Ares: (Gods of Old Book 1) (17 page)

“We are partners, in everything. You are the man that I need, you are the man that I deserve, and you are the man that I love. For now and for all time. We are a unit. We are together, and we are stronger for it. We are good together.”

“That we are,” he smiled at her. Pressing a kiss to her lips, he hugged her to him. “We should grab a nap if we’re going out tonight. Well, when I say nap,” he grinned trailing off. He was wiggling his eyebrows at her suggestively and threw in a wink so she couldn’t miss his true meaning.

Ava laughed and pulled back. “Which way to our bedroom?” When he pointed, she laughed and raced off, tossing off her clothes as she ran, waiting for him to come and make good on the promise that was in his eyes.

She skidded to a stop when she nearly ran into him. He was standing in the middle of the room. “What? Thought you’d get a head start? Hardly, woman,” he laughed scooping her up. In one moment to the next, they were naked and on the bed. She was on top while he was lounging under her looking lazy and relaxed.

“You are so bad,” she said with a grin and looked down at him. “I’m assuming that all of the clothes I tossed off are folded and in a drawer somewhere so that Dio isn’t tripping over my shirt or bra?” Her nails moved over his chest, and she grinned as he hissed, “Yes, darling?” She all but purred.

“Yes, everything is put away,” he said. He was staring up at her with heat and dark promises in his gaze. “Do that again,” he demanded. She’d discovered he liked it a little rougher, but he could definitely do sweet, soft and slow just as well.

She did just that, she raked her nails over his chest and drew welts on his chest as she did so. “Like that?” She loved that he liked it a little on the rough side, she did too honestly. “Maybe I should bite you?” she asked with a low growl, leaning in closer to him as she did so.

“Do it,” he said, his hands suddenly gripping her hips hard. “Do whatever feels right to you, Ava. Do whatever you want to do. You know I’m never going to complain, not with you.” His back arched, pressing his chest to her breasts more.

She couldn’t deny him anything. She found herself leaning into him and letting her teeth run over his shoulder and neck. She let her teeth bite into his shoulder and rubbed herself against him as she did so. “Like that?” she asked and let her teeth move up his neck to nibble his ear.

“Gods, yes,” he hissed out a breath. The next sound from him was a growl that vibrated through her entire body and filled the bedroom. “More,” he demanded of her. His body was tense under hers, likely resisting the urge to flip her over and fuck her silly.

Ava did just that. She moved on him a little harder, a little more pain involved. “I want you, Ares,” she growled against his ear. “I want you to fuck me. I need you to fuck me. I think that you need it too; don’t you, honey?” she asked and bit his earlobe once more.

She didn’t really get an answer. Well, not true, she did, in his own way. She was flipped over, put on her belly, and his cock slammed into her pussy hard. He kept her stretched out, only letting her hips lift a little to take him easier as he fucked her.

Ava lifted herself up on her hands and knees, pushing back against him over and over again. She moved hard against him, tilting her ass up so that they were moving in unison. “Harder,” she demanded.

He smacked her ass, just hard enough that her pussy clenched as he pushed into her. “So demanding,” he whispered nibbling on her ear. A smack to her other ass cheek had her moaning. “And all mine,” he gave a chuckle that she could feel along her spine.

“Oh, hell yes, all yours,” Ava said with a moan. Arching her back again she shuddered. “Please,” she begged him. “I liked the swat; another one please,” she begged him.

“Only because you asked so damn sweetly,” he told her. His palm came down on her ass, once, twice and a third time. Each smack timed to his cock driving into her pussy, hard. “What else do you want?” he asked scraping his teeth to her neck.

“More,” she demanded. “I like the way that feels. I love the feeling of just the smallest bite of pain with pleasure.” She dropped her head to the mattress and shivered. “Again. More.”

“Mmm, I have a better idea,” he told her. She felt his hand move over her ass and then his finger rubbing at her anus. Slowly, carefully, he pressed his finger into her ass and began to stroke her in time to the thrust of his cock into her pussy.

