Page 41 of The Champion
“What is?”
Freya looked to my hand. “It’s dripping.”
Raising my hand, I licked off strawberry ice cream, and repeated my question. “What is a riddle?”
“Our relationship. A riddle with no answer. We can’t go left, and we can’t go right. We’re stuck in a strange limbo.”
“I know, which reminds me that we have another challenge we need to address.”
“What’s that?”
“We’re almost out of that spray.”
She lowered her hand and whispered, “The pregnancy prevention one?”
I nodded and licked running ice cream off my wrist. “With all the women having implants here, we don’t have that sort of thing.”
“Does that mean we can’t have any more sex?”
I smiled. “I love how disappointed you sound. We have one or two times left and then we’ll have to make do with oral and anal unless you want to return with a genius in your belly.” It was meant as a joke, but the way Freya seemed to consider it made my pulse race. “I’m joking.”
“Fine.” She focused on her ice cream and left me to fantasize about my child growing in Freya’s belly.
Stop it!
No matter how many times I tried to get my thoughts in order, the mental image of Freya holding our baby wouldn’t go away.
“Do you think humans are programmed to want children?” I asked.
“Yes, it’s a matter of survival for our species.”
“Do you think you and I would make cute babies?”
She looked surprised by my question. “I know we would.”
“I’ve never held a baby. I wouldn’t know what to do with a child.”
“You would love the child and teach him everything you know.”
“Why do you say him? It could be a girl.”
“Because I always imagined that we would have a baby boy.”
Freya’s words inspired more mental images that made me frown. “I once won a competition solving riddles, but I don’t think anyone can figure out ours.”
Her sad smile felt like an invisible caress of my face. “Seems we’re doomed to fight at summits for the rest of our lives.”
“Freya…”
“Mm?”
“Would you consider a secret long-distance relationship?”
“What, with me living in the Northlands and knowing that you’re sleeping with any woman who resembles me?”
“What if I promised to take them from behind so there’s no connection?” I laughed when her mouth turned downward.
“Is this funny to you?”
