could absorb from his body.
âAn old Roman ruin, some of the outer curtain walls partially standing. A tower keep is sitting inside. Mayhap we can take refuge in it. It appears to have lost its roof, but inside the tower, we can at least take shelter from the winds.â
âAye,â she said. âIt would be better than being out here in all this weather.â Then she sat up a bit taller, but losing his heat, she squeezed up against him again. âWhat if they are there?â
âWe will have to take that chance. My horse needs rest, and we canna afford to lose him.â He moved slower now toward the tower.
She listened for sounds of men talking, but unless Seamus and his men were huddled inside and trying to keep warm, maybe sleeping, she heard no one.
Then she felt the sudden shift in temperature, the ancient stone walls blocking the wind so effectively, she felt much warmer, not enough to release her hold on the Viking, but still, she sighed with relief. âNo sign of them?â she whispered.
âNay, lass. We are alone.â
That sent a sudden chill up her spine, and it had nothing to do with the frigid weather.
âI will help you down,â he said, his voice hushed, and she suspected he said so because she still hadnât released her grip on his body as if she was afraid, when it wasnât that at all! She was attracted only to the heat of his body. She would have felt the same if it had been anyoneâs body. Well, mayhap not if it had been Seamus or any of his men.
Reluctantly, she let go of Gunnolf and he swung down to the dirt floor, then reached up to help her dismount. âIt will be dark soon.â He set her on her feet. âI have enough bedding so that we can bundle up together, and my horse should be fine here.â
When he mentioned bundling up together, she eyed him warily. He did not entertain any notion that she would want to satisfy some male need, did he? Though as cold as it was, she couldnât imagine anyone wanting to do such a thing. And yet, a wicked thought flickered through her mind so quickly, she couldnât believe she would think such a thingâof being naked with the Viking beneath the furs, of kissing him, and more.
A light amount of snow covered the floor, but it wasnât nearly as deep as outside the walls where it had blown into drifts, the tall stone walls of the keep blocking most of the snow and the wind. Gunnolf caught her attention as he brushed the snow away from an area of the floor with his boot.
She eyed the bedding as he spread it out over the cleared area. She shouldnât want to lie with a man she didnât know, or any man who was not her husband, for that matter, but she wouldnât have it any other way as warm as he had already kept her. She had seen what the cold could do to a body when someone had been out in it for far too long without proper clothing. Blackened toes and fingers. Not a pretty sight. So though she felt uncomfortable sleeping with the Viking to an extent, she knew that she had no other choice.
As soon as he finished spreading out the bedding, he turned to feed his horse some oats. And then he offered Brina ale and a piece of bannock. In silence, she sipped the ale, then chewed on the bannock while she sat on the makeshift bedding. After covering his horse with a spare blanket, which she thought was admirable that he took care of his mount just as much as he took care of their needs, he pulled out a length of cloth. âLet me see your arm, lass.â
ââTis naught.â
â Ja , but I would have a look at it anyway.â
She let out her breath and pulled back her brat to reveal her sleeve. He tore the brown sleeve, making her wince. He paused for a moment as he saw a red sleeve after that. He smiled. âHow many layers do you have on, lass?â
âDinna tear my red kyrtle overmuch. âTis my favorite and the warmest of my gowns.â
He pulled
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