Page 72 of Viking Unchained

“Oh, yeah! I helped my friend Julie set up a website when she first invented it,www.penileglove.com .

These guys here are just jealous because Julie is now a millionaire, and I made a bundle investing early on.”

After a long silence, Thorfinn remarked, “My brother Steven would love this sex glove. He’s as halfbrained as the rest of you.” Then he asked, “What is a bundle?”

Everyone laughed, not at all offended, and Geek explained, “A bundle is a lot of money.”

“How much?”

“Never mind.”

“Anyhow,” Ian said, swiping tears of mirth from his eyes, “has good ol’ Julie come up with any new inventions lately?”

“Actually, yes. We’re working on the new website tonight. ”

“And it’s called?” Slick prompted.

“Tentatively,www.niplicks.com . And that’s all I’m gonna say on the subject.”

More silence as everyone let what Geek had said sink in and draw vivid mind pictures. Then there was a communal smile.

Before anyone could ask more questions, Geek glanced across the room, then stood.

The woman who approached was of medium height, compared to Geek’s long, lean frame. She was striking, with short spiked purple and blonde hair. Her curvaceous body, adorned in leather braies and a leather vest, would do a harem houri proud. Not that he had ever seen one wearing braies.

“Hey, lover!” the vixen said, raising herself on tiptoes to kiss the grinning Geek.

And Geek—the slyboots who gave the impression of only being interested in books and computers, of being ignorant about the ways of men and their baser urges— kissed her back, with vigor, and surely a bit of tongue. And, yes, that was his hand on her buttock.

’Twould seem they had all underestimated the supposedly shy Geek. ’Twould seem they had all just been given a lesson in making quick misjudgments about people.

If only that were true in his case! But, alas and alack, he’d seen the proof of his vixen’s perfidy with his own eyes.

Chapter 14

She’s gonna wash that man

right outta her heart, or die

trying . . .

On Saturday night, Lydia was on her hands and knees scrubbing the kitchen floor when she sat back on her knees, slapped the wet rag into the bucket, and exclaimed, “This is ridiculous!”

She had vacuumed and dusted every inch of her small home, including the closets. She’d rearranged the kitchen shelves, wiped off the window blinds, scoured the bathroom tiles, and baked three dozen chocolate-chip cookies to take for Mike this week. As if her mother didn’t bake on a daily basis!

All this to keep herself busy so she wouldn’t think about you-know-what. Or rather you-know-who.

Okay, you-know-what and you-know-who.

The rat fink’s look of disdain when he’d looked up at her from the grinder yesterday would be imprinted on her mind forever. What had she ever done to merit such scorn? Yeah, she’d said she couldn’t be involved with a military man again. Maybe he’d taken it personally. Of course he had. But it wasn’t.

Really.

If he’d appeared the least bit hurt, maybe she could understand. Or forgive. But he’d looked at her like she was a piece of crap.

So, Lydia followed her usual pattern when something happened to her, aside from the fanatical cleaning.

First, she was shocked. Then, hurt. Then, angry. And finally she shifted into determination. She would be damned if she would let him make her feel so bad. After all, she hardly knew him.