That was sweet, very sweet. And I liked it. A whole lot.
But he didn’t answer my question.
“Apollo,” I called and his eyes came to mine.
“Élan has much exuberance for life, but she also has a sensitive soul,” he whispered. “She merely heard the men battling and took fright. She saw none of it and was never in any danger. Neither of them were.”
“Oh,” I mumbled, suddenly feeling stupid. I was also thinking maybe he thought it less stupid and maybe a little scary-crazy seeing as I stabbed a man and threatened another’s manhood with hedge clippers, all for nothing. “Well, then. Perhaps I overreacted.”
His body started to shake with laughter but abruptly it stopped and he closed his eyes, dropped his forehead to mine and slid his nose alongside mine.
Right. Maybe he didn’t think I was scary-crazy.
I slid my hands down to his neck and he lifted his head half an inch.
“Tell me about the children you lost, poppy,” he whispered.
That was a bolt out of the blue, a sneak attack, and my fingers flexed spasmodically in his flesh.
“Apollo—”
He pressed his body into mine and urged gently, “Tell me, dove.”
I licked my lips.
He waited.
My teeth worried my lower lip.
He didn’t move.
Shit.
Okay.
I looked deep into his eyes and saw he was not going anywhere until he had his answers.
Shit.
Okay.
Not that I wanted him to go anywhere, but we couldn’t have our staring contest forever so, haltingly, I shared, “Uh…I lost my son when I was still pregnant. Pol got pissed for some reason and started to—”
“Speak no more,” he growled and I shut up as his anger saturated the room.
I started worrying my lip again.
He got a lock on it, but his voice was rough when he prompted, “And your daughter?”
“Miscarriage at six months,” I whispered.
He closed his eyes and dropped his forehead to mine again.
It was my turn to wait.
He didn’t make me wait long.
He lifted his forehead from mine, gently slid out and rolled off me. I rolled to the side and curled up as he yanked the covers out from under me and tossed them over. After that, naked, he walked to the fire, threw some logs on and came back to me.