114 Unwilling to Marry

The maroon jewelry box seemed to cause time to stop for Macha. Her breathing quickened. She did not want Tyr to propose to her. In an attempt to stop him she explained, "Tyr wait. You don't have to give me anything. I... I said we don't need to give each other expensive gifts for Boreas's Day, remember?"

Tyr admitting he loved her made her happy, but after everything that happened, she realized that she did not love him yet. Things remained too complicated.

Throughout her life, Macha never had luck keeping the people she loved close to her. When she reflected on it, she realized it started with her mother's death when she had been younger. It carried on throughout her adulthood. The men she ended up loving always found a reason to leave her. She was not ready for the sort of commitment that marriage would require.

It was obvious that Macha panicked, which caused Tyr anxiety. He assumed it had been because he confessed his love to her. It was not the best confession, but he did not want to lose her. He worried that she thought he lied and said those words to keep her with him. "I didn't say I love you because of what happened. I realized I loved you back in Jimbaran."

The last thing he wanted was for Macha to view his confession as a lie. Tyr took the box off the table and shoved it in his pocket. This was not how he wanted to remember giving her the ring.

Hesitantly, he reached out and stroked her cheek. He pleaded, "Can we redo Boreas's Day? I really wanted the day to be different." He wanted to tell her he loved her while they danced and give her the ring after a night of lovemaking.

When Tyr removed the box, Macha relaxed. She looked up into his green eyes, "So you're not back with Fenrir and you love me?" Although Tyr said he loved her, she still wanted to confirm these two facts. It would not matter if he loved her if he had any intention of being with Fenrir too.

In a gentle voice, he said, "Come." Tyr moved his leg from under the table, so Macha could sit on his lap. When her warm body pressed against him, him he calmed down. He made sure their eyes locked before continuing, "I will NEVER get back with Fenrir." Bringing his head down, Tyr kissed her lips lightly and whispered against them, "I love you."

Macha's anxiety dissipated when he kissed her. She remembered her thoughts about the apartment and Fenrir being in it. Her jealousy made her ashamed, and she looked down. In a small voice, she asked, "Tyr, can we redo the apartment? I don't like the idea that Fenrir spent time with you in it." She realized it was a silly thing to do, but she hated that woman and did not want any trace of her in the apartment.

Tyr nuzzled against Macha's hair. Her words warmed his heart. She rarely showed any jealousy and hearing her upset about something so childish made him happy. "I had it gutted and redone after she and I broke up. If you want, you can redo it though. I already said this is your home."

After Fenrir broke up with him, he hated everything that remotely reminded him of her. The thought of touching the things she had touched filled him with rage. He had given her everything, and she left him without even a tear. The pain of being cheated on had cut so deeply that in his anger, he tore up the apartment and burned half of it down.

The news of Fenrir not stepping foot in the same apartment they created memories in meant more to Macha than she expected it would. She breathed a sigh of relief and nodded. "I should tell Ullr that I won't go back with him." She moved to slip out of Tyr's lap, but he held her in place.

Ullr pissed Tyr off and he wanted to leave a little reminder for the jerk. A small smile touched his lips. "Let me kiss you first," he whispered against her ear. His lips pressed against Macha's neck as his hands ran along her body. He deepened the kiss and sucked the delicate skin on her neck. She responded by tilting her head so he could reach her easier. Usually, Tyr avoided kissing her like this because the mark was unprofessional, but he knew she always loved to be kissed on her neck like this.

After he finished, he nibbled her earlobe and stole a glance at his handy work. Macha had her hair up today so he knew Ullr would see. A wide smile spread across his face, "I'll wait for you at the door in case there's a problem."

As they walked to the door, Macha asked, "Did you leave a mark?" She raised her hand to her neck. If he did, she wanted to put her hair down.

Tyr opened the door. "Nothing that I find inappropriate," he replied in a serious tone.

Macha exited the apartment. Tyr smiled the moment Ullr noticed the hickey. Ullr glanced at him and their eyes met. He understood he was acting as if he were only a hundred, but he really disliked the man. The annoyance that briefly flitted in Ullr's eyes was as gratifying as when he punched the man in the face.

The two talked for a few minutes. He could not hear the whole of their conversation, but Macha explained that everything was cleared up. Tyr's eyes narrowed when Ullr moved in to hug her. While Ullr embraced her, he gave Tyr a wink. His arms only wrapped around her for a moment. It had been a hug that one would give a friend, but the cocky look on the man's face was rage inducing.

Macha came back and Tyr closed the door behind her. Following her into the bedroom, he coughed to loosen the muscles in this throat. In a casual voice, he asked, "So what did you do at the lake house?" Although he trusted Macha, Ullr's comments still made him feel uneasy.

The ride back to Marseille took a while, and she had been using the same clothes for a few days now. She wanted to take a shower before they redid their Boreas's Day. "I looked at the stars, drank hot chocolate, and talked with Ullr." She began unbuttoning her top. "He's a really nice man. Did you know he does a lot of charity work?"

Tyr undressed as well. He wanted to ask if anything happened between the two, but he decided not to. The question would only make him look bad and he doubted Ullr would have kept it a secret from him if something did happen. "I'd prefer if you don't get too close with him."

Macha finished undressing, and he helped her take the pins out of her hair. She stepped into the shower and kept the door open for Tyr. "I was unsure about going to the lake house, but he wanted me to have a place to go. I only went because I thought you were getting back together with Fenrir. He said that he didn't want me to come here if that was the case."

The sound of the warm water falling onto the floor filled the bathroom. Tyr sat down on the smooth stone seat to the side of the shower. "All right," he replied. He did not want to talk about that man any longer.

Tyr reached over and soaped up his hands. He ran them along Macha's body. His hands ran across the curves of her breasts and he rubbed his thumbs along their peaks. It had been a few days since he had been with her. The need to possess her made him hard.

He pulled her closer and kissed her. When Macha leaned against his knee, Tyr slipped his hand between her thighs and began stroking her. The soap made it easy and her breathing became heavier. Tyr savored how hungry Macha looked against the foggy glass of the shower.

Macha grabbed Tyr's length and lifted her leg. She yearned for him the past few days. His shaft throbbed in her hands and she guided him into her. Tyr gave her a rough kiss as she lowered herself onto him.

He lifted Macha's other leg around him and let out a moan as she pleasured herself on him. He placed his hands under her and moved her as she ground against him. Her body tensed up, but he continued to move her against him. "Come for me," he growled. As she was coming, he grabbed her breasts and played with her tips.

Towards the end of her pleasure, he held her hips firmly against his. He closed his eyes and found his released.

They stayed holding each other while the water ran. After the fogginess in his mind cleared, Tyr lifted Macha's chin and kissed her gently, "You make it hard to want to leave the apartment sometimes." Right now, he wanted to lock themselves away from the world instead of redoing Boreas's Day.