Tempting the Fates

Chapter 36

I was fairly sure Hades let me win, but that didn't stop me from showing off my powers a little. I changed my outfitas I burst through the door, shedding the torn and bloody clothes for aform-fitting green silk nightgown. Once he'd shut the door and turned to faceme, I closed the distance between us, my heart pounding.

"I win." I grinned. "What's my reward?"

"Whatever you want, it's yours." He whispered.

"I want... you." I admitted.

When our eyes connected, my heart swelled. I had been so wrong about him in those moments on Olympus. He was the one who had saved my life multiple times, who had put my life before his own. He was the one whose heart was fuller than any human I'd ever met. He held the entire universe on his shoulders, but he didn't let it break him. In those moments I thought Ares was going to kill me, I gained perfect clarity. I finally knew what I wanted, and it was him. He was the only one in this world I would ever want again. Whether eternal love or heartbreak lay before us, I didn't know. But I was ready for it all if he was the one I shared in it with.

That burning hunger within me was voracious, having been starved for so long. Now that my head matched my heart, my entire body came alive. I craved only his touch.

Hades lifted his hand and brushed my cheek, running his thumb across the length of my lower lip. My body reacted immediately, breath hitching in my chest. My heart rate quickened; my skin began to flush. My chest rose and fell faster and faster.

My eyes slid shut, even though I wanted to watch at him as he stared at me. The look on his face was nearly enough to get me off right there. He looked like a starving man staring at a feast, and I was the main course.

He slid his hand down to my chin, and then lower, down the curve of my throat. He was teasing me, taking his sweet time. The lower his hand went, the more I let go of any defenses I had. My head tipped backward, offering him every inch that he desired to touch. As his fingers grazed my sternum, my brain went blank. The only things I could hear were the desperate commands my body was giving. Touch me more... touch me everywhere... I want all of you.

I would deny my feelings no longer. He was my husband now, and nothing held me back from making him my lover as well.

His hand dropped lower, and I felt him stop just shy of the place I wanted him to touch so badly. Instead, he gathered the dress' material in his hands and began lifting it up. I raised my arms, and he removed it from my body. I had nothing on beneath. I forced myself to look at him.

His face had changed now. He looked positively ravenous, almost sinful. The reflection of the fire's flames danced in the blacks of his eyes. He looked dark and dangerous, and I smiled in triumph. He wanted me just as much as I wanted him.

I let him stare me up and down for a few moments before I reached out and unbuttoned his shirt. I took my time because I knew my trembling fingers would fumble if I hurried. I had to savor every moment as I saw him completely for the first time. His fingers ran up and down my arms while I worked, leaving a trail of goosebumps in his wake.

I pulled the shirt off his shoulders and slid it down his muscular arms. I'd seen him shirtless before, but I hadn't been able to touch him like I wanted to. I put my palms on his chest and slid my nails lightly down across his stomach and abs. His muscles twitched and he groaned as I teased him. I reached his pants and undid the button. They slid down his legs and he stepped out of them, along with his shoes. He was only wearing black boxer briefs, which hugged him in ways that made my skin hot. I hooked my fingers under the waistband and glanced up at him. He nodded and I slid them down.

It had been years since I'd seen a man naked- since my promiscuous days. But anyone I'd ever looked at before Hades was wiped from my memory at the sight of him. He looked like one of those marble sculptures come to life. Muscle pushed at his skin in nearly every place, but it was just enough for my taste. His abs were defined enough that they threw small shadows against his skin. He had the distinct hips that drove women mad. My eyes dropped lower, and I held back my sigh. He was incredibly well-endowed. I glanced up and down his body, hoping to burn the image into my brain forever.