A Spartan's Kiss (31 page)

It was his turn to blink. Thinking over what he’d said, he couldn’t pinpoint how he’d told her what to do. Across from him, she tensed as if to leave. He felt it in her hand and sensed, if he let her go, he’d never find her again. He held on tighter.

“Absolutely, I can promise you I will not tell you what to do.”

Her eyes narrowed with suspicion. “No orders. No orders, Aeros.”

He nodded and sipped his coffee. Would she let him order her in bed? Eventually? A thought occurred to him, and he froze with the cup halfway down. Had that monster ordered her to do things to him? Sexual things?

“Aeros?”

He took one more quick drink of coffee and set down his cup. She might never let him touch her the way he wanted. Perhaps he should slow down.

“Can we go to your place?” she asked. “And continue what we started in the caves?”

Fuck. Him.

He lost the power to think. He simply nodded, struggling to rise without knocking the table over. His cock felt strangled. He thanked the gods that he’d worn a long, leather jacket. She stood and her full, rounded bosoms brushed his chest.

He was in trouble. Big, big trouble.

Praying for patience, he followed her out of the too-small coffee shop. His heart hammered, and he had to drag his eyes off her lush ass in her soft blue jeans to meet her teasing smile.

He’d fought in more battles than he could recall and he’d never felt the pure terror that shot through him at the thought of making love to this woman. He let her take his hand and battled his surge of possessiveness. Slow. He needed to go slow.

How the hell could he do that when every instinct shouted to rush in and stake his claim? Here, now, so that everyone, Tabithia, the world, knew she was his.

His body pounded at him, surging harder than he’d ever been in his existence. He battled it back, fought silently to win over the needs crushing him. If not? The very question scared the hell out of him because he knew of only one way this day could end.

With him inside Tabithia in every way they could imagine. For as long as he could manage. Or imagine. And at this point? His imagination had no end.

Ares give him strength.

Chapter Twenty-Two

Tabithia had no idea what she was doing, but it felt like a combination of playing with fire and losing her freaking mind. She had time for crying out loud. Why was she rushing this? Why was she letting the big, sexy-as-hell Spartan take her home, oh Lordy, to have sex?

Because Ares might be lying.

Because Aeros looked sicker than before?

Because he’d promised so earnestly not to order her around.

Like he could help it.

She glanced up at his proud profile, and her stomach did that odd flip-flop again. His jet black hair had grown long enough in the back to get a little curl to the ends. Her hands itched to run through the dark locks, just to see if they felt as heavenly as they looked. He was simply too sexy. She’d seen the couple staring at him from their table. The young girl behind the coffee counter had practically drooled in their coffees. Aeros in his leather jacket and faded jeans, with his tight faded T-shirt, looked much more delicious than any coffee the girl could have created anyway. Did the man realise he was the centre of every female’s attention within breathing range?

No. His dark, intense gaze had been fixed on her. On her butt, if she had to guess from the way he slowly let his eyes travel up her body to meet her eyes. She hadn’t missed the way he’d stopped along the way up, or how his strong, square jaw bulged when he clenched his teeth. The man was a powder keg. Was she the flame? Goddess help her if so, because, when she was in his arms, every thought in her head seemed to evaporate. Someone needed to be in control.

Right?

One peek up at him and she doubted Aeros had ever been out of control. He knew what he wanted. Surprisingly, she accepted that what he wanted was her. Amazing. The captain of the Spartans had one goal. Unbelievable as it sounded. His jaw bulged again, drawing her attention to the stubble she knew felt like heaven against her flesh.

Bridget had warned he’d jump-start her. Did the tricky warrior goddess know she’d
want
to jump him?

Depressing. Really. How could she jump him? What would she do with him after? He might not like pushy women. He might not like her once—

Shit! Focus. Here, now, witch!

“Watch your step. Walk over here.”

He matched words to action by hauling her over and around a broken piece of concrete and back to their side of the sidewalk without breaking his long stride.

