“What should we do now?” I ask once he falls silent.
“There’s nothing to do. I feel bad that I hurt her, Mia has been a good friend to me, but I’m not willing to do anything that would make this better for her. I’m a selfish asshole like that.” He tries to make it seem like a joke, but I think his words hit a little closer to home than he intended.
I squeeze his hand, which is still wrapped around mine. “I’m sorry she’s hurting too, but…” I pause, trying to find the right words to say without sounding like a bitch. “I’m so happy that you don’t feel the same way about her.” I look down at the table, guilt souring my emotions.
Ares releases my hand and, making a fist, I slide my hand back, dropping it under the table onto my lap. Out of the corner of my eye I see him stand, and I feel his footsteps on the floor as he comes to my side. “Hey.” His fingers glide under my chin and lift it. Ares bites the corner of his lip and asks, “May I kiss you?” His words are spoken on a whisper. Just loud enough for the two of us, even though we’re alone. I lick my bottom lip on instinct, nodding my answer.
Ares’s fingers glide down from my chin to my neck, caressing as he goes. He leans in, and I close my eyes, expecting the feel of his lips on mine. He hovers his lips mere millimeters away, but I need him closer. Stretching upward, I try to close the distance, but he retreats, making a satisfied hum when I resume my original position. Eyes still closed, I wait until he’s ready. I know that’s what he wants, Ares always wants control.
Eventually he presses the lightest of kisses on my lips. The sigh that leaves me should have me feeling embarrassed, but it doesn’t. I’m too eager for more. With a gentleness you’d never expect from him, he attends to my mouth—soft damp kisses mixed with swipes from the very tip of his tongue.
Reaching up, I twist my hand in the fabric of his shirt. Ares’s clothes are always tailored, so every heavy pant he takes has my knuckles brushing his chest. He reaches for me, his hands wrapping around my waist as he guides me to stand, pulling me against his body roughly.
I feel every inch of him pressed against me, his hand flows around my waist, over to my hip and down my leg. Using one arm he lifts me, his arm wrapped under my butt. The air in my lungs heaves out and I gasp into his mouth. Ares wastes no time sliding his tongue inside.
He turns, setting my bottom on the dining room table. Spreading my legs with his body, he moves in close before breaking away from my lips to kiss the underside of my chin and jaw. The gentleness is gone as he devours me with open-mouth kisses. I feel the slight pressure of his teeth on several spots and the warmth of his mouth when he sucks at the skin on my neck. My hands go to his waist, my fingers tugging at the fabric of his shirt as my knees raise, trying to get him closer.
The tip of his tongue makes a lazy lap from my collarbone, all the way up my neck, and only stopping when he reaches my ear. Ares makes a groaning noise in the back of his throat that sends a shiver of awareness down my spine. His forehead meets mine, both of us struggling for air as we try to catch our breath. The tips of my fingers graze the bare skin of his side. I’ve pulled his shirt free, and the reward of feeling his skin against my own makes the effort so worth it.
I open my eyes and watch as my hand delves farther under his shirt. My palm connects with his side as I run my fingers around his back. Every touch leaves me greedy for more. Ares doesn’t move, and I can feel the rigidity of the muscles in his back as my hands move slowly up and down.
His breath is shallow and, lifting just my eyes, I see him watching me with his bottom lip pinched between his teeth. Ares leans his hands on the table just beside my hips, crowding me even more. I love every second.
His voice a mere rasp, he says, “Keep touching.” Ares buries his face in my neck, and I wrap my other hand over his shoulder in an embrace. His chest brushes against mine as he winds his arms around me, lifting me off the table. My legs encircle his lower torso, and the center of my body presses up against him. This is new, this feeling of having him right where I need him, all to myself. My arm over his shoulder tightens around his neck, helping me balance.
Coming to his full height, he walks me slowly from the room. I have the briefest moment where I almost tell him to put me down, worried someone might see us, but I ignore the nagging thought. I’m exactly where I want to be. Needing to touch more of him, I slide my hand down the neck of his shirt. Every step he takes has the muscles of his back moving under my hands.
Turning my face into his neck, I pepper him with tiny kisses before becoming brave enough to use my tongue and teeth. Ares freezes mid-step, his breath panting. I pause with the tip of my tongue just below his ear. His body shivers, starting at his neck and working down. I did that. I pull in a deep breath, feeling powerful in a sense I’ve never experienced before. I want everything he’s willing to give me. I’ve gone so long with just my mom and me, and she never showed me affection. I feel like I’ve been craving his touch my entire life.
He hasn’t started walking again, but I continue licking my way up his neck. Nuzzling my way to his ear, I pull his lobe into my mouth and suck gently before sinking my teeth in.
“Oh, damn,” he groans as his hand snaps out to the wall. Releasing his ear, I pull back. The cool air rushes between our chests at the loss of contact, and it feels intrusive. Ares's eyes meet mine, a sea of blackness staring back at me. Taking my hand out from under his shirt, I brush my thumb under his eye, caressing. I lean in and place a small kiss right on the tip of his nose. “What do you see?”
“You, I see all of you.” Ares takes a few more steps and my back hits something solid, before he pushes his body against mine. My head falls back and my eyes close, rolling back in my head. “I can feel you,” he breathes into my chest, his head lowered. Moving his hips back from mine, his hand slides between us and settles low on my stomach. “I can feel your desire.” His fingers slide lower, just shy of placing his hand between my legs. I don’t know if I’m scared, or excited. Both I think.
Something low clenches when his hand travels in the opposite direction, under my shirt. His flattened palm moves to my side, his fingers on my back with his thumb bumping up my ribs. He stops his upward ascent when his thumb grazes the underside of my breast. My nipples tingle inside my bra. I can already imagine his hands there, his mouth. “Laura.” His voice is thick, his words almost a mumble. “May I touch you?” When I only squirm, his hand leaves me. I feel the immediate loss of heat.
I wrap my arm around his neck again and, placing my mouth at his ear, I whisper, “Please, Ares.”
His body undulates into mine. “Say it,” he demands, as both of his hands lift to the wall above my head. My hips are locked against his and every inch of my body is aware of his.
“Touch me, please.” Ares makes a sound of pure satisfaction as I gasp the words. His hands go to my waist and he lifts me off his body, setting my feet back on the ground. My legs are unsteady, I didn’t feel the strain of staying wrapped around him before, but I do now.
His hands, still around my waist, inch up and take my shirt with them. I feel the cold air on my exposed stomach. With his eyes locked on mine he drops to his knees in front of me.
Without a wasted second, he kisses just below my navel. Every muscle in my body tightens at the feeling of his warm tongue sliding under the waistband of my jeans. His hands are braced on my waist as he tugs my body closer to his mouth. My head falls back, and I gaze up, but I’m not really even seeing. I’m too lost in the feeling of Ares kissing his way up my body until he reaches my bra. The only things holding me up are my shoulders against the wall and his hands. My heart is beating so fast, I know he can hear it and possibly feel it against his tongue.