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He moved over out of the reach of the candlelight and I heard him tinkering with something as I leaned back in the tub, reveling in the delicious touch of the water on my skin. It felt like I was being cradled, rocked gently by the waves.
After a moment, Grieve returned, carrying a TV tray that he set next to the tub. It held a plate of Swirl-Delight Cupcakes, and a thermos of what smelled like peppermint tea.
“I’m sorry it’s nothing more than some junk food but…”
Grinning like a crazy woman, I wiped my hands on the towel next to the tub and grabbed a cupcake. “Are you nuts? These are golden! Now get in here.”
Grieve laughed, and just like that, he was naked. He crawled in the tub with me and sank back, a wicked smile on his face. “This is what I like. You and me in hot water together.” He shook his head. “How can you eat that? It’s nothing but sugar and fluff.”
“I like sugar and fluff.” I bit into the cupcake and closed my eyes. The next moment, I felt a hand under the water, rubbing my leg. “That feels so good. I just want to float here in the warm bubbles forever and forget the world outside.”
“I’m afraid we cannot do that, but for the moment, we can ignore the world.” And then he leaned forward between my legs, kissing me, pressing me back against the tub. The kiss went on and on, dizzying and deep and filled with his hunger.
Before I realized what we were doing, he slid inside me, moving slowly, the water rippling at our sides, splashing over the sides in little drips and drops. I closed my eyes, thrilling to our slow rhythm and the comforting scents and the candlelight.
“This night was not meant to be for sex,” he whispered. “This was meant to give you a rest. But I need you now. I need to be inside you.”
“Sex is okay.” I kissed his nose. “Sex is good, and sometimes sex in the tub is the best.” I popped another bite of the cupcake into my mouth. Feeling almost giddy, I laughed. “And sex and chocolate are really good.”
“Give me a bite.” Grieve’s starlit eyes flashed and his teeth shimmered in the dim light. He was dangerous and fierce yet…yet…he was my Grieve.
“I thought you didn’t like sugar and fluff,” I teased him, holding the cupcake just out of his reach.
“The sweeter the bite, the more delicate the blood.” And then he snapped at my fingers, playfully nibbling on them, drawing the cake into his mouth. A crumb stuck to the corner of his mouth and I moved forward, my gaze never leaving his, and licked it off. As I leaned back, with him still filling me full, he moaned and shifted, moving inside me, thrusting deeply.
I gasped, pushing against him, my clit rubbing against the base of his cock. “Don’t stop. Just keep going forever.”
“Sugar and fluff have their place, but Cicely, for you, I would give you black raspberries and honey, and rich, warm roast beef cooked rare and juicy. I would serve you beet soup, and rich cream puddings…” He nuzzled my neck. “And dress you in a silken gown, to wear under the moon, with a circlet of silver for your hair.”
I began to cry, so aware of him, so aware of us. “Will we ever get out of this mess? Will we ever make it out of the dark and the snow?”
Grieve paused, gently kissing away my tears. “I believe we will. I have to believe it. But Cicely, wherever we are, as long as we’re together, we live in the heart of Summer, where I am the prince and you are my princess.”
“I don’t need to be a princess. I just want to be your wife.” I rested my head on his shoulder, and he slowly began to move inside me again. We moved leisurely, without hurry, our breaths rising and falling with the ripples in the bath. Without warning, our passion flared and Grieve stared deep into my eyes as I came, crying out as my world expanded. Then, a moment later, Grieve moaned, his jaw clenched as he rode the wave. After he finished, he rested his head on my breast, and we stayed locked together, in our own private world, until the water cooled.
As Grieve helped me out of the tub and wrapped me in a thick towel, he slipped a box in my hand. “I have another gift for you, love.”
“More? The bath and cupcakes were wonderful.” I paused to look at the box. It was plain but held shut by a sparkling blue ribbon. “What is it?”
“Chatter hid it for me, and while you were out at the Veil House, he surprised me. When we escaped from Myst he managed to smuggle it out. Please, open it.”
I pulled on the ribbon and lifted the lid. There, on a velvet cushion, sat a necklace. A butterfly. Like my butterfly, only this one was sapphire and emerald and garnet—real stones, on a silver chain, gleaming lustrous in the candlelight.
“My butterfly—this is a copy of the butterfly necklace I had when I was little.” I looked up at him. “I still have it. You found it for me, and I’ve kept it hidden in Favonis since I bought the car. Safely tucked out of sight, where it can’t get lost.”
“That one was for your childhood, from your aunt. This is for your life as a woman. As my woman.” He gently lifted the necklace off of the pillow and draped it around my neck. “I still remember how much you loved that necklace.”
“How did you know I’d come back this time?” I gazed up at him, my eyes brimming with unshed tears.
“Lainule promised me that you would. And in my heart, I knew we couldn’t be forever separated. I felt you decide—through the wolf tattoo on your stomach.” He fastened the clasp around my neck and the pendant fell between my breasts. I tucked it under my shirt.
“Hey in there! We need to plan! Hurry it up!” A pounding on the door startled us.
“Coming.” I quickly dressed, then stopped Grieve before he opened the door. “I want you to know something. I love the necklace and love what it represents. But most of all, I love the gift you handed me in the Golden Wood. You gave me your heart—and that means more than anything ever will. I’ll never stomp on it, I’ll never abuse it.” I held the necklace close to my breasts, feeling it warm my soul.
“I can take almost any torture. But I can’t take the thought of life without you.” He kissed me lightly on the forehead, then touched the necklace beneath my shirt. “Wear this charm, and I’ll always be near you.”
Someone knocked on the door again.
