Helios Awakened (The Helios Chronicles #1) (11 page)

“That was...” He looked down, a smile creeping onto his face. He then looked into her extremely dark eyes and could see that she had enjoyed what she had done. “That was incredible.”

He leaned into her, kissing her deeply. Andrew ran his hands underneath her top, feeling the smoothness of her skin. His fingers nimbly unsnapped her bra and continued to move up and down her back and then along her sides, barely grazing the outline of her breasts. He reached down to the hem of her shirt and stopped kissing her just long enough to pull her shirt up. She swallowed, looking into his eyes as she raised her arms so he could remove it fully. He set it on the handlebar, on top of his. He watched her a moment, breathing in deeply as he slipped her bra straps off of her shoulders and then laid it on top of her shirt.

“You’re stunning, Madison.”

His hands gently moved over her body, watching as her breasts moved slowly with each heavy breath she took. His heart was racing as he brought his hands under her and lifted her up so that her breasts were closer to him. He glanced at her smiling face as his mouth touched her skin, already pebbled from desire. Madison whimpered as she gripped his hair tightly. He shifted her slightly and wished he could use his hands to explore her body but he needed to hold her up and he didn’t think Madison would be removing her death grip from his hair anytime soon. After several minutes of worshipping her breasts, he lowered her down and kissed her intensely, his tongue invading her mouth with purpose.

Madison’s grip in his hair continued to tighten as their kiss intensified. She needed him desperately; it was the only way to quench the fire within her. Her hands moved up and down his strong back, her short nails digging into his skin. She pulled away from their kiss and looked at him; his eyes were dark and feral as he laid her back on the seat.

“I want you,” Madison said breathlessly as she brought her hands up, gripping the back of the seat.

Andrew ran his hands over her breasts and then worked his way to her jeans. He unbuttoned them and slid the zipper down. Her breathing was already labored as he lifted her up slightly so he could remove them properly. She was lying back, completely exposed for him. He wanted her, as well, but didn’t have the foresight to bring a condom. He had never been tested for any diseases and would not expose her to something he could have contracted from his many encounters of reckless and unprotected sex.

“You are so beautiful, Madison,” he said as he once again ran his hands over her body.

Her eyes were closed tightly as her head lolled to the side. He ran his fingers all around her, memorizing what she looked like right now, laid out before him on his Harley. She arched her hips slightly, looking for him, needing him. He smiled. If he couldn’t have her today, he would at least make sure she was satisfied. Her body was beautifully arched above the seat as he touched her, watching as her face contorted and she let out several ragged breaths until she screamed out in pleasure. When her breathing settled and she opened her eyes, she saw him smiling down at her, the sun in the background haloed around him and in that moment he really did look like a Greek God, her very own Helios in the flesh.

“That was the sexiest thing I have ever witnessed, Madison,” Andrew said, his voice low and seductive.

Madison sat up and wrapped her arms around his neck, her mouth close to his. “I want to make love to you, Helios.”

He swallowed and closed his eyes. “I... I have never been tested for anything and I wasn’t always responsible. I don't want to risk having sex with you without a condom. I didn’t anticipate this would happen so I...” Andrew continued to stutter as Madison smiled at him.

She kissed him heatedly, to stop him from saying anything more. After a few moments, she slowed her kiss, laying soft pecks around his mouth. “I brought a condom.”

He stopped her kisses and pulled her back slightly, a look of confusion and then joy passed across his face.

“You brought a condom?” he asked with that knowing smirk that immediately set Madison’s heart ablaze.

“Just in case,” Madison tried to say solidly but her voice came out rough and cracked.

“Where is it?” he asked, unable to stop the grin on his face.

“My jeans.”

He reached behind him and grabbed them, digging in the pockets until he found the foil packet. He put the corner of it in his mouth as he placed her jeans back on the handlebars. When he turned back to her, she was looking at him with what he could only describe as sex eyes, dark and wanting. Unadulterated, raw need was flowing through him as he tore the corner of the packet open. The sexiest smile crept across Madison’s face as she snatched the condom out of his hands..

“Let me,” she said saucily.

