Page 12 of Forced Vows

She looks up from the phone she pulled from the tiny evening bag she's wearing on a gold crossbody chain. "Done. He'll be here in six minutes."

"Just enough time."

"For what?" she asks with more innocence than a woman who dances and looks like she does should be able to project.

"This." Cupping her face, I tilt her head up.

Her lips part on a small gasp and I swallow the sound with my mouth.

Chapter 6: RÓISE

Ares's lips demand my submission and I give it. Eagerly allowing my mouth to soften against his, following his lead without hesitation.

Our tongues tangle and I go as high on my tiptoes as I can, but it's not enough. I can't get as close to him as I want.

Strong arms wrap around me and lift.

Yes. Something falls from my hands and I lock them behind his neck, helping him lift me until my breasts are squashed against his hard pecs and my feet are dangling above the ground.

Alien sensations zing through my body. Sparks of want. Starbursts of pleasure. The desire to spread my legs and wind them around his torso.

Moaning, I bend one leg, using my thigh to push me upward.

This. This is what kissing is supposed to feel like.

The sound of a honking horn breaks through the frantic lust building inside me.

Miceli ignores the interruption and keeps kissing me, but my brain is starting to come back online. It's telling me that honking is for me. Or us.

Either way, I pull my head away and drop my leg, embarrassed I was climbing Ares like a tree in the parking lot.

I look around and notice a car idling with its lights on only a few feet away. My rideshare.

My phone. Where is my phone?

It's not in my hand. Memory of dropping something during that scorching kiss has me scanning the pavement around my feet. There it is.

I kneel down to grab it. The movement lights up the screen which is not cracked. Another point for my shatterproof phone case.

My driver's name is Evan and the license plate on my app matches the car and I take a step away from Ares. "That's my ride. I'll see you at the hotel."

He nods and then walks to the driver's side door of the rideshare.

Evan drops his window. "Ann?"

"No, but I will be following you all the way to the hotel. Don't try anything with her if you value your life."

"Dial it back a notch, god of war," I order, even though his protectiveness stirs things inside me I don't want to think about.

That I can't think about. Not in this situation.

The driver isn't as impressed as my ovaries. "Forget this," he says firmly. "Get your girlfriend a different ride."

The driver's window starts going up.

Ares grabs it and stops it.

"Knock it off. You're going to break my window, man." Evan doesn't sound panicked. He sounds pissed.

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