"Speak to me in your language. I want to hear more of it."
One hand left her hips and moved to her face, tracing the outline tenderly with the edge of his thumb and palm.
"Si fenu, mi Tessa. Si fen at lors, at kifen, at gron. Manu si fenu, manu teluri."
The strange words caught fire within her, and reduced her promise to ashes. As she rocked back and forth, stroking him swiftly and hungrily, he cried,
"Ach, Tessa! Tessa, mi Tessa. Si fenu, si fenu..."
Afterwards, they slept like children, entwined in each other's arms.
In the morning, there was little talk, at first. They sipped coffee, ate breakfast, avoided each other's eyes.
Tessa finally broke the silence. "What are we going to do now?"
His blue eyes regarded her thoughtfully. "It depends." A minute or more passed as they both picked at their eggs. Jakob sighed. "First I have to understand about last night."
Tessa would have liked to pretend she didn't know what he meant. What was there to understand, anyway? "Maybe I just needed someone."
He raised an eyebrow. "Someone, as in anyone? Or someone, as in me?"
Ted's lugubrious face kept intruding on her thoughts, making her even grumpier. "What difference does it make?"
He studied his forkful of eggs intently. "Not much -- to me, I guess. But maybe more to your fiance."
She glared at him from across the table. "How do you know about that?"
"I heard you and Jane talking. She mentioned his name -- Ted, isn't it? You work with him at the University."
"Brilliant, Holmes. Yes, Ted Black is my fiance, and yes he is under-H.O.D. of Anthropology. Do you want to know how big his dick is too, or is that enough information?"
Jakob sat back, and rubbed the burn on his shoulder. His eyes took on the color of a two-day-old bruise.
She felt unexpectedly contrite. He had saved her life, after all. "I'm sorry. I shouldn't have said that. I just don't know what to do now."
He shrugged with studied carelessness. "Maybe you should go and visit him for a few days. You'd be safer. I'll stay here and keep an eye on your house."
"Or I could just stay here with you. I could help."
Jakob's smile was arid. "Like you did last night, you mean?"
"Yes. I thought I did really well, for my first time. Didn't you?"
"If by really well you mean almost getting both of us killed, then yeah, you did fine," he spat back.
"What are you talking about? I saw the other one coming and stopped it from attacking you. You were on the ground."
"Trying to make it believe I was hurt. I wanted to lure it from hiding. All you did was get in my way."
Tessa got up and walked away from the table, so he wouldn't see the angry tears in her eyes. "Fine, Mr. Big Bad Viking Warrior. I won't lift a finger to save your sorry ass next time."
"Fine!"
She gathered up her nightgown, which lay in a sodden heap on the floor, and tried to keep her voice absolutely level. "I guess I should be going then. May I keep the robe a little longer? I will wash it and then give it back to you."
"Of course," he said, with icy politeness.
He stood silently beside the door. She tried hard not to brush against him as she passed, but he grabbed her upper arm and held on, his touch ungentle. Tessa stared at his hand pointedly, and finally he dropped it to his side.
"Go straight home and pack your bag. Put Suvi's mirror somewhere I can find it. And leave the key under the mat. Then get over to your boyfriend's place and stay there until you hear from me."
Tessa spoke with brittle precision. "Don't tell me what to do."
He drew a ragged sigh and raised his hand, then dragged it through his untidy hair. "Tessa, please. Be careful."
There seemed nothing else to say. But after she crossed the threshold to the landing, Tessa paused. "Jakob, what does
si fenu
mean?"
No trace of emotion passed his face. "Nothing. Just something I made up."
She walked away from him, knowing he spoke the truth. Whatever
si fenu
had meant in the fragile tenderness of the night, it meant nothing now.
Chapter
One hand left her hips and moved to her face, tracing the outline tenderly with the edge of his thumb and palm.
"Si fenu, mi Tessa. Si fen at lors, at kifen, at gron. Manu si fenu, manu teluri."
The strange words caught fire within her, and reduced her promise to ashes. As she rocked back and forth, stroking him swiftly and hungrily, he cried,
"Ach, Tessa! Tessa, mi Tessa. Si fenu, si fenu..."
Afterwards, they slept like children, entwined in each other's arms.
In the morning, there was little talk, at first. They sipped coffee, ate breakfast, avoided each other's eyes.
Tessa finally broke the silence. "What are we going to do now?"
His blue eyes regarded her thoughtfully. "It depends." A minute or more passed as they both picked at their eggs. Jakob sighed. "First I have to understand about last night."
Tessa would have liked to pretend she didn't know what he meant. What was there to understand, anyway? "Maybe I just needed someone."
He raised an eyebrow. "Someone, as in anyone? Or someone, as in me?"
Ted's lugubrious face kept intruding on her thoughts, making her even grumpier. "What difference does it make?"
He studied his forkful of eggs intently. "Not much -- to me, I guess. But maybe more to your fiance."
She glared at him from across the table. "How do you know about that?"
"I heard you and Jane talking. She mentioned his name -- Ted, isn't it? You work with him at the University."
"Brilliant, Holmes. Yes, Ted Black is my fiance, and yes he is under-H.O.D. of Anthropology. Do you want to know how big his dick is too, or is that enough information?"
Jakob sat back, and rubbed the burn on his shoulder. His eyes took on the color of a two-day-old bruise.
She felt unexpectedly contrite. He had saved her life, after all. "I'm sorry. I shouldn't have said that. I just don't know what to do now."
He shrugged with studied carelessness. "Maybe you should go and visit him for a few days. You'd be safer. I'll stay here and keep an eye on your house."
"Or I could just stay here with you. I could help."
Jakob's smile was arid. "Like you did last night, you mean?"
"Yes. I thought I did really well, for my first time. Didn't you?"
"If by really well you mean almost getting both of us killed, then yeah, you did fine," he spat back.
"What are you talking about? I saw the other one coming and stopped it from attacking you. You were on the ground."
"Trying to make it believe I was hurt. I wanted to lure it from hiding. All you did was get in my way."
Tessa got up and walked away from the table, so he wouldn't see the angry tears in her eyes. "Fine, Mr. Big Bad Viking Warrior. I won't lift a finger to save your sorry ass next time."
"Fine!"
She gathered up her nightgown, which lay in a sodden heap on the floor, and tried to keep her voice absolutely level. "I guess I should be going then. May I keep the robe a little longer? I will wash it and then give it back to you."
"Of course," he said, with icy politeness.
He stood silently beside the door. She tried hard not to brush against him as she passed, but he grabbed her upper arm and held on, his touch ungentle. Tessa stared at his hand pointedly, and finally he dropped it to his side.
"Go straight home and pack your bag. Put Suvi's mirror somewhere I can find it. And leave the key under the mat. Then get over to your boyfriend's place and stay there until you hear from me."
Tessa spoke with brittle precision. "Don't tell me what to do."
He drew a ragged sigh and raised his hand, then dragged it through his untidy hair. "Tessa, please. Be careful."
There seemed nothing else to say. But after she crossed the threshold to the landing, Tessa paused. "Jakob, what does
si fenu
mean?"
No trace of emotion passed his face. "Nothing. Just something I made up."
She walked away from him, knowing he spoke the truth. Whatever
si fenu
had meant in the fragile tenderness of the night, it meant nothing now.
Chapter
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