Fire: Chapter Seventeen

Shannon gazed into Michael's eyes. The words she had all figured out had somehow gotten stuck in her throat. She had dreamed of this moment, but now it was here - she couldn't just fall into the classic romance-novel cliche. It just wasn't her style. Michael had a slight deer-in-headlights look on his face as she studied him. "Before I answer," she began - but had to stifle a giggle as Michael's expression changed from quietly confident to what could only be described as abject terror - "I'd like to know, what do you want out of life?"

Michael grinned in spite of himself. "Oh my God! Yes, of course, it's only fair..." he spluttered. He ripped up a handful of grass and proceeded to shred it into tiny pieces with his fingers. "Um....okay." His voice was a little squeaky. Then he seemed to calm himself down and spoke steadily. "Peace. Stability. Fun. Affection. Passion." He looked at Shannon. "And everything that you just said."

Shannon smiled. They were on the same page. She felt bad for putting him through that, but she had to know. She took his hand, which she noticed was shaking rather badly, looked into his eyes and said "In that case - my answer is yes, I would absolutely love to marry you."

Michael's face was a picture. His mouth opened and closed again. His cheeks were flushed. He grabbed her and held her tight. "Oh my God, woman....do you have any idea what you just did to me?" Shannon could feel his heart pounding and she smirked against his chest. "I think that's got to be the hardest question a man ever has to ask a woman.... and you made me wait, you minx!"

Shannon grinned up at him. "You know you love it," she said.

Michael sucked in a huge breath and let it out again in a whoosh. "Bloody hell....I almost dropped dead!" He started laughing - that hearty honest laughter that she loved. Then it turned to a giggle, and then a high-pitched whoop. "Woooooo!" He grabbed her hand and pitched her almost headfirst off the low wall, into the deep swath of long grass and daffodils below. A flurry of bright yellow petals fell on their shoulders like snowflakes.

"Hee hee!" giggled Michael, as he rolled Shannon around in the grass.

"Oy!" she mock-protested, grass in her hair and down the front of her shirt. Eventually she found herself pinned underneath him, and as he lowered his weight onto her she moved her legs apart and wrapped her arms around his back, feeling the swirling delicious pain of desire coursing through her body. He had stopped clowning like a schoolboy and was regarding her as though she was a priceless objet d'art. She gazed at him, suddenly feeling tears pricking the back of her eyes. She tried to will them away but when she blinked, a couple trickled slowly down her cheeks.

Michael looked serious. "Tears?" he asked, gently.

Shannon found she couldn't speak properly, so she whispered a little hoarsely, "because you are so
beautiful..."

Michael smiled, but his eyes were dark. He bent and kissed each tear away, then looked into her eyes. "I love you so much," he
murmured. Shannon found herself completely incapable of speech, so it was a good move on his part to kiss her.

Shannon opened her mouth under his as she gave in to his kiss. Somewhere in her mind she was aware that they were in a grassy, flower-filled hollow in a meadow behind a wall, in the middle of the day, in the middle of a busy film set. But these facts didn't bother her. People could discover them, the entire bloody Python team could dance around them taking pictures for all she cared. He wanted her, and she had to have him, right here, right now. Nothing else mattered.