Hades' Return (23 page)

He swallowed hard. That she would defend him meant everything to him, but he could not allow her to absolve him of his guilt. “No, it was wrong of me.” She looked like she was going to disagree with him, so he hurried onward. “I arrived to help the last warrior freed break the curse. We defeated Hades and the rest of my friends found their mates.” He paused and took a deep breath. “I didn’t think there was anyone for me.”

Toni stilled and looked down at her lap. “I see.”

“No, you don’t see.” Frustration rose in him. He was doing this all wrong. “Then I met you.” He smiled in spite of the seriousness of the moment. “You fascinated me from the first moment I laid eyes on you. I followed you for several days.”

“I knew it. I knew some animal was following me. I thought it was a cougar.”

Stavros scowled. “You take too many chances out there alone by yourself.”

“So you were protecting me?”

“Yes. No.” He dragged his fingers through his hair. Women were confusing creatures. “I wanted to leave. Tried to leave you alone on several occasions, but I kept coming back.”

She was pleased by his answer if the smile playing at the corners of her lips were any indication. Stavros hurried on with his confession. “The Lady told me I could gift the woman of my choice with immortality. It was her gift to all of us for what we’d endured. I didn’t think I’d ever find a woman to share it with. I’d planned on keeping to myself for the rest of time.”

“To protect everyone from Hades.” Toni nodded as she spoke and he knew she understood.

“Yes. I wouldn’t risk the life of an innocent.” He sighed. “Even though I knew it was wrong, I couldn’t stay away from you. It was because of me that Hades tried to harm you. And for that, I’m sorry.” He slid his hand behind her neck and cupped her nape. He tilted her head to one side and slowly lowered his lips to hers. “But, Toni, I’m not sorry for loving you. And I’m not sorry for this.”

He kissed her then like he’d been dying to do since Hades had left. The curse was finally over. A weight he’d been carrying for five-thousand years dissolved beneath the warmth of Toni’s lips. She kissed him back with no hesitation. That gave him hope that she would forgive him for what he’d done, how he’d changed her life. That she might give him a chance to prove himself and his love for her.

Hades stepped out of the portal behind Persephone. He’d expected her to take him straight to his brothers for judgment. Instead, they were in his private quarters in Hell. The portal winked out behind them. Hades strode to the liquor cabinet, poured himself a double scotch and drank it all in one gulp. Then he poured himself another.

Once again, those annoying warriors had defeated him. It was maddening.

“It’s over, Hades. Tell me you understand that once and for all.” There was a note in Persephone’s voice, a desperation that made him turn and study her. He wanted to be angry with her for her interference but found he was not.

She was standing in the center of the room with her arms crossed over her chest. Her lips were turned down in a frown. She looked…not mad, but sad. He found he didn’t like the idea of her being unhappy.

As much as it pained him to admit it, what she said was true. “It’s over.” There was nothing more he could do to the pesky goddess and her shapeshifting warriors. Not unless he was willing to destroy himself, and that was something he definitely wasn’t planning on doing now or anytime in the future. He hadn’t really needed the warriors anyway. That had been his mistake—thinking he needed anyone else. He’d make another plan better than the last. He learned from his mistakes.

“Oh, Hades,” Persephone cried out in distress. “Have you learned nothing? I can already see the wheels turning in your head, concocting another scheme. The power you lost will grow again in time. Can you not be happy with what you have?”

Why would he be content with what he had? There was a place inside him that craved something more. He wasn’t quite sure what it was. Come to think of it, he hadn’t felt that way during the long years he and Persephone had been together. In fact, he’d quite forgotten the Lady of the Beasts and her warriors during that time.

He threw back the second drink and plunked the glass down on the cabinet. A spark grew inside him. Maybe, just maybe, he understood the warriors and their willingness to do anything for their women. No other woman had ever stirred the feelings inside him that Persephone did.

That was dangerous to him. He really should stomp out those tender emotions and send Persephone away. But he found he didn’t want to. He knew she could fill the empty place inside him. He had eternity to scheme and gain more power, but right now, all he wanted was the woman in front of him.

“Come here.” He crooked his finger at her.

She shook her head. “No.”

Hades stalked toward her, noting the way her body quivered and her nostrils flared. She wanted him. A sense of triumph surged through him. Claiming her as his woman once again would be greater than any victory he could have gained over the puny human race.

He trailed his fingers over her stubborn chin and down her neck until he hit her collarbone. Her breathing increased and she swallowed. “If you keep me occupied, I won’t have time to get into trouble.”

