Credits talk. I want us to be more profitable, more stable, before we start to invite tour groups to our solstice celebrations, if that makes sense.”
She’d shifted closer as he talked, close enough to take his hand in hers and squeeze. “It does. And I want to help. I’m just a liaison officer, but I can write reports, try and convince my CO…” She shrugged. “It’s not much, but I’ll do what I can.”
“I think you can do more than that. I did some research into your FedNat contract and if—”
“You did what?” She wheeled on him, eyes blazing.
Damn. He’d meant to share that later. When they were alone and she could storm around his farmhouse throwing things while he laid out the whole plan. Once she heard everything…but it was too late.
“Reinn Ragnarson. What. Did. You. Do.” She hissed each word as its own sentence under her breath.
“Quietly, without naming names, I looked into the loopholes for getting you out of your commission.”
“Why?” The question burst out of her with a concerning amount of heat.
He pushed forward anyway. “So you could be my wife.”
Chest heaving, eyes blazing, she held up her hand and took a giant step back. “Whoa, buster.”
Behind her, people were turning and looking. He leaned back and crossed his arms. “We’re attracting attention, min elskede .”
She froze, then swallowed hard and stepped closer again. She levelled him with a beyond grumpy look, then settled on the bench beside him. Not close enough to touch, but she hadn’t turned on her heel and fled, either.
“You wanted a different kind of proposal?”
“Yes.”
“But you wanted a proposal.”
“No.” She worked her jaw back and forth. “We just met. Marriage isn’t something to rush into hastily.”
“Maybe not. But due to circumstances beyond our control, it’s the only way to be together.”
She snorted. “Wow, romantic.”
“I had a whole thing planned back at my farm. I was going to take you there on my boat.”
“That sounds vaguely like a kidnapping.” He shrugged and she laughed. “You would, wouldn’t you? Drag me off by my hair so I wouldn’t make a scene.”
He leaned over, keeping his eyes straight ahead at the revellers. “I’m not the one who needs to keep our affair a secret. You go on and make all the scene you want.”
“We’re not having an affair.”
“My tongue would disagree. It can still taste you.”
She bit back a groan.
“My cock, on the other hand, isn’t sure. It hasn’t had the pleasure of being buried deep inside you yet. But it does remember grinding against your tight little ass two weeks ago, and would very much like to do that again. Preferably without any clothes in between us this time.”
“You’re crazy,” she whispered, her cheeks beet red.
“Crazy for you. Crazy enough to say let’s get married. You’d have a right to be stationed near your husband, or they’d let you out of our commission.”
“I should give up my career to be your wife?” She looked him straight in the eye and rolled her eyes. “You’re overestimating how much I liked your tongue.”
“This isn’t about sex, but no, I’m not. I’ve been married before—”
“Don’t remind me—”
“And what we have? It’s nothing like that. That was strategic and convenient.”
“That’s exactly what you—” She spluttered and frowned. “That is exactly what you are suggesting. If you don’t see that, then this conversation is pointless.”
She stood and marched back into the square, disappearing into the crowd.
7
She didn’t know what she was more steamed about: that he’d presumed to make this decision for her or that his proposal wasn’t more romantic.
It made sense. A fling would reflect badly on the mission. A fairy tale love story would work to everyone’s advantage, binding the two worlds more closely together.
If only that was the truth, she’d dive in head first, because she knew they loved each other. But
She’d shifted closer as he talked, close enough to take his hand in hers and squeeze. “It does. And I want to help. I’m just a liaison officer, but I can write reports, try and convince my CO…” She shrugged. “It’s not much, but I’ll do what I can.”
“I think you can do more than that. I did some research into your FedNat contract and if—”
“You did what?” She wheeled on him, eyes blazing.
Damn. He’d meant to share that later. When they were alone and she could storm around his farmhouse throwing things while he laid out the whole plan. Once she heard everything…but it was too late.
“Reinn Ragnarson. What. Did. You. Do.” She hissed each word as its own sentence under her breath.
“Quietly, without naming names, I looked into the loopholes for getting you out of your commission.”
“Why?” The question burst out of her with a concerning amount of heat.
He pushed forward anyway. “So you could be my wife.”
Chest heaving, eyes blazing, she held up her hand and took a giant step back. “Whoa, buster.”
Behind her, people were turning and looking. He leaned back and crossed his arms. “We’re attracting attention, min elskede .”
She froze, then swallowed hard and stepped closer again. She levelled him with a beyond grumpy look, then settled on the bench beside him. Not close enough to touch, but she hadn’t turned on her heel and fled, either.
“You wanted a different kind of proposal?”
“Yes.”
“But you wanted a proposal.”
“No.” She worked her jaw back and forth. “We just met. Marriage isn’t something to rush into hastily.”
“Maybe not. But due to circumstances beyond our control, it’s the only way to be together.”
She snorted. “Wow, romantic.”
“I had a whole thing planned back at my farm. I was going to take you there on my boat.”
“That sounds vaguely like a kidnapping.” He shrugged and she laughed. “You would, wouldn’t you? Drag me off by my hair so I wouldn’t make a scene.”
He leaned over, keeping his eyes straight ahead at the revellers. “I’m not the one who needs to keep our affair a secret. You go on and make all the scene you want.”
“We’re not having an affair.”
“My tongue would disagree. It can still taste you.”
She bit back a groan.
“My cock, on the other hand, isn’t sure. It hasn’t had the pleasure of being buried deep inside you yet. But it does remember grinding against your tight little ass two weeks ago, and would very much like to do that again. Preferably without any clothes in between us this time.”
“You’re crazy,” she whispered, her cheeks beet red.
“Crazy for you. Crazy enough to say let’s get married. You’d have a right to be stationed near your husband, or they’d let you out of our commission.”
“I should give up my career to be your wife?” She looked him straight in the eye and rolled her eyes. “You’re overestimating how much I liked your tongue.”
“This isn’t about sex, but no, I’m not. I’ve been married before—”
“Don’t remind me—”
“And what we have? It’s nothing like that. That was strategic and convenient.”
“That’s exactly what you—” She spluttered and frowned. “That is exactly what you are suggesting. If you don’t see that, then this conversation is pointless.”
She stood and marched back into the square, disappearing into the crowd.
7
She didn’t know what she was more steamed about: that he’d presumed to make this decision for her or that his proposal wasn’t more romantic.
It made sense. A fling would reflect badly on the mission. A fairy tale love story would work to everyone’s advantage, binding the two worlds more closely together.
If only that was the truth, she’d dive in head first, because she knew they loved each other. But
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