Then I watched in sharper confusion, some surprise and still with disappointment as he stalked to me.

Okay, um… was he pissed?

It was just a present. A lame one, sure, but that was nothing to be angry about.

Was it?

“Frey,” I said quietly, lifting a hand as if to fend him off and stepping back only to hit bed.

I no sooner hit the bed when Frey’s body hit mine.

Then we were down on the bed with him on top of me and his fingers in my gown, pulling it up.

Ho boy.

Maybe I read him wrong.

“If needs be,” he growled, “you’ll go to the Gales with wet hair.”

Ho boy!

He lifted his h*ps to move his weight from me, yanked the dress up to my waist then he arched his back and yanked the dress off, forcing my arms up with it.

Ho boy!

“Frey,” I whispered as one of his hands trailed down my side then in and swiftly up to slide over my breast, up my neck to cup my jaw.

And now his eyes weren’t blank. They were fiery and that fire was in no way bad.

Okay, I read him wrong. He definitely liked it.

“No one,” he was still growling, his chest rumbling with it, a rumble so deep, it shook mine and there was a fierce expression on his face, a face that dipped to within an inch of mine, “no one, since my grandmother died when I was aged thirteen, has bought me a present. Not one gods damned person has, since her death, given one single thing to me.”

Oh my God.

That couldn’t be true. Please God, don’t let that be true.

“Honey,” I breathed, wrapping an arm around him as my other hand came up to hold him tight at his neck and I thought we really needed to stop having (fabulous) sex and start to talk, or, more to the point, he needed to stop listening to me jabbering on about everything under the sun when we weren’t ha**ng s*x and I needed to start drawing things out of my husband.

“And never have I received anything so exquisite,” he went on, “save the wedding kiss you bestowed on me.”

Oh my God.

He said that, I didn’t miss it, he actually said that.

Shit, he was going to make me cry again.

“Frey,” I whispered, fighting back the tears.

His hand moved from my jaw, around my back and down over my ass where it pulled me up so my soft h*ps were snug to his hard ones.

Then he declared in a thick voice, “I’m bloody well taking my time thanking my wife and your maids will have to wait.”

Yes, he liked it.

“Okay,” I breathed.

He studied me, his gaze intense, as if he was memorizing ever centimeter of my face.

Then his head slanted and he kissed me.

Then he took his time thanking his wife.

And when Frey Drakkar took his time, he did it right.

* * * * *

“I’m giving you a present every day,” I muttered to the mattress, heard my husband’s chuckle then I felt his hand glide light over the curve of my behind.

Then I felt his lips brush the skin of my hip, they disappeared and I felt them touch my neck then, in my ear, he whispered, “Thank you, my wee Finnie, I’ll treasure him.”

He would treasure his dragon.

I closed my eyes, felt happiness wash through me, turned my head, opened my eyes and smiled at my husband.

“You’re welcome, my handsome husband,” I whispered back.

His eyes went soft and he smiled back, sweet and gentle, leaned in, kissed my temple then moved from the bed, throwing the covers over me.

He’d already dressed and come back to kiss me before he went to his own bath and now I watched him walk to the door. He unbolted it, unlocked it and threw it open while I sighed contentedly.

All four of my girls were standing outside.

“Have a courier deliver the box on the dresser to my ship in Sudvic without delay. Its contents are fragile so tell him if I see even the barest crack in the glass, he’ll answer to me. Also tell him to instruct Skylar that I want it mounted in my cabin before Finnie and I arrive tomorrow,” Frey commanded, all four of them stared up at him with mouths open then Esther finally nodded, peeled off and disappeared.

I smiled yet again.

He so totally treasured his dragon.

Frey turned back to me.

“I’ll be back to escort you to the Gales, wife,” he called.

I pushed lethargically up on both forearms and called back, “Awesome, husband.”

He shook his head and grinned. Then he disappeared.

My girls rushed in with Bess closing the door.

Then they all stopped four feet from the bed and stared at me.

“Hey ladies,” I greeted, totally not caring I was na**d and in bed and had obviously been thoroughly and vigorously laid by my hot, virile husband who seriously liked my present.

They all kept staring at me.

Finally, Jocelyn stated, “Balls to ten minutes.”

She was right. Ten minutes were over about an hour ago.

I burst out laughing.

As I knew they would, they joined me.

Then Alyssa rushed to my dressing room and came back with my robe. I struggled to put it on under the covers as I heard water sloshing next door.

Time for a bath.

Then the Gales.

Then, tomorrow, adventure.

Chapter Eighteen

Bitter Gales

“Hurry Esther, The Drakkar has been waiting in the bedroom for twenty minutes,” Bess hissed urgently at Esther, who was twisting, curling and pinning up my hair. “I just walked through and there’s no mistaking he’s getting impatient.”

Ho boy. That probably wasn’t good.

“How much time do you need, Esther?” I asked.

“Ten to do your hair and ten to get you dressed,” Esther answered.

“Can we cut that in half?” I requested thinking of a Frey who was not hiding his impatience which could mean bad things.

“We’ll do our best,” Jocelyn decided. “Here, lift your foot. We’ll put your shoes and jewelry on and then, when Esther’s done, we can just add the dress.”

I nodded to Jocelyn and lifted my foot as she kneeled on the floor in front me and I said to Bess, “Tell him ten more minutes.”

She looked like she wanted to tell Frey he had to wait ten more minutes like she wanted her fingernails to be pulled out at the roots.

So I said gently, “Tell him I said that, honey.”

She nodded and took off and Jocelyn shoved on the other shoe while Alyssa came forward with my necklace.

It was crazy and at first I thought way over the top but honestly, being a princess, you totally needed four maidservants.

“I can’t wait to see The Drakkar’s expression when he gets a look at you,” Alyssa breathed as she carefully dodged Esther and put on my necklace.