It didn’t take long before they were deep in the throes of passion. Andrew lost himself in the sensations surging through him. She was exquisite and being connected to her in this way sent goose bumps all across his body. The summer sun was beating down on them as they moved in their own delicious rhythm, trying to hold off their orgasms for as long as they could, to hold on to this moment for as long as was humanly possible. They were both desperate to make this last. The summer heat and the energy flowing between them invigorated them both in ways neither had ever experienced with anyone else.

“Andrew...” she rasped into his mouth as their lovemaking intensified.

He pierced her mouth with his tongue, unable to get enough of her as his thrusts and her movements became more erratic. She knew that she could no longer hold off the inevitable and let herself go, letting his mouth capture her passionate screams. He broke their kiss momentarily, trying to catch his own breath as he panted and grunted, experiencing the most intense orgasm of his life.

“Madison...” he whispered as his body slowly began to return to earth.

She rested her head against his neck while his head lay on her shoulder. They were both breathing raggedly, their chests heaving against each other. This had been, without a doubt, the best sex Madison had ever experienced. And in her head she was already trying to figure out when and where they would be able to do it again. She kissed him lightly on the neck, feeling his whole body shiver and then his mouth was laying gentle kisses up her neck and over her jaw until he was once again latched onto her mouth, taking her breath away and making her body scream for more.

They were both breathing hard as their mouths continued to devour one another. Their intensity was indescribable and all consuming; something neither had ever felt with anyone else before, nor would feel again. After several minutes, their kiss eventually slowed as they laid gentle caresses against one another until finally their lips were merely touching as they breathed in each other’s breaths. They wanted to stay right where they were but, unfortunately, the sound of a car whizzing past let them both know that they were indeed out in the open. It was a stark reality that grounded them to the present and called for action.

“As much as I don’t want to, we should leave,” Andrew said solemnly.

Andrew reluctantly lifted Madison off of him, immediately feeling the loss of her warmth. He reached behind him and grabbed her clothes. When he handed them to her she had a serious pout on her face that he found extremely sexy. He smiled and ran his thumb along her bottom lip and leaned down to kiss her again.

Madison hated the idea that they would need to leave, and when his mouth found hers again, she got lost in it. She ran her hands along his exposed back, pulling him close to her again. After several minutes, he leaned back and sighed. Madison smiled as she started running her hands along his well-defined chest, briefly making a pass across the tattoo over his heart. As she reached the center of it, she realized that the tattoo was covering up a heavily scarred area. He flinched slightly when she touched it but he let her continue her exploration.

“Who designed your tattoos, Helios?” Madison asked curiously, although she had a sneaking suspicion that she already knew the answer to that question.

“I did,” he said cautiously, unsure where she was going with this line of questioning.

Madison nodded and traced along the outside spikes of the sun part of the tattoo, careful to avoid the scarred area in the center. She wasn’t sure what the scarring was from but it was obvious that Andrew didn’t like being touched there. This tattoo seemed lighter than his other ones and she wondered if it was the oldest. 

“Do they mean anything?” she finally whispered, barely audible.

She glanced up at him when he didn’t answer and saw that his previously jovial face had morphed into something else, something painful. She watched him grab his shirt off of the handlebars, quickly putting it on.

“I’m sorry,” she said, shaking her head slightly, angry at herself.

“Don’t be sorry. It’s nothing,” he lied, hoping that his nonchalance would prevent any further questions.

Madison was torn and Andrew could sense that. He ran his fingers along her face and tried to smile. They had an amazing day so far. He didn’t want it ruined by his past.

“Is this a phoenix?” Madison asked, reaching towards the tattoo on his left forearm.

“Yes,” he replied hesitantly.

He watched as her fingers moved along the flames at his wrist and up his arm, she suddenly stopped and went ghostly white. She withdrew her hand quickly and tried to smile but it looked strained. She looked down, quickly pulling on her bra and blouse and then abruptly stepped off the Harley, slipping her panties and pants on. Andrew wasn’t sure what had happened but something had definitely changed. He stepped off the bike and turned around as he continued to watch her. She had that faraway look on her face so he knew she was thinking.

“Is everything alright?”

“Yes, of course, everything is fine but I really should get back.”

