Page 26 of Storm of Fury
Bryn closed her eyes, both hands locking around the hilt of her sword as she took a deep breath. She exhaled loudly. “Has anyone ever told you how irritating you are?”
“Frequently. Has anyone ever told you how pretty you are when you’re angry?”
That earned another fierce glare. “Nobody has ever dared. Not while I’ve got a sword in my hand.”
He grinned. “Your eyes spit sparks and your lips are practically kissable.”
Bryn advanced upon him. “You know, I was planning to be kind this morning, but I think I’m going to enjoy this. I know what I want if I win, Tormund.”
It wasn’t going to be a kiss.
His eyes narrowed. “I’m not shaving the beard.”
“Oh, yes, you are.”
“If my beard becomes a bartering chip, then you’re going to have to offer something good in exchange.”
“A kiss, no doubt.”
Too easy. “Sweetheart, when I want a kiss from a girl, I don’t need to beg or barter for one. No. She’ll be the one begging. I want a secret.”
Bryn looked like she’d bitten into something sour. “A secret?”
“Something you’ve never told anyone before.”
“I think I’d prefer the kiss,” she said with some disgust. “I don’t share secrets.”
“You keep to yourself,” he pointed out. “You prefer to drink alone. And heaven help the poor lad who looks at you twice. You’re starting to engage my curiosity, my lady fair.”
“You’ve looked at me more than twice and still seem to be pestering me. And lady fair?”
A shrug. “I’m still trying to come up with a pet name for you. And you haven’t scared me away. I have a stubborn constitution.”
“Yet,” she said.
Ever.
“And if you start calling me ‘my lady fair’ you might want to start sleeping with a knife under your pillow.”
“Haven’t you realized, love? I don’t scare very easily. And are you planning to sneak into my blankets of a night? Be careful, Bryn. You might wake theBeast.” He waggled his eyebrows and tipped his chin downward.
“Ugh.” She launched forward, striking for his right side this time. “I swear to the gods that you might just be the most arrogant man I’ve ever met. You namedyour cock?”
He danced back, sweeping the blow aside with the axe. “I’ll take it that means you agree. The beard for a secret. And why not give it a name? It’s virtually its own entity.”
“You’ve given me good incentive not to lose. Have you ever used a sword before?” she asked as she hammered a set of blows at him that made his forearm vibrate.
Hell, she was strong.
“Yes, though I prefer an axe,” he said breathlessly. “I’m told I swing a sword like a meat cleaver.”
Bryn’s eyes never shifted off his stance. “Haakon?”
“Haakon,” he confirmed and then held his arms wide. “Are you going to attack? I’m tired of this dancing around, woman.”
This time, the smile that lit her eyes was real. “I think Haakon’s right. You have a death wish.”
And then she lunged forward, impossibly fast.
