Fantasyland 01 Wildest Dreams (43 page)

“I disagree, Finnie.”

I gave him a squeeze and a gentle shake.
“Frey, you’re wrong.”

“Change places with me, my love, and tell
me…” his hand gave me a squeeze too and he continued, “even if it
was anyone but especially that it was this woman, a woman we argued
over, an argument that spurred me to do something unwise which
caused a rift between us, a woman you could only be sensitive about
and, perhaps not now but possibly later, think about her, think
about my thoughtless actions and what they led to and then let that
fester. Knowing what already happened and what could happen as your
mind invariably turns over the events of last night, how would you
feel right now?”

Okay, he had a point there.

“
Okay,” I said softly, “you have a point
there but think about it. Firstly, if we were to change places and
I was in your arms, feeling like shit that all this went down, in
an effort to make me feel better and to understand it was really,
truly
not
my fault,
wouldn’t you explain that the actions of others are the
actions
of
others?
We had an
argument and people do crazy things when they’re pissed. You were
pissed and you acted on that. Everyone does stuff like that. You
asked her to wait on a table, that’s it. You didn’t make any
promises to her.
She
twisted that
in
her
head and she
did what she did but
she
did
it. You can’t help it that you’re great in bed.” He did a slow
blink at my words but I kept talking. “Well, I guess you could. If
you wanted to be bad in bed, you could do that, I suppose. Though
I’d ask you don’t start doing that
now.
”

“Finnie –”

“
Because that would suck,
for
me.
”

“Finnie –”

“
And
I
didn’t try to poison anyone so I don’t think
I
should be punished.”

His hand at my neck gave me another squeeze;
I focused more closely on him and saw that his lips were tipped
up.

“Are you finished?” he asked.

“Do you feel better?” I asked back.

“Yes,” Frey answered and I pressed closer to
him.

“Then yes,” I said softly.

Finally, he smiled fully at me then one of
his hands slid down to wrap around me while the other hand slid up
into the back of my hair so he could turn my head and press my
cheek against his chest.

And, at that point,
I
felt better.

Then I felt his chest expand and contract as
he let out a big breath before he whispered, “Thank you, wife.”

With both my arms around him, I gave him a
squeeze and whispered back, “Your welcome, husband.”

He held me close for several seconds, I
returned the gesture then when his hold loosened slightly, I tipped
my head back to see he was looking down at me.

“As you peruse my cabin, try not to move
anything so I can’t find it.”

Weird. He so
totally
knew me.

I laughed softly and nodded. “Okay, I’ll
try.”

He grinned at me before he dipped his head
and touched his mouth to mine. Then he said quietly, “We need to be
away.”

I stared in his beautiful eyes and
nodded.

He held my stare a second then let me
go.

He was almost at the door when I called his
name; he turned and looked at me, waiting.

“What’s your ship called?” I asked.

“
The Finnie
,” he answered casually and I felt every
inch of my body lock.

Then my jaw released so I could ask on a
breath, “What?”

Without hesitation, Frey replied, “When I
decided you’d be travelling with me, and you demonstrated much
excitement for this eventuality, I changed the registers, had her
name sanded away, her new one painted on and rechristened
her
The
Finnie
.”

Oh.

My.

God.

He did
not
do that.

I looked at my husband standing patiently
but obviously wishing to be away as the realization washed through
me that he
did
do
that.

I was stunned, my entire body felt warm, my
heart felt light and I knew that quicksand was closing in on my
chin.

And I had absolutely no intention of making
the slightest effort to pull myself out.

“What was she named before?” I
whispered.

“The Skadi,” he answered then, even ready to
leave, he took the time to explain. “Ancient lore told that Skadi
was brave but it also said that she preferred the mountains. There
was a time when she needed to be called Skadi. That time is past
for my Finnie makes the most of everywhere she happens to be
including, I’m sure I will find, the sea.”

Yes, he so totally knew me.

“I’ll make the most of it,” I promised
quietly.

“I know you will, love,” Frey replied
quietly then continued just as quietly but also gently, “though,
you keep talking, there won’t be anything to make.”

I smiled at him. “We could delay a bit, go
out to one of those wharf side pubs, have a drink and I could chat
to some doxies.”

He started chuckling and shook his head.
“I see this would intrigue you, my wee one, but I must inform you
now so when we return you won’t have your heart set on it, you
will
never
be going
to those pubs, having a drink and chatting to doxies.”

I grinned at him.

We’d see about that.

I decided not to say that and instead
ordered, “Go, navigate your ship, my handsome husband. I have
poking around to do and important papers and instruments to
misplace.”

He grinned as he walked back to me, cupped
my jaw with his hand and again touched his lips to mine, this time
harder and longer but not hard or long enough for me.

Then, his fingers drifting gently along my
jaw as he released me, Frey smiled into my eyes, turned and walked
out of the cabin.

I stared at the door for awhile after he’d
gone thinking I was standing on a beautiful ship a beautiful man
named after me.

Yes, I was standing on a beautiful ship a
beautiful man
named after me.

Then I bit my lip but even so, I was biting
it while smiling.

Then I turned my attention to poking around
and misplacing his papers and instruments.

Adela Tea

A week and a half later…

My eyes fluttered open and I saw velvet, I
felt weight and warmth except on my leg which was partially exposed
and wrapped around a tangle of hides and blankets.

I was in bed in Frey’s cabin and I was
alone.

Then I heard papers rustling, I pulled in a
soft breath and lifted up on a forearm to look toward the desk.

My handsome husband with a week and a half
of beard growth (making him, arguably, more handsome) was sifting
through papers on his desk.

“Hey,” I called, his head came up and his
green-brown eyes came to me.

Then his face got lazy, that lazy
communicated itself to a variety of places in my body, and he said
not a word but straightened in his chair and shifted it slightly to
the side.

