I was paralyzed by him in a way I had never been before. Butterflies fluttered in my tummy, and I could feel my quickened pulse in my neck. My chest rose a little higher to get more air into my lungs. My lips suddenly felt hot, as if I could feel his warm tongue against my mouth without even touching him. I saw Hades in a whole new way. He was the most desirable man in the world. He was strong and powerful, deadly sexy, and had the loyalty of a king.
And he was mine.
He stared at me for what felt like an eternity. His eyes shifted back and forth as they looked into mine, as if he were experiencing the same emotions that I was. He was comfortable in the silence, so he continued to say nothing.
I wasn’t the calm and cool woman I used to be. My palms were sweaty, and the palpitations in my chest rocked my rib cage. I was actually nervous around this man when I had no reason to be. “Good morning.”
His hand slid into my hair, and he pulled me close. His strong arm wrapped around my waist and tugged me into him. His lips lowered to mine, and he kissed me, his mouth gently embracing my lips. He breathed into me a few times, his fingers lightly fisting my hair as though he didn’t care if he messed it up before I walked out the door.
As if a spell had been cast over me, I was paralyzed by that touch. There was no better feeling than being kissed by this man. No other guy had embraced me this way, like I was the most important thing in the world to him. Hades made me feel loved without saying those three little words.
After he pulled away, he released my hair. “You aren’t leaving.”
“I have work…so do you.”
“I only work when I want to. And I definitely don’t want to.”
When he looked at me like that, the last thing I wanted to do was leave the sanctuary of our bedroom and go into the public eye. I wanted to stay right here and let this man do whatever he wanted to me.
Hades reached his hand up my back until he found the top of my zipper. He slowly pulled it down until the fabric came loose and fell to the floor. He unclasped my bra with a slight movement of his fingertips. His eyes never left mine. “Get your ass back in bed.”
After a few days of practically being tied to the bedpost, I was finally able to return to work. Now that I’d stopped thinking about Maddox, I was able to get a lot more work done. My mind wasn’t afraid that he would jump around the corner and grab me. Sleeping with Hades seemed to reset my mental state.
It gave me a new start.
I took care of most matters for the hotel and even had a few meetings with the board. I wasn’t thrilled the Tuscan Rose was still infiltrated by the country’s most notorious criminals, the leaders of organized crime, but I was helpless to fight it. So I let it be.
I’d just finished a meeting with the board in the conference room when Hades quietly stepped inside. He always made the most subtle entrances, but no matter how quiet he was, his presence was so loud. His power permeated the air around him. You could practically feel it.
In a deep blue suit with a matching tie, he stood tall and muscular, with his hands in his pockets. His eyes glanced at the men in their seats before his gaze settled on me. He gave me that dark and dangerous stare, like I was his next victim.
But I wanted to be his next victim.
We still hadn’t said more than a few words to each other. It seemed like our relationship had solidified so words were unnecessary for us to communicate.
As the men filed out, they shook hands with Hades and exchanged a few words. They congratulated him on the baby and made small talk about golf and wine. Once the last man was out of the room, Hades slowly stalked to me.
I stacked up my things and placed them on the edge of the table. I actually avoided eye contact with him sometimes because that stare was too potent. It made me feel like I was under a magnifying glass.
He came up behind me and wrapped his arms around my waist. His hands rested on my small stomach, and he pressed a kiss to my neck.
Bumps formed on my arms, and I suddenly felt hot and cold at the same time. My nipples pierced through my bra and dress, but I also felt the sweat start to bead on my skin. My physiology was completely different because of him. His love had changed my chemical composition, made me into a whole new woman.
His hands moved to my hips, and he slowly turned me around. When we were face-to-face, he pulled me closer and placed a kiss on the corner of my mouth.
Just that simple touch made me want to rip off his clothes and take him on the desk. He made my thoughts irrational, made everything sexualized. I’d always been satisfied with our physical relationship, but now it felt so much better.
He looked into my eyes with that masculine stare. “Have dinner with me.” He never asked me questions anymore. He just told me what to do.
But the odd thing was, I liked it. That wasn’t me at all. “Alright.”
He grabbed the materials sitting on the desk and carried them for me. It was easy for him to hold the binder and laptop in a single grasp so he could hold my hand with his and guide me back to my office.
After he placed everything on my desk, we went outside and got into his car. He always opened the door for me and helped me inside, even before I was pregnant. Then he drove to the restaurant.
We went inside and were seated at a private table off to the side. It was European cuisine, a French-style menu. The waiter was at attention instantly, and Hades ordered a glass of wine for himself and a water for me.
After glancing at the menu, he set it down and stared at me.
My eyes roamed over the selections, but I was aware of his hot gaze. I could feel it burn into me, feel that mix of possession and obsession. It was so distracting that I lifted my gaze to meet his. “Know what you’re getting?”
He didn’t answer.
I looked at the menu again and decided on a salad. Once I put the menu down, the waiter ran back over. He took our order and our menus and then disappeared.
Hades returned to his favorite hobby and stared at me.
I wanted to hold his gaze just to prove a point, but I couldn’t match his intensity. My eyes trailed to the watch on his wrist. Every day when he got ready, he put it back on instead of making a different selection. He normally wore a different watch every day, just the way women wore different necklaces and bracelets to match their outfits. “You don’t have to wear it every day…”
He absentmindedly adjusted the watch on his wrist. “I know.”
I lifted my eyes to meet his.
“It’s my favorite.”
“Why?”
He moved his hands back to the table and pulled his wineglass closer. “Because my wife gave it to me.”
I felt a flush in my cheeks, the first time I’d showed a visible sign of embarrassment. My own husband made me feel like a shy schoolgirl. Which was ridiculous because I was having his son. There were no secrets between us. “I’m glad you like it.”
“I love it.”
We hadn’t told each other we loved one another since that night. It didn’t seem like he regretted it; he was just selective when he said it. I stared at his fingers for a moment before I lifted my gaze to meet his again.
“And I love you…so fucking much.” He kept his voice low so no one could overhear our conversation. His eyes showed his masculine intensity, like he was reminding me that I was his.
As if I’d ever forget. I’d never said those words out loud to him. I’d never said them out loud to anybody. I said I hated marriage and didn’t believe in love, but now I was head over heels in love with my own husband. I felt like a whole different person. “I love you too…” It felt strange to say those words out loud, to let that confession leave my lips. But it also felt so right. “When I gave you that watch, I was so scared. I wasn’t sure if you would feel the same way.” We used to have long conversations before his birthday, but lately, it’d been nothing but kisses and sex. It seemed like we were ready to move forward in this new relationship.