Chapter 109

He gave me a secretive smile. "It's a surprise, my sweet. One I know you will enjoy."

I nodded and sat back and rested my head against the headrest. The smooth rhythm of the drive lulled me to sleep.

I woke up feeling Loki stroking my face. "We are here, love."

"Oh Loki! I'm so sorry. I didn't mean to fall asleep."

"It's ok, my dearest. I enjoy watching you sleep. And you refused to let go of my hand, even in sleep. I found it very adorable."

I blushed. "You have a way of making me feel very girly, Lokes."

"Mmm I am glad. Now let us leave the car and go to dinner, my love."

I nodded and he got out and came around to my side and helped me out of the car. I heard the crashing of the waves and looked around. Loki had taken us to a beach far away from the Tower. We started to walk when Loki looked at my feet. 

"Unfortunately, I do not think your heels will be good for going over the sand." He knelt down and gently removed them, his fingers lingering on my skin. I shivered with desire. A simple touch from this man could set me on fire. 

He went and put my shoes in the car and came back to me. He leaned down and gave me a soft kiss. "I hope you enjoy tonight, my sweet."

I kissed him back. "You planned it. And you're here with me. How could I not enjoy it."

He smiled and took my hand again. He led me out onto the beach, and I saw that over by the water a gazebo had been put up. There were white fairy lights woven all through it. A table had been set up with a cart full of covered dishes next to it. I looked over at Loki in shock.

"You did this?" I whispered.

"Yes. I wanted something romantic for you tonight, Ariane. To show you how special you are to me. How much I love you and to show you the special the part of my soul you unlocked."

I swear my heart melted. I leaned into him and gave him the sweetest kiss I could. He smiled at me when I pulled away. 

"I take it you approve then, pet."

"Very much so."

He surprised me by scooping me up in his arms and carrying me to my chair. I took the opportunity to gently kiss the side of his neck. I felt him shiver and I smiled to myself. It was nice to know I could affect him just as much as he did me. 

He sat me down in my chair and moved the table so that it was within reaching distance. He turned and took the first dish from the cart and set it on my plate. He set one on his plate and then lifted the covers from both before sitting down. 

"OH LOKES!" I looked at him with shining eyes. This wasn't some fancy meal. This was one centered around my favorite foods. "Mac and cheese?!"

"Yes darling. I wanted to have things that made you happy. There is pizza on that cart as well. And some of your favorite sweets."

I stood and walked over to him and moved the table away a little and sat in his lap. I kissed him hard. "Is it any wonder I love you. You treat me so special."

He held me close. "That is because you are special to me, Ariane. You are my heart. My soul. Everything that is good in me."

Tears filled my eyes. He wiped away a tear. "Don't cry, my pet. Please."

"They're happy tears. You touched my heart and I just love you so much."

He kissed me gently and then patted my hip. "I love you too. Now let us eat before your food gets cold."

"Alright Mischief Man. Let's eat."

I went back to my seat and dug in. I moaned as I took the first bite. It was so cheesy and had some heat to it. I loved it. I opened my eyes to find Loki staring at me intently.

"I love to hear you moan like that. Only you can give the same moan over food as you do when I slide into you."

I licked my fork, and his eyes followed the movement of my tongue. "That's because both things are absolutely mind blowing."

Loki chuckled. "Let's finish dinner. I have more planned."

I smiled and went back to eating. We finished a dinner of mac and cheese, pizza, French fries, and my favorite angel food cake with whipped cream and strawberries. 

"Oh god, Lokes. That was all so amazing. I've never had a better dinner."

"I am glad, my sweet." 

He stood and came over to me. Taking my hand, he helped me stand and we walked a little way away from the gazebo. I felt a shiver of magic and suddenly the song we first danced to started to play. I gazed at him in wonder. This was a romantic and sentimental side of Loki that I had only seen glimpses of. But here he was in front of me. And it was a beautiful sight.

"Would you like to dance, my love?"

"Only if you lose the jacket."

"Done."

He stripped off the jacket and laid it on the back of a chair and came to me. He took me in his arms. He held my hand to his heart, just as he had when we danced before. 

"I was already in love you, pet, when we went to that dinner. And when the music played and I saw how much you enjoyed it, I could not help myself. I wanted so badly to hold you. And you let me. You settled against me just as if you had been there forever. I wanted so much to tell you then that I loved you, but I knew it was too soon. So, I held you to my heart. I suppose it was a subtle way of saying you held my heart."

"I remember. I felt your heart racing. It felt like heaven when I danced with you. I was already half in love with you. I was at war with myself that night. I wanted you so much, but I also didn't want to come across as… someone easy. Someone that would just jump into bed with anyone she was interested in or whoever asked. It's why before you, there were only two. I never felt connected. But with you I did. I wasn't sure how to tell you all that, especially after we kissed, but you took care of that for me in the most loving way possible."