He didn’t have to say a word, I knew what
that meant.

I untangled myself from the covers, grabbed
my long, soft wool robe that was lying across the bottom of the
divan and my cashmere-socked feet hit wood floor. I pulled the robe
on over my satin nightgown as I wandered across the cabin to him,
tying the belt tight just as I made it to his chair. His arm hooked
me around the waist and he gently guided me into his lap.

When I settled, both his arms wrapped around
me, his head bent toward mine and he murmured, “I’ll take my
morning kiss now, wee Finnie.”

I grinned up at him, placed my hands on the
hard wall of his chest and leaned in, tipping my head back,
offering him my mouth.

Then he took his morning kiss. This wasn’t
the first time he got it with me in his lap in his chair behind his
desk in the cabin. Other times he got it when he woke me in his bed
when he was still in it. There were a few times he got it when he
woke me after coming back from doing something. But there were no
other times. He came to me or was with me every morning.

Every single one.

I was clutching his sweater and a bit more
than mildly heated by his embrace when he lifted his head and
muttered, “Will I ever tire of the taste of you?”

God, I hoped not.

Of course, I didn’t say that. Instead I
grinned at him and stated, “No way. I’m yummy.”

He grinned back and his arms pulled me
closer as he asked, “Yummy?”

“I’m delicious,” I explained.

His grin turned into a smile before he
agreed, “That you are, my wee one.”

I leaned in deeper, lifted my hand to stroke
his rough jaw and my eyes dropped to his mouth before I whispered,
“You’re yummy too.”

I watched his mouth mutter, “Gods,” before
it was on mine and he took another morning kiss, this one longer,
deeper, wetter and lots better.

Mm. Definitely yummy.

I was clinging to him, one arm wrapped
around his shoulders, the other hand in his thick hair when he tore
his mouth from mine and slid his lips down my cheek to my ear where
he spoke quietly.

“Sadly, I have no time to play this morning,
wife. I’m to meet Thad and Kell in five minutes. We make land the
day after tomorrow and from there we must make haste. This morning,
we finalize plans,” his head lifted and his eyes caught mine, “but
after that, I’m free. I’ll hand the wheel to Thad, meet you here
and we will lock the door.”

I knew what locking the door meant. So did
his men.

Awesome. Something to look forward to.

“But now, I must be away,” Frey went on.
“Would you like me to tell Skylar to bring you breakfast?”

At the mention of Skylar, my good morning
mood experienced a hiccup.

In the time I was on the ship, Skylar had
not gotten used to me. Frey had explained this was because Skylar
was the son of one of his men, a man who had unfortunately died
during a mission (this, Frey assured me, probably because I sucked
in every molecule of oxygen in the cabin and actually felt my face
go pale, was a
very
rare
happenstance) which meant Skylar was being raised solely by that
man’s wife.

She was not a good woman, a kind one, a fair
one, a patient one or, from some of the stories he relayed to me
(stories that made my heart hurt), a sane one. Frey had learned
that things were going badly for the boy and he’d taken him (yes,
taken him, giving his mother no choice and honestly, I was glad of
it) and now Skylar served Frey and would do so until he was old
enough to make his own decisions.

Therefore, Skylar was gun shy with women and
it was no surprise. Also, this meant Frey usually did my talking
with Skylar. This was at my request, mainly because Skylar wasn’t
getting used to me no matter how kind or soft-spoken I was with him
and I could tell I caused him discomfort so I decided to avoid
doing that by avoiding him and Frey had agreed to my request.

I wasn’t sure an abused boy should be
serving on a ship with a bunch of macho men I had noted treated him
like, well, a bunch of macho men and further without the kindness
of a woman. What I was sure of was that, if even half the stories
were true, he was better off on Frey’s ship with a bunch of brusque
men than he was with his mother.

I was also sure I liked Frey even more
because he went out of his way to take care of the boy. His care
might not be nurturing but it couldn’t be denied it was care.

“Yes,” I nodded, answering his question,
“and water to wash.”

“All right,” Frey murmured, leaned in to
touch his lips to my forehead then stood, taking me with him and
setting me on my feet. Then he looked down at me. “Your plans for
the day?”

“Archery practice with Annar then knife work
with Lund.”

He shook his head and started chuckling.

I had found my girls had packed some of
Princess Sjofn’s shirts, sweaters and breeches and, being me, I
tried them out. The first time I had appeared in these garments, I
caused quite a stir. This stir caused Frey, standing at the helm,
to look to the heavens as if seeking deliverance from his gods. But
he didn’t say a word (this, I also liked).

I also heard from Annar that they’d packed
my bow and arrow and they did this by giving it to him to pack with
his own as it didn’t fit in my trunks. He offered to work with me
and I took him up on it. While practicing with the bow one day,
Lund showed and offered to teach me how to handle a knife. I took
him up on that too. I thought both were important to know,
considering Sjofn knew them and even though I would probably never
be as good as her considering the amount of practice she had, at
least it would provide some cover for I wouldn’t appear a complete
amateur should spies be paying attention (and, obviously, they
were).

Not to mention, I wanted to learn.

Orion had offered to teach me swordplay and
I took him up on that too but found I could barely lift a sword,
they were so freaking heavy. No one onboard had one I could wield
so we decided to leave it at knife play until they could find a
sword I could use.

So while Frey spent his days captaining his
ship, planning raids and communing with his brethren (when he
wasn’t locked in his cabin with me), I spent my time shooting
arrows, dancing around the deck while Lund tried to stab me and
playing multiple games of tuble and meerkin while all the men
taught me how to cheat (when I wasn’t locked in Frey’s cabin with
him, where, if Frey and I weren’t doing other highly pleasant
things, Frey also spent time teaching me how to cheat).