Harper George - Enslaved by the Viking

Before he had even quite realised he was doing it, his thumb was stroking over that plump lower lip and he was watching it tremble beneath his touch.

His breath came fast, matching the accelerated beat of his heart. It would be so easy to lose himself. The lust firing his blood wanted to claim her. It was that part that took charge as he leaned down to her.

His hand moved from her chin so his fingers stroked her neck, revelling in her heat and the rapid beat of her pulse under them. Her scent overpowered him. Just one taste of her, the demon within him urged. Just one taste and it would be enough. He breathed her in as his head lowered to her. His eyes fastened on her coral mouth.

When his lips were just a breath from touching hers she turned her head. He stopped just short of colliding with her cheek and paused, his breath harsh against her skin as he struggled for control.

HARPER ST GEORGEwas raised in rural Alabama and along the tranquil coast of northwest Florida. It was this setting, filled with stories of the old days, that instilled in her a love of history, romance and adventure. At high school she discovered the romance novel, which combined all of those elements into one perfect package. She lives in Atlanta, Georgia, with her husband and two young children. Visit her website: www.harperstgeorge.com

Digital short stories by Harper St George

His Abductor’s Desire Her Forbidden Gunslinger

This is Harper St George’s powerful debut novel for Mills & Boon ® Historical Romance!

Visit the author profile page at millsandboon.co.uk

Enslaved by the Viking

Harper St. George

www.millsandboon.co.uk

For my family.

Thank you to Kathryn Cheshire, my wonderful editor, for all of her insightful advice and her willingness to help guide me. I’d also like to thank Linda Fildew for her support. Thank you to my agent, Nicole Resciniti, for her enthusiasm and encouragement. A huge thank you to my amazing critique partners Erin Moore and Tara Wyatt. This story would not have been finished without them. Thank you to Jessica Brace, Andrea R. Cooper, Rachel Ezzo, Brandee Frost and Nathan Jerpe for reading, offering advice and commiserating with me!

Contents

Cover

Introduction Before he had even quite realised he was doing it, his thumb was stroking over that plump lower lip and he was watching it tremble beneath his touch. His breath came fast, matching the accelerated beat of his heart. It would be so easy to lose himself. The lust firing his blood wanted to claim her. It was that part that took charge as he leaned down to her. His hand moved from her chin so his fingers stroked her neck, revelling in her heat and the rapid beat of her pulse under them. Her scent overpowered him. Just one taste of her, the demon within him urged. Just one taste and it would be enough. He breathed her in as his head lowered to her. His eyes fastened on her coral mouth. When his lips were just a breath from touching hers she turned her head. He stopped just short of colliding with her cheek and paused, his breath harsh against her skin as he struggled for control.

Title Page Enslaved by the Viking Harper St. George www.millsandboon.co.uk

About the Author HARPER ST GEORGE was raised in rural Alabama and along the tranquil coast of northwest Florida. It was this setting, filled with stories of the old days, that instilled in her a love of history, romance and adventure. At high school she discovered the romance novel, which combined all of those elements into one perfect package. She lives in Atlanta, Georgia, with her husband and two young children. Visit her website: www.harperstgeorge.com Digital short stories by Harper St George His Abductor’s Desire Her Forbidden Gunslinger This is Harper St George’s powerful debut novel for Mills & Boon ® Historical Romance! Visit the author profile page at millsandboon.co.uk

Dedication For my family. Thank you to Kathryn Cheshire, my wonderful editor, for all of her insightful advice and her willingness to help guide me. I’d also like to thank Linda Fildew for her support. Thank you to my agent, Nicole Resciniti, for her enthusiasm and encouragement. A huge thank you to my amazing critique partners Erin Moore and Tara Wyatt. This story would not have been finished without them. Thank you to Jessica Brace, Andrea R. Cooper, Rachel Ezzo, Brandee Frost and Nathan Jerpe for reading, offering advice and commiserating with me!

Chapter One

Chapter Two

Chapter Three

Chapter Four

Chapter Five

Chapter Six

Chapter Seven

Chapter Eight

Chapter Nine

Chapter Ten

Chapter Eleven

Chapter Twelve

Chapter Thirteen

Chapter Fourteen

Chapter Fifteen

Chapter Sixteen

Chapter Seventeen

Chapter Eighteen

Chapter Nineteen

Chapter Twenty

Chapter Twenty-One

Chapter Twenty-Two

Chapter Twenty-Three

Chapter Twenty-Four

Chapter Twenty-Five

Chapter Twenty-Six

Chapter Twenty-Seven

Chapter Twenty-Eight

Chapter Twenty-Nine

Chapter Thirty

Epilogue

Extract

Copyright

Chapter One

Northumbria —AD 865

Eirik had never taken a captive before, but the idea that she could be his was nearly overpowering. He closed his eyes in an attempt to fight back the dark thought, but when he opened them and she still hadn’t seen their boats, his heartbeat quickened. The longing sent his blood thrumming through his body so that it roared in his ears and blocked out almost everything else except his awareness of her.

For two years he’d been the leader of this fleet of longships. Even before that, he’d travelled under his father’s command to far-reaching ends of the world. He’d become adept at reading signs, at picking up on cues that would go unnoticed by most, at trusting his instincts. It was why his men trusted him so explicitly. And now his instincts were telling him to take her.

She should have noticed them by now—after all, he could see her through the fog, so she should be able to see them. But she twirled in the dark mist as if she hadn’t a care in her world. Perhaps the gods had left her there just for him. He blinked and banished the thought, his warrior’s instinct taking over. There were no signal fires along the beach. Either the guards were asleep or there were no guards. Someone should be out walking with the girl, but she danced alone, a gift to be plucked from the desolate shores and taken home.

Eirik looked up and down the beach, searching for signs of an ambush, some shape that would emerge from the gloom and reveal itself to be an army of Saxons. Perhaps the girl had been planted as an enticement. Or perhaps something more sinister was at play. He’d heard tales of sirens who lured men to their deaths. They usually inhabited mythical islands that the sea swallowed up again, but it was possible the Northumbrian coast offered its own sirens. But the beach was empty and a quick look at the men rowing assured him that no one else had been enthralled by her as he had. Perhaps she was his own personal siren.

Her lithe form swayed as she twirled, luxuriating in abandon and unrestraint. The spell she wove pulled at him, promising freedom from the bonds of duty and the shadows of his past that had always held him in such rigid control. He wanted to join her and was struck by the absurdity of the thought. She was just a girl, like any other he’d seen in his travels, but he could name the exact moment she’d picked his shape out of the dense fog. Her gaze ignited small flares of awareness, and when it met his, he was struck by a strange shock of recognition. He’d never seen her before, never been this far north on these shores, but the feeling that she was his was there all the same.