She walked up to him and kissed him lightly on the mouth and when he parted his lips she immediately deepened it. When their kiss finally broke, she smiled at him and got back on the bike, wrapping her arms around his waist as he started the engine.

The drive back to her Grans seemed to take forever. Madison knew that Andrew was concerned but she just needed to think. When she had felt the familiar track marks on his arm her heart had dropped to her stomach. Of all the drugs out there that he could have used, why did it have to be heroin? Madison knew that she just needed to hold it together until she got back to her Grans. When they finally arrived, she smiled at him as she got off the bike but he looked confused and sad which made her feel horrible.

“Madison, if I did something to upset you...” he started to say but she quickly placed her fingers against his lips and then kissed him softly.

“It’s fine, Helios,” Madison whispered against his lips. “Can I see you tomorrow?”

He smiled against her. “Yes,” he mumbled as he kissed her again.

By the time Madison stumbled away from him she was literally light headed. She struggled to compose herself as she stepped in the house. She rested her back against the door as it shut behind her and closed her eyes tightly. She needed time to wrap her head around everything that had transpired.

“I take it you enjoyed yourself,” Grandma Downing said from the couch.

Madison nodded and then walked over and sat next to her Grans. Madison glanced at the television and saw that she was watching Wheel of Fortune, again. Madison grinned when her Gran’s yelled out the letter ‘T’ and then scrunched her eyebrows together, trying to decide what the puzzle was.

“The right time of the night,” Madison said casually just as the woman from Iowa announced the same thing.

“Show off.”

“Anything particular you want me to make for dinner, Grans?”

“Whatever you make will be fine, Maddie. Thankfully you didn’t inherit your mother’s horrible cooking abilities,” she said, shaking her head.

Madison laughed. “Well, she can make some things okay.”

She kissed her grans lightly on the temple and headed into the kitchen, gathering things to make homemade spinach and cheese ravioli. Her mother was not the greatest cook, that was true, but, oddly enough, her spinach and cheese ravioli had always been the best. Madison hadn’t made them in a long time, mostly because the dish always reminded her of her father but for some reason she wanted them tonight.

“Maddie!” Grandma Downing shouted.

Her granddaughter had a faraway look on her face. She was definitely lost somewhere else which troubled her. Madison shook her head, startled as she turned to her grandmother.

“The water is boiling over.”

“Shit!” Madison screeched as she turned it down. “Sorry Grans.”

“What were you thinking about, Maddie?” her Grandmother asked with concern.

“Dad,” Madison simply replied as her eyes closed tightly. She then began rubbing her forehead with her fingers trying to wipe the images out of her head.

“Oh.”

Grandma Downing looked at the distraught face of her granddaughter. She remembered vividly that dreadful night when Madison was eight years old and the aftermath of everything that happened. Many lives were lost and broken that night. It bothered her greatly that her granddaughter seemed to still carry that loss with her.

“What brought that on?” she finally asked as she touched her shoulder.

Madison just shook her head. She didn’t want to discuss it and she certainly didn’t want to tell her grandmother that Andrew was a former heroin addict. She didn’t want her to think any less of him.

“Madison?” her Grandmother again inquired.

“It’s nothing, Grans. He just popped in my head. It’s no big deal. It happens sometimes,” Madison said with the best smile she could muster.

“You know you can talk to me about him?”

“I know, Grans.” She hesitated and then got a contemplative look on her face, “Mom always said that you hated him. Is that true?”

Her grandmother let out a loud breath. After John’s overdose she was not quiet about her dislike for him. It had caused a further strain on her relationship with her daughter which would eventually lead to not being allowed to see her granddaughter. She had never talked to Madison about this and decided it was high time she did. She got up and walked over to her.

“No, I never actually hated him at all. I knew he had a problem. A sickness he couldn’t overcome,” Madison’s grandmother said sincerely, as she pulled a stray hair behind her granddaughter’s ear. “What I did hate though was that when he died a part of your mother died with him. He killed that free spirit within her and all that was left was bitterness and anger. I also… I resented that he left you without a father.”

Madison nodded and continued to slowly turn the ravioli, contemplating her grandmother’s words. She wondered if Andrew carried that sickness within him as well, and if he did, would she one day be left angry and bitter like her mother. Madison had much to consider.

