“As in, none of your business,” Meeta clarified.

“I know what it means,” Loretta retorted. “I just don’t know why she thinks it is.”

“Because she thinks it is,” Meeta returned.

“But that’s mad,” Loretta shot back. “Everyone talks about what they get up to under the duvet.”

“I think you may have noticed, doe, Miss Maddie is not everyone,” Meeta replied.

Well, that was nice.

Loretta looked at me, now grinning. “That’s the gods truth. If you were, Ulfr would not be striding in here at any moment.”

“He has good taste,” Meeta murmured and I started feeling squishy because that was really nice.

“Thanks, honey.” I said softly and she looked at me.

“You’re gentle. You’re kind. And you’re amusing. A woman who looks like you is rarely any of these things, much less all of them.”

“And that’s the gods truth, too,” Loretta agreed. “They’re usually vain and smug.”

“And demanding,” Meeta added.

“And attention-seeking,” Loretta put in.

“But you’re none of that,” Meeta concluded.

“Which makes you grand,” Loretta finished on a big smile directed at me.

Now they were both being nice.

“Uh…not sure you two have looked in the mirror lately, but you’re both all those and neither of you are hard to look at,” I pointed out.

“Hans seems not to think so. It seems he finds me very hard to look at,” Loretta murmured.

I could see that still stung, worse now since we were traveling with him and she had to deal with him ignoring her for hours on end day after day.

And truth be told, I didn’t get why Hans didn’t think Loretta was the bomb and go back for more. Or simply just go back to stay.

She was very curvy, quite petite, had lovely light brown hair and beautiful bright blue eyes. She was funny. She was sweet. She held an excitement for life that was almost akin to Élan’s. And, last, she was loyal to the core. I knew this because I knew she felt this for me, even if we hadn’t known each other for very long.

Hans could do worse, but I didn’t know how he could do better.

On these thoughts, I reached out and grabbed her hand. “Then why don’t you look elsewhere, maybe to someone who’ll see all that’s you. But not one of Apollo’s men,” I hastened to add. “None of them seem quite ready to settle down…yet. And I think you are.”

“She has great beauty, is gentle, kind, amusing and wise,” Meeta decreed, coming our way and grabbing Loretta’s other hand to pull her out of the chair, her meaning clear.

I let Loretta go as she stood.

“You guys get some rest,” I called as they moved to the door.

Meeta arched her long elegant neck toward me.

Loretta waved.

“And, as usual, thanks for everything,” I finished as they disappeared out the door.

All except Meeta’s head, which she dipped my way before she closed the door.

I got out of my chair and pulled my soft wool robe tighter around me as I walked to the window.

We were at an inn on the nicer spectrum. It was clean, well-decorated and had its own restaurant downstairs. And the rooms had thick rugs on the floors so the cold couldn’t seep through and heavy draperies so the chill couldn’t come through the windows.

Still, I braved it to pull a curtain back and look out at Brunskar.

Yep.

Still creepy.

Totally.

“Maddie, dove, drop the draperies. You’re letting in a draught.”

I dropped the draperies at Apollo’s voice and turned away from the window to see him in my room. No cloak, hair a mess (but in a good way) and hot.

My belly fluttered.

“Hey,” I greeted.

“Come here and say that in my arms,” he returned.

I smiled a small smile and did as he bid, walking to him and putting my arms around him as he did the same to me.

“Hey,” I repeated a lot softer this time.

“Hey,” he replied, also soft, and sweet, and that got a belly flutter too.

He bent his head to touch his mouth to mine.

Usually, this led direct to other things, including me taking his clothes off, him divesting me of my robe, nightgown and panties, and the fun didn’t stop there.

But after he brushed his lips against mine, he lifted them to kiss my nose, let me go and moved to the bed.

I stood where he left me and watched him sit on it. Then I watched him take off his boots.

“Is everything okay?” I asked when he reached both hands back between his shoulders to pull off his sweater.

His eyes came to mine. “We’re in Brunskar,” he told me something I knew and pulled off his sweater.

I ignored him unveiling the wall of his magnificent chest, not to mention the span of his wide shoulders (okay, I didn’t ignore it, but I tried to) and said, “Uh…yeah. We’re in Brunskar.”

“No good can come of a visit to Brunskar,” he muttered, standing and putting his hands to his breeches.

Great.

Now even Apollo was freaking me out about this place.

“Do you want to explain that?” I asked.

His belt undone, his fingers at the buttons of his fly, he looked to me again.

“No, I want your mouth between my legs. Then I want to watch you ride my cock. When we’ve both cl**axed and my seed is dripping from inside you, I’ll explain about Brunskar.”

Suddenly, I didn’t give a damn about Brunskar.

I gave less of one when he pulled down his breeches and I saw he was very ready for my mouth to be between his legs.

And I didn’t even remember there was a Brunskar when he got in bed, put his back to the headboard, spread his legs, cocked his knees, and leveled his eyes to me even as he wrapped his big hand around his hard thick c**k and started stroking.

Every inch of me started tingling, most specifically my ni**les and the area between my legs.

I had a feeling we weren’t going slow and sweet tonight.

And I was looking forward to it.

“Remove your robe and gown before you join me, poppy,” he murmured.

I couldn’t be sure, I didn’t think they recorded those types of things for the books, but I was relatively certain I had my robe and nightgown off in record time.

He liked what he saw and I knew this because his voice was gruff when he ordered, “Crawl up the bed from the bottom.”

Oh God.

Hot.

I didn’t delay and moved to the foot of the bed.