He tugged my blouse over my head, then pulled off my undergarments. His mouth was on my stomach within an instant, and his breath was hot against my skin. The tightness between my thighs was nearly unbearable now. I angled my hips toward him, needing to erase every last remaining space between us. I couldn’t bear to go even a moment longer without his touch there.
With a delicious growl, he slid his mouth down to the apex of my thighs. And then, in excruciating torment, he hovered there, gazing up at me with feverish desire.
My heart was thunderous.
Smiling, Ares leaned in and caressed my core with his tongue. I shook against him, twisting the sheets in my trembling hands. Stars danced in my vision. Again, he licked me. Again and again until the roaring in my ears was deafening.
His mouth covered me, tasting me and making me writhe. Suddenly, my body bucked against him as a wave crashed through me, my pleasure reaching its crescendo.
I gasped for breath, arching against the bed. My hands tightened around the sheets.
For a long moment, all I knew was bliss.
As the pulsing between my thighs began to slow, Ares climbed back up the length of my body and settled over me. He gently brushed my hair aside and dragged his mouth against my ear. Shivers followed in its wake. I moaned, closing my eyes and hooking my leg around his waist. Feeling him here, like this, was far better than the pleasure I felt from drinking blood. Nothing else measured up.
Nothing.
He lifted his head and met my eyes. Every emotion burning through me was reflected on his face.
“You are one of a kind, Selene,” he breathed, his crimson eyes still locked on mine. He slid his hand around my back and pulled me so close that I couldn’t tell where he ended and I began. “I want you, and I don’t care about anything else.”
I slid my hands across his shoulders, then down the length of his chest. His muscles flexed under my touch.
“Then take me,” I whispered, lifting my head to drop one kiss onto his chest and then another. “I want you, too, Ares.”
Ares gripped me tighter. One breath later, his hard length pressed against me. Tremors of need went through my core once again, and he slowly pushed inside. I gasped, digging my nails into his back. He gently rocked against me, taking his time, kissing my face and my neck.
“You are so beautiful, Selene.”
I wrapped my legs tighter around him and arched into his thrust. He moved faster against me, his thrusts deeper and full of growing need. As I gasped, he shifted his hands to my wrists and pinned my arms on either side of my head. He gazed down at me with adoration in his eyes, the same feeling coming over me.
Ares was a contradiction. He was rough and gentle. He was bloodthirsty and kind, too. And I’d never witnessed it more than I did in this moment. Being with him was nothing like I’d expected. It was so much more. It felt like itmeantsomething. And while that should terrify me, it didn’t. I wanted things to be like this between us for a long, long while.
Emotions heightened, I rocked against him, meeting his need with my own.
“Selene,” he said in a murmur. “God, you feel so fucking good.”
I lifted my hips and moaned.
He gripped me harder, and a roar ripped from his throat. Shuddering against me, his thrusts slowed, his heart pounding so loudly I could hear it as if it were my own.
After a moment, he dropped his head to my chest and released his grip on my wrists. Gently, I reached up and dragged my nails through his hair, caressing his head, his neck, and his shoulders. With a breathless moan, he lowered his body onto mine and stayed there like that for a long while.
Eventually, he shifted to the side and motioned me closer. I inched into the shape of him, curling up against his chest. His skin smelled of sweat, musk, and me. He wrapped an arm around me and relaxed it there. The way our bodies fit together, and the ease at which he held me, it felt like we’d done this a thousand times.
More relaxed than I could recall being, I drifted to sleep. My dreams were full of good things for once. Mist and sea, warm summer breezes, and wavy silver hair. It was the best I’d slept in years.
42
SELENE
Our peaceful cocoon was shattered by pounding on the door. Ares groaned, his arms still wrapped around me, blinking groggily. The hammering persisted. Eventually, Ares forced himself from the bed, stepped into his sleep trousers, and vanished into the main room to answer the door.
I sat up, pulling the sheets around me. I didn’t know how long we’d been here. Perhaps it was only Dion checking in on us, to make sure we’d fully healed. An optimistic thought. One that was soon dashed when Zeus’s brutish voice drifted toward me.
“Time to get out of bed. We’re having a meeting about the wolves, and you’re both required to attend.”
The door slammed. I jumped, wincing. It didn’t sound like Zeus was particularly pleased with Ares right now.
