t work.
When he got off the train, Aldric was waiting with his horse. His second must have checked in with someone in the city.
“ Tak ,” he muttered his thanks.
“ Velkomst .” Aldric raised his eyebrows. “One would think you’d be happier to see your beautiful wife.”
“Keep your eyes to yourself.” Reinn surprised them both with the growl. He didn’t share his wife, but he’d always been proud of the appreciative looks she got from friends and admirers.
Now he wanted everyone to leave them alone.
“Of course.” Aldic waited until they were underway before trying again. “Feel like beating the shit out of me with a sword later?”
Reinn let out an honest-to-goodness belly laugh. Yes, that sounded perfect. “Consider the challenge accepted.”
Aldric stared straight ahead for a minute, his face as placid as that of his horse. “You know I was kidding about the part where you win, right?”
“We’ll see about that.”
It was an easy twenty minute ride to the farm. When they arrived, Aldric took both horses to the barn without being asked. He was a good second, even if he needed to keep his eyes to himself.
He found Ashleigh in the kitchen, and she barely had a chance to put down the knife she’d been chopping vegetables with before he swept her into his arms. “I’ve missed you,” he said after kissing her more than a few times.
Navena laughed from a stool at the table a few feet away. He nodded gruffly in her direction.
“It’s been nine hours, my Viking. We regularly don’t see each other for a few days in a row.” Ashleigh patted his cheek. “What’s gotten into you?”
“That’s changing soon, right?”
“Depends. Are you going to insist on shuttling me back and forth to the city as I get heavy with your child?”
“Yes.” Well, it was honest, if not smart. “No?”
She shook her head. “I love you, Reinn. How’d the security meeting go?”
“Ah, you know.”
“Yes, I do. I realize I’m now a trophy wife and a diplomatic pawn, but until a few months ago I was a liaison officer of some merit. So…how’d the meeting go?”
He grimaced. “There’s debate over creating a no-fly space over our farm.”
She laughed. “For real? Oh my. That doesn’t sound like a great use of resources.”
“I don’t care about that.”
“I do. And of course you do. All this nonsense will die down. And if they get a few images of me and the baby, so be it. Maybe we can cut that off by inviting reporters here on our terms. And raise some funds for flying hospitals while we’re at it.”
On the far side of the room, Aldric opened the side door. His normally passive face got a curious look on it when he spied Navena at the table. He nodded at Ashleigh, then wandered in and looked around awkwardly.
“Hey there, Viking man,” Navena said easily.
Ashleigh bit back a smile. “Aldric, would you stay for dinner?”
“Uhhh…” His second glanced at the other guest, then at the floor. “Maybe.”
Reinn wasn’t sure if he was helping, but he waded in anyway. “Aldric and I were going to spar a bit, should we wait until after dinner?”
Navena’s eyes lit up. “Swords? Can I play?”
Aldric turned pink. “Errr.”
Ashleigh grinned. “Go on. Don’t hurt him,” she added, pointing her finger at Navena.
Aldric shot him a panicked I can’t spar with an Earth woman look, but Reinn wanted a few minutes alone with his wife. He shrugged and watched as the other man haplessly followed Navena outside.
“Do you want to chop?” Ashleigh asked him innocently as soon as the door banged behind them.
He shook his head.
“Slice the meat?”
He grinned and pulled her close. “Nope.”
“Set the table—Oooh!”
“I’m never going to tire of picking you up and tossing you on the nearest flat surface, woman.”
She wiggled on the countertop and splayed her legs,
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