Page 137 of The Warrior
“What are you talking about? I never touched Laura.”
Magni was stabbing his finger in Marco’s direction. “You’re not her protector.I am!”
Marco and I exchanged a glance of confusion.
“Don’t look like you don’t know what I’m talking about. Khan told me how he made you her protector and that you two sleep together.”
Marco held up both his palms in a sign of peace. “There must be some misunderstanding. I’m not Laura’s protector and I’ve never slept with her.”
“Are you saying Lord Khan is lying?”
“No – I don’t know.” Marco looked to me for help and I stepped away from Solo, who was now sitting up with a hand to his head.
“You must have heard wrong, Magni. That’s all,” I said.
“Laura.” Magni stepped so close that his chest touched my arm. “What is going on between you and Marco?”
I closed my eyes, calling for patience.
“Laura, look at me. Tell me that you aren’t fucking him.”
As if someone had turned on a laser beam inside of me, I opened my eyes and pinned Magni with such intensity that he jerked back a little. “This is absurd. You and I are going to talk, right now.” In long strides, I walked to the cabin, trusting that my temperamental husband would follow me. I held the door and closed it when he was inside.
“What the hell was that?” I scolded. “I haven’t seen you for a month and then you come back here acting like a jealous lunatic.”
“What was I supposed to do?”
“You were supposed to talk to me about it. If you had asked me, I could’ve told you that there is nothing between me and Marco.”
Magni was pacing the room. “Why would Khan tell me that he’s your protector, if he’s not?”
“You’ll have to ask Khan about that.”
“So there’s nothing going on between you and Marco?”
I rubbed my face. “How many times do I have to tell you? There’snothing going onbetween us. He’s far too young for me anyway.”
“You’re the same age, Laura.”
“Yes, but he’s notyou.”
Magni stopped pacing and turned to look at me. “Say that again?”
We stood three feet apart with loaded energy between us.
My voice softened as the joy that he was back caught up with me. “He’s not you.”
Magni shifted his weight from one leg to the other. “So you’re not going to divorce me?”
“No.” I took a step closer. The words that I’d wanted to tell him for so long were right on my tongue, and my heart felt like it was exploding.
Magni stepped closer too, pulling me into a tight hug and saying the words that I wanted to hear. “I love you.”
“What?” I whispered, as if I hadn’t heard right.
“I love you, Laura.” Magni released me from the hug, his blue eyes looking into mine with a new sense of vulnerability.
“I love you too. I always have,” I whispered back.