Ha. Not give her orders? The man breathed orders and didn’t recognise it. Even just walking down the street, he couldn’t help but issue them. Just like the warrior he was. But it broke her heart a little when he’d been so earnest in the coffee shop, like he would promise her anything. Maybe because when he’d said he’d protect her for the rest of their lives, he’d meant it. Looking back on the jungle she could see now that he’d meant to protect her all those times he’d tried to step in front of her, or ordered her about. He’d saved her life in the caves. That creature could very well have ended her life as she knew it. She had a feeling Aeros really meant what he said.

‘No one is ever going to harm you again.’
What would he do when he realised no one ever did—except her? Obviously, her welfare meant more to him than to her. And wasn’t that hilarious? Yeah, she’d laugh if it wasn’t so sad.

Was Artemis telling the truth? Was she his? Could she deny such a thing? Bonded. She’d never considered herself for that kind of thing. The thought sank down to her stomach and fluttered around like a crazy butterfly.

“We can use this portal. You”—he paused and scrubbed a hand through his black hair, looking oddly determined and hesitant at the same time—“shouldn’t use your energy on shifting, Tabithia. This will take us to—”

“Aeros, I know my own limits.”

Colour heated her cheeks, but she refused to discuss the other night when she’d shifted and nearly ended up on her ass from power drain. He didn’t know that, and she wasn’t spilling the secret. She’d been messed up—an emotional wreck. Now she was terrified, but determination flooded her senses too. She could do this.

He gave her a lopsided grin and nodded. “Yeah, but for me, let’s use this method.”

“I usually do. Are we, er, going to LA?” She wondered, suddenly, if that was his home, or if he had another.

“Yes, for now, LA. It’s empty, the team is away.”

“Hunting for a way to get Ares into the club?”

He grinned again and took her hand. “Yes.”

She had to look away from him for a moment to get her crazy heart back on track. The portal was really nothing more than a sewer cap in the seediest part of south Boston. Why did magic end up in alleys littered with beer bottles and trash?

She was going to step on that little circle with Aeros. She’d never travelled with anyone before. But she didn’t know the address for the portal near his home, and he did.

Aeros tightened his hand around hers and pulled her until they were breast to chest. “Ready?”

A surge of heat tunnelled through her body from very disturbing places. “Yep, let’s go.”

She stepped on the circle, and Aeros pulled her into his arms, tucking her head against his body and brushing a kiss to her hair. Something burned her eyes, but she blinked the emotion away. She heard him murmur something under his breath, and the alley darkened, slowly fading to be replaced by pure black and the cold of travel.

For the first time in her life, she felt something in the darkness.

Aeros.

His warmth connected her to him in ways she wasn’t prepared for. Surges of heat and tenderness blasted against her senses. Aeros, his spirit bright and golden, pulsed against her and took her breath away. They floated, lost to time and place, but anchored to each other.

She dug her face into his neck and breathed him in. He surrounded her. His essence, his scent, his body, his heat, his core revealed itself with such detail she couldn’t have blocked the connection if she had tried. The firmness of solid ground returned with a shock to her senses. She felt changed. Marked in ways she realised might stay with her forever.

Aeros. Honourable. Strong. Pure warrior.

Inside her chest, she felt a warmth building, expanding until she felt like she glowed from the inside out.

She stumbled back and broke their embrace. Aeros’ expression told her the experience wasn’t one-sided. He looked stunned. His eyes burnt, darker than ever, and held hers. She saw wonder fill his expression. Then, with a growl, he yanked her by the arms against him and took her mouth with such a powerful, fierce kiss she felt her knees go weak.

“So fucking beautiful, Tabithia. Do you realise how beautiful you are? Your soul is brighter than the sun.”

She opened her mouth, but nothing came out. He’d seen her soul, her every secret, horrible part of herself and, instead of being disgusted, he looked at her as if he couldn’t believe she let him touch her.

Warm lips covered hers, and he wrapped her up in his arms, pressing her to his bigger body, providing more evidence that he wanted her. The bar of steel against her stomach took her breath away and made her feel weak, but so safe in his arms that she gripped him by his silky hair and deepened the kiss.

