Free Web NovelChapter 282: Chapter 282
"Don’t tease me, Circe," he grumbled, though the faintest edge of amusement betrayed him.
"But it’s so fun," she replied, her grin unapologetically mischievous.
The room had its merits but Circe suspected none of them truly registered to Ragnar. His attention remained fixed on the beds, as though they had personally conspired against him.
A knock sounded at the door before the silence could stretch too long.
Ragnar moved to answer it, opening the door just enough to peer out. Two young human women stood in the hallway, each holding a bucket full of water. He stepped aside to let them in.
A wooden partition separated the main chamber from the bathing area, and he watched quietly as they poured the water into the copper tub. Steam curled upward, carrying the scent of floral oils. The women worked quickly and silently, eyes downcast, and once their task was finished, they bowed and departed without a word.
Ragnar locked the door again.
When he turned around, Circe was already loosening the laces of her dress.
"Bathe with me tonight," she said. A sly tilt curved her lips. "Consider it compensation for the travesty of those separate beds."
She let the dress fall, leaving her clad only in a thin shift. The candlelight made the fabric nearly translucent, revealing the curve of her breasts and the outline of her pebbled nipples. Holding his gaze, she slipped her fingers beneath the hem and slowly lifted it, inch by inch, exposing smooth, bare skin until the garment cleared her head entirely. She tossed it on one of the beds without thinking.
She stood naked before him, unashamed and radiant.
Ragnar’s eyes darkened, desire sharpening his features. He closed the distance between them in long strides, pulling her into his arms the moment he reached her. His mouth claimed hers hungrily, the kiss deep and unrestrained. Their lips and tongues moved together in a fevered rhythm, breaths mingling between them.
His arm tightened around her waist as though he feared she might slip away, and she answered his urgency with a soft moan, kissing him back with equal fervor.
"The bath is getting cold," she murmured against his lips when they finally broke apart, both of them panting for breath.
The words seemed to pull him back from his haze, though his gaze betrayed him as it traveled slowly down her body once more.
He stripped without hesitation—shirt, breeches, all discarded carelessly—until he stood before her just as naked. He followed her towards the tub, taking unmistakable pleasure in the sway of her hips as she walked ahead of him, his earlier annoyance with the room already forgotten.
The water smelled of rose oil and jasmine. Circe sank into the tub with a contented sigh, warmth enveloping her. Ragnar joined her a heartbeat later, settling in front of her, close enough that their knees brushed beneath the water.
She smiled and nudged his foot playfully with her own.
"The capital isn’t far from here," he said after a moment, his voice calmer now. "A few more hours on the road. We should reach my house before noon tomorrow."
"That may be so," Circe replied, her expression softening, "but I find I’m not eager to think of our destination tonight. Or the palace." She shifted closer, the water rippling as she pressed herself against him, her arms sliding around his neck. She felt his cock pressing firm and insistent between them. "Right now," she murmured, "I’d rather do and think of something else entirely."
Ragnar smiled, their faces only inches apart.
"And what do you have in mind?" he asked, the water lapping gently against their skin.
"Kiss me," she breathed.
He obliged without hesitation, capturing her mouth in a kiss so deep and consuming it left them both burning, the world beyond the tub fading into nothing at all.
As his lips moved in time with hers, Circe slipped one hand beneath the surface of the water and wrapped her fingers around his cock, giving a slow stroke then another until he could no longer endure the sweet, unhurried torture she was inflicting.
He broke the kiss with a sharp breath, holding her gaze as his hand slid upward to cup her breast, his palm warm and firm against her skin. His thumb brushed over her sensitive nipple, rolling it gently between his fingers until a soft, pleased moan slipped from her lips. Keeping one hand there, he lowered the other into the bath, finding her wrist where it moved beneath the water.
His fingers closed over hers, not to stop her, but to guide her hand’s movement. Slowly, he set the pace, drawing her into the rhythm his body demanded. Circe followed his lead, her movements matching his exactly as his breathing grew ragged and uneven.
Her lips parted slightly as she watched him unravel under her touch, her eyes bright with hunger and triumph as she brought him closer and closer to the edge. When his body finally tensed and jerked, she felt it immediately, and even then she did not stop, coaxing every last shudder of pleasure from him until he sagged against edge of the tub, spent and utterly relaxed.
By the time they separated, the water had grown cool, goosebumps rising along her skin. They quietly made their way back to the room to dry off and get dressed. Despite Ragnar’s clear displeasure, they climbed into their separate beds, exhaustion claiming them both not long after.
Sometime during the night, the temperature in the room dropped. Circe stirred beneath the thick blanket, shivering despite the fire still crackling softly in the hearth.
"What’s wrong?" Ragnar murmured, his voice low with sleep. The sound of her shifting must have woken him.
"I’m cold," she admitted, pulling the blanket tighter around herself as another shiver ran through her.
He was silent for a moment. Then, without a word, he pushed his own blanket off his bed and tossed it onto hers.
Circe glanced at the extra covering, then at Ragnar lying exposed to the chill. Her decision was made almost instantly. freewebnøvel.coɱ
Gathering both blankets, she slipped from her bed and crossed the small distance to his. With a faint smile, she climbed in beside him, draping herself over his body like a quilt before tucking the blankets over them both. The warmth radiating from him seeped into her bones, and she relaxed against his chest, comforted by the steady beat of his heart. It did not take long before sleep claimed her once more.