“Dinner will be ready soon,” Madison finally said half-heartedly.

~*~

Andrew was torn as he pulled up to his aunt and uncles trailer. Madison had said she wanted to see him again but there just seemed to be something off about her behavior. He had such little experience with relationships; in actuality, he had no experience. As he walked into his aunt’s trailer she and Aaron were both sitting on the couch together. He had his arm draped around her and she had fallen asleep against him.

“Did you have a good time?” Aaron asked as Andrew sat down on one of the loveseats.

“It was great. Madison is amazing. I don’t know though...” Andrew looked down and considered if he should ask him. “She seemed upset when we left.”

“Really? Hmmm,” he replied reflective. “What happened before she seemed upset?”

“Umm, she was looking at my tattoos and she was feeling up my arm...” Andrew stopped.

Andrew felt his stomach turn as he dropped his head in his lap, drawing his hands into his hair. He knew at that point that she had felt his track marks and that she knew what they were. He abruptly stood and walked back to his bedroom and lay on his bed. His right arm immediately moved over his forearm as he closed his eyes tightly.

Andrew took a deep breath and ran his hand down his arm, feeling the marks that would forever tell people that he had been a drug user. The tattoo covered them up to the naked eye but they were still there, ready and willing to slap him in the face should he ever forget. He heard a knock on the door and knew that it was probably Aaron coming to check on him.

“Come in, Aaron.”

“Am I that predicable?” Aaron asked, stepping into the room.

“She felt my track marks. It bothered her,” Andrew lamented, sitting up in the bed and leaning against the headboard.

Aaron took a seat on the bed and faced Andrew. “What exactly did she say?”

“Nothing, she felt them and then she wanted to leave.” Andrew ran his hand through his hair. “Well, I mean I did say we should go but before that she didn’t seem like she wanted to leave and when we got to her grandmothers I asked her if, you know, if I did anything to upset her and she said no and that everything was fine.”

“So she didn’t say anything specific was wrong?”

“No but... I sensed a shift in her.”

“Andrew, it could be that it has nothing to do with you and everything to do with something else entirely,” Aaron said, trying to reassure him.

“I guess.”

“Just talk with her, Andrew. The biggest mistake men make is they think something might be wrong and they do nothing about it because she says everything is fine,” Aaron said with a laugh and then became very serious. “The word fine is one of those volatile words that could mean so many different things. Trust me on this one. If you really think something changed then ask her about it again. It’s better to check and be wrong than to not check and have it blow up in your face a week or two later.”

Andrew nodded his understanding and ran his hand through his hair once again as Aaron stood and walked out of the room. Andrew brought his hand down his arm again and glanced at the tattoo he drew a few years ago. After Aaron had talked to him about the legend of the Phoenix he had decided that he wanted to cover up his forearm with it in the hopes that he could rise above his past as Aaron had told him he could. He had sketched several designs but settled on the last one he played with. Aaron had then lent him the money to get the tattoo. As he ran his fingers along his forearm, he sighed deeply, hoping that his previous drug use hadn’t shifted Madison’s views on him.

~*~

“Harrison, I guarantee it, man; this shit will take it all away. It’s like touching heaven.”

Andrew woke in a sweat and glanced at his clock. It was one in the morning. He had been tossing and turning since he fell asleep several hours ago. He had vacillated between hearing Madison say that she didn’t want to see him again, to remembering his previous drug use, to finally hearing Aaron tell him that fine isn’t always fine. But the most troubling dreams had been of Madison. He needed to see her, to know that things were okay with them. He slipped out of bed and threw on a pair of jeans and a V-neck tee shirt. He just had to know. He initially thought of jumping on his Harley but figured that would make too much noise so he took off on foot.

It took him fifteen minutes to get to her trailer. All the lights were out and he was having second thoughts about doing this but walked around to the window that he thought was hers. The window was cracked open to allow the cool summer air inside. He could see her sleeping in her bed. Andrew stood and watched her for a long time, admiring the wistful way she moved in the bed but she suddenly started thrashing around, clearly having a nightmare of some sort and he felt paralyzed.