Gytha swallowed. In a few sentences, he had revealed his admiration for her and set her body aflame. Quite an achievement.
This conversation was becoming too dangerous. And the way Haakon was looking at her too enticing. How could eyes the color of ice provoke such heat inside her? How could a man make her insides quiver without even touching her?
After an odd beginning, the two of them had become inexplicably close.
With a measure of shock, Gytha realized she liked this man more than she had liked any she had met since she had been old enough to take an interest in men and was already in too deep to protect herself from unwise feelings. He could be infuriating but he was also kind and protective. She felt inadequate and clumsy in his presence but that was not of his doing. And he made her feel beautiful, brave and intriguing when it mattered. He never hesitated to offer his help and he was not above showing his vulnerability.
It was as if he had been created to test her resolve not to get involved with anyone until her father was no longer reeve.
“Your idea of putting herbs in the omelette was inspired,” she blurted out. “That hint of lemon balm is delicious. I think I will experiment myself next time I make one.”
“Thank you. I’ll be sure to tell my mother you approve.”
Would he mention her to his mother Gytha wondered? If so, would he tell her that they had kissed?
“Will you play a game of dice?” she asked, asking the first thing that came to mind. Their meal was finished but she wasn’t ready to go to bed yet.
To her surprise, Haakon stilled, as if afraid of giving an honest answer. Why? What had she said?
“I would. Only…”
“Only?”
“I’m afraid I’m a very sore loser. And I’m not sure I want you to see this side of me I’m not proud of.”
Gytha arched a brow. This could have sounded like he was teasing her but she had the feeling he was deadly serious. He was loath to have her think less of him. How odd, when it had seemed the least of his worries up until that day. But he had nothing to fear. She would never hold something as insignificant as losing at dice against him, not after all he had done for her. That man had come to her and Eadhild’s aid that first day, he made her feel special every time they met and he had saved her from Oswald only that morning. He was allowed to lose at dice and show his disappointment.
“Are you saying you would actually hurt me if you lost?” she challenged, knowing that was not what he’d meant at all.
“No!” Haakon recoiled in horror. “I would never hurt you, for whatever reason!”
“I didn’t think so. So there is nothing to fear. I can make my peace with seeing a man grumble. Besides, there is an easy way to ensure I don’t see anything you’re not comfortable with me seeing,” she said with a shrug aimed at conveying a lack of interest she didn’t feel. “Just make sure you win every time.”
The smile he threw her was dazzling. “Yes, I could do that, couldn’t I?”
He did. And because Gytha was far too distracted to play as well as she could, he did win more than his share of games. The few times he lost, she enjoyed seeing the battle between his prideand his will not to appear ridiculous. It was endearing, really, a side of him she was glad to have seen. In truth, she was starting to wonder if there was a side of him she wouldn’t like.
At one point, he took one of the wooden dice in his hand and turned it this way and that in front of his face, examining it closely. She could not take her eyes from the long fingers, captivated by the way they handled the small object. He was wearing a thick but finely chiseled silver ring on his left forefinger, something she had not seen any other man do. It only added to his masculine appeal. In fact, it was probably the most shockingly erotic adornment she had ever seen on a man.
But, of course, with a goldsmith for a father, it was not surprising he would wear jewelry. She had heard about the Norse custom of wearing arm rings from Eadhild and she started to wonder. Was Haakon wearing one? Could she ask him? Was it wise? What if he showed it to her? How would she react? She had the awful impression she would reach out and stroke it. And she would likely not stop there. Once her fingers were on him, she might?—
He spoke, shaking her out of her lewd reverie.
“These must be as old as I am, and in much worse condition.”
Definitely. He was a man in his prime whereas the poor dice were ready to crumble to dust. The edges were no longer sharp, the corners had been smoothed away and the numbers were barely discernible, but she had no others they could have used.
“I’ve been meaning to replace them but as soon as I put them away I forget about it and only remember when it’s time to play. In other words, when it’s too late.”
The blue in Haakon’s eyes gleamed. “I have the same problem with my cloak. Every time I put it on, I remember there is a tear along the bottom seam. I swear to myself I will repair it but as I need the cloak on the instant, I don’t do anything about it. Then by the time I remove it, I’ve forgotten all about thegaping hole. It’s been months and I’ve yet to do anything about it.”
Yes. Sometimes life was like that. You always pushed back the chores you thought were easy enough to do, and only made the effort to tackle the bigger projects.
“How about one last game?” she asked. “I’m sure the dice will survive another evening of play.”
“I’m sure they will.”
They played another few games, drank another cup of ale each, but then there was no putting the inevitable back any longer. It was time to go to bed.
