“How so?” he said, cocking his head quizzically. Meanwhile, he peeled off his slim black pants and stood before her immodestly in only a codpiece that resembled a modern-day jock strap.
Ruby groaned.
The candlelight flickered on the smooth planes and battle scars of his bronzed skin, highlighting the golden strands in his hair, making his eyes appear a darker shade of blue. When he leaned to pick up his clothing and jewelry and place them in a neat pile in the corner, corded muscles in his back and buttocks rippled with his graceful movements.
He looks like a damn golden god, for heaven’s sake!
The servant brought in the tub, followed by four other men carrying two buckets of hot water each. He left with the other coin in his pocket and a big smile on his face, telling Thork to push the tub outside to the hall when he finished.
“Do you want to go first?” Thork asked after he filled the large oval tub, similar in size to a Colonial copper wash boiler. When Ruby shook her head, he dropped his last garment and lowered himself into the steaming water with a shudder and then a sigh. It barely held Thork’s massive frame. He had to draw up his knees to fit.
Ruby swallowed hard and tried to continue her explanation of why they couldn’t do that which she wanted to do so damn bad her teeth ached. While Thork soaped his body and washed his hair, Ruby chattered uneasily. “In the beginning, there were two main reasons why I pursued you, Thork. I was concerned about my safety here in a strange land, and I wanted us to be together to provide a home for Eirik and Tykir.”
“And?”
“Well, I’m safe now, at least until we get to Normandy.”
“And the boys?”
“Tykir lives with your family now and won’t be as lonely as he was in Jorvik, and Eirik, well, the fostering isn’t an ideal situation, but he’s where he wants to be. I’m sure he and Haakon will be good for each other. What I’m saying is that, if I suddenly had to… go away, I wouldn’t worry about them. Well, not too much, anyway.”
“Go away?” Thork snapped. “Do you still harbor plans to escape?” He stood abruptly in the tub and water sloshed over the sides. Reaching for a towel, he dried himself briskly while he glared at her, awaiting an answer.
Ruby chose her words carefully. “It’s not something I’m planning deliberately, but I could be returned to my home suddenly. I wouldn’t have a choice. That’s why I didn’t want to leave loose ends with the children, who are just like my own boys—”
“Nay, do not start that future-life nonsense again. You are an untried virgin. You have no husband, and you most definitely have never borne any children.”
Ruby tried not to look at Thork’s nude body as she continued, “Still… if I suddenly, mysteriously, have to leave, that’s another reason why our making love would be a mistake. You have to know I love you. I have for twenty years. You love me, too. You just don’t know it yet, but—”
“You love me?” Thork asked, choosing selectively which of her words to hear. He moved toward her with open arms and a wide smile.
She ducked under his arms and moved to the other side of the room. “—I also know how much it hurt when you… when Jack left, and I wouldn’t put you through that pain, Thork.”
Thork threw the wet towel down and looked at her with growing impatience. “We will part eventually, anyway, either at Normandy or at Jomsborg, if I decide to take you there. So, what does it matter if we make love?”
“Jomsborg?” Ruby’s forehead furrowed. What did he mean?
Thork hesitated, obviously not wanting to get into this particular discussion right now. “It is of no import now. Just a thought I had.” He picked up an ivory comb and pulled it through his wet hair absently. “If you decide not to stay in Normandy and if you please me in bed, mayhap I would consider taking you to Jomsborg with me.”