I chuckled. “If you wanted to come up to my apartment, you could have just said so.”
“I do.” Rune's wicked grin made an encore appearance. “But I also want to see your paintings.”
“All right. Finish your ice cream, Hound of Hades.”
He started eating faster.
I grabbed his hand. “Don't you dare disrespect that ice cream by pulling an Augustus Gloop.”
Rune burst out laughing. “You're right. This needs to be savored. I suspect that will be tonight's theme.”
The flutters returned and my heart raced. I wasn't normally a first-date-sex kinda girl. But if this night was all I was going to get with Rune, I didn't want to waste the opportunity. I had to savor, as he would.
I wanted to curse Hermes for once again getting in the way of something I wanted, but I couldn't. I wouldn't be there if not for him. So, how could I condemn him? Honestly, our arrangement was perfect. If I could only find a man who I could be myself with and who wouldn't mind the fact that I occasionally slept with someone else, my life would be perfect too.
I should have known one of the Hounds of Hades wouldn't be up for that. Dogs are possessive beasts.
Chapter Four
“Great Hades,” Rune whispered.
We were back at my apartment. Rune had been impressed by the amount of space I had, and we hadn't even made it to the fourth floor yet. I'd already given him a tour of my living room and the library on the second floor, which was technically the first floor of my apartment. The first floor of the building was the art gallery. After that, we went up to the third/second floor where my kitchen and art studio were. Rune had loved all my paintings so far, but this one—my arch nemesis, as I liked to call it—had stopped him in his tracks.
Rune stood before the paint-splattered easel and stared at the canvas propped on it. A man stared back at him through the slits of a helm. Most of the painting was of him. His armor had been a particular pain in my ass. I was still working on the details, and I couldn't understand why. I'd paint something, it would feel wrong, and I'd have to go over it. But his face, I'd gotten right away. Those eyes were haunting. I understood why Rune was fascinated by them. They were in shadow because of the helmet, but a beam of sunlight slashed across them, bringing their color to life in glints that made the eyes appear to be glowing. Blue. They were a turquoise blue.
The color complemented all the blood.
“What battle is this?” Rune asked, his stare moving past the warrior to the scene beyond.
No one stood behind the man. There were only bodies littering the ground. He seemed to be the lone survivor. I suppose that's why I felt a kinship with him. Everyone I cared for—except for Hermes—eventually died, leaving me to feel like the lone survivor in a war.
“I don't know,” I said as I stepped up beside him. “I saw it in a dream. It kept coming back until I painted it. But I can't get the details right.” I shook my head. “If I knew what battle this was, I'd be done with it already.”
Rune's face twitched. He glanced at me. “Can't you just make something up? It's not a research paper. Art can be anything.”
“I know.” I shook my head and turned away from the painting. “But this painting won't let me. That's why it's still on the easel. It feels as if it will remain unfinished forever.” I sighed, then muttered, “Like me.”
Rune came up behind me, close enough that I could feel his body heat. I stopped walking. His jacket brushed my back, but he still didn't touch me.
He did, however, lean down to whisper in my ear, “We're all unfinished. That's called life, Lora.”
I turned to look at him. The motion dragged my breasts over his chest, and his sharp inhale thrilled me. He was just as affected by me as I was by him. What a relief. I set my hands on his hard pectorals. Rune moved forward, leaning into my touch. Then he bent his head and stroked my lips with his.
Instead of kissing him, I stepped back, but I also drew a hand down his chest, over his belly, then made a sharp right to take his hand. I turned and headed for the stairs. The steps creaked and the narrow stairwell was cramped with him in it, but the journey up to my bedroom felt momentous. I had to grip his hand tightly to keep mine from shaking.
And then I was leading Rune down the corridor, past the bathroom to the door at the end. We entered my bedroom and kept going. Through the shadows, over the thick rug. I clicked on the bedside lamp and revealed a room of dark wood and antiques. Everything there was old, although none of it was as old as we were.
Rune didn't even glance at the Victorian chaise near the fireplace or the Art Nouveau set of a couch and chairs near the window. The room had no theme other than what I liked. And yet, everything worked. From the Chinese wedding bed to the Tiffany lamp. But the only thing he looked at was me.
Rune's head lowered. Another brush of his lips on mine. This time, he came back for more, pushing forward, nudging my lips apart before tentatively flicking his tongue out.
I grabbed his shoulders, hauled him against me, and shoved my tongue in his mouth.
With a groan, Rune lifted me off my feet. His tongue met mine, slashing and fighting its way forward until he was the invader. Meanwhile, his hands ran over me, locating the zipper of my dress. It slid down. Fabric parted. Hot fingers slid over my bare back.
I drew out of our kiss to slip the dress off. Lips parted and wet, Rune stared at me with the focus of a hunter, hiseyes following the movement of my hands before deviating to go up and over my body. I undid my bra and tossed that aside too. He swallowed visibly and licked his lips, focusing on my nipples. Before I could reach for my panties, Rune dropped to his knees and yanked me forward by the hips. Latching onto my left breast, he sucked and rolled my nipple over his tongue, groaning.
Great Gods, it felt good to be held like that—standing before him, my lower half held tightly as he laved and sucked on me. My hands went to his head, fingers weaving through his hair. So silky. I wound up stroking him as I arched into his mouth, things getting sensitive and wet on me. As if he could sense my need, Rune slipped a finger around the edge of my panty and delved into my sex.