“Oh, hell yes.” She pushed back against him as she did so. “I like how that feels.” She shivered again. “That feels-” Another full body shiver wracked her body. “God, that feels so good,” she moaned. “Please, more-”

“In time, sweetness; I don’t want to hurt you,” he muttered. He sounded a little distracted, not a bad thing, maybe. He pulled his finger out to her dismay but pushed two back in slowly. Her pussy clenched on his cock and the moan she let out was heartfelt. “You like that?” he asked with a laugh.

“Yes,” she moaned. “I love the way that feels.” She whimpered this time. “Please, do it again.” She loved the way that it felt; the push and pull of his fingers and his cock. She loved it. This was what she needed; was what she wanted.

“Soon I’ll put my cock here,” he pressed with his fingers. “We’ll slide a vibrator into your pussy, nice and long and wide, filling you up as I take you hard and fast.” He bit her shoulder lightly, and his fingers slid in further.

“I love the way that sounds. How about you get a vibrator now and slide it in and out of my ass so that you can get me ready to take your cock?” She panted. “And make it wider and wider, until you would be able to take me there.”

“Because I don’t feel like being that distracted right now.” He bit her shoulder blade lightly, “No, this round I want you to come from the thought of what I’m going to do to you. Of all you’re going to take before I allow you to come. I want you to anticipate, to feel what I’m doing right now and just scream out your need.”

”Close to it,” she moaned. She shivered once more. “Just the thought of knowing what you’re doing to me, knowing what you will do to me. God, I need- I want- Please.” She was begging him; she was desperate.

“Then come,” he breathed against her ear. A hum came through his body into hers, tightening her body more as he drove his cock into her over and over. “Scream for me. Scream long, and loud, now!” he demanded. His free hand came up and flicked her clit before pinching it, hard.

Ava could deny him nothing. She screamed, her orgasm tearing through her entire body. She came with an intense and blinding moment of pure feeling, pure pleasure. Nothing could have ever, ever prepared her for the feeling she had when she came.

His orgasm was right behind hers, his seed spilling into her body in hot lashes. Then they both collapsed, his weight warm along her back as they fought for air. “You are going to kill me one of these days, darling,” he muttered with a rough, ragged chuckle.

“Same goes,” she told him with a smile. “I really, really think that one day we will both be the end of each other; but what a way to go, right?” she asked with a smile. “Because I have to tell you, this is the way to go if we have to go.”

He pressed a kiss to her neck, running his hands up her sides slowly. Then he pulled from her body and settled on his back at her side. “I don’t know if that can be arranged. When it all ends, we may be doing something else entirely.”

“Well, whatever happens, happens. All that I know is that I need you. That I want you, and that we are here for each other always. We will be good together; I just know it,” she told him happily. “Whatever happens, we will get through it, won’t we?”

“Yes, ma’am,” he nodded with a grin. He sat up and when he laid back next to her, the blankets came to rest over them both. “Come here, love,” he moved his arm to pull her close. “We’ll sleep for a little while and then go to dinner and the show.”

“That sounds good to me.” She looked forward to it actually.

He pulled her closer. “Sleep baby,” he murmured against her hair. “We only have a few hours, and then we’ll get up and get ready. Think about what you want to wear when we go out.”

“Okay,” she said with a smile, rubbing her cheek on his chest. “I love you, Ares, my God of War.”

He’d finally found it! Elated he ran a reverent hand down the cover. Hugging it tight to his chest he closed his eyes and let out a breath.

“You are pleased, yes?”

Snapping open his eyes, he looked at the woman and nodded. “Very.” Licking his lips, he dug out the envelope full of cash and handed it to her. “You should leave before it’s found out what you did.”

“I intend to. I have everything in place to depart immediately,” she said looking into the envelope. Then she tucked it into her bag and looked to him. “What do you have planned for the book?”

He debated for a time what to tell her; if anything. “I plan to study it and learn more about my history. This book may hold pieces that were previously thought lost. My grandmother will be thrilled to know that I may finally have some of the answers she’s always longed for.”

It was all a lie, but it was a plausible lie and one that followed what he’d told the little maid originally. Why she’d been willing to steal into the house in the hills and take it out under the nose of the owner.

