CHAPTER THIRTY-NINE
"So, what did you think?"
McKenna rolled onto her back and smiled up at Loki as he came out of the bathroom dressed in only a pair of flannel drawstring pants. "It was nice. I liked it."
"That's it?" He flopped face-down across the foot of the bed and turned his head toward her.
"It's just that... well..."
He rolled onto his back, his hand coming to rest on her knee. "Just say it, darling girl. What don't you like about it?"
"I didn't not like anything about it. But we spend half the year here and the other half in Asgard. Do we really need a third place? I hate the thought of a mortgage on a house we're only going to use a few weeks of the year."
He gave her knee a gentle squeeze. "We don't have to have a mortgage, love."
"Then you lose the tax break."
"We can afford to, Princess McKenna."
She wrinkled her nose at him, shifting to stretch out beside him. She folded her arms, resting her head on her hands as she turned to him. "Ugh. Don't call me that."
"Why not?"
"Because I'm not a princess. I just happened to marry a prince."
"Which makes you a princess, love."
"You know what I mean. Aislinn and Kyra are princesses. I'm just me."
He rolled onto his side, his hand coming to rest on her stomach. "You are a princess. Odin decreed it. If we broke up tomorrow, he'd probably strip me of my title before he stripped you of yours."
"Are you trying to tell me something?"
He grinned. "Actually-" He laughed as she flung a pillow at him. He batted it aside and loomed over her, bracing his left hand over her right shoulder. "Hardly, love," he murmured, his eyes softly aqua as they held hers. "There is nothing in any of the nine realms that would make me want to walk away from this."
As he said this, he shifted again and his hand skimmed upward. She shivered as his fingers trailed up along her breastbone. When they reached the neckline of her tee shirt, they grew warm, skimming up over her throat. "Mmmm..." she whispered, her eyes closing.
"Mmmm, what, love?" he murmured, his fingers lightly stroking along her jaw now.
"Feels nice..." She smiled as gentle tingles rippled through her. He caressed her cheek, let his fingers wander up into her hair, and then swept back down-over her cheek, her chin, along her throat. Each stroke, each touch, was so light-he just barely touched her-and yet they swept through her with the force of a tidal wave.
His lips brushed hers, his fingers now gliding back down over her breastbone. His kiss was gentle, his mouth moving against hers as lightly as his fingers traveled over her stomach. His lips parted, his tongue caressed hers in a slow, teasing stroke as his fingers moved over her hip and down along her inner thigh. She shivered as he moved from her shorts to her bare skin.
She slid her right hand up along his neck, letting her fingernails graze him and he sucked in a sharp breath, shivering against her. He inched his hand beneath the hem of her shorts, his fingers only brushing against her with the lightest, most teasing of strokes. He barely touched her and yet, she slid her free arm about his neck as well and her fingernails dug into his shoulders.
He shifted, easing himself over her and her legs parted to accommodate his hips. As he arched into her, she gasped again. Gripping her tee shirt with one hand, he lifted himself just enough to tug it up, breaking their kiss long enough to whisk it over her head. When he came back down against her, he tightened his arms about her and rolled to bring her atop him.
McKenna sat up, rocking back to smile down at him as she shoved her hair out of her face. Loki groaned softly, his hands on her hips, his thumbs pressing gently into her as he said, "What is it, love?"
"I just like looking at you," she replied, tracing her forefinger around his left nipple. He groaned softly, low in his throat, his eyes swirling green. "My handsome god..."
He reached up to brush just the tips of his fingers down over the curve of her stomach, his eyes never leaving hers, and his smile widened as she caught her bottom lip between her teeth and fought to keep her eyes open. He wiggled his eyebrows and she felt a sudden flare of pressure where their bodies met, which sent a shiver racing through her.
"Are you trying to tell me something?" she asked, moving her fingertip ever more slowly about his nipple.
"Mmmm... come here, darling girl..."
"Nope."
He reached for her hands, but as he linked his fingers with hers, she leaned to press his hands into the bed, on either side of his head, His eyes blazed dark green as he whispered, "What're you doing, love?"
