Binding Vows(48)

Wound, Duncan said in his mind.

“Thank you.” She turned to Duncan’s smiling face. “Wound, from getting infected.”

Tara fled Duncan’s room without further word.

Outside, Tara leaned against the closed door trying her best to catch her breath. She heard Lora.

“I never dreamt, in my wildest dreams, I would be happy to walk in on this…”

Tara shook her head and walked away before she heard more.



****

At the evening meal everyone noticed the difference between Duncan and Tara. Amber spoke up first. “They’re not mad at each other anymore?” she asked her mother.

Duncan and Tara hid their grins. Fin sent a ‘you owe me’ smile to his brother.

Lora slid her hand under the table to her husband who had been given every detail about the encounter she had witnessed.

Myra’s eyes darted back and forth between Tara and her brother. Her eyes widened in question, but she made no comment.

All in all, the meal was more pleasant than any since Tara had arrived. Even Cian had gotten over his infatuation with Tara enough to talk about joining in the practice of fighting the next day.

Especially with Duncan being hurt so bad.

Balance had been restored.



****

Myra pounced on Tara’s bed long before the cock 141

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crowed, her eyes ablaze with excitement.

“I do not want all the details, he is my brother, but I do want to know what happened?” She didn’t give Tara time to talk. “I overheard my mother say she walked in on you both…” Myra grinned.

She may have been twenty-one years old, but she acted like a teenager, bouncing on the bed. Tara sighed and pushed herself up, shook the sleep from her head. Tara told her the bland facts withholding from Duncan’s sister the gist of what she was asking.

“Duncan was hurt.”

Myra nodded.

“It was a nasty abrasion that needed to be cleaned. I’m not sure those chain garments they wear are the best thing. I think they cause more harm than—”

Myra cut her off. “I don’t care about that.”

“Right, well, you know, Duncan and I were ahh, involved before he brought me here?”

“How involved?” Myra waited.

“Let’s just say your brother is an expert kisser.”

“Duncan?” She wrinkled her nose at the thought.

“Sorry to burst your bubble, but Duncan, your brother, sure knows how to kiss. I’ve never been so tempted to...” Tara stopped. Sex simply wasn’t thought of the same way in this time as it was in her time. Telling Myra how tempted she was might give her the wrong ideas. Proper women in this age didn’t lose their virginity until they were married.

Especially when the woman was one of privilege and stature, as was Myra’s case.

“...to what?” Myra asked.

“To keep on kissing him.” That was lame, even to her. Myra didn’t buy it either.

“Come on, Tara. Tell me more.”

“All we did was kiss. I swear.” Tara held up her 142



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right hand.

“But you wanted to do more, right?”

Would it hurt to tell the truth? “Yes, I did. For the first time ever in my life, I considered…more.”

Was that too much information?

“You know what more is, don’t you?” Myra asked.

“I do. But...”

“My ma won’t tell me the details. Only that it shouldn’t happen unless you are promised or married to the man.”

Sighing with relief, Tara agreed. “She is so right.” Her valley girl was coming out. “All men will want to. They can’t help themselves. So make sure the one is...The One!” Tara wrinkled her nose at her words. She sounded like a prude.

“Tell me what the more is, Tara.”

Shit! Shit! Shit! Myra wasn’t about to let her off the hook. It wasn’t her place. Or was it? Didn’t she have a similar conversation with her sister growing up? “Tell me what you think ‘it’ is.”

“Well...” Myra blushed. Shyness crept over her, which hadn’t been present before. “I’ve seen animals.

Last year Durk was bred to one of the stable mares.

I wasn’t supposed to watch, but I snuck down and took a glimpse. The sheep in the fields have similar ways of mating.”

The image of two rutting animals had Tara squeezing her eyes shut. “Well...the basics are the same from what I’ve heard. Remember I haven’t...

You know… But I do know many women who have made love and weren’t afraid to tell me what they knew.” Tara took Myra’s hand and made sure she had her full attention. “It’s supposed to be more magical, more special between people. Animals simply fill a need.” She stopped and frowned. “I suppose some men fall in that category. To be fair 143