“All the women are staring at you, Jess,” Elloven said. “Even the ones with their own men.”
“Don’t even notice anymore.”
“Add ‘modest’ to your list of many charms.” She laughed. “Who knew this shy little boy would become a professional breaker of hearts?”
“Women should pick better men if the one they have leaves them unfulfilled.”
“You’d know a thing or two about that, I hear.”
He scooped an arm around her back and held her hand in his. “You think I’ve ever left a woman unsatisfied?”
Elloven cleared her throat near his neck. “I meant... the opposite... that you are...”
“A virtuoso of tongue? A wunderkind of pleasure? A master of c?—”
“You made your point.” She tried to push them into a faster tempo, but he planted his feet. “This isn’t a slow step, Jesstin. We do need to move.”
“Yes, I know this, El,” he said through gritted teeth. His hands could swing a broadsword with precision, his legs could run ten miles without rest, and together they could lift twice his body weight... but dancing? Moving in some predetermined rhythm that everyone around him except him knew how to do?
“There really are several women staring at you. Not one is trying to hide it,” Elloven said. “I have half a mind to go say something.”
Jesstin chuckled. He stopped short of telling her he found her outrage adorable. “Don’t.”
“Why not? It’s rude. You’re here with someone. They don’t know our situation.”
“If I kiss you again, will you let it go?”
“Excuse me?”
“It would send a message.”
Elloven scoffed in offense. “It’s just terrible manners is all.”
Jesstin grinned to himself. “Then you should never go back to Mythgarde. That’s all you’ll see in most of the taverns, women and men throwing looks across the room, seeing which ones get returned. Many of them are already spoken for. Some even come with their spouses.”
“That’s rather strange, no?”
“A matter of perspective. They know what they want and where to get it.”
“And you profit, so everyone wins?” she asked, teasing.
“Something like that.”
Elloven went quiet for a moment. “All those women in your tavern ‘throwing looks,’ and you’ve never been tempted?”
“When did I say I’ve never been tempted?” Jesstin retorted. “I’m still a man, Elloven.”
“Only, it seems an odd choice for a man determined to preserve his celibacy to surround himself with nothing but temptation.”
“Temptation keeps a man strong,” he said, close to her ear. “Restraint is like a muscle. Gets stronger with practice.”
“I admire your restraint then. Most men have neither the restraint nor the character to ignore their primal urges.”
“And I appreciate your concern,” he said blithely, “but it’s not quite the drought you’re implying.”
“Right, right. I forgot about your sybaritic throne.”
“When patrons see their proprietor partaking in the offerings, they’re more apt to indulge in their own,” he answered, still grinning. “I can also see to my own needs, you know.”
