Page 62 of A Sea So Cruel
“Are they… see through?” He raised an eyebrow.
Linnea started. “Of course not! I would not own such scandalous attire!”
Halsten laughed a deep, real laugh. “Then why is it such a secret? Is it not the same as the dresses you usually wear, but less extravagant?”
Damn.He had her with that logic. She held a chunk of baguette in her free hand but hesitated bringing it to her mouth.
“Let go of the blanket, Linnea.”
She pulled it tighter. “No.”
Halsten pulled the tray to his side of the table. “Then I’ll just take this back.”
Linnea scoffed. “That’s mine!” She reached for the tray, but she had the chunk of bread in her hand so she couldn’t grip it.
He dove forward and bit off a large piece of her bread, his mouth now stuffed with it as he laughed.
Linnea gasped, pulling her bread hand back. “Fine!” she shouted as she let go of the blanket. It was making her itchy anyway.
The fabric bunched down at her waist, leaving the upper half of her nightgown exposed. Halsten’s eyes wandered up and down her torso multiple times before he slowly slid the tray back to her. There was an odd silence while she finished her stew andbread, but not awkward. When she was done, she dabbed her face with her napkin and stood up, leaving the blanket in the chair behind her. Her legs locked up and she winced.
“Did you stretch?” Halsten asked.
Linnea nodded. “Hot bath and stretched like you said. It was better for a while.”
Halsten squinted at her, his chocolate brown eyes glowing in the firelight. “Lie on your stomach on the bed. I can help.”
Linnea wanted to protest. That’s what any proper lady would do. But he had been sitting here with her in her nightgown and never made her feel unsafe. Now that she thought about it, she had never once felt unsafe in Halsten’s presence. If anything, it comforted her more, having him around.
Without a word, but with shaky hands, Linnea laid on her stomach, turning her head to the side so she could see Halsten clearly. He approached the bed and kneeled next to her on the mattress.
“Don’t be afraid. I would never hurt you. If you want me to stop, tell me to stop and I will leave. Understood?”
Linnea let out a breathy “yes,” unsure of what he was about to do.
Halsten gripped her calf with both hands, working his thumbs in circles starting in the middle and working his way outward. It felt amazing, her muscles relaxing more and more with each stroke of his thumbs.
They sat in comfortable silence while Halsten worked her calves and lower thighs. He never dared approach the hem of her nightgown, which ended mid-thigh. He was being as respectable as a person could be, keeping the massage strictly therapeutic, which Linnea appreciated.
“Why do you call me Little Flame?” Linnea blurted before she could stop herself. She needed to know. “Is it because of my hair?”
“Your—your hair? No, of course not.” Halsten’s thumbs worked on a particularly difficult knot in the center of her hamstring. “It’s just that, since the moment I met you, I knew there was more to you than you let on. You act meager and shy, but I know deep down, you’ve seen some shit; been through even more. You’re tough. You’ve got a flame in there that you haven’t fueled yet.”
Linnea nodded, speechless. It wasn’t a jest this whole time. She rolled over to her back and looked into his warm eyes, reaching up to rub a thumb over his high cheekbones. He was beautiful.
“Did you mean what you said downstairs?”
“About how irresistible your body is? Yes, Linnea. If we’re being honest, it’s been a damn struggle to ride behind you the last few days where all I had to look at was your perfect shape.”
“I want to try something,” Linnea said. “Be patient with me.”
Halsten nodded, staying silent. Linnea held the back of his head and dragged it down to hers. When their lips were a breath away, she whispered, “Kiss me.”
Halsten did not hesitate. He pressed his mouth to hers and his skin was the softest, most gentle thing she had ever felt. He didn’t rush anything, waiting for Linnea to signal she was okay. Refusing to separate their lips, she nodded mid-kiss.
Her body felt hot all over, a warmth she had never experienced before sweeping over her in waves. Every nerve was hypersensitive, so when a lock of Halsten’s hair slipped from behind his ear and brushed her neck, she gasped.
Halsten lightly swept against her lips with his tongue and when she did not object, he slipped into her mouth, gingerly knocking at her teeth for entry. Linnea opened to let him in, swirling her tongue around his instinctually.
