Chapter 19

The sun had set nearly an hour before, but Logan found himself unable to go inside. Instead, he was lying on a grassy hill behind Livia’s home, staring up at the abundant stars flickering in the night sky. While he hadn’t necessarily been confined indoors during his time as a slave, being outside while he was in control of his life was something completely different. Knowing that he could stay outside as long as he wanted and do whatever he wanted made the experience a wonder in and of itself.

“Were you planning on coming inside?” Marie said as she sat down next to him.

Logan had been so intent on watching the sky that he hadn’t notice her arrival until she sat down next to him. With a grin on his face, Logan turned his head towards Marie. “It feels like an eternity since I have been so at peace. I can simply lay here and not have to worry about anything. It is a wondrous feeling.”

Marie curled up next to him, resting her head on his chest. “That it is, my love. I have always felt so free here.... But the fact remains that it is getting very cold out and we should head inside.”

“It is such a beautiful night, ionúin. There really is no need to go indoors yet,” Logan protested, wrapping his arms about her slender body. “It is such a calm night and it would be a shame to spend it indoors being forced to listen to Jubilation’s recounting of trivial events.”

“Jubilation does not talk about trivial events,” Marie protested lifting her head to glare up at Logan.

Raising his head off the ground slightly, Logan arched an eyebrow. “Is that why she spent an entire day talking about purchasing silks and other clothes at the market?”

“So she talks about trivial things from time to time,” Marie admitted, dropping her head back down onto his chest.

“How about we quit talking about Jubilation and simply enjoy the night,” Logan suggested, running his fingers through Marie’s unbound hair. “Let us simply enjoy the quiet since we do not know how long it is to last.”

“It will last as long as we wish it to last,” Marie murmured confidently as she snuggled closer to Logan in search of warmth.

Logan reached a hand out to cup her cheek, noticing almost instantly how cold her skin was. Shifting so that he was now lying on his side, Logan stared intently at Marie’s face, his thumb lightly rubbing her skin. “You should go inside, ionúin. You are chilled to the bone.”

Marie simply burrowed herself deeper into Logan’s arms. “I am fine, Logan. Your skin is as warm as a heated coal, I will be warm enough.”

“In case you failed to notice, at this moment my skin is covered by the layers of clothing you insist I wear,” Logan reminded her, plucking at the deep blue tunic he was wearing. “My skin is buried far beneath and I highly doubt that you are able to feel the heat of my body.”

“It matters not, I am content,” Marie assured him as she tucked her head under his chin.

“Has anyone ever told you that you are incredibly stubborn?” Logan murmured against the top of her head.

Marie nodded her head, pulling back to grin up at him. “It sounds vaguely familiar.”

Pushing himself into a seated position, Logan drew Marie up as well and pulled her into his lap. “I will not have you catching a chill, Marie. So we are going to go inside where it is warm and hopefully we will be able to avoid Jubilation’s clothing discussions.”

Heaving himself upwards, Logan rose to his feet with Marie still in his arms. His stomach screamed in protest, but Logan was able to ignore it for the most part. Once he was standing upright, the pain faded almost completely and Logan was able to bear the pain without so much as a thought.

“I really wish you wouldn’t strain yourself so,” Marie chided as Logan carried her towards the house. “You could very well rip open the sutures on your stomach and I am more than capable than walking for myself.”

“Humour me,” Logan murmured, shifting Marie slightly in his arms so that he could carry her easier.

It wasn’t until they reached the garden at the back of the house that Logan finally set Marie back on her feet. As they stepped within the walled enclosure, Logan immediately noticed the fragrance of jasmine filling the night air. It added an exotic appeal to the location and Logan was half tempted to suggest to Marie that they remain out in the garden for a while. He was stopped, however, by the sight of Marie vigorously rubbing her hands over her forearms as though attempting to bring warmth back into them.

Placing a hand on the small of her back, Logan steered Marie towards the door that would lead them back into the house. The building itself was a marvel to Logan. In all his living days he had never been inside such a structure. His people did not produce such buildings and any other such Roman buildings he had only seen from the outside. As a slave, he had always been delegated to sleeping either outdoors or in the stables with the horses. While they horses were much better company than the Romans it was still far from a comfortable lodging.

Logan followed silently after Marie as she led them through a grand corridor lined with silks and busts of Greek and Roman gods done in marble. Oil lamps rested in carved niches, illuminating the hall with a subdued amber light.

“Where exactly are you taking us?” Logan asked as they passed the sitting room where Livia, Jubilation and Reynaldo were gathered.

“I am taking us somewhere that we can be alone and enjoy the peace this place provides,” Marie told him, glancing over her shoulder and giving him a shy smile.

Logan’s hand slid up between her shoulder blades so that he could twine his fingers in her rich hair. “Did you have a specific place in mind?”

