He couldn’t have come down before he pulled out, yanked me up and pressed his c**k so that he’d buried it along the crevice of my ass.

But his arms wrapped around me tight, one at my ribs, one at my chest and he shoved his face in my neck.

“You called me Lo,” he said there, his breaths labored, his voice gruff.

Suddenly uncertain, I whispered, “Yes. I’ve heard the guys call you—”

He shoved his face deeper into my skin and squeezed so powerfully with his arms, my breath left me in a gush.

“This pleases me,” he whispered back.

Thank God.

I relaxed into him.

He kept whispering, his words soothing into my skin. “You please me.”

I closed my eyes but lifted my hands to his forearms, curling my fingers around tight.

He gave me another squeeze even as his h*ps pushed in, pressing his c**k deeper between the cheeks of my ass. “Are you tender, dove?”

“Yes.”

“But all right?”

“Oh yes,” I breathed.

That got me another squeeze.

Then his arms relaxed (slightly) and his lips glided up my neck to my ear. “Some other time, I will take this arse,” and his h*ps pushed in again so I knew what he was saying.

A tremor shook my body.

I’d never done that.

But I wanted Apollo to do that to me. I wanted him to take me any way he could. I wanted to take him any way I could. I wanted to own him and I wanted him to own me.

And this knowledge shook me.

He wasn’t done.

“Your arse again red, your fingers working between your legs, you’ll cl**ax with me buried inside it.”

Okay, now I was thinking I wanted that immediately.

“We’ll need oil,” I said softly and his teeth sank into my earlobe, which got another tremor before he shifted his lips to the skin at the back of my ear.

“I’ll get some,” he murmured there.

Goodie.

His arms moved. The one at my chest slanting to cup my breast. The one at my ribs doing the same to cup my sex.

“You give me this,” he said gently.

“Yes.”

“Freely,” he added.

“Yes.”

“With abandon,” he finished and he didn’t hide this pleased him as well.

I said nothing but I felt a lot. God, so much. It was almost impossible to contain.

He pulled me deeper into his body and again shoved his face into my neck. “This makes me happy.”

Oh God.

“I’m glad, Lo.”

His mouth went back to my ear. “Is my dove happy?” he asked tenderly and I bit my lip and felt even more.

So much more, it was devouring me.

And I didn’t mind fading into it.

That shook me too.

My fingers tightened into his forearms and I answered, “Yes, I’m happy, Apollo.”

He said nothing for long moments. He just held me intimately, pressed close, both of us on our knees.

Finally, he broke the silence. “You’re seeping. I will wash you and we will sleep.”

“Okay,” I agreed.

That got me another squeeze and a kiss on the neck.

Then he moved away to settle me gently in the bed and he bent to brush his lips on my jaw before he left me.

Then he set about undoing me.

And he did this by washing me, sliding my nightgown on me, smoothing his hands over the material then joining me in the bed, pulling the covers up to my shoulders and gathering me close, tangling me up in him. He did all this tenderly, with that look I felt in my belly and around my heart on his face.

He also did it like I was breakable, but precious.

Cherished.

No one had touched me that way.

Not in my life.

He held me tight to him as he rolled side to side to turn out the gas lamps beside the bed, leaving us with nothing but the firelight.

When he settled us on our sides, he drew me even nearer and I felt his lips at the top of my hair.

“I tell you now, my poppy, for years, I never thought I would again be happy. Never again.” He tucked me closer and finished on a rough whisper. “So I never imagined I could be happier.”

At his words and all they meant, my heart slammed in my chest, but I burrowed deeper, shoving my face in his throat, unable to say anything. Only able to feel.

“Sleep, Maddie,” he murmured.

“Okay, honey,” I forced out.

I felt his lips leave my hair and he kept one arm around my shoulders, holding tight while the other one moved down my back to smooth over my bottom, cupping me there lightly as if he wished to sooth the warmth that his hand left there. Warmth I didn’t mind in the slightest.

I should have slept. Everything I knew, everything I’d learned, everything that was me told me to keep my mouth shut.

But in his arms, all he’d said, all he’d done, all we gave each other, I didn’t.

My voice so quiet, it was even difficult for me to hear, I told him, “All my life, I’ve never been happy. So I never imagined even being that way. Until now.”

He heard me.

I knew because that got me another powerful squeeze that took my breath away and I felt his lips back at my hair.

“I wish you to share why this was with me, Madeleine.”

“I will, honey,” I wheezed.

He heard the wheeze and loosened his arms.

“Not now. Now we sleep,” he commanded and at his arrogant, bossy command, I smiled against his skin

“Right,” I muttered.

“But I want you to sleep knowing how much it means to me that I’ve made you happy.”

I took in a trembling breath and to let him know I knew how much it meant, and hopefully let him know how much what he said meant to me, I pressed my lips to the skin of his throat for a kiss. Then I turned my head and pressed my cheek at its base.

He continued to hold me close.

I burrowed closer, tightening my arms around him.

And I slept.

Chapter Sixteen

Skulking

“I cannot believe we’re doing this.”

That was Meeta.

“Shh!”

That was Loretta.

We were skulking through the forest toward the main house.

We were doing this because Apollo told me two things the night before.

One, the men he was waiting for had arrived, they’d been set to patrolling and thus all of Ulfr land was now protected. This meant it was safe for us to leave the house and wander around without an escort. Apparently his soldiers had been out on leave (kind of, I had a feeling “leave” meant “leave on missions Apollo didn’t think it necessary for me to know” and I didn’t really want to know so I was okay with that) but now they were back.