Page 41 of God of War

“What, um… What else? You said there were four.”

The corner of his mouth tweaks up. “You’re a smart girl. Figure it out.”

I try to get my brain to work, but all I can think about is how his hands feel on me, how I wouldn’t mind if he pulled me in closer, if he notched his hips against—

“Oh!” I exclaim, then I use my grip on his shoulders as leverage, raise one knee and swing it directly into his crotch.

Ares lets out a soft ‘Oof!’ and since I don’t want to actually hurt him, I hold my knee there — pressing in — without the follow-through.

Of course, this just makes the whole situation even worse. My bare knee scrapes the rough denim of his jeans, and as I lower my leg, the angle forces my thigh to brush right along the firm bulge between his legs. Ares shudders. His throat bobs.

“Good girl,” he says, his voice so low and rough it scrapes across my eardrums and sets goosebumps prickling over every inch of me. I hate the words, but the way he says it? Holy fuck, it’s hot.

He searches my face and sees something there that makes him falter. The heat in his eyes dissolves like smoke and he lets me go, taking a long step back and forcing my hands from his shoulders.

Ares turns his back and crosses the room. The gap between us yawns wide, the sudden coldness making my stomach quiver nervously.

I force out a chuckle. “You think I’m ready to hold my own against all the sickos out there?”

Ares thunks his boot-clad foot up on a chair. He slides something from inside his boot and palms it. I’m surprised when he turns back and holds it out to me.

“Here. Just in case.”

The switchblade is long and narrow, the pointy end still sheathed inside. When I don’t move to take it, Ares takes an urgent step closer.

“Delaney. Take it.”

My fingers tremble as I lift it from his palm. It’s lighter than I expected it to be and I heft it a couple of times to get a feel for the weight. I don’t know what to say. There’s a bubble of tightness in my chest that rises into my throat, stopping me from speaking.

Gifts were loaded things in my house after Mama died. Even on birthdays, any present from Dad came with strings; it was an agreement to be good in exchange for something shiny. I think Dad was trying to buy my obedience and my silence. When he realized that didn’t work, that he couldn’t make me put on a glossy smile and pretend like everything was normal, the gifts stopped and the ‘Delaney is a troubled, angry, liar’ narrative started up.

“I just want you to promise me something,” says Ares. I tear my eyes away from the switchblade and try not to look disappointed — the realization that Ares does want something in return is a hard slap of reality to the face.

“Okay,” I say, hearing the numbness in my own voice. “What do you want?”

Ares’ eyes are hard. They bore into me. “Don’t hesitate. If you need to use it, you fucking use it. Got it?”

The hardness in my chest softens. I look back to the blade and wrap my fingers around it. Smooth my thumb along the handle. When I find the release, a firm press of my thumb sends the blade popping out with a sharp snick. I stare at it, trying to imagine what it would feel like to use it against somebody.

“Delaney,” Ares growls impatiently.

“Yes, I promise,” I reply, nodding.

He gives me a stiff nod, then turns away, a hand scrubbing at the back of his neck. “I’m gonna take a shower. Don’t leave the room and—” His eyes flick back, watching warily as I turn the blade over in my hand. “Try not to hurt yourself.”

I grin. “No promises!” I call, as the bathroom door clicks shut.

16

Ares

I called her a good girl. As soon as I let the words out, I realized I’d fucked up. I let my urges get the better of me and I turned what was supposed to be a self-defense lesson into something… Well, something it shouldn’t have been.

Shutting myself in the bathroom, I tear off my clothes and jump in the shower before it’s warm. The cold water is enough to soften the hard-on I’ve got growing and I feel a little more clear headed as the lust subsides.

What was it that Sheriff Jackson said?

She can be a good girl when she wants to be.

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