Heaven Sent (Loki/Asgard Fanfiction - Aislinn's Story)

Chapter Sixty-Two

Aislinn could barely sit still, her belly alive with butterflies when she heard Steve's Denali as he eased into his parking space. It was almost seven, football practice had run late, and she'd practically chewed her nails to the quick with waiting for him.

The door opened and Steve's keys jangled as he dropped them—most likely on the kitchen table—before going to the basement. The stairs creaked, a dull thud followed, and a few minutes later, he emerged. "Ash? Where are you?"

She took a deep breath as she came down the stairs. "Just upstairs. How was the rest of your day?"

"Hectic, but fine. If I'd known practice was going to run late, I'd have packed a snack." As he talked, he grabbed the bottom of his tee shirt to fan himself by tugging it up and down several times on his way into the kitchen. "And if I'd known it was going to be eighty-three degrees, I'd have packed one more shirt. I sweated through the one I started out with and the spare.

"But—" the refrigerator door whooshed—"it was worth it. Miller and Pawelchak finally—finally—worked out the last kink in the play we've been playing around with."

She came around the corner to find him leaning up against the counter, a bottle of water at his lips, rapidly draining. He looked as if he'd been in the sun for a while, his skin had a hint of redness to it, his hair was damp at the temples, and his gray Property of the Somerset Valley Falcons tee shirt had a massive wet patch across the chest and when he fanned himself again, he also offered up an enticing peek at his muscled stomach and that trail of dark hair that vanished into the waist of his shorts.

He lowered the bottle and the hand holding his shirt went still as well. "Uh-oh, you've got that look, Ash."

"What look?"

"Like you're going to jump on me."

She smiled. He had no idea just how tempting the thought was, how close he was to the truth, and just how sexy he was when he came home all sweaty and on the bedraggled side. Catching those glimpses of his well-defined abs only made the temptation stronger. "You're complaining?"

"I would never be so stupid." He set the bottle on the counter. "So, how was the rest of your afternoon?"

"It was fine." She closed the space between them. "Linda called."

He'd been reaching for the bottle, and froze, his hand in mid-air as he glanced at her. "And?"

"We got the house, Steve."

"We got the house."

She nodded, bringing her thumb to her lips to nibble at the nail. "They accepted our offer and we're looking at a tentative closing date of November first."

"That's six weeks from now."

"I know."

He just stared at her for a long moment and a hint of unease poked at her insides. "What's the matter, Steve?"

"We bought a house." To her relief, a slow grin spread over his face. Easing his arms about her waist, he added, "We're, like, grownup married people, Ash. All we need is a dog and two-point-five kids."

"How do you get half of a child?"

"I have no idea." His grin widened as his hands curved against her backside to press her closer. "Have you ever done this before?"

"Bought a house?" She shook her head. "No. I've only ever lived in Asgard or stayed with Selig."

"It's fun. By the time we move in, we'll either be on the verge of divorce or half-insane."