Persephone laughed. “Only you would be so arrogant, Hades.”

He dropped the façade and cupped her chin in his hand. “I miss you, Persephone.” He lifted one of her hands and placed it over his heart.

She sighed. “What am I to do with you?”

He shrugged, not willing to ask for what he wanted for fear she would turn him down. He was already weak enough without adding to it. He leaned down, and when his lips were almost touching hers, he spoke without thinking. “Want me.”

“Oh, Hades. I do. That’s the problem.”

He kissed the corner of her mouth and then licked her bottom lip. “It doesn’t have to be a problem.” He was close. He could sense her weakening toward him. He knew her so well, knew what made her shiver, what gave her the greatest pleasure.

“This is your last chance. I can’t go through this again.” Persephone gripped the lapels of his jacket. “I mean it, Hades. I love you but I won’t be shoved aside in place of your ambition. Not again.”

That gave him pause. But he decided the prize before him was worth the effort. Hades had a new plan, and it was all about pleasure and the woman in front of him. He swung her up into his arms and carried her over to the bed. “You won’t be sorry,” he promised her.

He laid her on the bed, all thoughts of the Lady and her warriors relegated to the past. Persephone was his now and his future.

Chapter Eight

Toni’s head was spinning. So much had happened, but the most amazing thing of all had to be Stavros’ declaration that he loved her. But could she believe in that love? Everything had happened so quickly. What if he changed his mind? Eternity was a long time.

But when he kissed her, all her reservations slipped away.

Stavros eased his lips from hers and tenderly brushed a lock of hair away from her face. “What are you thinking?”

It was time to be brutally honest. “What if none of this is real? Oh, I believe that you’re an immortal warrior and that Hades was just here.” And how weird was it to say that and not be under the influence of alcohol or heavy medication. “But what about us?”

His expression never changed, but she knew she’d disappointed him, hurt him on a deep level. She’d come to know him so well in such a short time and caught the telltale way his mouth tightened and his eyes darkened. That gave her pause. They might not have known one another very long, but she knew him better than she’d ever known another man.

“I can only tell you what I’m feeling.” He swept his thumb across her cheek. His touch was tender and nonsexual, but that didn’t matter to her body, which was humming with arousal.

“I love you, Toni. Now and forever. You’re it for me.” He touched his chest. “I know it in my heart in a way I’ve never known anything else.”

She swallowed heavily, incredibly touched. Tears filled her eyes, making them burn, but she managed to blink them back. “I don’t know what to say or do.” And that felt cowardly.

“You don’t have to do or say anything. Just stay with me. Give me a chance to show you what we have is real.”

Toni thought about what it had felt like when she’d thought Stavros might have to fight Hades. He’d been willing to battle a god to protect her. It didn’t get any more real than that.

She’d been terrified something would happen to him. She cared deeply for him. Damnit, who was she kidding? She loved him.

It felt strange to say the words in her head. She said it a few more times and then took a deep breath and said them aloud. “I love you.”

Stavros became as still as a statue, not really breathing. Then he exploded into motion and she found herself flat on her back on the mattress, the blanket somehow gone and Stavros covering her with his naked body.

“Do you mean it?” he demanded.

She tenderly stroked his chest and broad shoulders. He was as vulnerable as she was when it came to their relationship. Baring himself emotionally was as new to him as it was to her. “Yes, I mean it. Ever since I first met you, there’s been something there, something I’ve never felt before. I like you. I want to be with you. And for the first time in my life, I can envision being with you fifty years from now.” She paused and laughed. “I guess it’s going to be much longer than that.”

“Much longer.” He lowered his mouth and kissed her. No, that wasn’t quite right. He inhaled her, as though she was the very air he needed to breathe.

“Toni. Toni. Toni.” Her name fell from his lips like a mantra, a prayer. He pressed openmouthed kisses on her neck, teasing a path all the way to her ear. He traced the delicate whorls, sending a shiver of pleasure racing through her. “You won’t regret this,” he promised before gently tugging on her lobe with his teeth.

“I know.” She stroked his firm warm flesh, loving the play of muscles beneath her hands. Stavros was strong, but he tempered that strength whenever he touched her. He treated her in a way no other man ever had, like she was precious and special. “You won’t regret it either.”

His smile was tender and filled with such love that it almost hurt her to look at him. “I know.”

