The Viking's Stolen Princess by Sarah Rodi
BLURB
A kidnapped royal…
Could be the Viking's undoing!
After Brand Ivarsson of Kald abducts Anne of Termarth on the eve of her wedding, the Viking’s consumed with only one thing: revenge against her loathsome betrothed. But confronted with the stunning princess, so foreign to his world, Brand’s captivated not only by her beauty, but by her spirit and her kindness. Is Anne his prisoner…or is she the one who’s captured his scarred heart?
EXTRACT
Brand the Barbarian, a Viking who has settled in England, has kidnapped the Princess Anne of Termarth. Her betrothed killed his father and Brand is after for revenge. On their journey back to Brand’s fortress, they are surrounded by Saxon soldiers in the forest…
He tugged the Princess further into the undergrowth and gently released his hand from her mouth. ‘Don’t say a word.’
His hard hips pinned her against a tree, securing her to him, chest to chest, thigh to thigh, with his palms on the bark either side of her head. Her beautiful green eyes blazed up at him. Skit, up close she was even more stunning. Her skin was so pale and perfect, without even the smallest blemish, and her delicately arched eyebrows and long eyelashes looked as if they’d been spun with silk.
His eyes dipped to her full, lush mouth, which he realised he’d never seen curve into a smile. He really wanted to see that—to see her use those cherry-blossom-pink lips move in a display of warmth towards him. She had shown him kindness once, and he believed it was that which had stopped him from being entirely poisoned by his need for revenge.
‘Your Royal Highness, it’s Giraldus. Are you there?’ the man called out into the forest.
Brand stilled.
He heard Rebel snort, and with a shift of annoyance realised his faithful steed was now in enemy hands. He vowed to himself he would get his animal back when the time was right. But that had been close—it could have been them. Now they would have to cover the rest of the ground to Kald on foot.
‘Hand the Princess over, Dane, and you will not be harmed. There’s nowhere to go.’
Brand needed to focus. To weigh up the situation. But he was finding it difficult to concentrate on anything but the nearness of Anne. Her breath was coming in bursts against his throat… He noticed her usually pale skin was flushed and her gorgeous big green eyes were dilated… The air surrounding them felt charged as he continued to stare down at her.
His chest was almost pressing against hers… Was she as aware of him as he was of her?
‘You should give me up,’ she whispered. ‘I will go to them and you can run. I won’t tell them who you are or where you are going. I promise I won’t let them hurt you…’
Brand’s brow furrowed. Even now, at her most vulnerable as his prisoner, how could her thoughts be for him and not on escaping her situation? She was offering him freedom—despite the fact he’d kidnapped her. Well, she was a much better person than him—because there was no way he could let her go…not yet… He needed to see this through.
Brand felt her hand on his chest and stared down at her delicate fingers. It was the first time she’d touched him of her own accord, and his skin burned under her grip. He felt like a bull in silk chains. But his intuition, honed from years of fighting, told him she was about to push him away, as he’d done to his horse. She was about to make her location known to those men.
‘Brand—’
No!
Instinctively, he lowered his head and covered her lips with his to stop her from making another sound. The moment his firm lips captured hers, his traitorous body gave up the battle it had been fighting since the moment he’d seen her again and all thoughts of the soldiers drifted away.
It was the little gasp that came from the back of her throat that did it—that allowed him to glide his tongue inside her mouth in a hot, silky, sensual tour. He waited for her to pull back, to struggle, but the hands that had been about to push him away instead splayed out against his chest, and the smouldering rage he’d felt when he’d realised she was about to run to those men was transmuted into desire.
He drove his mouth down onto hers as his fingers twisted into the tangled mess of her hair. Her head tipped back into his hands and he angled her for better access, deepening the intensity of the kiss. He felt her whole body tremble as she surrendered with a backward sway, desperately clinging to his chainmail vest, and a spark of triumph shot through his body, right down to his groin.
The sound of galloping hooves leaving the forest and the feel of vibrations on the ground beneath their feet broke through the moment, helping him to recover his sanity. He stared down at her, his breathing ragged.
With fierce urgency she disentangled herself, finally pushing him away as she’d originally intended, dragging her hands over her face in flustered dismay.
‘What was that? What on earth do you think you’re doing?’ she gasped. Her cheeks were a pretty shade of pink, her eyes wide with stunned alarm.
He shoved his tunic sleeves up his arms and ran a hand over his beard. ‘I couldn’t have you crying out to your father’s servant, now, could I?’ he said, backing away from her. ‘It was the only way I could get you to be quiet.’
Her fingers flew up to her mouth as if he’d burned her. ‘Never do that again!’ she fumed, more than a little unsteady on her feet. She momentarily closed her eyes in what appeared to be an effort to keep calm and regain her composure.
Skit, he’d had no right to touch her. None! But he needed her to know he was a man who would do what was necessary, didn’t he?
‘No need to read anything into it, Highness,’ he said, trying to shrug it off as if it was nothing. ‘It was just a little kiss. Put it down as a mistake—one I won’t be making again. And besides,’ he added, ‘we have bigger things to worry about. We’re going to have to make the rest of the journey by foot. Can you walk, or do I need to throw you over my shoulder and carry you?’
‘I’ll walk!’ she bit out, stumbling away from him. ‘Just don’t touch me! Don’t ever touch me again!’
PURCHASE LINKS
Amazon UK - https://www.amazon.co.uk/gp/product/B096TBKQ7D
Amazon US - https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B096TBKQ7D
AUTHOR SOCIAL MEDIA LINK
Twitter - https://twitter.com/sarahrodiedits
