Chapter 59
That surprised me and I tipped my head back to look at the firelight playing on the angles of his face.
"Seriously?"
He looked down at me. "I do not like the idea of my dove being toyed with."
G.o.d, that was sweet.
"Ilsa," I whispered, telling him I knew what he was talking about.
He nodded. "That will be fodder, I'm certain. But they don't need it."
"I'll be okay," I a.s.sured him, though I wasn't exactly a.s.sured myself. That said, I knew I would be okay in the end.
Because he'd make me that way.
This realization pretty much rocked my world but I couldn't give into that feeling when Apollo kept talking.
"I don't want you just to be okay. I want you to feel safe and that will not be safe."
"Honey," I slid my hand up his chest to curl it around his neck, "I've endured far worse than mean people."
"Yes, you have," he agreed. "But that does not mean you need to continue to do it."
"What I'm saying is, that kind of thing doesn't faze me. And the Ilsa thing, it's not like I haven't had practice dealing with that too."
He made no reply.
I pressed closer. "Does it occur to you that I don't want you to go into what Draven called a den of vipers alone either?"
He sounded surprised when he asked, "You seek to protect me?"
"Well, you're a big guy who can look out for himself. But still. Unpleasant situations are a lot easier to deal with for anyone when they have someone at their back. Or in this case, on their arm."
At that, his hand slid up to my neck, then into my hair and he pressed my face in his throat while his other arm gave me a squeeze and I felt his lips at the top of my hair.
"I take it that means I'm going," I guessed.
"I have still to decide."
I sighed Then I pulled out the big guns.
"If you don't let me go, I can't wear one of my kicka.s.s gowns. I've been looking forward to wearing one of those gowns since I saw them in Vasterhague. And with us at war, if we're not at some gale where intrigues are happening and conspirators are conniving, where am I going to wear my gowns?"
He chuckled, taking the pressure off my head so I could tip it back. The instant I did, he moved in and gave me a sweet deep kiss with tongues.
When he was done, slightly breathless and tucked very close, I asked, "So, am I going?"
"I wouldn't wish to deprive you of your chance to wear your," he paused, "kicka.s.s gown."
"Awesome," I whispered and he wrapped both arms around me even as I felt his body move with his silent laughter.
When he was done, he whispered, "Sleep, dove."
"Okay, baby."
At that, I got another squeeze and closed my eyes.
Minutes later, I slept.
I felt the bed move and my eyes fluttered open.
This was because Apollo was joining me which made me groggily wonder why he hadn't been with me. He never left me, except to feed fuel on the fire.
I had no idea what time it was. I just knew I'd been dead asleep. I also knew his body seemed strangely cold when it moved into mine, colder than it would be just leaving the covers. And last, I knew he had something on his mind and I also knew what that was with the way he moved into me. That was to say, s.h.i.+fting me to my back, covering me and rocking his hips until my legs opened and they fell through.
"Baby?" I called, sounding sleepy and confused because I was both.
His hand found mine and guided it between us, straight to his hard c.o.c.k.
Yep. I knew what was
"Baby," I whispered.
"Guide me inside, poppy," he whispered back and I did what he asked.
Once I'd positioned the tip, he took over, sliding slowly in the rest of the way.
My neck arched as he filled me and I wrapped myself around him.
His lips went to the skin under my ear; he moved his hips and started stroking.
My lips went to his ear and I asked, "Is everything okay?"
"It is now," he answered.
I didn't think he meant it was because he was making love to me.
But I didn't get to ask him to clarify.
His hand came to my face, tilted it his way and he kissed me, slow, sweet, wet and deep.
I kissed him back the same way.
And the same way, he made love to me, building the burn, taking his time, then taking us both there.
I gasped my climax into his mouth.
He groaned his into mine.
When we both came down, he rolled us to our sides but kept one of my legs..h.i.tched over his hip so he had an easier reach to stroke my a.s.s.
"Sleep, Maddie," he urged.
I'd just come. It was sweet but it was hard. And I was wrapped around Apollo and he was stroking my a.s.s.
So he didn't have to urge me to sleep because seconds after he did, I was there.
Chapter Nineteen.
Intrigue Always Has Consequences "You look like a princess!" elan cried.
I turned from the mirror to elan, who had come into my room and was gazing up at me like I'd gazed up at Cinderella at Disney World when I was seven, the one and only time my father took us on a family vacation. A vacation that didn't go well because Dad was the only person in the world who could find the most magical place on earth annoying and didn't mind sharing it, all day. This made me meeting Cinderella pretty much the only good part of it (save the Matterhorn and s.p.a.ce Mountain, both of which I'd loved).
Shoving that memory aside, I decided instead to let flow over me how freaking great it felt to have elan staring at me like I walked right of a movie.
But it must be said, even by me, she was right. I totally looked like a fairy princess, or, at least one who lived in a country covered in ice.
I gave her dazzled eyes a smile then looked beyond her to see Chris had come in with her. He, on the other hand, didn't look dazzled. He looked startled and was hanging back. That was unusual behavior for him. If not as effervescent as his sister, he wasn't detached. And I'd never seen him startled by anything.
Before I could make anything of it, my eyes went to Apollo, who had brought the children in. But when I looked at him, my heart stopped.
He didn't look dazzled either.
No.
Instead, he looked like he very much liked the dress. So much, he looked like he'd very much like to rip it off me. He had control and this control kept him across the room. But there wasn't much of it. I could see it in his face, something I'd seen before, that hunger, that heat. It was so strong, it communicated itself to me. I felt it sear through me and everything melted but him and that heat.
That need.
This was heightened significantly by the way he looked. Thick hair swept back. Dark brown trousers tucked into s.h.i.+ned boots, and his dark brown cloak lined in almost-black brown fur.
But his forest green s.h.i.+rt had a high collar, and this time he was wearing a neck cloth.
If you'd asked me five months ago if I thought that look was hot, I would have said, h.e.l.l no.
But believe me, it wasn't hot. It was freaking hot.
Bella broke into our scorching staring contest by ordering, "Say good-bye to your father and Miss Maddie. They're away to the gale."
"I can't wait until Frey Drakkar takes me to my first gale," elan breathed and I tore my gaze from Apollo and looked down at her. "I'm going to wear that exact dress."
"I'll save it for you, honey bunch," I promised.
"Hurrah!" she cried.
Thus commenced elan das.h.i.+ng forward to give me a quick hug, Chris approaching his father getting a squeeze on the side of the neck and then Chris turned to me to dip his chin.
But he didn't approach.
Again, odd. We rarely got physical but he did get close to give my hand a squeeze when we had the occasion to say goodnight.
Bella, Loretta and Meeta, however, did approach.
Meeta did it to me, bringing with her my bronze velvet cloak.
Loretta also did it to me, carrying my satin evening bag.
Bella did it to the kids, huddling them and herding them out as elan waved and cried, "Don't forget to dance!"
Oh s.h.i.+t.
There was going to be dancing?
Oh s.h.i.+t!
Of course there was going to be dancing. It was a ball.
The problem was, I didn't know how to dance.
c.r.a.p.
I couldn't think on that, the kids were leaving so I called, "Sleep tight!"
"We will," elan called back before she disappeared.
Chris said nothing.
Again, odd.
My mind was turned from Chris this time as Meeta arranged the cloak on my shoulders then Loretta moved in and gave me my bag.
I bent in to kiss Loretta's cheek and turned to Meeta.
When I did, smiling, I looked into her eyes. At what I saw there, the smile froze on my face and I stilled.
"Enjoy your evening, Miss Maddie," she murmured.
But she didn't mean that.