"I wish I knew magic," she whispered, her lips just brushing his. "I could bind your wrists the way you did mine that one time."
A seductive smile played at his lips. "Is that what you want, darling girl?"
A feeling of wicked daring shot through her. "It is."
His eyes seemed to go greener still and judging by the way he rose into her, he liked the idea as well. His body betrayed him so easily. "You don't need magic, my love," he murmured, his voice oddly husky. "You have me."
And with that, he wiggled his fingers and the same soft black cuffs he'd used on her appeared on the bed next to them. "Have your way with me, Midgardian," he whispered.
Fire shot through her as his hips rose just a bit to press into the apex of her thighs and she picked up the cuffs. He held her gaze as she stretched up and fastened one about his left wrist, and the other about his right, and she shivered as the tip of his tongue grazed the tip of her breast. "Loki... stop..."
"Never," came his heated whisper.
She pulled back to frown at him. "You won't magically free yourself, will you?"
He shook his head. "No. I'll surrender all control to you, darling girl. I'm yours, do with me what you will. I trust you." He made a show of trying to lift his hands, shaking his head as he said, "They have me pinned as they had you pinned, McKenna. I am all yours."
She leaned over to brush his lips with a soft kiss, her sense of daring growing sharper still. "Will you do one more thing for me?"
"My darling girl, I will do anything for you."
A hint of shyness swirled through her as she rocked back against him and he groaned softly. "What is it, McKenna? Tell me and it's yours, whatever it is."
"Could you... that is..." Her cheeks grew warm and the urge to fidget surged through her. She didn't want to sound completely stupid, but she was terrified he'd either laugh at her or worse, be freaked out. "I mean... would you... do you think...?"
"Don't get shy with me now, love. We've been together far too long for you to be afraid to tell me what you want to do to me."
She dragged in a deep breath as his eyes grew greener still, and before her courage completely fled, blurted, "Would you zap me a blindfold as well?"
His slow smile set fire to her blood. A flick of his fingers, and it appeared on the bed beside him. "As you wish, love."
She picked it up, running the soft cloth between her fingers. Then, before her nerve fled, she bent over to set it over his eyes. He lifted his head, whispering, "I love you, Midgardian..." as she fastened it.
"I love you, too..."
"And I'm entirely yours now, darling girl. Do with me what you will."
She shifted, easing off him. He lay still, but not relaxed. Apparently, not knowing what she was going to do was enough to keep him aroused, if her eyes were to be believed.
With that, she leaned over and flicked her tongue against his right nipple. He tensed, sucking in a sharp breath and letting out in a heavy sigh. That emboldened her and as carefully as she could, she moved so he wouldn't know where she planned to touch him next.
She teased him. A kiss to his neck. A flick of her tongue into his navel. His sighs grew heavier. His hands flexed. He stretched his fingers as she nipped at the slope of his neck. Still, his hands remained pressed into the bed above his head.
With each caress, each teasing nip, his breathing grew heavier and his sighs became huskier. "McKenna..." he murmured, his hips rolling slowly. "Oh, love... This is incredible..."
She smiled, the heady rush of having complete control over him emboldening her. She shifted to let her lips brush his ear as she whispered, "You seem to be enjoying yourself..."
"Ooooh, am I..." came his breathless reply.
He tensed as she nipped the curve of his shoulder again, and then she moved down, over his chest. He sucked in a sharp breath as she swirled the tip of her tongue about his right nipple. His entire body jerked as she nipped him just above his right hip.
"Oh... love..." His hips rose from the bed in a slow arc and he groaned low in his throat as she tugged at the drawstring of his flannel pants.
The flannel slid free as she gave a gentle tug. He groaned again as she swept them from him. "McKenna..." he breathed, his hips rocking upward once more. "Oh, love... you have no idea how much I want you, darling girl."
"Believe me, I have an idea," she whispered, catching the waist of his boxer briefs. He let out a low, sensuous laugh as she whisked them away next.
That laugh hitched in his throat when she bent over to sweep a kiss along his inner thigh. He jerked beneath her, another low groan rising to his lips. "Oh... holy hell..."
