Le Mousquetaire Femme

Flashback 8

His hands fumbled with the strings holding her dress together as she lovingly placed kisses down his jaw.

"It has been..." He paused and laid a kiss on her plump lips. "...incredibly boring without you." She smiled at his eagerness as he lost patience and ripped the final section of her intricate clothing and threw the material across the room.

"Absence makes the heart grow fonder." She reminded him as she was laid carefully on the bed.

He had been waiting for her as she returned from her trip into Paris. She had wandered into the bedchamber in search of him and had been ambushed by her shirtless lover who was eager to make up for the loss of her company.

They moved in harmony atop the bed and the thin sheen of sweat coating them glistened in the dim candlelight.

"How was your trip?" He asked as they pleasured each other.

"I joined the Musketeers." She gasped out in bliss but frowned as his movements halted.

She opened her eyes and stared into his stormy orbs.

"You did WHAT?!" He roared from his position above her.

"I followed your lead and signed up. The Captain feels I can achieve more than a man could in...certain situations." She informed him as she propped herself up. "Is there a problem?"

He growled at her as he propelled himself away from the bed and slipped back into his trousers.

"You went behind my back!"

"Doesn't it feel awful?" She said venomously to him as she covered herself with a bed sheet.

"You're going to get yourself killed!"

"Do you have such little faith in my skills?" She repeated his words from days ago.

"Anna, I will not allow you to..." She cut him off with a scoff.

"Athos, you yourself trained me. So do not try to say I am incapable of handling myself."

"FINE!" He roared and stormed out of the room, letting the doors slam behind him.

The gusts created by his actions soon blew out the candles near the door. With a sigh Anna blew out the bedside candles and laid in the darkness. She could hear Athos storm through the house in search of the wine and allowed herself to be slightly smug: at least they would be in Paris together.

The harsh sunlight that invaded the bedroom caused Anna to groan and bury her face further into the incredibly comfortable pillow on which she had slept. A failed attempt to get comfortable on the muscular pillow cause Anna to open her eyes and stare into the face of her lover.

Neither spoke as he reached across and tucked a lone strand of her hair behind her ears.

"Good morning." She began but he placed a finger over her lips to silence her.

"Are you serious about the Musketeers?" She nodded in response to his whispered question. "Then I support you." He smiled as she grinned up at him from her position across his chest.

"And I support you." She mumbled around the finger still on her lips.

"I'm glad." He removed his hand. "Now, would you care for some breakfast?" He gestured to the plates atop the small table in the centre of the bedchamber.

Anna lifted herself to gaze upon the table before shaking her head at the fresh fruit from Athos' private orchards.

"I'd rather have a different breakfast..." She looked up at him from under her lashes and watched him melt.

"Well, I suppose an appetite must be worked up before food can truly be enjoyed." He smirked at the woman he truly loved but could not bring himself to tell that to.