Page 32 of Ulf's Destiny
Ylva watched on, fascinated. Having lived inside a town house nearly all her life, she had no idea what people living in a village did all day. And no one was more interesting to watch than this beautiful man who worked with fast yet elegantmovements. How high did he intend to go? Her chest tightened when she realized that she would be gone by then. She would never see what became of the fence. She would never see what became of Ulf, the first man she had kissed.
The only man she had ever felt desire for.
He straightened to stretch his back and saw her. A dazzling smile bloomed on his lips. Her heart skipped a beat. To know she could provoke such a reaction in him was wonderful. Perhaps he was drawn to her as she was to him. Alas, now she would never know if the attraction she was sure they felt for one another would lead anywhere.
Letting Judith leave on her own was unthinkable, as she was the only thing even resembling a family that she had in this world.
“Ah. Ylva. Did you want anything?”
No. But there was something she had to tell him, much as she was loath to do so.
“I… Judith is feeling better and is ready to leave the village. We’ll go tomorrow morning, with Haakon.”
He stilled and it seemed to her that the light in his eyes had dimmed somewhat. Eventually, he answered. “That is good news. I mean, it is good that she feels restored to her usual self,” he specified quickly when he saw her face fall. For a dreadful moment, she had thought he was glad to hear that he would finally be rid of her.
“Yes.”
It was good news. But, alas, it meant that they had to leave. Where would they live now? What would they do? They were free to go and do what they wanted but the problem was, after spending so many years as slaves or fugitives trying to hide, there was nowhere they could call home.
All she knew was that she would persuade Judith not to stay in the town where they had been so unhappy. Her friend wanteda fresh start. For that to happen, they needed to be somewhere where no one knew them and they could start anew.
Who would they become? Not sisters, as they looked too dissimilar for the lie to work. But calling one another merely “friend” seemed ridiculous after all they had gone through together, and all they had done at night.
“I was wondering if you could take me to your aunt so I can thank her for the dress before I go,” Ylva told Ulf, pushing those thoughts away from her mind. “But I see you’re busy.”
“Not to worry.” He put down the twig he’d just picked up and walked closer to her. “I’ll take you to Aife now. I can always finish the fence tomorrow.”
Yes. Tomorrow, once she was gone.
She nodded, unable to say anything.
11
That night, there was only one thing on Ylva’s mind as she ate, sitting at the table opposite Ulf. This was to be their last evening together, their last night. And she wanted to spend it in his arms. Only, not like they had outside the hut or after their day at the beach, not merely lying in his embrace. She wanted to do something she had never done with a man, something she wasn’t sure she would have the courage to do, but something she was desperate to try.
Later, as they were getting ready for bed, she walked up to him. He froze, his undershirt still in hand, when she planted herself in front of him.
“What are you doing?”
“Looking at you,” she said simply, though he would have seen that for himself already.Admiring you. “So that’s your arm ring. It’s beautiful.”
It was an arm ring such as the one she had taken to Mildred as proof of her supposed murder of Steinar. She had not thought much of the piece of jewelry at the time. It had just been a bit of metal, and her mind had been full of Judith. Now that it was on Ulf, it was definitely more than a bit of metal… Itwas nestled between his round shoulder and his bulging bicep, looking almost like a part of him, almost sacred. The design was masculine and bold, the perfect choice for him.
Her fingers were itching with the need to touch it. He hadn’t been wearing it that day at the beach, she now realized. Not used to seeing men with such rings, she had not thought it odd not to see one. She remembered him saying the day they’d met that Norsemen never removed them if they could help it, but perhaps he had not wanted it to get damaged in the salty water. What was certain was that she would not have failed to notice such a beautiful ornament because it was…well, very arousing, like the screaming proof of his masculinity.
“To tell you the truth, I always felt something was missing from the ring,” Ulf said slowly, his voice deeper than usual. Was he as affected as she was by their proximity? She hoped so, as it would help her in her endeavor. “But I’m not sure what. Only, it feels less personal than the ones the men in my family have.”
As she had not seen the other rings, she could not comment, but she knew she liked this one. “I think it’s perfect.”
Perfect. Just like him. Her hand landed on his left flank, just below the place where she had stabbed him that day in the forest. Had it been only a week since that fateful day? Somehow it seemed much longer. Thankfully, the wound was no longer bandaged, and it didn’t seem to have suffered from their dip in the sea. She wanted to trail her lips along the fresh scar, then her tongue. Instead, she brushed a light finger.
“I’m so sorry,” she said on a breath.
“I’m not. Because without this attack we would have never met.”
This had to be the sweetest thing anyone had ever told her. Ylva brought her hand up to Ulf’s pectoral and sighed. She really wasn’t ready to be parted from this man who fascinated her more than anyone she had ever met. When her forefinger startedto trace circles on his skin absentmindedly, he trapped her wrist in his long fingers and looked deep into her eyes.
“Ylva, stop doing this. Or else I’ll…”
