Craved by the Viking: A Dark Viking Romance (Bound and Betrothed Book 2) by Felicity Brandon & Anna Quinn

Author:Felicity Brandon & Anna Quinn [Brandon, Felicity & Quinn, Anna]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Published: 2024-03-28T00:00:00+00:00

CHAPTER 10

The sixteenth day of the men’s sojourn on the island

Picking up the axe, Gunnar weighed it in his hand. He’d never before attempted chopping timber while in a sitting position, but there was a first time for everything. Frida had set up a stool at the wood stump not far behind the hut.

Meanwhile, Eldberg had come by, dragging a net of rough-cut branches, ready for splitting, and heaped them beside. He now seemed quite content with his position beneath the roof of Frida’s sister, regaling Gunnar with his latest plan—to make themselves useful to the women in practical ways. Much tumbling between the bed furs was Gunnar’s guess. He could but wish them well of it.

‘Twas no fault of his jarl that Gunnar’s progress on that front had come to a halt.

Eldberg had concocted some scheme to bring water cleanly down the hillside, with Jørgen and Rutger aiding him. Gunnar had been keen to join them, but Eldberg insisted his blasted ankle would make him more of a hindrance than a help, even with the crutch Rutger fashioned.

Frida bent to lift a hunk of timber into place. “Here, let me.”

“Nay. None of that,” Gunnar waved her away. “If I’m to do the job, let the effort be mine. My arms are fit for more than preparing vegetables for the pot.”

Frida retreated, though only moving a small distance off. No doubt, she was waiting for him to make a botch of it so that she might step in and put things to rights.

It was an ungenerous thought and undeserved.

The maid had done naught to vex him besides refusing all attempts on his side to offer her the comfort of his body. Since the night upon which he’d given her a tumultuous peak, she’d scurried away like a frightened rabbit whenever he’d gone to embrace her.

What went on in her fair head, he couldn’t imagine, for she assured him she was unharmed and had given every indication of enjoying his attention.

Having placed the timber squarely on the stump, Gunnar fixed his eye upon the spot he intended to aim for. ‘Twas a task he’d performed a thousand times, but a twinge of nerves struck. If the blade stuck in the wood, he might struggle to free it without two feet planted.

And she was watching.

Blast it all. Swing the thing and be done with it!

Gunnar gripped the handle, took the axe back in an arc, and plunged downward with all his might. When the block cleaved in two, falling perfectly to either side, he flashed a satisfied grin at Frida.

She looked duly pleased on his behalf. “A clean split!”

“‘Tis nothing.” Nonchalantly, he tossed the pieces onto a separate pile and prepared the next hunk of wood. “I’ll have you know, I’m accomplished in more things than brushing down a horse!”

“You’ve many skills, I’m sure.” Frida was biting her lip again, a sure sign she had something to say that she wasn’t yet up to saying. ‘Twas a wonder she didn’t gnaw them off the amount of worrying she seemed to do.

Download

Copyright Disclaimer:
This site does not store any files on its server. We only index and link to content provided by other sites. Please contact the content providers to delete copyright contents if any and email us, we'll remove relevant links or contents immediately.