Mythe: A Fairy Tale (24 page)

“Having a good time?” he asked in a low, husky voice.

“Mmmm, very much,” she murmured, basking in the moment.

“Shall we sit down and relax for a while? This place seems to be having the desired effect on you.” With one arm around her waist, he guided her to a concrete bench on a side path that snaked through the jungle-like growth, partially screened from the main path by vines and flowers.

“So far your intervention has been very successful,” she allowed with a lazy smile. “I can’t even remember what it is I’m not supposed to think about.”

“Good.” He pulled her down beside him on the bench and they sat in relaxed, easy silence for a while, alone in the aviary. Soon the birds seemed to forget the two quiet figures in their midst and ventured within arm’s reach more than once, eliciting delighted smiles from Manda. She’d just nudged Richard lightly to direct his attention to a particularly colorful bird by his foot when a chorus of laughter and excited cries shattered the serenity and sent the birds streaking to the upper reaches of the exhibit.

Two women entered, herding a flock of children whose ages, Manda judged, ranged from four to around eleven. The three youngest, all boys, laughed and darted around, pointing at the birds excitedly. The other two, both girls, chattered between themselves and tried to ignore the young boys. As the boys ran down the main path, pursued by the two women, the girls explored the side path. This, of course, quickly brought them to where Richard and Manda sat.

The taller of the two girls, absorbed in watching a bright yellow bird in a tree overhead, was just a few feet away from them when she spotted Richard. She stopped suddenly, surprised to find anyone there; then, as recognition dawned, she gasped and dashed back to her companion, several yards behind her. She whispered excitedly to the other girl, whose skepticism quickly gave way to wide-eyed wonder when she glanced around the taller girl and saw Richard for herself. Then, both girls darted back to the two women, who had succeeded in corralling the three boys near the waterfall.

The two girls were both talking at once in their eagerness to convey their news and it took several minutes for the women to decipher what they were saying. One woman laughed indulgently and returned her attention to the boys, the youngest of whom was in danger of going for a swim as he attempted to catch one of the small tropical ducks that paddled in a pool at the base of the waterfall. The other woman, obviously humoring the girls, allowed herself to be pulled along back down the path toward Richard and Manda.

“I suppose it’s too late for me to hide behind a bush,” Richard lamented, “but you can still save yourself.”

“They don’t look like they can do too much damage. It’s the three little boys who scare me,” Manda replied, shuddering in affected horror. Richard shifted away from her slightly, sliding down the bench to put a little distance between them.

“If they start snapping photos, offer to take their picture with me,” he instructed in a quiet undertone.

“Why?” Manda whispered back, intrigued. It was an odd request coming from Richard.

“Because if you’re taking the pictures, you can’t be in them,” he explained quickly. He didn’t have time to expand upon his explanation, however. The two girls had dragged their skeptical chaperone into clear view of
Manda and Richard, and the woman, seeing the truth of the girls’ report, was approaching in nervous excitement with the two awestruck girls following in her wake.

“Excuse me,” the woman addressed them hesitantly. “I’m sorry to bother you, but aren’t you Richard Raines?”

“Yes, I am,” Richard replied politely. “What can I do for you?”

“Well, the girls were wondering if they could get autographs, if it’s not too much trouble. I hate to bother you, but they both just love you and your brother.” The woman was staring at him even more intently than the two girls were, and Manda had a hunch that this encounter would be the stuff of the woman’s daydreams much longer than it would be for the girls.

“It’s no problem,” Richard responded graciously. “Do you have a pen and paper?”

“Oh!” the flustered woman exclaimed and dug frantically through her purse, finally coming up with a ballpoint pen. The taller girl thrust a zoo map toward him immediately, and the other girl quickly followed suit, pulling a crumpled map out of her back pocket.

Richard deftly scrawled his name on each map and handed them back. The star-struck girls clutched their trophies tightly and giggled. Richard’s foot nudged Manda’s and when she glanced toward him, he looked meaningfully toward the woman, who had managed to retrieve a camera from the nether regions of her purse.

“Would you mind if I took a picture of you and the girls?” she asked, already motioning the girls forward. Manda quickly popped up from the bench, extending a hand toward the woman.

“Why don’t you let me take one of all of you? You should be in the picture, too.” The woman thanked her enthusiastically, handing her the camera and joining the girls. The three crowded around Richard on the bench and Manda snapped several shots. As she stepped forward to return the camera to the woman, she was practically bowled over from behind by the three young boys. The other woman, wondering what was keeping the rest of the group, had shepherded them down the small path.

The three boys were too young to be impressed by Richard, but they quickly became caught up in the excitement of the others. Manda obligingly snapped pictures of the whole group with Richard, struggling not to laugh as the two women tried unsuccessfully to reign in their young charges. The women seemed determined to have pictures taken of every possible combination of people sitting beside Richard and only when all of the various permutations had been exhausted was Manda finally able to return the camera. Amid a flurry of thank you’s, the two women herded their flock of children away, leaving Manda and Richard alone again in the abrupt silence.

Manda laughed suddenly and collapsed beside Richard, who had draped himself over the back of the bench in feigned exhaustion.

“I told you! It was the little boys who were the real threats!” Manda chuckled. “One of them stuck gum to your pants, by the way.”

Richard sat up and examined his jeans, grimacing.

“Just kidding!” Manda laughed. She tried unsuccessfully to avoid Richard’s retaliatory grab, but failed, and he pulled her into his lap with a playful growl.

“Watch it, woman! Don’t make me feed you to the lions,” he threatened.

“Feed me to the lions? How very Roman,” she mocked playfully.

“Okay, that’s it,” Richard pronounced, standing and carrying her toward the exit. “To the lions with you.”