He sat back on his heels and she scrambled onto her knees until she was facing him. He raised one dark eyebrow in question, but she only smiled. She licked her lips and studied him. He really was the most perfect male specimen in the world. And he was hers.

Stavros laughed. “I’m almost afraid to ask what you’re thinking. You look like a cat about to play with its prey.”

She slowly smiled. “Maybe I am.” She skated her hands over his chest, sifting through the crisp hair that covered it. His abs were sculpted bands of muscle. His cock was fully erect and very impressive. She gripped his thick shaft in her hand. As a photographer, she could appreciate the texture of his skin, the darkness of it against the paler skin of her hand. As a woman, she was enthralled with the way his erection heated beneath her touch. She knew what it felt like to have all that untamed power inside her and she wanted that again.

Toni stroked up and down his cock. He was so heavy and hard in her hand. She rubbed her thumb across the flared head, spreading the moisture that leaked from the tip. Stavros groaned and pushed deeper into her hand.

He was just as busy as she was. He palmed her breasts, covering them with his callused hands. Her nipples were taut but grew harder when he teased them with the pads of his thumbs. It was her turn to groan when he tweaked one nipple between his thumb and forefinger.

“I want you, Toni.” With his dark hair flowing around his shoulders and his black eyes glittering with lust, he looked more like a barbarian warlord than an immortal warrior. Or maybe there wasn’t that much difference between the two. Stavros wanted to claim her and she wanted that claim, wanted to belong somewhere and to someone for the first time in her life.

“Yes.” She slid her hands up his chest, locked them around his neck and kissed him. She loved kissing him. He took his time, exploring, teasing, enticing, as though he had all the time in the world. She felt the heavy press of his cock against her and eased from side-to-side, rubbing it with her stomach.

Stavros pulled away from her and turned her so she was facing away from him. “Grip the headboard.” His voice was deep and rough. She knew he was close to losing control. She wanted to push him over the edge.

Toni leaned forward and gripped the wooden slat, knowing that her position gave him the perfect view of her ass and her pussy.

His growl sent goose bumps racing over her skin. The jaguar was close to the surface. She glanced over her shoulder and gave him her most sultry smile. “What are you waiting for?”

Stavros’ hands trembled. He who had fought battles since the dawn of time, had faced gods and goddesses and other mythical creatures, was shaking over the thought of claiming one human woman as his own.

No, not human, not any longer. She was immortal now. His.

He used his knees to widen her stance, making a place for himself behind her. Her hair was hanging forward over her shoulders, leaving her back bare. Her spine was so delicate. He dragged his index finger over it, fascinated when goose bumps appeared on her skin.

He could smell her arousal and inhaled deeply, taking it into his lungs. He’d never get enough of Toni’s unique perfume. He teased a trail up the back of her thighs, drawing a startled laugh from her. She was ticklish there. He filed that away for another time.

He cupped her full ass and squeezed. Toni moaned and pushed herself more firmly into his hands. Goddess, how he loved this woman. In spite of her fears, she’d given him her love and trusted her body into his care. He would take care of both.

Her love was a treasure he would guard in his heart for all time. And her body, well, he was more than ready to give her the pleasure she deserved.

His cock was so full, his balls so heavy he hurt. But it was the best kind of ache in the world. It meant he was alive, not trapped or imprisoned.

More than ready, he pressed closer, allowing his dick to slide between her thighs, rubbing it over the slick folds of her pussy. Her cream coated his shaft and she shimmied her hips so it touched her clit.

Stavros kissed her nape and nipped at the tender curve of her shoulder. He deliberately stroked his cock over her pussy, making sure to rub against her clit. “I want you. Now.”

She moaned and shoved her behind toward him. He knew that was her way of giving consent, that she wanted this as much as he did. He gripped his dick in his hand and angled it until the head was positioned just right. He eased inward until the broad head pushed past her initial resistance. Her inner muscles closed around him, and he swallowed hard and gritted his teeth to keep from coming. Damn, she felt so amazingly good wrapped around him, and he was barely inside her.

He braced his hands on the headboard beside hers and flexed his hips, driving himself home in one hard thrust. She gasped his name. She was panting hard, but so was he.

“I love you.” He withdrew and then drove back in again, filling her. Every time was like the first, like there was no way she could feel as good as he remembered. And she didn’t. She felt even better.

His motions became faster and more out of control with each thrust. He wanted her. Goddess, how he wanted her. Had to claim her. Inside him, his jaguar roared in triumph. Stavros knew time was short. Yes, he would recover quickly, but he wanted Toni with him, needed her pleasure to complete his own.