She felt his touch all the way to her toes. And back again. She didn’t need to be a rocket scientist to know she was in over her head. She’d known since the first glimpse of him, eyes bright and fixed on her like he’d spotted his prey, that she was in big, big trouble. Huge trouble. Because no matter how hard she tried to remind herself that they could never be, this, that they could never last, her body and, damn it, her heart didn’t listen.

She’d never had this. Never felt so cherished in her life. The overwhelming feel of him, so hot and hard, pressing against her, enveloping her in his strength was addictive. He watched her as if she were something precious, something special. Aeros. The captain of the Spartans, a man hardened by battle, and years of walking this Earth, found her attractive. More than that, he tripped over himself. Let her yell at him. Called her beautiful names.

The truth was Aeros wanted her.

He’d seen her naked. She still remembered the heat of his gaze at the waterfall. She could close her eyes and recall every caress. Every word he’d spoken. He’d been captivated. His handsome face had darkened with desire—for her. Not the nymphs playing in the pool—her.

“We’ll go slow, baby, very, very slow. If you want me to stop, all you have to do is tell me.”

Tell him? How could she do that? Fear rose up, the feeling, like a cold splash of dirty street water from a passing car, settling over her. She didn’t have time to panic because he pressed closer, heating her and making her brain freeze as his erection brushed her thigh. His clear reaction to her was evidence enough to ease the fear. He wanted her.

“Shh, let me kiss you, Tabithia. You like that, no?”

She did. She loved that. She wanted it. He didn’t make her say it. She couldn’t have, even if both their lives depended on it. With a deep groan, he pulled her closer and nestled his face to hers, bending over her and pressing a kiss to the corner of her lips.

“So damn sweet. I can’t get enough, Tabithia.” Another kiss followed, this one on her bottom lip. “Beautiful. All of you, so damn beautiful.” One more brushed against her other cheek, his moist breath tickling her ear as he made it to her mouth again. “You deserve so much more than me, but by Ares, I won’t let you go.” With that startling declaration, he kissed her.

Every doubt she had that this man wasn’t for her, that she wasn’t for him, evaporated in the heat he created. She forgot everything. She simply melted into him. Aeros hauled her tightly along his hard body. She could feel his chest rise and fall with each hectic breath. His kiss was almost desperate, as if he couldn’t live without tasting her. With deep groans, he stroked his tongue along hers, guiding her to take his kiss and give her own.

She rose on tiptoes to thread her arms around his neck, plastering herself to him to ease the longing building up inside. He responded by groaning against her lips. His big hands gripped her waist and lifted her closer, not hurting, not causing alarm, but making her tremble. She wanted those hands on her skin. Hot and roughly calloused, but gentle.

When she couldn’t take it any longer, she tugged the collar of his T-shirt, needing skin on skin. He broke the kiss with another of his quick grins. She watched him as he reached behind his head and pulled the shirt off with one amazing display of his chest and abs. Aeros bulged. His hard stomach rippled all the way down to his hips where the muscles veered down in a V from his hips. Before she could take in every inch he’d revealed, he wrapped his arms around her and kissed her. His rough bristle scraped her face but felt so good she moaned.

He was more than she’d ever thought to have. Trembling inside, she dared to reach up and cup his face to deepen the kiss. Their tongues collided and merged, sliding sinfully along each other. She could have kissed him forever. The thrill of it made her legs feel weak. He didn’t just kiss her, Aeros made love to her with deeper glides and sensuous caresses of his tongue, exploring and conquering her in one blistering exploration.

She shivered at the first warm feel of his hands. Another moan broke free and Aeros cupped her butt with one hand and rubbed his other along her skin. Warmth spread from every corner of her body. Afraid he might stop, she pressed her breasts to his hot flesh and dug her fingers through his silky hair to hold him in place. He pulled her body tight to his with a low sound and broke off their kiss.

“Tabithia, slow, baby, I don’t want to hurt you, but gods, I… Gods, you’re beautiful. I’ve wanted you for ages. Centuries.”

“Centuries? I’ve not lived that long, Aeros.”

He groaned and kissed her again. If all she had to do was tease him to get more kisses, she’d be in heaven permanently. There was simply something about her straight-laced captain, with his foul language but proper manners that drove her to ache from not teasing him. If she received kisses for teasing…