head, those eyes regaining their sparkle. “Look at you! The mother hen, clucking about in great anxiety.”
She gasped. “I am not a mother hen and I do not cluck.” Tucking her feet further under her, she moved closer, her arm going across his chest. “Though I do worry about you. Are you sure you are fine?”
“I will be shortly, as long as you stay next to me a few minutes more.”
She looked up to the rafters before grinning down at him. “You are incorrigible. And you will not tell me what is wrong, will you?”
“Most likely not.”
She worried her lip—her teeth tugging and pulling on it. “Why ever not? Should not someone know what ails you so they can be of assistance?”
“Do you know how beautiful you are?”
“No.” She blushed. “And it will not do to change the subject.”
“Why not?”
“Because you are in pain, that is why! And we simply do not need to be discussing my looks with you sprawled about on the floor in agony.”
“But what if those looks dim the agony a bit and make me remember only how glorious it is to get to know such a maiden as you? Then is it proper to speak of her beauty?”
“Rumplestiltskin!”
“Yes, Mother Hen?”
She groaned and giggled and lied right down upon his chest. “You are hopeless.”
He reached down and ran his hand through her long, soft, dark hair. And then said quietly, “So I have been told many times.”
“Hmm…” she muttered into his warm frame. His fingers causing ripples of explosions through her whole back at his touch. “I could fall asleep right here, this instant.”
Though his back ached greatly from the extra pressure she caused, he could not think of anything more dear to him in all the world than a few minutes more spent with her sleeping upon his chest. “It was exhausting, but we did it.”
She tilted her face to the side, loving the gentle feel of his hand. “You did it.”
“We both did.”
“Yes, but without you I would have—I would have…what would I have done without you?”
“Shh…” he whispered. “I was here. I would not have left you alone, anyway. I would have always come.”
She turned and pressed a kiss upon his stiff shirt. “Thank you.”
“You are most welcome.” He sighed. His chest heaving up and carrying Aubrynn as he did so. “However, there is one small problem in all of this.”
“And what is that?”
“The king will be back any moment and he cannot find me here.”
“Oh! You are right!” Aubrynn went to pull away, but his crooked fingers caught her and held her against him.
“Just a bit longer, please?”
She snuggled back down. “I am not hurting you, am I?”
“No,” he lied. “Just give me a few seconds longer of humanity, before I have to face the world again.”
She grinned against his shirt. “Is that all you need then? I can definitely provide that.”
“Well, some humanity and maybe a kiss too.”
“What?”
“Yes, I think I most definitely need a kiss.”
“Rumple!” She came up enough to see his mischievous eyes.
“What?” He blinked. “A man can dream, can he not?”
She flushed bright red. “Of course, he can. Though I probably could give you a small token of my affection for all you have done for me.” Goodness! What was she saying? She went even more red.
Rumple laughed. “Come here, you.” He pulled her right up his chest to about an inch or so from his very handsome lips. “Can I kiss you, my fair maiden? Just once more?”
All at once Aubrynn had forgotten how to breathe or speak. “I, uh—” she croaked out. Clearing her throat she tried again. “Uh, yes. Yes, you may.”
In a sudden burst of seriousness, Rumple’s smile dropped. His gaze taking in every millimeter of the amazing woman before him. She was truly beyond anything he could have ever imagined. Slowly, his hands wound themselves up to her neck and head and then carefully, as if she were the most delicate china, he brought her mouth to his.
Aubrynn
She gasped. “I am not a mother hen and I do not cluck.” Tucking her feet further under her, she moved closer, her arm going across his chest. “Though I do worry about you. Are you sure you are fine?”
“I will be shortly, as long as you stay next to me a few minutes more.”
She looked up to the rafters before grinning down at him. “You are incorrigible. And you will not tell me what is wrong, will you?”
“Most likely not.”
She worried her lip—her teeth tugging and pulling on it. “Why ever not? Should not someone know what ails you so they can be of assistance?”
“Do you know how beautiful you are?”
“No.” She blushed. “And it will not do to change the subject.”
“Why not?”
“Because you are in pain, that is why! And we simply do not need to be discussing my looks with you sprawled about on the floor in agony.”
“But what if those looks dim the agony a bit and make me remember only how glorious it is to get to know such a maiden as you? Then is it proper to speak of her beauty?”
“Rumplestiltskin!”
“Yes, Mother Hen?”
She groaned and giggled and lied right down upon his chest. “You are hopeless.”
He reached down and ran his hand through her long, soft, dark hair. And then said quietly, “So I have been told many times.”
“Hmm…” she muttered into his warm frame. His fingers causing ripples of explosions through her whole back at his touch. “I could fall asleep right here, this instant.”
Though his back ached greatly from the extra pressure she caused, he could not think of anything more dear to him in all the world than a few minutes more spent with her sleeping upon his chest. “It was exhausting, but we did it.”
She tilted her face to the side, loving the gentle feel of his hand. “You did it.”
“We both did.”
“Yes, but without you I would have—I would have…what would I have done without you?”
“Shh…” he whispered. “I was here. I would not have left you alone, anyway. I would have always come.”
She turned and pressed a kiss upon his stiff shirt. “Thank you.”
“You are most welcome.” He sighed. His chest heaving up and carrying Aubrynn as he did so. “However, there is one small problem in all of this.”
“And what is that?”
“The king will be back any moment and he cannot find me here.”
“Oh! You are right!” Aubrynn went to pull away, but his crooked fingers caught her and held her against him.
“Just a bit longer, please?”
She snuggled back down. “I am not hurting you, am I?”
“No,” he lied. “Just give me a few seconds longer of humanity, before I have to face the world again.”
She grinned against his shirt. “Is that all you need then? I can definitely provide that.”
“Well, some humanity and maybe a kiss too.”
“What?”
“Yes, I think I most definitely need a kiss.”
“Rumple!” She came up enough to see his mischievous eyes.
“What?” He blinked. “A man can dream, can he not?”
She flushed bright red. “Of course, he can. Though I probably could give you a small token of my affection for all you have done for me.” Goodness! What was she saying? She went even more red.
Rumple laughed. “Come here, you.” He pulled her right up his chest to about an inch or so from his very handsome lips. “Can I kiss you, my fair maiden? Just once more?”
All at once Aubrynn had forgotten how to breathe or speak. “I, uh—” she croaked out. Clearing her throat she tried again. “Uh, yes. Yes, you may.”
In a sudden burst of seriousness, Rumple’s smile dropped. His gaze taking in every millimeter of the amazing woman before him. She was truly beyond anything he could have ever imagined. Slowly, his hands wound themselves up to her neck and head and then carefully, as if she were the most delicate china, he brought her mouth to his.
Aubrynn
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