Ares leans in then and, sliding his palm around to the back of my neck, he angles my face up, his lips hovering over mine. “You said ‘always,’ that I could always kiss you.” I don’t answer, instead I lean across the cushion between us and steal the kiss he was keeping from me. He makes a clicking noise with his tongue, admonishing me. Ares jerks the arm I was leaning on out from under me, and my side hits the cushion, causing my breath to whoosh out of my lungs. I look up at him, my eyes wide with surprise.
He leans down, his nose near my chin, and kisses my lips softly. The stubble on his chin tickles my nose as he continues to plant open-mouth kisses on me. The tip of his tongue slides past my lips, and I shiver when I feel the smoothness of the underside of his tongue tease mine. He retreats, but I snap my hands to the back of his neck, keeping him there while I twist my tongue around his.
I feel the seat shift as Ares moves to stand, his mouth locked against mine as he turns so our noses brush. Kneeling next to the couch, Ares presses his chest against mine, pushing me into the cushions. I pant out a heavy breath when his lips leave mine to trail little nips and kisses across my jaw. I push him away when he moves down to my neck. “Makeup.” I can’t imagine the concealer I used on my hickeys would taste good.
He growls, moving up right behind my ear and sucks hard enough that I know I’ll have another spot to cover. My back arches off the couch, spurring him on. Ares’s hand skims up my side, his thumb going for my breast. He finds my hardened peak even through my bra. Making a circle around my nipple, he mimics the same movement with his tongue in my mouth. Something low in my stomach clenches when he pinches my nipple between his fingers and sucks on the tip of my tongue.
My heartbeat thrums against my chest, skipping a beat every now and then. I lift my hand to Ares’s chest to see if I can feel his, and as soon as my palm lands over his heart, I feel it racing almost as fast as my own. “Goddamn,” he mumbles against my lips. I have no idea why he’s cursing, but I really don’t care either. Breaking way from his kiss, my breath comes in choppy pants near his ear. Needing air, but not wanting to stop, I take his lobe into my mouth and bite down. Ares makes a deep sound in the back of his throat, and his hands pull me in tighter against his body. Heat flushes across my skin as I get the same tugging sensation I felt with Ares when we bonded. Opening my eyes, I see him leaning over me with his jaw clenched tight. Reaching up I stroke my finger just under his eye, all traces of white obscured with blackness. “What do you see?”
He inhales deeply, his nostrils flaring. “Right now, I see the heat rising off your skin.” His hand grazes over my body, stopping at the apex of my thighs. “I can see the thrum of your pulse fluttering here.” His hand moves back up, caressing the hollow at the base of my throat. “The way your pupils blow wide when you’re looking at me, the way your lips tremble when I get close.” Ares leans in again, stopping just before our lips touch. His eyes close on a slow blink. “But that’s nothing compared to what I can feel.”
A quick set of raps against the door has me shooting upright. I straighten my sweater and run my hand over my hair in an attempt to smooth it. Ares drops his forehead to my thigh, rocking back and forth. “If this is anyone but Dante, I’m going to kill them.”
Heaving himself off the floor, Ares stalks to the door of the hotel room. I can’t help but admire the way he moves. Snapping the door open, he looms in the threshold for a long second before finally stepping back to let Dante enter.
Dante looks around, his eyes a little narrowed until they fall on me. He shoves both hands down deep in his pockets, and his shoulders round down as he lingers a few feet away.
Aggravation curls my lip. I’m disappointed with him, but mostly I’m frustrated with myself for my behavior. Ares lets the door fall closed and makes his way over to the side of the room. He opens a small wooden cabinet, and I see several rows of mini bottles of alcohol, a few bottles of water, and assorted nuts and juices. Ares nabs two tiny bottles. Not bothering with any of the glasses, he twists off the cap and downs the first bottle's contents.
“Milo and Oliver already down at the banquet?” Dante questions. The answer is obvious.
“Where have you been?” I don’t mean to sound accusatory, but that’s the way it comes out.
Dante lowers his eyes to the floor. “Just walking around.” I can’t tell if he’s lying or not. The way he’s avoiding eye contact makes me think he might be. I tuck my hair behind my ear, watching him. When I don’t ask any other questions, Dante comes over to the sofa, sitting on the other end away from me. The silence that falls is heavy and awkward. I don’t know what to say. Should I apologize for the way I acted in the elevator, or expect him to for not getting himself out of the situation?
Ares returns and he takes a seat on the arm of the sofa right next to me. The differences between them are so glaringly obvious. Dante has always been a little out of reach, while Ares has inserted himself into my life from the first moment we met. Even when I think I’m finally beginning to understand him, something happens that threatens that idea. I fidget, my hands and legs restless as the silence grows between us.
“How long is this thing supposed to last?” Ares asks, leaning his elbow on the back of the couch.
Dante shrugs. “A few hours I think.”
“If we’re going back to the house tonight, I need to make a few calls to get dinner squared away. I was thinking since Linda and the guys know, it won’t be long before our parents and Oliver’s know. We should get ahead of the ball on this one and make sure we’re the ones to tell them. I know Mom will have a stroke if she finds out from someone else,” Ares says sounding resigned.
“You know she’ll be on the next flight out as soon as we tell her.”
“I know she’ll want to.” Ares looks down at me, biting his bottom lip. “If we do a video call, she might not chew me out too bad if you’re there.” His eyes plead with me.
“Now?” I gasp. I had to meet Milo’s parents today, now theirs?
“It’s just a video, and it won’t be as awkward. She can’t even attack you,” Ares offers, his voice sweet.
“Attack me?” I seem to be incapable of more than questions at this point.
“Not like that—don’t be crazy. I mean she won’t be able to assault you with hugs and tackle you with her excitement.” Ares actually rolls his eyes. I, however, am not really as mollified with his explanation as he seems to think I should be.
Before I can muster a response, Ares sits up straight. “All settled. Let me get the food situation arranged for tonight, and we can call her. You guys get this weird tension you have going on sorted out, because Mom will spot it a mile away, and then there won’t be any stopping her from coming.” Under his breath Ares adds, “Not like it’ll help.” He stands, dropping a tender kiss at my temple, and strides into the bedroom area. The door closes as I sit there reeling. Not only do I have to meet their parents, but I also have to deal with Dante.
While I’m staring straight ahead, still in shock, Dante rumbles next to me, “You’re mad at me.” It’s definitely not a question.
Taking a deep breath and squaring my shoulders, I turn to face him. He’s in the opposite corner of the couch, his large frame somehow looking smaller with the way he’s tucked into himself. It doesn’t diminish his appeal in any way, though. Peering at me with those gorgeous amber eyes and a slightly nervous expression, his chin tilts down.