“I’ll take it.”He brought her wrist towards his mouth, and holding her gaze, he finished the sweet bite.
“I’ve read romance books and took an intro class at Club Bandit.I know I’m not into pain.I don’t know if I have a service kink but I don’t like conflict and I know I’m a people pleaser.”
“Nothing wrong with that,” he tucked a stray curl behind her ear.“As long as you don’t forget yourself.”
Josie pulled her shoulders back.“Didn’t you promise me a ride?”her dimples showed when she smiled like that, wide enough to show her pearly whites.She brushed her fingers along his arm.
His cock twitched.Did she just say…?The way she blushed and ducked her head confirmed that Josie realized what she just said.
Amusement bubbled up inside his chest and he laughed, picked up their garbage and took Josie’s arm.“Let’s go find you a carriage.”
“Aww!What if I want to ride a stead?”Josie raised her eyebrows.
“You really want to ride,” he tossed out their garbage, then wrapped his arms around her.“And you can ride me any time you want.”
He kissed her hungrily, tracing the seam of her mouth with his tongue until her lips parted for him and the heat between their two bodies rose and it felt like it was just them in this busy place.He broke the kiss, took her hand in his.
“Now who has the service kink?”She waggled her eyebrows.
“Never said I didn’t.”Ares squeezed her hand.
She laughed, that joyful sound ringing in his ears as they made their way to the carousel and the long line.
Josie shuffled from foot to foot.Ares rested his hands on her shoulders, pulling her against him, trying to support her.
Josie leaned against him and he sighed.Being with her melted away all his stress about Axis Management.With her, he dropped his vigilant survey of his brother, of their business, and soaked in the moment.
Finally, they got to the head of the line, Josie stumbled on the step leading up to the horses, Ares caught her by the arm.
“Thanks.”
“Choose your ride.”And on the platform, surrounded by children and other adults getting on the carousel horses, they broke into laughter.Ares knew he’d do whatever was necessary to make this woman his forever.
He helped Josie up on a white horse, and stood, holding on to the pole, with his hand on the small of her back.“This is nice.”
“Yes, it is,” he brushed his lips softly against hers.
The ride started and the cheesy music played and Ares tried to soak in all the details of how the light hit Josie’s glasses, how she laughed as the carousel raised her up and down, and how his hand felt resting on the small of her back.
For years he put aside his own happiness to make sure Xander succeeded, and he never complained, never begrudged Xander for what he wanted because Ares loved his brother and would do whatever he could to take care of him but tonight, he could relax and let it be all about him and Josie.
The ride ended and Josie accepted his hand to get off her horse.
“Thank you.”
“You’re welcome.What would you like to do next?”
Josie bit her lip, but squeezed his hand and pulled him towards the exit.
“I think I want to see your dungeon.Just to look,” she blushed and looked at the ground.
Pleasure, heady and thick, flowed through Ares’s veins.He couldn’t think of a more perfect way to end their first date.
“I can’t wait to show you.”
Ares would do anything to make this woman happy, and he couldn’t wait to continue the best night he’d had in a long time.
7 JOSIE