His voice was rough, sounding almost as if he was in pain. She pulled back. "Loki? Are you okay?"
He nodded. "I'm fine, love..." He spoke slowly, breathlessly, as if each word took immense effort to form. "Very... fine..."
She moved, this time to brush a kiss over his hip. Then another over his belly. And then...
"Oh... McKenna!" Her name erupted from him and his hips arched hard as her lips closed about him. A strangled moan rose into the air. He rocked to meet her strokes, her caresses, and his voice grew huskier still as he gritted, "Oh... dear gods... what're you doing to me...?"
She jerked back. "Should I stop?"
"No..." He shook his head feverishly. "Don't stop... do not stop..."
She bent back over him and this time, he swore as her fingernails grazed along his inner thigh. The sheets rustled. He fought against his bonds, but true to his word, he didn't free himself. Instead, he sighed. He groaned. He arched into her. He gritted, "Oh, yes..."
"McKenna..." His voice grew plaintive, heavy with need as he settled into a rhythmic thrusting, trying to go faster until she pulled back.
"Stop it, Loki," she purred, grazing her fingernails down over his chest now. "I'm in charge, remember?"
"What you do to me..." he breathed, a muscle bulging in his jaw. "I want you, McKenna... dear gods... I ache for you, love... I want you so badly..."
A heady feeling of power surged through her and she smiled as she wrapped her hand about him and gave him a slow, teasing stroke. "Want me so badly how?"
"Oh... bloody hell..." He strained toward her. "I want to be inside you, darling girl."
"Do you, now?"
He nodded, his voice husky and raw. "Oh, gods, yes..."
She smiled even though he couldn't see her, and shifted to sit astride him. As soon as he felt her heat, he groaned. "Thank the gods..." He thrust against her. "Slide me inside you, McKenna... let me have you..."
"You already have me, love," she whispered.
A husky laugh bubbled to his lips. "I need you, darling girl... now..."
She leaned over, brushing a kiss over his chest and then sat back. "As you wish."
"Oh, yes..." His breathless moan rose into the air as she positioned him and came down onto him as slowly as she could. She drew him deep, rocked against him slowly, teasingly, her hips moving in lazy rolls that had him arching beneath her.
"Faster, love..." he whispered.
"Not yet..."
"Let me touch you, darling girl... I need to touch you... to put my hands on you... my lips..."
"Not yet."
He growled low in his throat as she slowed her pace. He was close. She felt it in the tension of his body, in the way he thrust against her, by the way the muscles in his arms and shoulders bulged as he arched away from his bonds. "McKenna... oh, love... please..."
That did it. Leaning over, she caught his lips in a tender kiss and whispered, "Free yourself, love."
The blindfold and cuffs vanished and he surged up to meet her, wrapping his arms about her as he gave a powerful thrust. Fire screamed through her as he flipped her easily onto her back and rose to thrust furiously into her. His eyes locked with hers, hot and fiery with desire as he growled, "Darling girl... I love you... dear gods... I love you-"
She cried out as his powerful thrusts triggered a climax unlike anything she'd ever felt before. He slammed into her, throwing his head back with a primal growl as his muscles tensed and he came with such fury that she was almost afraid he'd break her in half, he crushed her so tightly against him.
He sank into her, fighting for air as his head came to rest in the curve of her neck. He trembled against her, his heartbeat so hard and fast, it vibrated through her. "Oh... oh, McKenna... my love... my beautiful, beautiful girl..."
"Easy, Loki," she whispered, stroking his hair with a shaking hand as the aftershocks continued to rumble through her. She felt as if her bones had turned to mush and she wanted only to melt into him.
His breathless panting turned into soft laughter and she shivered as he brushed his lips against the curve of her neck. Little by little, his breathing and heartbeat slowed and he whispered, "That was amazing, love."
She smiled as he nuzzled her again. "I was afraid I'd freak you out," she confessed, still stroking his hair.
