Fantasyland: Midnight Soul Part 60

He looked back to her. "The natural order of things would put me with the Cora of that world."

Her upper lip curled.

She knew of Cora of the other world. The woman made the s.h.i.+t Franka pulled all her life to keep people distant look tame. Cora of the other world wasn't just a b.i.t.c.h. She was a c.u.n.t.

She was also dead and Franka knew that too.

"Well, that doesn't bode well for our futures," she murmured, her eyes drifting away. "And I must say, I have thought on this before last night and quite often today and it troubles me."

"Babe," he called.

Her attention came back.

He studied her face.

Then he said, "You don't know."

"What don't I know?"

s.h.i.+t.

He released his belt so he could get closer to her, curved her fingers around his thigh and lifted that hand to hold her at the side of her neck.

"You...the you of this world, sweetheart, she pa.s.sed years ago. A boating accident when she was seventeen."

Her gasp was audible.

"Yeah," he said gently. "Valentine told me last week."

"That...I..." She shook her head and it took her time to get it together. "This news...it's peculiar. Before, I was concerned about running into her and how awkward that might be. But now, knowing this, all I feel is sad."

"That's because it's sad, knowin' a girl had her life cut short before she even got a chance to start living it. f.u.c.ks with my head, knowin' that girl looked just like you."

"Yes," she agreed quietly.

"As sad as that is, Frannie, it still balances s.h.i.+t out."

"Pardon?"

"You and me. My destined mate of that world is dead. The you of this world is also sadly pa.s.sed. Think Valentine told me this just so I'd know, because of that, there's balance."

"Oh," she whispered, and that was all she gave him after that mammoth piece of news.

He grinned and teased, "Yeah. Oh."

"Well, that's one thing we don't need to worry about."

He kept teasing. "Yeah, strike that off the list of non-existent s.h.i.+t we should worry about since this just works between us, what we got, so we really don't have anything to worry about unless you make it up."

Her eyes narrowed.

He leaned close and touched his lips to hers.

When he pulled away he ordered, "Leave Circe alone."

She drew both of her lips between her teeth.

"Seriously, Frannie, let her live her life."

She let her lips go. "Valentine thinks-"

"I don't give a s.h.i.+t what Valentine thinks."

"But, I agree and-"

"Then you'd be wrong."

Her eyes narrowed again.

"You're interrupting me, Noc," she warned.

"Babe, this is serious," he returned.

"You are correct, it is," she retorted. "Very serious. And being serious, I wish for you to explain to me, right now, why Circe is not allowed her happiness. Of the players in this game of universe hopping, Finnie and Frey have found their bliss. Circe and Lahn of Korwahk. Tor and Cora. Maddie and Apollo. And I daresay, when you aren't being vexing, you and me. So what of the Lahn of this world and the Circe of the other? Are they not to find their bliss?"

"If that's gonna happen, let it happen."

"Even if it were to happen without intervention, by the time they get together, Noc, the Circe and Lahn of the other world will have at least three children, that being if Circe doesn't deliver twins on her husband again, making it four. The Circe and Lahn in this world already have to catch up. There's no time to waste."

"You tell yourself that and Valentine tells herself that so you can meddle, seein' as you're both addicted to it."

She pulled away from his hold, saying archly, "And let us see, Valentine has meddled in precisely three relations.h.i.+ps, my clothing and shoes yesterday being not an unintentional fas.h.i.+on selection in the slightest. She planted me where she planted me the way she planted me knowing precisely what the results would be from her machinations. You may disagree, for reasons unknown, but from the results...including Finnie and Frey, Maddie and Apollo, and you and me...I would estimate she's quite skilled at what you call her meddling."

s.h.i.+t, she had him there.

"And do you think for even a moment that Valentine or I would wish Circe harm or do that first thing to harm her?" she demanded to know.

"Frannie, calm down," he urged. "Of course not."

"Then I fail to see your problem with our plan."

He didn't like it. But she was right, which meant he had no choice but to live with it.

"Just, whatever you plan to do, be careful," he muttered.

She pulled away even further and snapped, "But of course!"

"Baby, she's spent her entire life being used and violated by men. I'm the only man she's ever chosen of her free will. I'm protective of her and it's partly because of that, partly because I'm human, and lastly because I'm a man and I f.u.c.kin' hate that my kind has put her through a lifetime of s.h.i.+t. You say you're gonna fix her up with a huge dude that I can't imagine looks any less scary in this world than the other, I'm gonna react. Cut me some slack."

"And cutting you some slack would mean allowing you your erroneous reaction, which was insulting, and forgiving you for it even if you haven't admitted you were in the wrong and apologized," she returned.

Noc fought a grin. "Yeah, that'd be what cutting me some slack means."

"All right, Noctorno, I shall 'cut you some slack.'"

He didn't need to fight a grin anymore.

"Babe," he said shortly. "Making something else crystal clear right now, something I don't want to tell you again, I do not like being called Noctorno."

"I have heard you say that, repeatedly. But it is your name, it's a regal, manly name, and when you're being vexing it's mostly when you're being very much a man, and a high-handed one to boot, so that's how I'll refer to you. And I will admit I'm not beneath using something I know annoys you to do just that after you've annoyed me."

Noc sighed.

Franka held his gaze.

"It's good you taste so G.o.dd.a.m.ned sweet, or even with all the rest, you might not be worth it," he muttered.

"I do hope you jest," she bit out.

"Just finding things that annoy you that I can use after you've annoyed me."

She glared at him.

Then she burst out laughing.

Noc stared at her.

f.u.c.k, he'd never seen or heard her laugh like that. Not like that. Totally giving into it. Totally giving him all of it.

Christ, even her laughter sounded like a purr.

Beautiful.

She was still doing it when she undid her seatbelt and erased the distance between them, putting her laughing mouth to his and sliding her hand up his thigh.

"I do believe you need to feed me, darling. I'm quite famished."

He couldn't stay ticked. Not after what she just gave him and now, with her mouth on his, hearing her humor in her voice and seeing her eyes dance in the dashboard lights.

"Best get you to some food, then," he muttered, brus.h.i.+ng his mouth against hers.

He was about to pull away when she caught him with her hand cupping his cheek.

"We balance worlds," she said softly.

He felt those words in his gut.

"Yeah," he replied softly.

"You're my type too, Noc, even though I didn't know it until I met you," she shared.

f.u.c.k.

That did it.

They had a booking. They didn't have the time to sit in his SUV and have a conversation.

But it was important and it had to be had.

So they had it.

Now they did not have time for him to make out with her the way he wanted to make out with her to show his appreciation of not only how she ended an argument, but what she'd just said.

But it was important.

So he took that time.

They were twenty minutes late for their reservation.

The busy restaurant sat them regardless.

And Noc was not surprised that every man followed Frannie with his eyes as she pa.s.sed, which meant no way in f.u.c.k he could wipe the satisfied grin off his face that all that was her was all his.

He was also not surprised his Frannie liked shrimp etouffee better than pizza.

By a lot.

Chapter Sixteen.

My Command Franka "Noc?"

"Mm?"

G.o.ds, I loved it when he made that noise.

I also loved how he held my fingers laced in his.

But in that very moment what I loved most was how he was lazily circling his thumb on the inside of my wrist, even if he did it as he drove (seeing as it was my view that it was probably far safer to operate his vehicle with two hands).

We were just then heading to his home after an utterly sumptuous dinner, the like I'd never had. Such flavors. Complicated. Rich. Spicy. Decadent.