Page 46 of A Touch of Chaos

Dionysus held his breath, and his hand moved to the back of her neck. He stepped closer until she was forced to tilt her head back to hold his gaze and there was no space between them.

“Now you know who I really am,” he said, and then they vanished, leaving the mayhem behind.

Dionysus hoped when they arrived at his house, Ariadne would put some distance between them, but she didn’t, and he did not have the power to push her away.

“Ari,” he whispered. His hand was still tangled in her hair, braced at the back of her neck. “I need you to leave.”

He spoke the words, but he held her tighter, his body vibrating with an unfathomable lust. It was the cycle of the madness he had been cursed with, and once he was in its grip, there was only one way out.

It made him feel ashamed, that spilling blood ignited this frenzied need to fuck, and he did not want Ariadne to be the victim of his unrestrained desire, even if she thought she could handle it.

“Dionysus.”

She spoke his name in a breathy whisper, and he closed his eyes as it shuddered through him. His mouth hovered over hers, and his throbbing cock pressed into the bottom of her stomach. There was no mistaking what he wanted, except that she likely could not sense the violence quaking inside him.

If they came together tonight, it would not be gentle, and neither of them would be the same.

“You do not want this version of me,” he said.

His brows were furrowed, and every muscle in his body was like a bowstring pulled taut. If she said the right thing, or maybe it was the wrong thing, he would succumb to the insanity of this desire.

Ariadne brushed a few of his braids over his shoulder, and when her fingers trailed along his brow, he opened his eyes and met her gaze.

“Don’t tell me what I want,” she said.

“Fuck you,” he said, and then he kissed her.

He bent her head back, his tongue sweeping into her mouth deeply. She could not kiss him in return, but he did not need that yet. This was not a give-and-take. It was possession.

Ariadne didn’t resist, looping her arms around his neck and holding on until he eased his assault on her mouth and let her kiss him back, her tongue twining with his in a desperate dance. Then he left her mouth, kissing along her jaw and her neck, his hands moving to her breasts and then to her back, anchoring her against his arousal.

“I need this now,” he said.

He pulled away enough to meet her gaze even though his vision was hazy.

“Yes,” she whispered, breathless.

He groaned.

“I will not be gentle, Ariadne,” he said.

“It’s okay,” she said, and this time, she kissed him.

His hands moved to her ass, and as he dragged her up his body, someone cleared their throat. They froze, and when Dionysus turned his head, he realized they were not alone—far from it. His living room was full of people.

“Way to go, Hecate,” Hermes said. “They were just getting to the best part.”

“What the actual fuck?” Dionysus snarled. His desire turned to fury instantly, his focus solely on Hermes.

“Easy now, Dionysus,” said Hermes. “We had no choice.”

“No choice?” Dionysus asked, releasing Ariadne andturning to face them completely, his hands fisted. “I will tear you toshreds.”

Hecate stepped into his line of sight, blocking him from Hermes. Her eyes were swallowed by darkness. Her energy was like shadows, reaching inside him. He heard her voice in his head.

“Be at ease, son of Zeus,” she said. “Hera has no power here.”

A cry erupted from his throat as he was freed from the claws of Hera’s madness. He arched his back against the pain. It felt like his chest was being torn in two, and when it was done, he shook with the release. He glared back at Hecate, breathing hard.

---