If she knew the truth, she’d have raised bloody hell. That he intended to control a God had never been mentioned; he wasn’t an idiot. He knew that the fewer people aware of his plan, the better. And so far only one other, beyond him, had any idea of the grand plan. What that other person didn’t know was the end game. No one but himself would ever know just what the plan was.

Of course, if he’d said to any normal person that he intended to control an Olympian God, they’d have ferried him off to the nearest funny farm right quick. Too few still believed in the Gods or even thought they’d once existed. But he knew. He knew that the God of War, Ares, was living on Earth in that house. The very house that the book had come from. And it was his book; his history from the point of view of the priests; that was now in his very hands. Squeezing the leather again he looked to the woman.

“You should go now. Don’t look back, and remember, use cash for all your purchases for at least a few weeks. You need to go off the grid. No credit cards, no debit, no picture ID if you can avoid it.”

“I have some fake ID that my third cousin got for me. It’s a little out of date but will work well for this,” she said. She looked at him a long time before turning away and heading for her car parked down the path. “Be careful with whatever you are doing,” she called over her shoulder.

Dismissing her from his mind, he held the book before him and flipped the cover open slowly. Turning each page with infinite care, he stared at the first page of writing. It was all in ancient Greek, thank the Gods he’d taken a course in it. Smiling in glee, he read the inscription for the children of the priests that would follow and continue to put in entries. But a warning that had him frowning.

The Gods are powerful beings. With this power, they carry great responsibility. Whenever you speak with, approach, or deal with a God, choose your words with the greatest of care. For a God’s word is his bond and can never be broken. But they know better than we ever could how to ensure they always come out on top of everything. The saying, be careful what you wish for, came from a God. And it is not merely a warning but a death knoll for those who dare take on that which they do not and could never understand.

Snorting at that he tucked the book into his bag and jogged down the hill towards his car. He had plans to set into motion, a room to finish preparing, and a God to summon to give him what he wanted.

*****

“Ava?” Ares called to her. He was getting closer to her. “Babe, what are you doing?” he asked.

They were back in Italy; they’d just gotten back the night before. The weekend in Vegas had been a blast, and she’d gotten a promise from Dionysus to come and help her with her shopping. Of course, she also had to go with him to Berlin for a museum show. Should be interesting and fun, especially since she knew that Ares would be there with her.

“Hey,” he was in the doorway now. “What are you looking for, love?”

“Have you seen it?” The look on her face was one of pure panic. “My book. It was wrapped in leather, in a backpack, and in the hidden compartment of my suitcase.” She moved from the absolute mess she had made of the bedroom to Ares. “The book, Ares, have you seen it?” She had shown it to him once, showing him the power that it held and why it had to be hidden, but now she couldn’t find it and was nearly in tears. “Please, please tell me you have seen it?”

“Hey,” he frowned at her and cupped her face. “Take a deep breath, Ava, and relax, please. I only saw it once, when you let me look through it. You wrapped it up and put it away. But are you sure you didn’t put it somewhere else, love? Like the safe maybe, as I suggested?” He’d given her the combination to his safe in his office. One that was protected by his powers as well as several very serious wards.

“Yes, I’m very sure. I couldn’t get into the safe, and that was why I was looking for it now. I was going to have you put it in there.” She rubbed her hands up and down his shoulders. “I don’t know where it is. I haven’t seen it since Vegas.” She took it everywhere with her; now she realized that maybe she should have instead left it here; had him put it in the safe before now. “I have to find it,” she whispered.

“And we will find it,” he said gently. Pressing a kiss to her lips, he stepped back and looked at the mess that was their room. “Alright, we both know that we both saw it last when I read it. When I was done, I handed it back to you, and you rewrapped it in the leather. You tied it up, tucked it under your arm and headed for the stairs. I called after you telling you to hurry up since we had dinner reservations. You told me you’d only be a couple of minutes, and then we could go. You headed upstairs and-” he looked at her again, obviously waiting for her to continue from there.

She had to stop for a moment and think. “I put it on the long dresser. I didn’t have time to put it back in the false bottom of my suitcase, so I put it on the dresser. I didn’t think anyone could get in.” She bit her lower lip and asked, “Do you think it might still be there?”