“I’m not going to sleep with you,” Ruby whispered to Thork as they walked up winding stone steps to the second and then the third floor of the massive palace. They followed a grumbling servant who complained incessantly of the demands put upon him by a king who thought there were endless rooms to be had.
Selik was shown his broom-closet-sized room at the top of the third-floor steps. When Ruby started to enlist his aid in escaping Thork’s inevitable amorous advances, Thork clamped a palm over her mouth and laughingly informed his friend, “Overcome with emotion she is over the night to come.” She tried to bite Thork’s palm, but he held her too tightly. The overworked servant just stared at them in tired boredom, as if people behaved in this manner all the time.
The small tower room he showed them was spartan, but clean. Thork indicated with a satisfied grin that its biggest asset was the full-sized bed, rather than the expected pallet.
Ruby thought the servant would have a heart attack when Thork asked him what the chances were of having a bath.
“On the third floor?” the old man choked out. But he quickly overcame his exhaustion when Thork offered him a coin which would be matched by another if he brought the tub and water in record time.
“Master, ’twill be here afore you have your clothes off,” he promised, adding solicitously, “Wouldst ya be wantin’ perfumed soap fer yer lady?” He flashed Thork a lascivious, toothless grin.
Oh, great! A conspiracy of like minds.
“We have to talk while that servant is gone,” Ruby asserted quickly, while Thork rummaged through the large leather bag that held their belongings. So studiously was he searching for something and ignoring her words that finally Ruby asked, “What are you looking for?”
“This!” Thork held up her homemade teddy-bustier and grinned. “After you bathe, I want you to put this on. I have dreamed the picture for days,” he explained huskily.
“No!” Ruby exclaimed, despite the wild hammering of her heart.
“Oh? Methinks you will.” His blue eyes, warm with promise, locked with hers.
“I want to talk,” Ruby groaned.
“I want to make love,” Thork argued.
His words moved Ruby, despite all her good intentions. The glaze of passion in his misty eyes compelled Ruby to surrender, but still she started to turn away, trying desperately to resist. “Why are you doing this?” she moaned.
“Are you serious?” He looked meaningfully down to his already burgeoning arousal.
Ruby closed her eyes for a moment, hoping to regain some semblance of control, then admonished, “Don’t be crude. I meant, why now? When I tried to seduce you, you thought our making love would be a bad idea. It is a bad idea. I realize that now. Think about it.”
A slight grin tugged at the corners of Thork’s lips as he listened, disbelieving, to her words. “Sweetling, that is all I can think about.” He laid the teddy on the embroidered bed cover and removed his sword and belt and tunic. He sat down to take off his soft leather shoes.
Panicked, Ruby realized she didn’t have much time to convince him. With a shaky voice, she urged, “Thork, let me tell you why we are not going to make love.”
Thork’s lips twitched infuriatingly. “I am listening.”
Hah! His mind was about as open to her arguments right now as a teenager with a bad case of raging hormones. And she wasn’t doing so great herself.
Still, she had to try. But, before she could speak, he walked barefooted to her where she still stood frozen by the door. He gave her a quick, light kiss on the lips and said huskily, “You are beautiful.”
“I am not. You’re beautiful. I’m attractive, at best.”
“You think I am beautiful?” He seemed inordinately pleased at that idea. “Can you imagine the beautiful children we might have made together?” he asked wistfully, then shook his head as if it were a wasted thought. “Not that I want any more children or ever intend to have, more, but ’tis a tantalizing idea, is it not?”
“Oh, Thork, even your words prove why this can’t work.”