He kissed me hard and deep then his mouth went from mine, down my cheek to my ear and I pressed into him, my fingernails grazing the skin of his back, I pushed my foot into the bed so I could shove my h*ps against his.

“You want me,” he growled in my ear.

My head turned so I could touch the tip of my tongue to his earlobe, my brain and other parts of me noting I liked the taste of him, then I whispered, “Yes, Frey.”

His hand left my ass, trailing around swiftly, it was suddenly between my legs over my panties, the touch light but definitely there and unbelievably enticing and his head came up, his eyes locking on mine.

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

“Yes,” I breathed, moving my h*ps to grind down on his hand and he instantly cupped my sex and took my mouth in another hard, wet kiss.

I whimpered as he kissed me while his hand slid up, fingers pressing in, God, so freaking awesome, then up to my belly, I could feel the tip of his middle finger pressing in just above my panties, preparing, he was going to go skin to skin and I could not wait.

I drew in a deep breath of heady anticipation, sucking his tongue deeper in my mouth and then his entire body froze.

Then his head came up and I blinked as I watched it turn just a little like he was listening.

Then he growled, deep and low and seriously freaking pissed off, “Gods damn it.”

I blinked again.

Oh no.

What did I do?

He pulled away.

Oh God!

What did I do?

“Frey?” I called as he maneuvered his big body over mine.

“Stay here,” he ordered. “I’ll return.”

I turned with him as he quickly moved to the overhang of the loft, not the ladder. He wasn’t going to waste time, he was going to drop down which was crazy but I was stuck back thirty seconds ago.

“But…” I whispered, eyes on him, voice trembling with disappointment, “what did I do?”

His body arrested at my tone and his eyes came to me. They took me in quickly and then he was right there, his hand cupping the back of my head, his face all I could see.

“Nothing, Finnie, everything is fine. Stay up here. Don’t leave this space. I’ll return as soon as I can. Promise, wife.”

I stared into his eyes, he must have seen what he needed to see for he moved to touch his mouth to mine then he shifted swiftly and disappeared under the curtain, throwing his big body over the side of the loft.

I heard him land on his feet and I stared at the flickering candlelight on the curtain. Still staring at the curtain, I heard the front door open and close.

What just happened?

Did my husband in an alternate universe who I barely knew just turn me on more than I ever had been in my life then take off for what seemed like no reason, throwing himself off the side of a loft?

Then it hit me that he was turned on too. I could see it in his eyes, hell, I could feel it pressed against me. He wanted me. Bad.

Then he was gone.

He’d heard something.

Oh God.

He’d heard something.

Did Raiders have enemies?

Oh God!

Of course they did! I read the stories. Maybe they weren’t romanticized. Maybe the sea was filled with perils. Maybe he’d looted and pillaged and now it was payback time.

And he was out there in nothing but breeches!

I rushed across the bed, threw back the curtain and then went feet and ass first out of the loft to the ladder. Foot by foot, hand by hand, I quickly descended the ladder, rushed to the dark kitchen and went directly to the knives. Pulling out the biggest, scariest, sharpest one, I ran to the front door.

I heard his voice, not what he was saying, but he sounded pissed.

Shit!

I couldn’t rush outside in a nightie without knowing what I was rushing into and what Frey was facing.

Crap.

I went to the window, quickly pushed the heavy curtain aside and looked out.

Then I froze.

Then I stared.

Then I fought against passing out.

Then the teeny, little man with pointy ears and an upturned nose wearing a strange dark blue hat that looked like a cap with a straight white feather poked in the side and whose whole body was weirdly glowing ice blue turned to look at me.

Then I heard him say to Frey, “Your Ice Bride has seen us, Frey Drakkar.”

My eyes shot to Frey standing out in the freezing cold in nothing but breeches but the teeny little man didn’t have to tell Frey that. Frey was staring at me and shaking his head.

Then he moved to the door.

I jerked from behind the curtains and hyperventilated.

The door opened and I turned to face my husband.

Eyes on me, he said softly, “I asked you to stay in the loft, Finnie.”

“There are little fairies outside,” I breathed, forcing out the words through quick breaths.

His brows drew together in a way that wasn’t scary but, instead, surprised and he replied, “Those aren’t fairies, wife, those are elves.”

Elves?

Elves.

Holy moly!

My head slowly turned to the curtained window I could no longer see out of but my mind conjured the vision of what was essentially our front yard that I’d seen littered with about a dozen, maybe more, teeny men and women glowing ice blue.

Elves!

Oh my God!

How cool! This world had elves!

I looked back at Frey and whispered, “How cool!”

He held my eyes and told me his mind was not on elves when he asked quietly, “Can you explain why you hold a knife?”

“You’re a Raider,” I said without hesitation, wanting to get my explanation over with so we could talk about Elves, “you probably have enemies. I thought, with the way you took off, that they’d found you, it was payback time, you were unarmed so I wanted to see if I could help.” His face again registered surprise for an instant before it softened but I didn’t really notice mainly because my mind was on the elves outside so I asked, “Are those really elves?”

He moved toward me and my head tipped back as he did. When he got close, his hand carefully came to mine, took control of the knife then, when he had it, his torso twisted slightly and he tossed it so it landed with a soft funph on the couch.

With free hands, I lifted them and curled my fingers on his shoulders, shaking him a little to get his attention and when he turned back to me, I leaned close, went up on my toes and whispered excitedly, “Frey! Seriously! Are those really elves?”

His hands settled on my h*ps and he peered down at my face, one side of his mouth hitching up before he said, “Yes, Finnie, it’s been centuries but they have returned.”