OK, to continue from the author note in the last chapter, I started two new forums. I've linked to them on my profile page. Please come and check them out and start a conversation with me. I very much enjoy discussing my stories and talking with readers.

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This chapter comes to you courtesy of my moments of craziness. Real life is getting rather irritatingly, relentlessly stressful. Somehow it helps to write about people who feel calm…to some degree. At least, more calm than I do.

And of course, I must again thank my wonderful betas, Bards of Bedlam and McGonagall's Bola. It's because I'm so in tune with them that I'm able to put out updates more quickly.

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If you would really like to make me happy (and update faster) go vote in my poll, which you can find on my profile page, and check out my forums.

And as always, PLEASE REVIEW!

Much love, Cat

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Had she ever been kissed like that? It had been warm, tender, cherishing, almost chaste compared to her past experience. And yet, incredibly stirring. Even minutes later, she was basking in the pleasant glow of arousal and satisfaction. From a kiss. Yet that was all it had taken to rouse her interest. And from there… she had been so aware of him as a lover, every breath, every moment, ever touch. It was as if his kiss had elicited a response from every atom of her body.

She was still staring at him. She had been staring at him since he had released her. Her clear blue eyes were inscrutable. Hephaestus continued to hold her gaze, sensing that she was searching for some kind of reassurance in his expression. Again, with no input from his rational mind, he lifted his hand and tucked a lock of hair behind her ear, surprised by the way she instinctively leaned into his touch.

"Why… why did you do that?" she asked him.

Unsure of what she was referring to, he nevertheless answered honestly. "I don't know."

They held each other's gaze for a seemingly endless moment. He was dimly aware of the fact that at some point, she had laid her hand against his chest. It rose and fell with his shallow breaths.

Aphrodite broke eye contact first. His eyes were too enigmatic, his gaze too perceptive. She had the strangest feeling of engaging in a battle for self-possession sometimes. She disentangled herself from him. As if nothing had just happened between them, she turned and rolled to her side, easing off the bed and walking over to her dressing table.

Hephaestus yawned, his body intent on reminding him just how tired he was. Yet he found himself opening his eyes again to watch her brush her thick hair until it gleamed a golden honey shade in the early morning light. In many ways, he still thought like a mortal man and in the glow of the sun she seemed particularly unearthly. Her skin was so luminescent; he could almost imagine that she radiated light and that it was the sun that was illuminated by her rays. But then the sun retreated behind a cloud and she became herself once more. Still beautiful, but, within reach. He recalled the feel of her in his arms.

Aphrodite appeared to be completely at ease, not ignoring him, but not disturbed by his presence. He supposed this was one of the privileges of a husband, the opportunityto watch his wife relaxed and unguarded… though he had always felt like she was not someone who ever completely lowered her defenses. She gathered her hair in her hands, catching the strands that slipped through her fingers and secured it in a knot at the base of her neck with a ribbon. Absently, he wondered if she had a maid. He wouldn't expect her to do these things for herself; her behavior struck him as oddly self-sufficient. She rose from the chair, letting her head fall back and rolling her shoulders before walking over to the closet and beginning to rifle through her clothes. She had been absorbed in her task for some time before he startled her by speaking.

"That one," he unexpectedly volunteered from the bed.

Her hand stilled on a soft, gray wool dress. The cut was conservative but flattering, skimming her curves without putting them fully on display. Aphrodite undid the ties at the back of her nightgown and unselfconsciously let the fabric pool at her feet. She felt the whisper of cool air brush against her skin for just a moment before she slipped the gray dress over her head. She had already grown accustomed to the weight of his gaze. Neither obtrusive nor amorous, it had easily assimilated into her life.

He regarded her dispassionately. It was almost as if she were an actress on the stage. Yet her progression through her routine was for her own benefit. Although he watched, the performance was not intended for him.His eyes followed her movements the way they would if a work of art had suddenly come to life.

Ah, they were under the bed. She had almost been about to pose the question to him when she spotted them peeking out from where she had left them last night. Aphrodite crossed the room again and knelt down to retrieve her black leather shoes before sitting on the side of the bed to put them on.

"Will you be joining me for breakfast?" she asked casually as she straightened.

"This early?"

Aphrodite smiled. She was beginning to find his reticence rather amusing.

She turned to face him. "I thought I'd explore the house today. It seems silly not to know where everything is now that I'm going to be living here. And I thought perhaps I could find a room for myself, somewhere where I can work so I don't have to spread all my papers across the bed."

"Give me an hour or two."

Aphrodite arched an eyebrow in inquiry.

"I'll give you a tour." Hephaestus fell back against the bed and shut his eyes.

Without dwelling on why the prospect pleased her she asked, "Don't you have to work today?"

Hephaestus kept his eyes shut. "I set my own hours, and there are no major projects I need to complete immediately."

"Oh," she said. "An hour and a half, then?"

He yawned, giving her an almost imperceptible nod, before rolling onto his side.

She found herself smiling moments later as she quietly shut the door to their room.

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Well, I hope you liked it. I know it's not always as fun to calm down but I want to take it slow with this romance.

As always, PLEASE REVIEW!

Much love, Cat