Wildest Dreams (Fantasyland, #1)

by Kristen Ashley

“Sjofn is the Goddess of Love. And love,” her eyelids suddenly fluttered dreamily. “Love,” she breathed then she focused on me with a strange intensity that made me—even me—squirm a little. “Love is everything.”

I was wrong. He wasn’t scary. He was totally freaking hot.

I also wanted something chewy. He made light work of those pancakes, chewing approximately twice before each enormous swallow and I was hoping dinner would last a whole lot longer than that.

“And my desires, at the moment, though I would not describe them as heartfelt, but felt somewhere else, all revolve around what I shall do when I first bed my new wife. Would you like to talk about that?” Ho boy.

Then he did something sweet, something unexpected, something I didn’t think he had in him even after stoking the fire and saying he liked my pancakes.

His big hand enveloped mine and he walked me to the market while holding my hand. Shit. I liked that. That was nice. Hmm.

“You can teach this to our daughters, if we have them.” Oh shit. Another item for the grocery list: see if they had a condom section (though I held no high hopes for that). And another topic for discussion at dinner: birth control (though I held no high hopes for that either).

In fact, I liked that there were things to like about Frey Drakkar and I was noticing there were a number of things to like.

“I very much like the curve of your mouth, wife,”

“I also like to watch it move, to hear it speak words of teasing or jest, or just any words at all.” Oh man, that was sweet too. He got even closer and kept whispering, “I wonder what else it can do that I will like.” Now that wasn’t sweet, that was hot.

“Explain what you mean about me helping you with us having what we have tonight just the two of us for a while. It is my understanding, unless you’re unusually broad-minded, what I have planned for tonight is always just the two of us.” Yeesh. Men. Their minds, no matter what world they live in, always wandered down the same paths. “I’m not talking about a threesome, Frey. I’m talking about children. As in, I don’t know you, but I was thinking that I was really liking getting to know you and that when that extra component was added, you were giving all the signs I would really like that too. So,

“When my wife gets vexed, her cheeks get pink.”

“I’m intrigued about these wedding undergarments I missed.” “Sorry, Frey, that was a onetime deal. I was all decked out in my wedding finery and you took off. You missed that boat, totally.” He grinned again, then whispered, “More fool me.” “Uh . . . hello?” I called then requested, “Can I get up now?” One of his big hands drifted up my back and he said softly, “I must tell you, Finnie, I like you here. You fit well in my lap.”

“You haven’t had pie,” I pointed out in an attempt to stall. “We’ll have it later . . .” he paused and grinned. “Maybe. We might be too busy or we might need sustenance to keep going.” Ho boy!

I didn’t know what I was going for, sultry vixen or innocent virgin (probably the latter in hopes that Frey would take it slow and be gentle).

It went to my hair and with a gentle tug, the ribbon was gone and my hair tumbled down. Well, so much for that effort. His hand curled warm around my neck. “I wish to feel it all over me, wife,” he whispered. Hmm. I liked that.

“Gods, you want me,” he repeated, his voice thick and I knew he felt the damp evidence that proved this between my legs.

His Finnie was not a powerful, experienced and skilled man. Bloody hell, his wee wife could have been hurt.

I like you as you are, that is to say, alive and breathing, not burnt to a cinder.” Her eyes locked with his, hope flared before she hid it and she whispered breathlessly, “You like me as I am?”

“Your husband is weary,” he lied for he would be dead before he’d be weary, lying with her next to him not having taken her at least once. “Now, do as you’re told and cradle my thigh.”

“Wife, as you know,” his face got closer to mine, “women can understand cats, deer, rabbits, mice, small birds and other such animals.” I blinked at him as my body locked in shock. Frey spoke on. “And men can understand horses, snakes, hawks, falcons, other birds of prey and predatory animals as well as those used in work or war, for instance, wolves and ox.”

“You cause me much mirth frequently, wife.”

“Since you’re here, disrobe and join me in the spring.”

The last three days with Frey had been good. So good, I’d added so many things onto my list of why I liked him, I quit bothering to add them. I just liked him.

First, he laughed at my jokes. Second, he had a really fantastic laugh. Third, he smiled or grinned at me, like loads. It was like he was a whole different person. He still wasn’t exactly Mr. Conversation but in the last three days he’d said not one thing that pissed me off or freaked me out. Fourth, he was the kind of guy who was busy a lot, had his own things to do and he did them. He was in the stable or shed quite a bit when we weren’t in town. But even so, when he was with you, he was with you. You had his attention and his concentration and you had these in a nice way.

He didn’t lie when he said he liked to see my mouth move, he ...

Fifth, he wasn’t a great kisser, he was a great kisser and I knew this because he kissed me lots, during the day

And, by the by, on top of all that, he seemed to like me too. And, since I’d decided I liked him, I really liked that.

So now, I had to admit, I was stunned he wanted me to get naked and get in a hot spring with him. That was like jumping from first base to third without even buying a girl dinner.

“Relax, my wee Finnie,” he murmured and, just for your information, he’d started to call me his “wee Finnie” the day after the elves came calling, and that was on my long list of things I liked about Frey too because I thought it was really sweet.

But nowhere on his earth or mine at that moment, would be better than those springs in that frozen forest with Frey.

Oh yeah, it was official. I liked him. A whole lot.

“Pour a horn of ale over my head, wee wife, I’ll be forced to go back to the springs and it won’t be me who’ll be soaping it off.”

“It’s the measure of a man, Finnie, how good he cheats. No game is played without trickery. It is the man who can best cheat who wins not only the game but the respect of his opponents.

I wrapped the fingers of both my hands around Frey’s bicep (or kinda did, they didn’t get anywhere near going all the way around)

And I vow to you, my princess, if it means my own life, this will not happen.”

“Though, um . . . just to say, if you’re going to vow to keep me safe I’d kinda like you to vow to keep you safe too.” His soft eyes started to warm and I rushed on, “You know, because . . . well, who’ll chop the wood and lug it into the house if you’re assassinated or something?”

“My wife does not like carrying wood.” “It isn’t my favorite chore,” I admitted. “My time is better spent baking pies.” The smile reached his mouth before he murmured, “Then I best stay around to chop wood.”

“Then I’ll vow to keep me safe too . . .” he paused, “so I can be around to chop wood.” “And lug it in the house,” I added.

“I lose no sleep for them and you shouldn’t either.” “But you were awake,” I pointed out. “Yes, I was. Because my wee wife trembles against me in her sleep,”

I sucked at archery. Totally. Playing it on Wii did not set you up for the real thing.

Penelope knew who her momma was and I knew this because she purred, “Mrrrr, hullo, Mummy.” “Hullo, baby,” I whispered to my cat.

“He called you sweet,” she whispered, her eyes intense on my face, which I knew had grown pale at these words. Words I liked. Words that meant the world to me. “He said you had a strong spirit. He said everything you say, he finds interesting. He told us he enjoys your humor and your smiles.”

“We women carry many burdens.

Okay, it was safe to say from the look on his face he definitely liked the underwear. And it was also safe to say from the panic that seized my innards that I was definitely not ready for him to see me in it.

And Frey advanced just as quickly, invading my space with every backward step I made until I slammed against the wall. He pushed right in. Hips to my belly, he pinned me to the wall.

“I change my mind, Frey. I really don’t like it when you call me Sjofn. Please don’t call me that anymore.”

I arched up, tensing my limbs around him to push deep like I wanted him to absorb me.

“Do not let your body ask for that which you aren’t ready, my wee one,”

“Does this mean my Finnie is back?” he asked quietly. “Yes,” I answered quietly then my mouth kept talking. “And she missed you.”