The Viking Wants Forever by Koko Brown Page B

up the aisle of the main hall, Reese was quaking with two emotions: anger and self-loathing. Despite the despicable collar around her neck, her nerves were shot. He’d done such a great job of ignoring her, she’d only seen him in passing or at a distance. So, the thought of being close to him, possibly having his full attention focused entirely on her, made every single atom in her body short circuit and pulse until she felt like one of those cartoon throbbing thumbs.
    Reese cursed the size of Eirik’s fortress. From end to end, the longhouse probably spanned the width of a football field with the main hall occupying the most space. Far from sparse, every available space had a purpose. The main area served two: as both a place to dine and to sleep. The north end housed a barn with its own separate outdoor entrance. A large store room and weapons garrison provided a buffer between it and a room with two weaving looms. The southern end of the structure contained the family’s sleeping quarters and the kitchen. If she ever got back to her time, she would have excellent material for her graphic novel.
    With all the activity buzzing around her, a hundred or so people eating and communing, a harpist plucking on her instrument, Reese didn’t hear any of it. Like walking through a tunnel, she focused on the light at the end. His pale hair drawing her like a beacon, Eirik sat at a table elevated above the others on a low dais. As lord of the manor, he didn’t sit on one of the long benches which doubled as beds at night, but in a wooden arm chair with elaborate carvings. The dark Viking, Bjarni sat on his left, his brother Thoren on his right.
    The sight of him sucked the breath from her. Attired in a buff-colored tunic, sporting a deep V-neck collar, he was magnificent. Tailored to fit him like a second skin, the shirt barely contained the hard body beneath, the ropy tendons of his arms and torso threatening the garment’s seams.
    As if sensing her regard, Eirik suddenly turned his head and looked at her. His gaze traveled the length of her body and Reese could almost read his mind. In direct contrast to his cleanliness, she looked like she’d been to hell and back, her apron bearing the signs of a hard day’s work. Mush had splashed on her while feeding the pigs, and from knee to hem there were grass stains from de-weeding the garden this afternoon.
    Well, you’ve made your bed, might as well take pride in it. Lifting her chin, and maintaining eye contact, Reese climbed the few steps that brought them to face to face. Firelight from two sconces on the wall behind him softened the hard angles of his face, making him even more handsome. Unfortunately, she couldn’t read anything in his expression or find any clue as to why he’d expressly ordered she serve him.
    One thing she did know: being near him was like a shock to her system. All her senses were on hyper alert. Made of fire and ice, his pale blue eyes appeared more vivid. The aromatic scent of the meat assailed her, causing her stomach to grumble. She set the platter in front of him, the heavy weight of her slave collar pulled at her skin, and cooled her ardor. As her master, he held her life in his hands; she shouldn’t yearn for his touch.
    “How fare you this eve?”
    Reese floundered. She’d half expected a caustic gibe or an ‘I told you so’, not a softly-worded inquiry regarding her welfare.
    Seemingly oblivious to her plight, he pierced a piece of rabbit and devoured it. Mesmerized, Reese watched his mouth work around the piece of meat. His sensuous lips moving in the most delightful way. I’m melting...I’m melting.
    Feeling more like Peter Parker than Spiderman, she stumbled over a response, “I-I’m well, my lord.”
    Eirik set down his dagger. His eyes were dark and enigmatic, a seductive promise shimmering in their hot blue depths. Reese hated flip-flopping, but damn he could make a girl want to climb him like a tree.  
    “A part of me had