We returned to the camp when we finished bathing to find the fire was lit, and a stew was served.Cillian wasn’t around, so I assumed he was taking his turn at the stream.Bethel disappeared into her tent with a bowl of stew, and I plopped myself down by the fire to comb through my hair.It had grown long without Dana around to trim it regularly.My hair reflected the firelight as I moved my fingers through the golden strands.
I looked across the flames to see Torgrin watching me.When he realised he’d been caught, he returned his focus to the open journal resting on his knees.His attempt to pretend he hadn’t just been caught watching me made me smile.
‘What do you think he puts in that book?’
I jumped a little as Cillian dropped to sit beside me.He looked clean and relaxed.His hair was a few shades darker than mine and hung loosely around his mountainous shoulders.
Torgrin’s head was bent over his journal, and the way he moved his charcoal across the page suggested he was sketching.
‘I don’t know,’ I lied.
†
It was a few more days before we reached another river.Everyone dispersed to wash and set up camp.After Bethel and I bathed, I brought her back to her tent.I had seen a deer on the riverbank, so I retrieved my bow and quiver, excited by the thought of having fresh venison for supper.
Following the tracks left in the mud by the stream, I didn’t have to go far before I spotted the animal again.It was an easy kill, and I had the deer gutted and draining quickly.
The sun was low in the sky; night wasn’t far away.As I washed my hands and blade, I heard noises further along the bank.
Quietly, I crept forward to see who it was.
There were two soldiers positioned against a tree.One had his leather breeches partially down, and the other man was behind him.They were moaning and panting, clearly enjoying themselves.Curiosity got the better of me, so I continued to watch the lovers, and soon realised that the soldier thrusting into the other man was Tomas.
‘Enjoy watching people having sex, do you?’
I squeaked and spun around.My face felt as fiery as the Murus sun.Torgrin.
I glanced back quickly to see if Tomas and his lover had heard me, but thankfully they were completely oblivious to our prescence.
‘So, it’s not just me you like to watch?’
‘No!I mean, yes!No, I mean …’ I was trying to keep my voice quiet while my embarrassment blazed.‘Bethel set me up, and you know that.’
Torgrin’s jaw pulsed as he clenched his molars.‘She set us both up.’A cry of pleasure punctuated his words, and I resisted the urge to look behind me.
‘Does it excite you to watch them?’he whispered, leaning in close and looking over my shoulder.Torgrin’s chiseled profile was so close that if I turned my head slightly, my lips could trace the stubble along his jawline.He turned his attention back to me, his warm breath brushing my face.His dark eyes examined mine like he could see what his nearness was doing to me.I began gnawing my lip, trying to stop myself from doing something I would regret.He raised his hand and pulled my lip away from my punishing teeth with a gentle finger.
‘I didn’t know men could do that,’ I admitted to him.
‘Yes, they can.And women enjoy each other’s bodies too.’His eyes were on my mouth as he said this.
I didn’t know such relationships existed.I must have seemed naive to Torgrin, but my curiosity was stronger than my embarrassment because I couldn’t resist asking a question.
‘How is Tomas not hurting the other man by putting it in … there?’
Torgrin moved his body closer, pinning my back against the tree.He leaned on the tree with one arm and twirled a piece of my hair around his long fingers.The moans of the two men were intensifying, and I had to open my mouth to get enough air into my lungs.
‘A skilled lover knows to start slowly and ease himself in.I have found oils work very well,’ he whispered in my ear, his stubble grazing my cheek.I shivered as his breath tickled my neck.‘And yes, it is very enjoyable for the receiver, whether a man or a woman.’
The moaning came to a crescendo behind us.We waited.Torgrin watched them, and I watched him.
‘They’ve gone.’He stepped back abruptly, making my head spin a little.‘Now, would you like my help to carry that deer you have cleverly slain for our evening meal?’His brow arched in question as I composed myself.I nodded.
We were joyfully received back at camp when our cargo was spotted, so we handed the deer over to others to butcher and cook.
I saw that Tomas and his friend were back and chatting by the fire, clearly happy in each other’s company.Cillian was across the fire, watching Torgrin and I enter the camp together.He smiled at me when I sat next to him.
What would Cillian do if I asked him to take me into the trees right now?Agitation and an ache in my core had me crossing and uncrossing my legs more than was necessary.
