Page 109 of Truly, Madly Viking

Suddenly Natalie's voice burst forth, filling the entire club with a clear, twangy, poignant resonance. "I...

fall... to pieeeeces..." she began the old Patsy Cline favorite, and by the end, she brought down the house. Patsy had never sung the classic as well as Natalie did. A standing ovation was Natalie's reward.

At the end of the evening, winning the free recording session in Nashville was almost superfluous. Natalie had won her greatest success that night in a Galveston night spot.

Maggie glanced at Joe and smiled. "This has been a wonderful night, hasn't it?"

He nodded. "Come, let us dance. It is almost midnight." Maggie had already explained the customs of this celebration.

"Don't you want some champagne?"

He shook his head. "I'd rather be intoxicated by you."

"You sweet talker, you." She laughed.

And suddenly it was midnight, and the band was playing "Auld Lang Syne," and noisemakers were going off, and she was in Joe's arms. The kiss they exchanged was warm and wonderful. Maggie couldn't help wondering then what the new year would bring for them, but she refused to let dismal thoughts ruin her evening. "Happy New Year, Joe."

"Happy New Year, Mag-he."

As everyone sang the words to the song and came to the part about old acquaintances never being forgotten, Joe whispered in her ear, "I will never forget you, dearling. Never."

Instead of heartening Maggie, his words sounded like a death knell.

"I want to make slow love to you, heartling."

"Slow, fast... it doesn't matter to me," Mag-he said. "I just want to be with you tonight."

He nodded because he understood her need completely.

They were standing in her bedchamber in the wee dark hours of the morning of New Year's Day—nude, having made short work of removing their festive apparel.

Thank the gods, Sue-zee and Beth would be gone till daybreak or later, since they were staying the night with the sitting person down the street.

Although he had examined her lush body from head to toe in detail on previous occasions, he could see that Mag-he was still shy with him. Women of his time were not so inhibited about their nudity. What was it about the females of this time? They worried about every little physical flaw. Were they too fat? Or too thin? Were their brests too small? Or too big? Their buttocks were of particular concern. Did they not know that most men favored a well-rounded backside on a woman? A lustful man needed something to grab onto in the bedsport. Besides, his Mag-he was perfect. So her modesty was out of place.

He strode across the small room and lifted her into his arms, causing a little squeal to erupt from her lips.

He dumped her unceremoniously on the soft bed and followed after her. The lights were out, but the room was well lit from the full moon and star-filled skies, visible through the large double windows that were open to the cool night air.

She reached up her arms to him, but he shook his head. Instead he placed them above her on the pillows. "Let me do the work in this loveplay," he urged, his voice already raw with passion.

She laughed softly, a nervous, husky sound.

"Do you plan on making me wild for you again?"

He had been brushing wisps of hair off her face and pressing butterfly kisses on her forehead and eyebrows and jawline, but he halted momentarily.

"Nay... yea... well, of course I would like you to be wild, but that is not my objective. I just want to pay tribute to your body, which pleases me greatly."

"Oh, Joe."

He loved how his name sounded on her tongue... and yes, he had even come to like the shortened name she had given him.

Lying on his side, he kissed her... prolonged, deep, wet, drugging kisses that went on forever.

"I cannot get enough of your sweet taste," he murmured.

"I feel the same," she whispered back against his lips.