"Oh, no, love. Not one bit." He drew in a deep breath and lifted his head to smile down at her. "Darling girl, I meant what I said about indulging your fantasies. I will do so anytime you wish. And as I've said, I trust you. I trust you completely."
She gazed up at him, reaching up to brush his hair back behind his right ear. "It was fun."
He laughed softly, his eyes closing as he leaned into her caress. "It certainly was. Not being able to see you, to see what you were going to do, only heightened everything I felt. And I have never-never-felt anything as amazing as this."
"Good. I almost chickened out."
"I am ever so glad you didn't, love," he whispered, dipping down to brush her lips with a teasing kiss. "And when your turn comes-"
"My turn?"
"Oh, yes," he said, his eyes dancing with mischief as he rolled over and drew her atop him once more. "And you will enjoy every last second of it."
She shivered at the promise in his voice. "I'm sure I will."
He trailed his fingertips down over her back, smiling as she shivered again. "I love you, McKenna."
"Mmmm...." She sighed softly as she shifted to lay beside him, resting her head on his chest. "I love you, too, Loki."
They lay there quietly for a while. McKenna didn't know how much time passed, nor did she care. She was perfectly content there, in his arms, listening to the steady beat of his heart beneath her ear. And Loki seemed just as content, his fingers skimming along her hair, down over her shoulder to her elbow and back up. Every now and again, he kissed the top of her head.
The sheets rustled and he rose onto one elbow to gaze down at her and his hand curved against her cheek. "So, you do not wish to buy a house at the shore?"
His eyes glittered in the soft light, more blue than green now, and she covered his hand with hers. "I don't think we need one, Loki. We can rent one and have all of the good stuff and none of the hassles of being at the Jersey shore."
"I wish you would just let me spoil you, darling girl," he replied, his voice low. "But you fight me on it at every turn."
"Because you already spoil me more than you should."
"It isn't nearly enough."
"But it is. Do you think I say that just to say it?" She sighed as she sat up and reached for her tee shirt. She tugged it over her head, adding, "I tell you I have everything I could possibly want because I do have everything I could possibly want."
Loki slid to the edge of the bed and bent over to fish his flannel pants from the floor. "I know you say that, but-"
"No, no but, Loki." She scooted over to kneel behind him. Easing her arms about his shoulders, she leaned into him. "Why do you find it so difficult to believe that you are enough for me? That I couldn't possibly be happy with the life we have? We're happy. I love you. You love me. We have four beautiful children. A wonderful life. I don't need anything else and I don't know why you find that so difficult to believe."
"Because time and again, I put you through hell of some sort."
"Oh, stop it." Irritation flared in her belly as she pushed away from him and climbed down from the bed. "Just stop it, okay? I'm so tired of this, Loki. I don't know how else to prove to you that I'm happy. And let's face it, I put you through just as much hell, so we're kind of even, don't you think?"
He stared at her for a long moment, then tugged up his pants, tied them, and rose to catch her by the hands. "Now that you mention it, love, you have put me through some hell as well." His thumbs stroked hers and his eyes softened. "So, maybe you should buy me a beach house."
She pressed her lips together to keep from smiling. "So, you don't want the house to give to me, do you? You want it because you want it."
"And if I did?"
"Just say that, then."
"All right. I want a shore house, love."
"Even though we will only use it a few times a year."
He nodded. "Even though."
"And you liked the one in Mantoloking, didn't you?"
"Very much."
Now she let her smile come through as she squeezed his hands. "Fine. Make an offer on it."
A slow smile lifted the corners of his lips as he tugged her into his arms. "I already did, love. We close at the end of the year."
She rolled her eyes, but she couldn't stop smiling, even as she tried to scowl at him. "Loki!"
"What? I really liked it." He bent toward her and brushed her lips with his. "Does this count as an argument?"
"Why?"
Green swirled through his eyes and he wiggled his fingers, holding up the satiny black blindfold. "Because I love the idea of makeup sex using this on you, darling girl."
Her heart skipped a beat and her mouth went dry at his slow smile. Holding his gaze, she let the tip of her tongue sweep lightly over her bottom lip as she murmured, "I rather like the idea of that myself."