Manda twisted and wriggled, trying to free herself from his arms. Finally, unsuccessful, she went limp. “Okay! Okay!” she surrendered. She put on her most fearful expression and pleaded melodramatically. “Oh please, kind sir, forgive me and spare me that terrible fate!”

“It’s too late now,” Richard said with exaggerated arrogance. “You have mocked me and now a penalty must be paid.”

Manda giggled and Richard struggled to suppress a return smile.

“Forgive me, Richard Raines, and I will grant you one wish,” Manda offered breathlessly. Richard’s closeness was wreaking havoc on her composure.

“Three wishes. No less,” he countered, his eyes narrowing mischievously.

“All right. Three wishes,” Manda conceded with a great show of reluctance. “Name them.”

Richard sat her feet back on the ground but kept her imprisoned within the circle of his arms. “First of all, I wish you would have dinner with me tonight,” he requested, smiling down at her.

“Granted,” Manda replied without hesitation. “What else?”

Richard’s expression turned more serious and he looked into her eyes, pinning her to the spot with his blue gaze. “I wish you would take next week off and spend it with me.”

Again, without hesitation, Manda replied. “Granted.”

Richard blinked in surprise. “Really?”

“Of course,” Manda said, frowning in confusion. “What did you expect me to say?”

“Honestly? I expected you to put up more of a fight. I thought I’d have to convince you,” he admitted.

“Why would I do that? I
want
to spend time with you.”

“And you’re okay being away from the office that long?” he asked skeptically.

“Of course,” Manda answered, puzzled. “David’s more than capable. He doesn’t need me babysitting him. Besides, I need a vacation. I’m exhausted! That shouldn’t surprise
you
. You’re the one who carried me to bed the other night.” She went hot with embarrassment just thinking about it.

“You mean I’ve been wracking my brain for a way to convince you to take at least a couple of days off, and all I had to do was ask?” Richard demanded in disbelief.

Manda rolled her eyes impatiently. “Actually, you didn’t even have to ask. I’d already decided to take the week off. I love my job, and I don’t mind working hard, but I’m really not a glutton for punishment. I admit I sometimes overdo it a bit, but when I’m so burned out that I don’t enjoy my work anymore, it’s time to take a break...and it’s definitely time for a break.”

“Then why wouldn’t you stop after I
did
carry you to bed? I’ve been worried sick about you because you
wouldn’t
stop, even when it was abundantly clear to everyone that you were well beyond your own limits.” There was an edge of anger in his voice, and he released Manda and stepped back, running his fingers through his hair. He took a deep breath to calm himself, then stepped forward again and rested his hands lightly on Manda’s shoulders. “I don’t get it, Manda,” he said more quietly.

“That was different,” she told him reluctantly, refusing to look into his eyes.

“Why? How was that different?” he probed softly but insistently.

Manda sighed and bowed her head in defeat. “Because it was better to go to work and stay busy than to sit at home missing you,” she finally admitted in a small voice.

Richard bent his head forward, resting it against the top of hers, and groaned softly. “I see. I’m sorry, sweetie. I’m such a...”

Manda cut him off. “I told you, don’t be sorry, just don’t do it again.” She adopted a playful tone then, trying to lighten the mood. “Now, you have one more wish. What’ll it be?”

He wrapped his arms around her once more, and a slow smile spread across his face. “I wish you would kiss me,” he murmured in her ear.

Richard’s warm breath on her neck sent a shiver racing through Manda and she felt heat suffuse her face. Richard had kissed her several times that day, but she had never initiated anything herself. Nervously, she slid her hands up his chest and shoulders. Standing on her toes and stretching upward, she twined her hands into his thick hair and pulled his face down toward hers.

The kiss began tentatively, with her lips hesitant on his, but very quickly flames ignited between them and she lost herself in his passionate response. His arms tightened around her, crushing her against his chest and lifting her
off the ground. Then he moaned softly and pulled away, loosening his embrace. He allowed her to slide back to the ground and steadied her on her feet.

“Granted,” Manda whispered raggedly.

Richard’s breathing was uneven as he responded with a soft chuckle. “You do that very well—dangerously well. It would’ve been a real waste if the lions had gotten you.” He stepped away, releasing her from his arms but twining the fingers of one hand through hers. “I think it’s time for us to leave our little tropical oasis. Why don’t we go show the lions what they missed out on?”

They backtracked to the bench to retrieve their coats and continued through the remainder of the bird exhibits and back out into the bright, cold sunshine. After almost two more hours of leisurely exploration, Manda felt her energy flagging. Remembering Richard’s admonition to let him know if she began to tire, she decided not to try and tough it out, even though she was thoroughly enjoying their outing. She did, after all, still have dinner to look forward to.

“I’m a little worn out,” she admitted as they watched the elephants. “Do you mind if we go?”

“Of course not,” he answered, stroking her hair tenderly. “I’ll call for the car and we can have an early dinner if you’d like.”

“You’re spoiling me, you know?” Manda warned, leaning against him contentedly.

“That’s the point,” he said smugly. He pulled his phone from his pocket and arranged for the driver to pick them up.

Within ten minutes, Manda was warm and snug in the back of the car with Richard. She curled lazily up on the seat beside him. The stress that had kept her on edge for the last several weeks had melted away over the course of the day and, in its wake, a pleasant lethargy had settled over her.

“What’s for dinner?” she asked as the car pulled out into traffic.

“How does Italian sound?” Richard suggested, and named one of Manda’s favorite restaurants.

“Sounds wonderful. I love that place.”

“I know. David told me,” Richard confessed. “Are you sure you want to go? I can take you home if you’re too tired. We have all week, after all.”

“I am a little tired, but I’m also starving, and definitely not ready to go home yet. Besides, how much energy does it take to eat dinner?”