His hands slid to my back, caressing me under the water. It wasn’t enough. I tried to wrap my legs around his waist, but the skirts got in the way.
I tore my mouth from his.
“No dress,” I panted before hurrying to reclaim his lips.
He groaned, and instead of removing my dress, he tugged up my skirt to free my legs. A small whine escaped me even as I hooked my legs around his bare waist. The moment I settled my hips against his, I broke away with a gasp and held myself against him.
“Goddess, you undo me,” Hades said, kissing his way along my jaw.
“Ashlyn,” I panted.
“Give me more.”
The command annoyed and excited me. I’d warned him this would happen and knew I was losing myself on some level, but I was enjoying it too much to stop.
Using my legs to anchor myself, I slid my hands down his chest and sought his mouth again. He kissed me hungrily, arching into the cradle of my hips and sending jolts of pleasure into my core. I ran my hands over what I could reach of his torso, feeling the ripple of his muscle with each movement.
One of his hands drifted to my backside, pressing me more firmly against his hard length. We both hissed out a breath.
“You would give me everything,” he breathed against my ear as he continued against me.
“Everything,” I echoed, shadowing his moves and drowning in the pleasure he gave.
He shuddered in my arms and jerked against me before claiming my lips in the most tender kiss. It paused the storm building inside of me and anchored me in that moment. The moment that Hades showed me he loved me.
No.Her.
He continued his shallow thrusts against me as he ended the kiss and looked into my eyes.
The wonder in his gaze undid me. I felt like a cracked piece of glass. One wrong word would shatter me.
“Who am I?” I asked desperately.
“Mine,” he growled.
I closed my eyes against the pain.
“Her,” I whispered.
He kissed me gently again, coaxing me away from my torment. Luring me back to that place where only pleasure existed. I followed him willingly. This time, he was less frantic with me. Each arch against me refueled the fire. I touched him and basked in the sensations we created together.
When his hand slid from my backside to under my skirt, I didn’t shy away from it. I embraced his touch and rode the building tension until waves of pleasure consumed me.
Gasping, I tipped my head back and shook in his arms, stunned by what he’d done. What we’d done without any penetration.
“Beautiful,” he breathed, still gently caressing methere. “Thank you.”
He removed his hand and walked toward the steps. Wrung out, I held onto him as he left the pool. The wet dress weighed on us for only a moment before it was dry like my hair. He lowered us both to a lounge and held me as I caught my breath.
We didn’t speak for a long time. For me, it was a lack of knowing what to say after a hot and heavy make-out session with the King of Hell. I’d loved every second of it while it was happening. But now I wasn’t sure how to feel. I hated that he thought I was Persephone. Yet, what business did I have ever thinking that Hades should love me, a regular human? Sure, gods had good times with humans in the past, but that was not what I wanted.
And what do you want, Ashlyn?I snapped at myself.
After a lifetime of living with monsters, I didn’t have any dreams of marriage and a white picket fence. Marriage would just be trapping another human in my hell. And gods forbid I ever had children. Kids were too vulnerable in a world filled with hungry creatures. I knew that firsthand and didn’t ever want any of my own. There was too much risk.
Did that then mean I was going to be alone for the rest of my life?
Hades continued to hold me as doubts and wishes for something better whirled in my head until my stomach growled. He brushed his lips against my temple and eased out of my arms.
