The Ancient Runes to His Slavic Heart

Insecurity

Next Chapter

It had been such a tiring weekend, and Maria had to get up to go all the way to Rauma, Finland. Her team was to visit Sammallahdenmäki and document and catalog more information on the ancient cairns buried there. It was part of the movement by Finland's Heritage Agency to restore and rebuild ancient monuments and ruins of historical and cultural importance. It was three hours away, and the only thing that kept her from letting her assistant take over as the lead investigator was her passion for her job.

The sun was blazing down on them as they respectfully traversed amongst the cairns, some of which were decaying with time. Others were strong and still withstood the guiles of mother nature. "I wonder how many more we will find," Emilia said, a glimmer in her eyes as she took note of some runes and hieroglyphics painted on some headstones on the cairns.

"It all depends on how much time we have been given," Jack stated, he was another younger member of Maria's team. It was 10 of them in total from those who were allowed to take some history pieces, such as fossils to be taken to the lab for identification and cataloging to those who were taking pictures for the records.

It took an entire day to scope one part of the cairn site merely, and Maria retired along with her team to their tents. They did not want to leave the site and have to drive all the way back. All this time, Maria had been trying not to think of him.

He had been haunting her dreams, had been the subject of many lustful daydreams, and she could not explain why. This Ville would not leave her mind. She had not seen him since that day at the store, and she had been a bit disappointed he had not come back at least to peruse through the store on the weekend.

Yet she knew she was foolish. He was under no obligation to do so. He had his life and was a client. It would be unprofessional of her to seek something else with him.

The rays of the unforgiving sun once again pierced through their skin as they toiled away, approaching the area of one of the most famous cairns in Finland, "The Church Floor," whose structure was still not understood by historians it did not match the architecture in Finland.

Burial Cairns

It was a unique piece of the Bronze Age in Finland, a unique structure, just like that Finnish guy at the shop...Maria thought then shook her head of such intrusive thoughts.

Whatever spell Ville had placed on her was beginning to affect her clarity, and it scared her, yet she could not deny a fatal attraction to him, even if it were forbidden.

The project took two weeks for Maria's team before the next team came to take over. As she sat in her studio loft, drinking tea, she tried to meditate on her yoga mat and clear her mind.

She had taken his career to bury her feelings in books and tomes, not to have them cloud her sense of self. Maria needed to accept that Ville was forbidden to her, she knew nothing about him, and he was most likely taken, such a beautiful man could not be single, she thought.

Her breathing became heavy as she imagined Ville walking through her door, sitting behind her, and massaging her back. His hands would slide down sensually to hold her waist as his perfect lips would breathe on her neck, whispering sweet nothings into her ear, kissing her shoulders...

Maria gasped and woke up sweating on the floor...if Ville had been a real-life vampire, like those she had read about in Transylvania and Hungary, he could have already taken his fill of her....she needed to go out for a walk.

Maria walked into a small coffee shop wanting to forget about her current Finnish obsession. The smell of roasted beans and fresh-baked bread wafted through the air, and she tried to forget his ocean scent as she got lost in it.

Maria took out her laptop and began to write her current research on the cairn site without noticing that he had walked in with some friends. Maria was so concentrated on finding articles that she did not see him spotting her hunched over her laptop. "Mikä näky silmissä kipeälle," he said, making her almost jump out of her skin. "Excuse me? I mean, V...Ville? I mean, Mr. Valo, what a pleasure running into you here!" Maria said.

She cursed the fact that he had once again caught her unawares and that despite understanding basic Finnish, she had not been able to take his compliment more gracefully. He was so damn charming as he stood there a wicked smile on his face.

"Likewise darling," he said, rolling the "r" that voice... "I was here with some friends, but I could not help but come up to say hi, may I?" he said, sitting astride her. " Sure...um...I... it good to see you too. I haven't seen you in the shop," Maria said, choking a bit on her coffee. Who was she to assume he had to go back?

"I have been busy with work, but I can assure you it has crossed my mind. However, this is nice too, Ms um... oh wow, I don't even know your name," he said. "I. Maria," Maria said a bit out of breath, "Lovely name," he said. 

"I don't want to be a bother. I see you are busy but are you perhaps free this week, um...unless you are with someone," he asked, blushing slightly....dammit, even his blushing was cute. "I...I am free next Thursday," she said, against her heart...this was not going to end well....had she just said yes to date...she had not dated in years...

"It's a date then," Ville said, smiling, then noticing her flustered behavior. He smiled, "oh no, not an official date, do not feel burdened. I just...I would love to get to know you," he said.

Maria struggled not to blush. "I. I'll see you then," she said. "I can pick you up or," Ville asked. "I...can drive....we can...I suppose to meet in front of the shop," she said. With every word, Maria felt she was digging her grave. He was going to be so disappointed she was the most boring person ever. "See you soon then," he said, then walked off as gracefully as only he could, leaving a very nervous Maria behind.....what the hell was she going to do? this was going to be a disaster...

Thanks if you are here!