Page 10 of Valkyrie Restored

“Don’t worry about us. We’re cataloguing all your sounds so we can recreate them later.” Arran winked as he squeezed my hand.

The food in my mouth turned to sawdust even as the blush on my cheeks deepened. While I’d wondered if he was truly flirting with me earlier as opposed to being overly friendly, there was no denying it now… Arran, a married man, was flirting with me.

And I wasn’t sure how I felt about that.

My gaze darted over to Hurrit. How did he feel about his husband’s blatant actions? It was one thing to flirt with someone who wasn’t your spouse when you were alone with them and a complete other thing to do it in front of them. Of the two, I wasn’t sure which was worse. But at the moment, my heart went out to Hurrit. I didn’t get the feeling that he even wanted to have me here, for supper, despite the few times he seemed a little more than a grumpy civil, and now he had to listen to his husband flirt.

Hurrit’s lips tightened into a thin line as his fingers drummed against the tabletop. “If everyone has enough on their plates, I’ll take the leftovers into the kitchen.” Without waiting for an answer, he stood, piling the bowls on top of the nearly empty platter containing the remnants of the grilled food, and then carried them into the house.

I bit my lip. The urge to race after him, to apologize for something that wasn’t even my doing hit me hard.

Or was it my doing?

Had I done something to encourage Arran’s advances? Was I putting out some signals, letting him know I was interested? I mean I was, but only in my head. I wasn’t someone who would engage in an affair. There were too many single men in the world to play with those who were already in a relationship.

“Do you prefer something sweet or salty for dessert?”

The comment, like so many others of Arran’s, could be taken either way. But when accompanied by the little wiggle of his eyebrows, I knew I had to put a stop to things. For the sake of our fledgling friendship, I needed to put a stop to his flirting. I never wanted to be the cause of any issues between them.

But I didn’t know what to say or how to start. Nothing sounded right in my head. I mean, how did one say, “Listen, you know all this flirting you’re doing, it has to stop. I don’t play around with married men.” It didn’t sound too bad—harsh, maybe—but what if he didn’t mean it the way it came across. I’d feel like an idiot. And I’d possibly ruin things.Arg. Why is this so hard?

Arran slid his chair closer to mine and took my free hand into his. “What’s wrong my beautiful lass? What’s going through that mind of yours that’s putting that little frown between your eyes? You can tell me anything. I’m a good listener.”

I searched his eyes for any hint of a falsehood. A strange ability I seemed to have, but never disclosed to anyone. From the moment I woke up, if I looked someone in the eye, I would experience a strange tickle at the back of my throat if the person was lying. It took me time to figure out what the tingle meant, but one day I heard the doctor tell the nurse that he didn’t think I’d get my memory back. When I asked her about my memory, she assured me that it would come back—probably sooner rather than later. The moment she finished speaking, the tickle became so strong I started coughing. After that, I sought out times when I could confirm my suspicion. It wasn’t fool proof, in that if the person believed their lie or adjusted the words enough to only infer a lie, the tickle wouldn’t emerge, but for the most part, it gave me a little edge when I needed to be assured of something.

When my throat remained tickle-free, I took a breath and threw up a little prayer to whatever god may have been listening. “Arran, I really like you. I like Hurrit, too, even if he doesn’t seem to like me, but I’m worried. All the flirting you’re doing, I’m worried that you’re going to damage your relationship with your husband. I mean, I’m flattered, and if you were single, I’d jump all over you. But I’m not that type of woman. I don’t play around with married men.”

He released one of my hands, reaching up to brush a few flyaway hairs away from my face. The touch of his warm skin against my cheek, my ear, sent a shiver down my spine. It took everything in me not to lean into the warmth. “What about if you wouldn’t come between us? Would you consider it then, lass?”

“What do you mean?” I asked as I gave in and held his hand against my cheek.

“I mean, what if Hurrit and I want you between us… in bed? And separately?”

My mouth dropped open. Was he honestly suggesting what I thought he was? I licked my lips, trying to draw moisture to my suddenly dry mouth. I wanted to respond, but my brain fired on all cylinders at once, making it impossible to sort through all my thoughts.

“Relax Elin, you don’t have to answer right now. But Hurrit and I aren’t exclusive… at least where women are concerned. Both of us enjoy women and over the years, we’ve each had our own open flings. And sometimes we’ve shared.”

The word “flings” gave me something to latch onto, a lifeline to pull my scattered thoughts into a cohesive one. “By fling, you’re referring to one night, right?”

“In the past, yes. It was usually only a night or two. But that’s not what it would be like with you. You’re different. What I feel for you is different. It’s not just lust.” A large smile broke over his face as his gaze roamed over my body. “Although I have to admit there’s a healthy dose of that as well.”

A chuckle left my lips, breaking the tension that coiled within me at his words. He didn’t have to paint a picture of how it could be because I’d already been dreaming them. And the stack of empty batteries I had to take to the recycling depot proved it.

“B-but Hurrit—”

“—wants you, too. He’s just being stubborn about it.”

I wilted back against my chair and blew out my breath. Was I even considering this? It had bad idea written all over it, yet I couldn’t deny that I felt that same pull, that same draw to him and Hurrit. But still…

“What am I being stubborn about?” Hurrit raised an eyebrow as he sank down into his seat. I could feel the weight of his stare on me, on Arran’s hand that had fallen to my thigh when I leaned back. Fuck. Was Arran speaking the truth? Did Hurrit really want me as well? There were times when I thought I saw lust and desire in his eyes, but the flash was always so quick that I could never decide if I really saw it. But to think that it might be true… I didn’t know how to begin to deal with it.

“About your feelings towards Elin.”

I glanced over towards Hurrit, but his gaze gave nothing away. Stoic as ever. Yet he didn’t deny it. His response or lack thereof only added to my list of questions. Was he truly wanting this or was he indulging his husband? Did he feel pressured because right now, I did even though I believed Arran when he said I didn’t have to answer right now.

“I, uh, think that I should probably go home. It’s been a long day and I’m sure that you guys have an early morning to get ready for your charter.” Arran stood, pulling me up with him. “And, uh, thank you for the amazing supper.”

“You’re welcome.” Hurrit tilted his chin in a brief nod.

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