Desired: The Untold Story of Samson and Delilah (Lost Loves of the Bible) by Ginger Garrett

home, making us all gasp. Mother jumped up as Astra hid behind her. I was naked, with nothing to grab for cover. I held my hands over my nakedness and did not turn around.
    “I chose her because I love her.”
    “But you just saw me once, on the roof.” I was emboldened by my mother and sister, and by my modesty in avoiding his eyes. Would that I could cover my back and buttocks. I hoped he wasn’t looking at them. I knew he must be, though; they burned with embarrassment.
    “I saw you once, on the roof, yes. Any man that needs a second look at you to decide his intentions is no man at all. I look forward to our second night together.”
    I heard the door sweep across the floor and close. Mother and Astra stood frozen, but when they met my eyes, my blush of embarrassment was so quick that they laughed at me. They laughed despite the new little tears that sneaked out of my eyes, the small, mean tears of surprise and embarrassment.
    I was not going to drink tonight. I had to be alert, to speak to Samson if I could, and ask him to cancel the bet. I would persuade him to wait one more night to touch me.
    Besides, I wanted to hear the riddle.

    Samson’s cheek brushed against mine as he bent down to speak in my ear. Goose bumps rose along my arms as his hair fell forward, touching my arms and bodice.
    “Are you ready?”
    My stomach twinged with these strange sharp pains that were not from wine or bad food, but strange hot pinching pains that shot down my thighs whenever he touched me or his gaze lingered too long. Would all of married life be such agony? I did not think I could take another hour of shivering at his touch, and certainly not a lifetime.
    It was wrong, I knew, to feel these things about a Hebrew, but there was no Philistine man or boy that was anything like him. Samson was a new race of man.
    “Did you hear me?” he asked. “Why do you seem far away?”
    I shook myself, biting my cheek. If he knew my thoughts, I would die of shame.
    He continued. “Out of the eater, you’ll find something to eat. Out of the strong one, you’ll get something sweet.”
    I shoved him away. It sounded lewd. I didn’t want to reveal my utter ignorance, but neither would I be made a fool.
    He leaned back and roared with laughter. Everyone watched us. That was not a new feeling. Everyone had watched us all night, looking, no doubt, for hints of my complicity with Samson’s bet, as if I was plotting with my groom to rob them all.
    “Samson. That riddle cannot be solved. It’s not fair. You should call off the bet.”
    “The answer is nearer than you know. Besides, the men accepted my terms before they heard the riddle. Was that wise?”
    I floundered, keeping my eyes on my plate lest I start a fight among them all.
    “No,” I admitted at last.
    “Let them suffer.”
    “But they are angry with me.”
    “You are my wife. Not theirs.”
    Our whispers did not carry, though the men strained to listen. I was grateful for the musicians who had come tonight. The music made everyone’s heart lighter. A lyre player and harpist sat together, while the lute player circulated among the guests, enticing us with his melodies, begging among us for a dancer.
    Samson stood, the wide, white moon behind him, lighting him around the edges like a god. He extended a hand to me, and I stood too, his huge frame casting a shadow over me. I spared only one glance at anyone else, and it was at his mother, to read her face. Her eyes narrowed as she lifted her bowl of beer and gulped it down. Odd that she drank beer and not wine, but I would learn much more about her people in days to come, I knew.
    Samson led me away from the tables, closer to the fire. The lute player followed, and men who could find partners joined us. Talos sulked away alone, but I could not think of him. I could only think of this man Samson holding my right hand, standing so close I could feel his breath on my neck. He spun me in a slow arc, then pulled me back in, closer