Lexi thanked Charlotte and headed back up to the flat. Not sure when Raed would be able to return, she put on the kettle to make a pot of tea and sat down in the living room to wait for the water to boil. She picked up the book she had bought for her father and started to flip through the pages.
When she reached the section about the Sutton Hoo burial ship, a picture of a purse lid drew her attention. The kidney shaped lid, which would have at one time covered a leather pouch, had three geometric motifs running along the top with two stylized birds facing each other on the bottom center. The intricate metal cell work done in garnet, gold and blue attached to a sheet of horn was very ornamental. On either side of the birds was the exact same image Raed had tattooed on his left arm—two wolves with a man in between them. Had Raed picked that particular image for his tattoo because it was the design found with the items excavated from the tomb that was supposedly King Raedwald's?
Thinking Raed may have some interest in Sutton Hoo because of his tattoo, Lexi read some of the history about it. The burial ship hadn't been small, with oar-rests for forty oarsmen. The benches and mast had been removed from the central section, where they figured the body had been. Alongside had been a number of grave goods interred at the same time, amongst them a ceremonial helmet with a full face mask, shield fittings, spears, a sword, a sword-harness, silver bowls, spoons, shoulder clasps, a great buckle and the purse lid. Lexi didn't know much about these things, but the legend that King Raedwald of East Anglia had been buried with the ship rang true.
Lexi spent the next half hour reading about Sutton Hoo while she drank a second cup of tea. Lost in the history of the Anglo-Saxons, she jumped when a knock came on her door. She opened it to find the locksmith standing on the other side. After he gave the doorknob a cursory look, he assured her he would have it replaced in no time.
The locksmith had just finished when Raed arrived. He paid the man and took the extra key, promising to give it to Lexi's landlady. Once they were alone, he pulled Lexi into his arms and kissed her senseless.
Knowing where this would lead, Lexi ended the kiss. She shook her head. "Slow down there, buddy. You promised me answers."
"How about I make you a deal? You drop the extra key off with your landlady then come and spend the rest of the week with me at the manor. After that, we can take things from there. If you say yes, then I'll answer all your questions."
"You want me to stay at your place? I want answers as soon as we arrive. And that's bribery, by the way. You're also changing the terms of our original deal."
Raed kissed the tip of her nose. "You'll get your answers, I promise. I would feel better if I knew you weren't alone."
"I do live alone back in the States, you know. It's not as if I'm not used to being on my own."
"Just say yes, Lexi," Raed said with a groan. "Please. You're only here for a month. I find myself not wanting to waste any minute I can get with you."
Lexi felt the same way, but she wasn't ready to admit how she felt to Raed. "Since you asked so nicely, and didn't order me back to your place, my answer is yes. But, I'm driving there in my rental car so I can come and go when I please. I'm going to play the part of a tourist at some point, and I'm sure you don't want to follow me while I wander around; you've probably seen the sights a thousand times over."
"You have a deal, but I don't mind going sightseeing with you. I'll get to see them through your eyes. Maybe you will give me a different perspective of them."
Lexi chuckled. "My perspective may not be all it's cracked up to be. And I'm still taking my car."
Raed brushed his lips across hers before he turned her around and gave her a shove toward the bedroom. "Well, what are you waiting for? Go pack your clothes."
In a matter of minutes, Lexi threw a few belongings into the smallest suitcase she had brought with her from the States. Once she returned to the living room, Raed ushered her out of the flat. It only took her a minute to drop off the key to Charlotte at the bookstore. She knew moving in with Raed, even only for the rest of the week, seemed a bit rushed when it came to their relationship. But she had to go back to the States in less than a month, which didn't leave them much time. Hoping she wasn't about to make a mistake that would ruin what Raed and she had together, Lexi got into her rental car and followed his Mercedes-Benz back to his manor.
Chapter Eight
When they arrived at the manor, Raed motioned for Lexi to park her car next to the large garage. After he parked his car inside it, he deftly extracted the suitcase from her grip and led her inside.
Brand crossed their path on his way out the door. He only took the time to say to Raed, "Going out. Be back later." He gave Lexi a nod on the way past.
Lexi shook her head and smiled. "That's the most words I've heard Brand say."
Raed returned her smile. "When the mood takes him, Brand can be as talkative as the next person, though he has to indulge in a large amount of alcohol first. Needless to say, Brand doesn't overindulge very often."
With her hand in his, Raed took her up the stairs to his bedroom. He closed and locked the door behind them, put down her suitcase then wrapped her in his arms. His mouth closed over hers. In between kisses he said against her lips, "I wanted to . . . kiss you . . . all the way home."
Lexi threaded her fingers through his hair at the back of his neck. "And I've done nothing . . . since you left this morning . . . but think about how good it feels . . . to have you buried inside me. I want more."
Raed growled low in his throat as he nibbled the side of her neck. He lifted her off her feet and laid her on the center of his bed, following her down. "I can't leave the lady wanting."
He swiftly undid the buttons on her short-sleeved blouse. Once he parted the two halves, he cupped her breasts and bit down on one taut nipple through her bra. As he moved to tug at the other, Raed undid the front clasp. Pushing the bra aside, he sucked a nipple deep inside his mouth. Lexi gasped and wetness pooled inside her pussy with each pull of his mouth.
He released her nipple then moved on to the other as she squirmed beneath him.
She bunched the back of his t-shirt in her hands and pulled the material up. Raed raised himself off her just far enough so she could lift the front as well. As he settled back down on top her, Lexi pulled his shirt all the way off.
Raed inched his way down her body. When he came level with the front of her jeans, he quickly undid them and yanked them down past her hips. He left her panties on as he made short work of pulling her jeans down her legs and off. Raed used his wide shoulders to spread her legs farther apart. He cupped her bottom then dragged the flat of his tongue along the crotch of her panties. Lexi moaned, a throbbing ache building between her legs.
She rocked her hips against his mouth as he continued to lap at her pussy through the thin material. Her panties grew wet, Raed's saliva mixing with her leaking juices. She yanked at his hair and groaned, needing a firmer touch.
Raed hooked a finger on either side of her panties and pushed down. Instead of pulling them down, he parted the material in half as if he'd cut them with a knife. What was left of her underwear ended up on the floor next to the bed.
Raed circled her clit with his tongue and she lifted her hips. She moaned loudly as two hard fingers delved between the lips of her wet pussy. He sucked on her clit and fingered her, driving her wild with desire. She lifted her head off the mattress. The sight of Raed's mouth on her pussy as he licked and sucked her clit was almost enough to send her over the edge.