Page 123 of A Tale of Two Vikings

He shook his head.

“Will you come to Evergreen with me, then, to be my castellan?”

“I am sorry, but I want more from life than that. Vagn’s ‘death’ taught me much about what is important in life. I will not be your hired soldier, Esme.” Toste was about to add, but I will be your husband.

Before he could get those last words out, however, Esme’s face suffused with the red of outrage and she shoved him away from her. “Once a lout, always a lout!” she proclaimed as she stormed away from him.

He thought about going after her and making a formal declaration of his intentions. But he wanted everything to be just right before he asked her to wed with him. One more day…two at the most…and he would make everything right.

And after she accepted his proposal, he was planning on suggesting a different type of sex to her—a favorite of most women, hahaha. It was called cock-in-mouth sex.

Lights out at ten, candles out at eleven…

Vagn came to Helga’s tiny bedchamber carrying candles.

Her room was right next to the garderobe—not the most desirable location, but he suspected she found it a welcome spot, what with her often uneasy stomach and her frequent need to relieve herself.

“What are you doing here, you bothersome oaf?” were her first words of welcome. Her second were, “Those candles had better not be for what I think you intend.”

“Tsk tsk, Helga, get your mind out of the midden. I knew you were in a small room and would welcome some light when we talked.”

She was under a bed fur, naked he hoped, but not asleep, though the room was dark. Her long blond hair hung in a single braid down over her shoulder. “I do not welcome the light.”

Too bad. He’d already lit four of Eadyth’s precious beeswax candles and placed them about the chamber, which was so small there was scarce room for him to turn around.

He smiled cheerfully at her.

She stuck out her tongue at him.

He took that as a good sign.

He got down on one knee beside the bed and took her hand in his. “Helga, will you marry me?”

“Do you have a moat betwixt your ears, Vagn? Nay, nay, nay! How many times do I have to say that?” She tried to pull her hand out of his grasp while clutching her bed fur with the other. The fur had slid down to her breasts. She was indeed naked underneath.

Thank you, gods. “Till the answer becomes yes.”

“You have your brother now, Vagn. You have no need of me.”

“Well, yea, I do have a need of you,” he said, staring pointedly at her breast area.

“Not that kind of need, you libertine.”

“You say libertine in the most affectionate way, Helga. Didst know that?”

“Aaarrgh!”

“It is cold in this room without a hearth, Helga. I’d better slide under that bed fur with you…to warm you up.”

“Don’t you dare.”

He was already daring. He removed his half-boots and pushed her against the wall with his hip. The bed was barely big enough for one person, let alone two. Good! Then he turned on his side to stare at her.

He put a hand on her bare belly and asked, “Has the babe moved yet?”

She slapped his hand away. “I told you, babes don’t move this early.”

“Let’s have sex.” There are times when directness is the best policy.