The Northman's Last Kiss *RetitledOriginally titled 'The Northman's Bride'

Chapter 4-Part 2

Chapter 4-Part 1: Leaves off with Mimi deciding to live her last days with no regrets. She tears off her nightgown, and subsequently becomes tangled.

'So much for her gracious seduction.'

Chapter 4 -Part 2

The Northman had not made a sound. With luck, his eyes were still fixed on the horizon and she would straighten her gown before he took notice.

She held her breath, un-snagged her wrist, pushed it though her sleeve, and tugged her billowing linen back down. She swat at her hem to cover all of her legs and pushed her hair off her face.

"Whooh," she mumbled. "Surly, traitorous frock."

Aleksi stood stiff as a statue, his hand nearly snapping the tiller in two. The raw jagged scar on his brow disappeared into his hairline.

"The wind-a gust of wind," she said and held her arms down by her side, feigning to appear she was guarding against the wind. She jutted her jaw up high, silently challenging him to argue her claim that the wind was to blame for stripping her bare and not her own wantonness.

He stepped closer to her. His hand settled on her hip with a tender touch. He raised his hand to her temple. "No more ale for you for now, little one. You are warm. Have the fever pains set in?"

"Fine...I am perfectly fine. Well, perhaps a touch overheated. Would you care for some lemon water?" She would create any chore to escape this humiliation of flashing him her breasts and he utterly ignoring them. They must be overly large and floppy as her sister said they were. Who was to know the desired size that men would want?

Mimi sprinted for the stairs to the lower deck. Her face indeed felt on fire. She would die of embarrassment before the plague at this point. She hurried to collect them both some refreshment and pretended that the utter failure to seduce him had never happened.

The weather could not be more in their favor. The sun warm, but not hot, the wind strong but not hammering.

For their last day on earth, this really was a pleasant one. The only small reprieve was that they had so little time left to live, embarrassment and regret were simply not on her list of importance.

"Here you are." She handed him some lemon-water. "Did I mention that I have five sisters? They are all very skilled in many aspects of wifery. They cook, sew, come up with the most delicious sweet cakes recipes, lemon pudding, lemon tarts to die for-well perhaps now that I am about to die I shouldn't say that. I would in fact trade dying for giving up lemon tarts, but they really are quiet something. If we had some lard and flour, I would try and make you some as our last meal-what would you like me to prepare for our meal tonight? Since I still have my strength, we best make it a good one. Any last request?"

He slipped his arm around her shoulder and pulled her into his side. "You needn't be nervous around me, Mimi. I would never harm you," he said while gazing out on the horizon.

"Pfff, nervous? I am not nervous and of course you would never harm me. We are shipmates. A Swede would never harm his shipmate."

"You are yammering away faster than a run away colt, little lark. Settle and enjoy the view."

"View?" She held her hand to his temple, checking the severity of his fever, which was either none existent, or she was so fevered they were at the same state of delusion. "The yellow jagged rocks off the Rossi cliffs slicing into the aqua green currents of the Mediterranean, the pale pink Isul Castle teetering on the mountain side in the background, now that's a view." Describing the sight from her grandmothers kitchen window. She stretched her arm out and swept across the black-grey sea. "This is water."

"That is land." He captured her finger and stretched it out like an arrow, a speck of a black blur on the surface of the sea.

"Land? What land?"

"My land."

****

Just a short and sweet end to the Graceless Seduction scene today.

Next chapter is not far away.

*As an unknown author, I really appreciate all that take the time to read, comment, vote or share my story with a friend. All the best, Sandra.

**My continued thanks to AnnMarie Spiby for her fabulous cover and beta service. http://bit.ly/DragonRoseBooksGalore

www.sandralakeromance.com

If you like The Northman's Bride, maybe you want to checkout my 'Sons of the North' Romance Series.

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