Page 88 of My Fair Viking

"You are teasing me," she guessed. "Women are not usually so blunt, are they?"

"Nay, they are not. It is a refreshing change."

"Well, how would this be for bluntness? I want you. You want me. Let's do it."

His eyes went wide. His face reddened. A sputtering sound came from his mouth. He reached for a nearby tabletop to support his presumably shaky knees. And his manpart looked as if it might explode.

Adam was out of control.

He inhaled and exhaled several times to calm himself. It didn't work.

"Tyra, what is going on with you? We discussed this two days ago. Remember that conversation that prompted you to stop talking to me?"

"I thought about it… a great deal, and I came to this conclusion. I knew I was going to have to sleep in the same bed furs with you… naked… because that was what I agreed to."

"Of course. The honor-bound soldier would never do anything so feminine as change her mind. Thank God!"

She glowered at him and continued, "But I also knew that I had fallen under your erotic spell."

"I have no magic powers. If I did, I would have wielded them long ago. Like back in Northumbria when you first kidnapped me."

"No man has ever wanted me the way that you appear to."

I do. I do. "Your Norsemen must be blind."

"This is my view of the situation. I can always find a man to couple with me…"

A wave of intense jealousy overcame him.

"… but I may never have the opportunity again to mate with a man who makes me feel so… so… desirable."

He started to reach for her, then stopped himself. There were still obstacles to overcome.

"Plus, the women of Stoneheim are all abuzz over the advice you gave to Arnora."

"Arnora?" He frowned. "Oh, the young woman with eight children."

She nodded. "You told her of a method to prevent conception. You said a woman is safe three days afore her monthly flux and eight days after."

"Safe is not the correct word." He shook his head vehemently. "The cycle technique is not infallible. My stepmother Rain was a famous physician… in fact, she was a bit barmy at times… claimed to have come from a future time when women practiced many forms of birth control… men, too. The one thing she emphasized was that it was not perfect."

Tyra waved a hand airily. "My monthly flux is due two days hence. Therefore, I am in that safe zone."

"Tyra, Tyra, Tyra. Are you listening to me? What happens if it does not work? What happens if you become pregnant?"

"This is the way I figure it. We make love tonight, and only tonight… during a time of presumed safety. We should be on board ship, on the return trip to Northumbria, when my monthly time comes. If the flux fails to occur, you will know, and we will deal with it then."

"You do not agree to give up rights to a child you carry?"

"I do not." She sighed and seemed to decide on a different tactic. "Of course, there is another solution. I could bed with Gunter and Egil tomorrow night. Then if I do increase, no one will know who the father is."

"Absolutely not."

She held his gaze, waiting. Then her face reddened and she reached down for her tunic. "It appears I made a mistake coming here. I will depart."

"Nay!" he practically shouted. "Do not go."

She halted, and tilted her head in question.