A relationship. The god of the Underworld being someone’s boyfriend? It sounded absurd. Was I crazy for doing this? Probably. But I didn’t care. My heart punched against my ribcage. “Yes.”
He morphed into the Sawyer look-a-like I met at the resort and dipped his mouth to mine.
I pushed a hand against his chest. “No.”
He leaned back, raising an eyebrow. His lips thinned.
“I want the real you.” My heart raced so fiercely it felt like a caged bird yearning to free itself.
A tiny smile tugged at his lips. “As long as I’ve been alive and yet I can still somehow be surprised.” He nodded and transformed into the god of the Underworld.
My eyes fell on the points of his ears sticking out from his hair. I traced a finger over one. He closed his eyes before sliding his lips over mine. He cradled the back of my head, kissing with such fervor it bent me backward. His other hand curled around my lower back, supporting me. I reached my hands into the folds of his robes, but only managed to get lost in the never-ending fabric. He took my hands into his and leaned back.
The robe began to disintegrate into embers, floating away like flying pieces of burning paper. He stood naked and motionless. His mortal guise looked like a Greek statue, but somehow his godly form was even more muscular, hard, and toned. The fire-lit room created the perfect shadows over his muscles. Each stood out as if carved from marble.
I clutched my shirt, bunching it at my neck. We’d been naked in front of each other at the spa, but this was different. So very different. I was about to give myself to him completely. It was the epitome of vulnerable.
“If only I had the power to read your mind.” He took a tentative step forward, the muscles in his legs flexing.
Suppressing a whimper, I turned my back to him.
His hand cupped my elbow, and the other shifted the hair from my neck. He lowered his nose to my nape, his breath prickling my skin. “Stephanie, we don’t have to do this.”
He’d seen the back of me already, and the newfound confidence within me returned with one touch from him. I slid my hands underneath my shirt and peeled it away. Once I stood in my bra and pants, I turned to face him. He clasped the back of my neck and kissed me so deeply I felt weightless. I had to open one eye to be sure we weren’t floating on smoke again. He pulled away only to trail his lips across my chin and peck his way to my neck. His tongue lapped against my skin as he kissed it, finishing with a light nip.
We locked gazes as I undid the clasp of my bra. His knuckles grazed my shoulders as he slipped one strap down, followed by the other. It fell to the floor, and my chest swelled, watching his lips curl into a grin.
He pulled me against him, dragging his knuckles down the side of my face. “You are, without a doubt, the most beautiful mortal I’ve ever seen.” He trailed his fingers across my pants, making them crumble into embers.
I nibbled my lip. “I’m going to need those.”
“Later,” he whispered.
He backed me to the bed until I felt my calves hit up against the coolness of the frame. It was so high off the ground I’d have to take a running leap to get on it. He curled a hand around each of my hips and hoisted me up. The soft comforter soothed against my skin once he laid me down. It was like new towels, freshly cleaned and warm from the dryer. I rested my head on one of the many cranberry throw pillows, and he stared down at me, letting my hair fall through his fingertips.
“Pomegranate. Definitely your color,” he said, his eyes ablaze.
His lips pressed against the valley between my breasts, and I gasped. The fog floated over my hair, traveling across my chest and hovering over my stomach. He took one breast into his mouth and circled his tongue around my nipple. The tingling sensation from the fog mixed with his mouth was damn near enough to drive me insane.
My back arched as he pulled his mouth away, grazing my breast with his wolf-like teeth. His nose dragged over my ribs, making his way further down my body. As he traced the tip of his tongue over my abdomen, I forgot entirely about who and what he was. It wasn’t until his fingertips brushed the insides of my knees, coaxing them apart, I became lost in his glowing white eyes.
I’d been with other men before. Seen the carnal look in their eyes, knowing what they were about to receive. His gaze was different. Predatory, yet anticipatory. Like eyeing baked goods behind the glass, wishing you could devour each one. I opened myself to him, and he lowered his hips. The white hair floated as he peered down at me. I traced my hands over his shoulder blades, expecting to feel slits where his wings sprouted. It’d be surreal to see them in a moment like this.
A masculine purr vibrated from his throat. “You want to see my wings again, don’t you?”
“I thought you couldn’t read minds.” I played a wicked grin, one to rival his own.
“I don’t have to.” He lowered himself further. His hardness pressed against me, and it made every muscle in my lower half clench. “You’ve played with their sheath repeatedly.”
My hands ran absent circles over his shoulder blades in an unspoken plea to see them come out to play.
“I rather like you’ve such a fascination with them,” he said.
The wings peeled out from his back, their span nearly the entire width of the bed until he folded them back. Smoke tendrils wafted through the air. Sparkling orange embers fell, and ash trickled down my skin before disappearing.
“Will it burn me if I touch them?” I lingered my fingers over the glowing orange feathers.
“Only if I wanted it to.”
I smoothed my hand over the fiery arch on his left wing. He groaned, his length pushing harder against me. They felt like any other feather I’d touched. But these were composed mostly of fire and smoke. His lips crashed against mine, conquering me with a kiss. He pushed at my entrance, and I gasped when he thrust himself forward. He situated his forearms on each side of my head and began slow rhythmic motions. Smoke tendrils swirled around my arms, cascading over my breasts like silk. His nose brushed against my chin as he kissed my neck. The smoke intensified, playing through my hair and over my cheeks.
“Eímai dikós sou,” he whispered into my hair.
The words flowed from his tongue like a rolling tide. I had no clue what he said, but the way he said it sounded like a carnal declaration. His hand dragged down my ribs and curled under my backside. While supporting himself on his other arm, his thrusts quickened. The smoke traveled over my hips and caressed my inner thighs. Between his practiced motions within me and the feel of warm silk against my skin, it was enough to send me straight over the edge.
My back arched, head pressing into the pillows. I gripped the sheets as every muscle within me tightened, and I quaked and quivered. When my eyes managed to flutter open, Hades gazed down at me. A smirk creased the corner of his lips. He sat up straight, resting on his haunches. His fingers curled around the back of my knees, and he gave one quick tug. My back slid forward until our hips met.
The smoke spiraled around him. His wings stretched wide, and he paused, peering into my very being. The fireplace crackled and popped. Seeing him surrounded by animated smoke was like being transfixed by a painting.
“Would you be offended if I said you were beautiful?” I asked.
He cocked his head to the side. “No. You’d be the first to say it.”