Part 96 (1/2)

His arms, already around her, tightened as he lifted his head in an attempt to peer at her through the dark. This attempt failed. All he could see were the poppy highlights in her auburn hair sparkling in the firelight.

”Maddie,” he said more sharply.

She tilted her head and shoved her face in the side of his neck, her body shaking harder.

He thought she was weeping and could not imagine why when a delicate snort filled the room and she shook even harder.

That snort was not from weeping.

It was from laughing.

He rolled her to her back, mostly covering her, and lifted his head to look down at her just as her laughter became audible.

She clutched at him as it did, giggling uncontrollably.

”What is funny?” he demanded to know.

She kept laughing, and also shaking, and further snorting, but she didn't speak ”Madeleine,”-he gave her a squeeze-”what is funny?”

She pulled her face out of his neck and, still laughing, stammered, ”I...you...I was...”

Then she shoved her face back into his neck, clutched him tighter, and burst into renewed laughter.

He waited.

This took some time.

Finally, her laughter began to wane and he said, ”Now, would you please share your amus.e.m.e.nt?”

She dropped her head to the bed, but did this still holding onto him, and found his eyes in the dark.

”You know,” she began, ”since practically the minute this started between us, I felt s.h.i.+t because of all the things you were giving me.”

He found this alarming but had no chance to remark on it.

She lifted her head slightly from the pillow and slid her hand to his jaw.

”I like nice things, Apollo.”

She said this like it was an admission when he knew not one soul who didn't.

Thus he replied, ”I do as well, Madeleine. Everyone does.”

He felt her body stiffen slightly under his and he knew that thought had not occurred to her.

When she said nothing, he prompted, ”And this caused your hilarity?”

”No. I mean, yes...I mean, not entirely. Why I was laughing is that you were giving me so much. Nice clothes. A lovely home. Friends.” She paused, sweeping his lower lip with her thumb, before she whispered, ”elan. You.”

He felt his gut warm but she was not finished.

”And now I get that that's how it is, if people care about each other. There are lots of ways to give.”

His voice was gruff when he agreed, ”There are.”

She slid her hand back into his hair in order to pull his face closer to hers as she continued to explain. ”Why I was laughing, sweetheart, is that today, you gave me something else.”

”And what I gave you was funny?” he inquired.

”Yes,” she replied.

”And what was that?”

He felt her body soften under his as she tensed her hand at his head and brought him ever nearer.

And her voice was teasing, yet husky, when she answered, ”Oh, nothing big. Not like a really nice cloak or a kicka.s.s dress.” Her voice dipped low. ”Just your love and, well...me.”

The warmth in his gut increased as he slid his hand up her side and queried, ”You?”

She nodded. ”You gave me me. All those things I felt guilty for and your grand finale was falling in love with me and giving me back me.”

His gut still warm, the area around his heart now warming, he continued to slide his hand up and in, over her chest to her throat until he had it at her jaw.

”I'll warn you, my dove, that was hardly my grand finale.”

She turned her head so she could kiss the palm of his hand and the warmth inside intensified as she righted her head and whispered, ”I had a feeling.”

The moment she finished uttering the words, she lifted her head and pressed her mouth to his.

Apollo slanted his head and took what she offered.

Then he gave her more.

Chapter Twenty-Nine.

Happy?

I collapsed on the somewhat dingy, overstuffed couch by the fire and muttered, ”This world needs at least trains.”

I heard Circe and Finnie's quiet chuckles as I gratefully stretched my legs out in front of me.

”You'll get used to it,” Finnie said, and I looked to her.

”Easy for you to say,” I returned on a smile. ”You spend most of your time on a galleon having adventures on the high seas. Who cares if a galleon goes fast? You're having adventures on the high seas.”

”I've sat often enough in a sleigh to get you,” she replied.