Page 60 of Moon Craving

After an initial pang of disappointment, relief flooded her. She did not know how to

face Talorc after her wanton behavior the night before. It had felt so natural then, but in

the first light of day, it seemed aberrant. She wished she could convince herself it had

been a vivid dream. An amazing, if outrageous, dream.

Anything but the embarrassing reality that it was.

Did men and women really engage in such acts as a common occurrence in the

marriage bed? Regardless if others did, she had a feeling she and her husband would.

Talorc was not a man to deny himself what he saw as his, she thought. Add that to his

assurance the morning of their wedding that he expected them both to find pleasure in

their shared bed, and doing such again would be a definite matter of course.

At least until he learned the truth of her affliction.

She could only be grateful she would have experienced the mysteries of her own

womanhood by then.

What had once terrified her had become a journey she was eager to take. And that,

as much as what they had done last night, mortified her.

She was a true wanton.

Surely, she should not be so eager. Not that propriety mattered one way or the

other. She spent too much time hiding her deafness, she had not subterfuge leftover to

mask this newfound need. And no stomach for doing so either.

With that truth resounding in her conscience, she sat up and looked around her.

No sign of Talorc. Again relief assailed her. The flap was down on the tent, but morning

light filtered in from the outside. It looked like the cool light of early dawn. Knowing her

laird, he would expect to return to their journey north soon.

She pulled back the fur covering her and reached for her shift, but stopped and

wrinkled her nose. She smelled like him. Like sex with him.

It wasn't just her cheeks that blushed, but her whole body, as renewed

embarrassment flooded her. She could only hope his soldiers would not notice the

fragrance of lovemaking over the stench of horses and their own sweat.

She would give her entire stash of spices she had brought with her for a stream to

wash in right now. Not because she disliked the scent of Talorc's seed on her, which