Lingering in bed with Ulrik on Sunday was in a league of its own. First, it started with waking up to his mouth dropping soft and lazy kisses on my bare shoulder, his breath tickling the delicate skin of my neck. That was a great way to start the day, making me grin wide before I'd even opened my eyes. Then some cuddling, filled with whispers and wandering hands, which had inevitably transformed into slow, lazy morning sex.

Or at least, it had started lazy and slow until I'd flipped us around to straddle him with intensity. Fucking was easy, fucking was uncomplicated, and it didn't make my heart swell and ache as much. While I was fine with embracing this connection we had, to explore that insane chemistry, I wasn't entirely ready to put my heart in the balance. Not that I had much of a choice in the matter, as this man had always been so good at tearing down my defenses and getting under my skin.

Shielding my heart wasn't so simple. Not when all he had to do to steal it was to reach out for it. Good thing he wasn't aware of it. Not yet.

My phone buzzing pulled us out of the warm cocoon we were wrapped into, ripping us away from our post-orgasmic bliss. "Shit," I mumbled, reading the text in the notifications.

"What?"

"It's Gigi. She wants to do some yoga again."

"Well, you're already warmed up," he humorously pointed out.

Pouting like a child, I wriggled closer to him with a whimper. "I don't wanna go."

"Won't she suspect something if you refuse?"

I considered giving it a thought, but the conclusion came fast. "Ugh... She might, yeah."

His fingers traced random spirals and swirls on my back and shoulder, igniting delightful shivers under the skin he grazed. "Would it help if I came down to work out, too?"

"So, you think having the privilege of watching you work out is an incentive good enough? Maybe you do have an ego problem," I joked.

His hand found my ribs under the covers, and he pinched me, making me jolt with a giggling squeal. "I meant so you're not alone, you idiot."

"I know." To ease the jab, I kissed the tattooed skin of his pec. "It would help, but don't feel forced on my account."

"I don't mind—on the contrary. It would be good after those few days of chaos."

"We've been keeping up with the cardio alright. Time to lift weights. We'd hate for those muscles to go anywhere." I ran my hand over the perfect slabs of his abs, very appreciative of them. It might have been shallow of me, but damn, I loved his body as it was. The man behind the skin was as enticing, for sure, but this perfect exterior was very much to my tastes, and my greediness pushed me to want more of it. To want all of it. With a contented sigh, I pushed against his firm stomach to lift myself up.

"Alright, let's get ready. You'll get to watch my ass, and I'll get to watch you be all sexy and strong."

"Aye, aye, captain."

Since we'd be all sweaty again soon, we forewent the shower but did some speedy maintenance where our morning sex had left a mess. Dressed in our gym clothes, we made a halt in the kitchen for a quick bite, agreeing that we'd eat adequately later. With our stomachs reasonably full, we then made our way downstairs to the luxurious home gym.

Like I had done the week prior, I took out everything I needed from the hidden closet and settled it in a corner. Ulrik clearly had his own habits, and by the time I dialed Gigi, he was already starting with his warm-up. My friend on the other side of the North Sea was quick to reply, and seeing her bright smile and familiar face filled me with happiness. Although I was having so much fun here in the Westergaard estate, I missed her. She was so much more than my roommate. Gigi was also my best friend and might as well have been a sister to me.

"So, how have you been doing?" she excitedly asked. "You were off all day yesterday."

"Yes, sorry about that. I finally got to enter the archives and spent the day going over a small portion of them."

"Did you find anything interesting so far ?"

"Many things, actually. I think Ulrik's collection holds secrets that were never uncovered before."

"Oh my God, that's exciting!"

"I know! That's why I don't know yet when I'll come back to London. I would need at the very least two weeks to go over the archives, but I can't stay that long away from work. So for now, I will see what I can do and then come home when it feels like I've done enough."

"We miss you here," she said with a pout.

"And I miss you too. Now, I don't want to rush you, but should we start?"

"Sure. Put your phone in a way that lets me see him work out again," she humored.

But I knew it wasn't entirely a joke, so I indulged with a chuckle. While we started with our stretching, I asked her about how things were at home. To my relief, the cats were doing well, and so was Gigi. Vick was still a strong contender, and hearing her talk about them had me elated for her.

Now and then, my eyes met Ulrik's in the mirrors, and every time, heat rose within me, aware of the underlying message in his gaze. That insatiable hunger between us was more potent than anything else I'd ever known.

The secretive charade went on for nearly forty-five minutes before Gigi let out a heavy sigh and sat back on her heels.

"Okay, are you really not going to tell me?"

"Tell you what?"

"That you and that sexy piece of blond ass are shagging."

My heart skipped a beat right before hammering in my chest. I should have guessed she'd notice something. She knew me too well. "I'm not—We're not—"

"Oh please, don't. It's offensive enough that you thought I wouldn't realize, so don't add lies to the offense."

I pinched my lips together, looking away from the screen to glimpse at Ulrik in the mirror. He was bench pressing, his earphones still on. "What gave it away?" I asked Gigi, still not daring to look at her.

"Do you want all the clues?"

"Go for it, yeah."

"Well, first of all, you made zero effort to look alluring, which means he's already seen you at your worst. And I've seen you after sex: that's your worst."

"Bitch."

She smiled, unaffected. "Also, last week, he looked at your arse like he wanted to rip your leggings and see it. But today, he's looking at it like he already got to."

"You seriously can tell the difference?" I asked, impressed.

"Yeah. Also, you wince every time we're doing a minge-stretching exercise."

Alright, the clues were plentiful. I looked back at Ulrik, who was busy bench-pressing too many plates for me to count.

"So, how was it ?" Gigi impishly asked, wriggling her eyebrows.

