Drops of moisture from a recent bath beaded in his hair and dripped down his clean-shaven face. The silky blond hairs on his bare arms and calves glistened in the afternoon sun streaming through her small window. The rich outlines of his strong shoulders strained the fabric of his crisp, buttery brown leather tunic, and the dragon belt accented his deliciously narrow waist and hips.
He was a devilishly handsome man, no doubt about it. The sheer masculinity he exuded filled the air and made Ruby blush with unbidden, secret thoughts.
Thork returned her bold gaze with hooded, hawklike intensity, as if trying to solve some great puzzle. “Tempted I am to offer you freedom in exchange for information about who you really are,” he said huskily.
Ruby’s traitorous heart skipped a beat at his softly spoken words. She sighed, trying to get her emotions under control, and answered him, “I’ve told you repeatedly who I am, but you won’t believe me. I have many faults, Thork, but I’m not a liar. I despise lies.”
“And I hate mysteries.” He held her gaze steadily, then shook his head in wonder and a hint of humor. “What could possess you to teach the women birth control, of all things, and where would you have gleaned such information?”
Ruby bridled under his criticism. “Perhaps, if the women you and the other Viking men bed so indiscriminately knew more about birth control, there wouldn’t be so many bastards around.”
“Do you call my sons bastards?” Thork challenged, then softened. “Would you begrudge them life?”
“Of course not. That’s not what I meant.” Then Ruby thought of something. “Thork, do you have other children?” Good heavens! He probably had dozens of children in as many countries.
Tiny laugh lines crinkled at the edges of his eyes and mouth. He knew exactly what she imagined. “Nay, Eirik and Tykir are the only children I have.”
“How do you know for sure?”
“I was young and careless when they were born.”
He seemed so certain, and yet, if these people didn’t practice birth control, how could he be so sure?
Sensing her thoughts, Thork continued with a cryptic grin, “Your Christian Bible tells it all.” At Ruby’s puzzled look, he explained, “Was there not a biblical man… Onan… who spilled his seed upon the ground?”
Oh, my goodness! He meant that he ejaculated outside a woman’s body. Ruby felt her face flame hotly.
Thork grinned at her discomfort and sat down on her little bed, then—oh, my God!—lay down on her pallet with his magnificent bare legs crossed and arms folded behind his head. He looked up at her innocently through the shadows of his sinfully long lashes—dark contrasts to his pale hair. Ruby licked her dry lips and had trouble swallowing. He looked so damned irresistible. Would she ever be able to sleep in that bed again without imagining him in it?
“Have you any inkling how strange ’tis to have such an intimate conversation with a woman?” Thork said nonchalantly.
Oh, great! He was back on the outside-ejaculation business again. “It’s just as strange to me. Believe me, everything I’ve said and done since I’ve come to this blasted land has been out of character.”
“Did you practice birth control with your husband?” Thork studied her intently.
Ruby felt herself blush once again.
His right eyebrow lifted slightly. “Do you find my question too personal? How odd! After all you have asked me! Especially since you say I am your husband—of sorts.”
“Yes, we did,” Ruby admitted candidly.
“Why? Did you only want two children?” Thork persisted. Meanwhile, his clear blue eyes raked her sensuously.
“No. We always intended to have more, but it never seemed to be the right time,” Ruby answered nervously, hardly able to think when his eyes caressed her so openly.
“The right time? How curious!”
Ruby plopped down on the chair near the bed. She peered at him curiously. Actually, she couldn’t keep her eyes off him. “Are you still angry with me?” she asked, trying to maintain some semblance of dignity when what she really wanted to do was, as Jack would say, “jump his bones.”
“Yea, but not because of what you told those stupid women. Your actions disrupt my life, and I cannot allow that to continue.” Propping himself on his elbows, Thork turned serious. “Ruby, my life is set. There is no place in it for you, leastways not the place you would accept. I am a Jomsviking. Ever I intend to be. Can you not accept that I will never marry? That my sons must stay with Olaf and Gyda?”