Page 45 of A Tale of Two Vikings

Something strange was going on here, he thought.

He took a strand of her golden hair between his thumb and forefinger, testing its silkiness.

Under normal circumstances, Helga would have slapped his hand away. Instead, she seemed to steel herself for his touch.

Deciding to test the waters, he let his hand drop lower and caress her arm. Just the backs of his fingers, from shoulder to elbow to wrist. She shivered, as if it were bare flesh he touched, not the fabric of her gown. And it was a good shiver, too…not one of revulsion.

“So you are not wearing undergarments,” he said, softly enough so her father would not overhear, though Gorm was still talking animatedly to someone on his other side.

“I lied.”

“Really? ’Tis a shame. I like imagining you with nothing underneath.”

“Why?”

“Why? Are you so naive that you do not know the effect a naked woman has on a man?” He glanced pointedly down at his groin.

She blushed but said nothing.

Just as he had thought…something strange was going on with Helga. He downed the remainder of ale in his horn, set it down, then rested his chin in his palm, his elbow braced on the table, and scrutinized her closely. “To be more precise, Helga, you have set my manpart to humming.”

“Hu…humming?” she sputtered.

“Yea—not quite a throb, but certainly not lying still. Humming.”

“That is so crude.”

He shrugged. “Sex is crude.”

“I wouldn’t know.”

“Would you like me to show you?”

“Nay!” she exclaimed. Then immediately amended it to, “I am not sure.”

Whoa! That was a big, big step for this formerly aloof woman…the one whose father had described as having female parts like a dried-up raisin. An outrageous idea came to him unbidden. “Are you trying to seduce me, Helga?”

“And if I am?”

Not the answer he’d expected! “Then I’m confused. I would flip you on your back and have my way with you in a trice, and you well know it. Why the sudden turnabout?”

Helga’s face was flaming red. She stood and glared down at him. “Never mind, you coarse-tongued lout. I’ve changed my mind.” With that, she stormed off, hips swaying, presumably bare buttocks getting an airing from under her swishing gunna.

“You can’t play games with me, Helga, and end it so abruptly,” he growled at her departing back.

“The game is over, Viking,” she replied without breaking stride and without turning back to look at him. Within seconds, she was out of sight.

“Not bloody likely,” Vagn said to no one in particular. There was one thing women just did not understand about men. You could not plant a sexual idea in a man’s head and expect it to melt away. This game Helga had started would be played out to the end, Vagn vowed. By his rules, not hers.

He couldn’t wait.

Never play with fire…or a hot Viking…

Later that night, Helga was relaxing in the warm bubbling waters of the bathhouse, berating herself silently for her sad attempt at seduction.

There were certain times of day set aside for males and females to use the steam baths. This was the time for females of the household, although Helga was the only one there now, everyone else having the good sense to go to their bed furs on this cold night.

Just then, the outside door opened and in walked what was definitely not a female. It was Vagn.