"I'm sure you already deduced the answer to that."

"I think I did, yeah. When did it start? How?"

"Could we finish our session first?" I suggest.

"Ugh, fine. But then you're telling me everything without sparing a single detail."

Fifteen minutes later, we were done and doing breathing exercises when Ulrik left the gym. Seeing him leave compelled Gigi to bombard me with a series of questions, which I did my best to answer. But because I had a suspicion that he was waiting for me in the sauna, I eventually cut short my call with her and walked out of the gym.

Since it was the proper etiquette, I quickly showered first and headed to the sauna. As suspected, it was on, and a humid towel was hanging by the door. This time, I didn't think twice about what to do with mine. Leaving the towel next to his, I entered the sauna brazenly naked. His attention darted to me the instant the door opened, and it never left me all the way to the bench where I sat with my legs crossed, facing him.

We observed one another for several moments, and I reveled in the sight of him with his muscles, tattoos, and perfect body.

"Did you have a good workout?" I asked, compelling his gaze to leave my breasts and meet mine instead.

"I did. And the view was splendid. You?"

"Same. I was still a bit sore, though."

Something flickered in his tempestuous eyes. "Sore where?"

"Everywhere, but mostly there," I explained, pointing at my intimacy, shielded from his view by my crossed legs.

"Show me."

A heat that had nothing to do with the surrounding steam made its way inside me. It was insane to think that we had been in this exact situation merely a week ago, still holding back on our impulses and desires. So now, as I slowly parted my legs for him to look at my folds, I couldn't help but revel in the drastic changes in our dynamics.

"Should I massage you like I did your ankle last time?" he cleverly suggested.

I shrugged, holding back a grin. "It can't hurt. Especially if you do it with your tongue."

He didn't need a clearer invitation, so he slid down to kneel before me. I adjusted my legs to pass them over his shoulder, and his tongue landed on my clit at the same moment my feet touched the edge of the seat opposite me.

A breathy sigh poured out of me as my hands reached for his hair, fingers tightening in the wet strands.

We were far from being satiated yet. Even though we'd fucked for a good portion of the night, I still wanted more of him. So much more.

Tomorrow, Yuko was coming back from her stay in the hospital. That meant we'd have to slow down with all the sex going on. With her in the house, Ulrik could hardly pay me a visit in the archive room to fuck my brains out.

In the meantime, though, we were allowed to have some fun.

With a contented sigh, I leaned back onto the wood behind me, spreading my knees further, looking down at Ulrik's dark blonde head between my legs.

Damn, this trip to Norway was truly something else...

***

After our steamy moment in the steam room, we showered again and dressed for the day. When I returned to the main space, Ulrik was cooking something that smelled delicious.

"What are you cooking?"

"There are scones in the oven with tomatoes and mushrooms, I cracked open a can of beans, and the sausages are grilling."

"Oh, you're making me an English breakfast?"

"Thought you might miss it after nearly two weeks away."

I smiled broadly, walking up to him and wrapping an arm around his solid neck. "Good to know you're not getting me used to it again because you want to throw me out."

"Shit, was my master plan so obvious?"

I chuckled at his terrible acting skills. The giggles turned into a small yelp when he lifted me off my feet to sit me on the counter. Now that I was leveled with his face, he ravished me with a deep, longing kiss. Earlier in the sauna, he'd made me orgasm with his mouth and fingers, never expecting anything in return. I was a little too dazed to think of returning him the favor, anyway. The intensity of his kiss betrayed how much he wanted me.

When he released me to return to the sausages, I noticed the bulge in his pants. The poor man... After all, it had been a couple of hours since he'd last come.

"How much longer for the scones?" I asked.

He checked on the oven. "Six minutes."

My teeth clamped on the inside of my cheek to hold back my smile as I slid off the counter. Since I was barefoot, he didn't hear me coming, and he jumped slightly when my hand reached around him to turn off the stove.

"What are you doing?" he wondered, squinting at me.

I already had my hands unfastening the button at his waist. "Do you think I can make you come with my mouth before the scones are done?"

His pupils expanded at the challenge, and he didn't stop me when I slipped a hand into his underwear to grab onto his growing erection. "I think anything's possible with you, Miss Connelly."

My bright grin apparently warranted a quick peck, and then I made my way lower, kneeling before him while shoving his shorts down. As I looked at the perfection that was his dick, I realized that I'd never welcomed it in my mouth. He was always eager and ready to go down on me, but the opportunity to reciprocate never arose. About time we fixed that.

Just as I leaned forward to press a kiss on the swollen head, which poked through the foreskin, his hand gently reached down to tilt my face up. I complied, meeting his intense blue gaze, and the things I read in it had my chest swelling.

"You know you'll drive me mad one day, right?"

"The good kind of mad, or the bad kind?" I teased, giving his shaft a playful pump.

"Both."

When I bent forward this time, he didn't interrupt me, and I gave his tip a wet kiss. Then, I pulled the skin back and licked the dent underneath the shiny end. Before he could see it coming, I wrapped my lips around his girth and sucked, bobbing my head a few times while rolling my tongue around his smooth tip.

"Fucking hell..." he cursed in his native language when I pulled away. "Definitely both, kjære."

His words delighted me almost as much as the clear drops that seeped out of him. Two hours was definitely too long.

I was just taking him back when the worst possible sound resonated from the other side of the room.

The elevator.

Someone was using it, and it had just arrived with an elegant "Ding."

When I looked up, Ulrik's eyes darted down with the same panicked shock. What the—

He was the first one to react, pulling his shorts up, but before he could even start on the zipper or before I could get up, I heard the doors of the elevator parting.

"I am home!" Yuko's familiar voice called into the vast space.

Fuck. Shit. Fuck!