“Somewhere very relaxing,” was the only hint Marie gave him.

A few twists and turns later, the pair emerged in an atrium much different to the one they had been in just following their arrival. Rather than containing simply a vast array of flowers, this atrium was also home to a tranquil looking pool situated in the center. The pool was surrounded by a circle of braziers which kept the cool evening air at bay within their sphere. Next to the stairs that led into the pool was a tray bearing a bottle of wine, two glasses and a selection of fruit.

“Planning something, were you?” Logan murmured, wrapping his arms about Marie’s waist from behind.

Marie leaned back against his chest and tilted her head so that she could smile up at him. “Consider this a break from the rest of the world. Our own private oasis.”

“You are a very odd woman, Marie,” Logan informed Marie as he guided her towards the pool. “I mean that in the best possible way, of course.”

Marie turned about in Logan’s arms, winding her arms about his throat. “But of course. Now what say we enjoy all the pleasures the water has to offer....”

Stepping away from him, Marie shed her robe, allowing it to float to the ground and pool around her feet. All at once, Logan realized why she had been so cold out on the hill. Beneath the robe, but the thinnest of gowns which was soon to join the robe on the tiled floor of the atrium. Logan watched, transfixed, as Marie slowly turned and all but glided towards the stairs leading into the pool. She stepped down them gracefully until the water reached the middle of her back then swam out into the calm water.

“Are you going to stand there all night or were you planning on joining me?” Marie called softly as she bobbed in the water.

In response, Logan removed his own garments, dropping them onto the ground without a care for where they landed. Once naked, Logan stepped towards the edge of the pool, completely ignoring the stairs. Rather, he dove into the water, something he hadn’t been able to do in many long months.

Logan’s head emerged from the water to the sounds of Marie’s infectious laughter. While he shook the water out of his hair, Marie swam towards him so that there was barely an inch separating them.

“I don’t think I’ve ever seen anyone enter a pool quite like that,” Marie told him, a slight wave created by Logan’s dive pushing her closer to him.

Logan reached out and brushed a few strands of Marie’s hair away from her face. “It has been ages since I’ve done that. Back home, my brothers and I used to jump off cliffs into an enclosed lake. During the few moments that passed between the time I jumped and the time I plunged into the water, it felt almost as though I was flying.”

“I would never have the nerve to do such a thing!” Marie gasped, slipping her arms about his neck to help steady her. “I’d be too scared of plunging to my death.”

“On the contrary, it is rather exhilarating,” Logan assured her as his hands found their way to her hips, pulling her even closer. “It makes your heart beat fast, your blood to speed through your body. Your senses are sharpened and it is all that you can do not to pass out from the sensations alone.”

“I believe I have felt like that before,” Marie murmured, almost casually winding her legs around his waist so that their bodies were pressed together so tightly that barely any water was able to seep between them.

“Have you really now?” Logan asked, arching an eyebrow.

Taking his hands from her waist, Logan began to swim backwards to where his feet could touch the bottom of the pool. Each time that his body would shift, so would Marie’s creating instant reactions in his body. After the first moan passed between her lips and her eyes began to flutter, Logan knew that he wasn’t the only one feeling those particular sensations.

Logan wasn’t sure whether it was an unconscious move on his part or a planned one by Marie, but as his feet touched the ground and he straightened himself up he found himself buried to the hilt in Marie’s wet core. On steady ground now, Logan placed his hands back on Marie’s waist and backed himself up towards the steps. He carefully chose one that allowed both his and Marie’s bodies to protrude from the shoulders up.

“I can feel my heart beginning to speed up,” Marie murmured breathlessly as Logan began to thrust his hips up to meet her downwards strokes. “My blood is practically singing....”

Logan pressed his forehead against hers and squeezed his eyes shut as he felt her clamp around him. “My body feels as though... as though it is on fire....”

“Mmmm.... Yes, so... so does mine,” Marie moaned as Logan slid one hand up her body to cup her breast. “Oh gods!”

Feeling her inner walls begin to squeeze him rhythmically, Logan sought her mouth out with his own. As their tongues explored each other’s mouths, Logan felt Marie’s delicate fingers sink into his wet hair, holding his mouth as close to hers as possible. Suddenly, Marie screamed into his mouth as her climax overtook her and Logan followed her a few seconds later with a shout of his own.

The pair remained entangled on the steps, both breathing heavily as their heart rates slowly returned to normal. Logan peppered Marie’s face with soft kisses as he felt her trembling in his arms. Marie moaned in contentment, her fingers massaging the thick muscles at he back of his neck.

“I daresay that is better than diving off a cliff,” Marie sighed as she dropped her head lightly onto Logan’s shoulder.

“Much,” Logan agreed, turning his body so that his back was pressed against the side of the pool. He reclined gratefully against the marble wall, holding a dozing Marie against him as the water lapped about their shoulders.