He wrapped his arms around her, slid one hand up to cup a full breast and the other down until it dipped between her damp thighs. He fucked her hard and fast while fingering her clit and her breast.

“Stavros.” He loved the way she screamed his name, the way her pussy tightened around his cock.

“Yes,” he roared as he came, his orgasm ripped from the very depths of his soul. Her wet heat continued to milk him as he filled her with his seed. She was his now.

Toni sucked air into her lungs in great gulps. Her body trembled and shook as Stavros pumped into her, his cock stretching her pussy in the most delightful way. She felt the heat of his orgasm and the flood of his semen as he came.

She curled her fingers around the headboard slat and held on for dear life. The bed bucked against the wall, pounding a hard rhythm as he rode them both into heaven. Her body was slick with sweat, but she didn’t care. All she wanted was to be close to Stavros.

Another wave of pleasure hit her and she cried out. Her body trembled until it was impossible for her to remain upright, and she leaned forward, resting her head against her hands.

Maybe it was the whole immortality thing, maybe it was because she loved Stavros, but whatever the reason, she’d never experienced sex this intense before. Every sense was heightened to new levels. The puff of his breath against her neck, the rhythmic slap of their damp skin, the musky smell of sex and sweat combined to amp up the experience.

Stavros collapsed, leaning heavily against her back. She started to buckle under the pressure. He swore and pulled her back against him. Somehow, he managed to get them flat on the bed with him still buried deep. Even though he’d come, he didn’t seem to be getting any smaller. If anything, he felt even larger.

She felt safe in his arms. That was a new sensation for her, but one she could get used to. Toni turned her head so she could see him. His eyes were closed but they snapped open the moment she moved.

Suddenly, she felt unaccountably shy. “Hey.” She almost slapped herself in the forehead. That was the best she could come up with?

“Hey,” he returned her greeting. Then he brushed a soft kiss across her lips. He still had one hand between her legs and teased her clit with his forefinger. She jumped and her pussy clenched. Stavros groaned and his shaft flexed inside her.

As much as she wanted to make love again, she also wanted to talk. “So what happens next?” Duh, that was even less intelligent than the last thing she’d said. With her pussy squeezing his cock, there was only one thing he’d be thinking about—more sex.

But Stavros surprised her when he eased away, pulling his erection from inside her. That made her entire body spasm and tremble. He eased onto his back and pulled her into his arms so her head was pillowed on his shoulder.

“As much as I want to think you were talking about sex, I know you weren’t,” he teased. He reached out with one long arm, snagged the discarded blanket and pulled it over her. She placed one hand over his heart. The steady beat anchored her. She tilted her head back so she could see his face.

“No. I meant what do we do from here? Where do we go?” A thought occurred to her. “Where will we live?” There were so many details, so much she didn’t know about his life.

“We go wherever we want and live wherever we chose.” He rubbed her back in a soothing manner. “Time is something we have plenty of.”

That was a hard concept for her to wrap her head around. “But where do you live?” She really wanted to know.

“I really don’t live anywhere. For five-thousand years, I was imprisoned. Before that, we wandered the earth with the Lady of the Beasts, stopping wherever we chose.”

“We can stay at my place in Maine,” she assured him. After all, the guy couldn’t have much money. When would he have earned it?

He smiled and played with a lock of her hair. “I have an apartment in New Orleans.”

She perked up at that. “I’ve always wanted to spend some time in the city. I’d planned on a few days there once I’d finished my photo shoot.”

Stavros looked more relaxed than she’d ever seen him. The tension that usually surrounded him was gone. Because the curse was finally done. She couldn’t imagine thousands of years of being cursed. She shuddered and he frowned.

“Are you cold?”

She shook her head. “No, I was just thinking about the curse.”

That quickly the tension was back. She absently began to rub his stomach, wanting him to relax once again.

Stavros didn’t speak of the curse but continued their conversation. “We can go anywhere in the world you desire. I can take us there in the blink of an eye.”

“Really?” Toni sat up and grabbed the blanket when it fell to her waist. Stavros grabbed the edge of the blanket and tugged until she released it. She tried to be mad with him but couldn’t. He looked so pleased with himself when her breasts were bared once again.

“Really. I am an immortal warrior. Now that I have all my powers back and you are a part of me, I can transport us both wherever we wish to go.”

“That will certainly cut down on airfare.” She’d have to cut corners where possible, at least until they figured out a way for Stavros to earn a living.