Page 93 of A Touch of Chaos

“What about this?” he asked, teasing the lobe of her ear with his teeth.

That was when she jerked toward him and slammed her mouth against his.

Fucking finally, he thought, and his mind went blank. He pulled her flush against him and devoured her mouth, consumed by the feel of her body and the rush of blood in his veins. It made his heart pound and his cock throb.

She opened her mouth against his, and their tongues collided. He groaned at the taste of her, at the way she let him take control. He felt massive as he bent over her, his hand tangled in her hair at the base of her neck, but she clung to him and moved with him, kissing him with just as much passion as he gave.

His hands skimmed down her back to her ass, and he lifted her from the water, her legs twining around his waist. His head swam, desire roaring in his ears as her heat pressed into his aching arousal. He kissed along her jaw and down her neck as he carried her to the edge of the pool, where he let her sit while he took her breasts into his hands and mouth, licking and sucking her soft and silken skin.

“Yes,” she hissed, her legs widening—inviting.

Fuck, he loved this.

“Not so ticklish anymore?” he asked, sucking on one peaked nipple.

She drew in a sharp breath between her teeth. “You are impossible,” she said.

He smiled, bringing his mouth level with hers.

“But you love me,” he said, letting his nose graze hers, his lips hovering over hers.

“I hope that wasn’t a question,” she said.

“You can answer it all the same,” he said.

She wrapped her arms around his neck, drawing him close.

“Yes,” she said. “Yes, I love you.”

This time, she claimed his mouth, and her fingers threaded through his hair. His wound ached as she held him tighter, her heels pressing hard into his back, but he swallowed the pain.

Nothing would ruin this moment—not Theseus or his father’s fucking blade.

He was frustrated that he was thinking about them at all, especially with his cock nestled so snugly between Persephone’s thighs. That was what he should be focusing on, how good she would feel once he was inside her.

He kissed her harder on the mouth before making his way down to the juncture of her thighs.

“Hades, you’re…bleeding!”

Persephone’s voice rang with alarm, and she reacted immediately, closing her legs and jumping into the pool beside him. The water, he now noticed, was tinged with red.

Fuck.

This was exactly what he was hoping to avoid.

She reached for his hand, which he’d attempted to strategically place over the wound on his side. Her eyes widened when she saw it, and then her expression fell, and a haunted sort of look overcame her.

“You’re not healing,” she said and then moved back, pressing a hand to her mouth as if she wished to contain her emotions.

“Persephone, I’m fine,” he said.

Her eyes flashed with anger, and she dropped her hand. “You’re lying!”

“I do not want to deal with this tonight,” he said, straightening to his full height. “I just spent an immeasurable amount of time away from you. I want to make love to you, and I want to sleep.”

“I can’t believe you didn’t tell me!” she said and then paused to shake her head. “Though I shouldn’t be surprised, given everything I was told while you were in the labyrinth.”

Hades’s brows lowered, and while he wanted to know what exactly she was referring to, engaging with it right now would get him further from what he wanted.

---