Page 53 of Seduced

He looked down at her, his own chest rising and falling rapidly. He licked the sweat off those red lips of his.

“Still thinking of that, are you?” He sounded quite out of breath.

Of course he would twist her meaning. Poppy bit her lip and turned around, suddenly embarrassed.

“Did I hurt your hand?” He asked her at once, misinterpreting the movement. “Let me look at it. I’m sorry.”

She gave him her hand; it was not hurt, but it did hurt, as it usually did whenever she used it, even for the most menial of tasks. She had learned to live with it, and barely noticed it herself anymore, but somehow now that he held it in his palm lightly, his own fingers dwarfing it, she felt self-conscious of its small, crooked fingers.

Hades let it fall gently, as he had before, and inhaled through his hose. Was he disgusted by her disfigurement? Hot shame burned in her cheeks.

“If I ever cause you pain,” he said, his eyes meeting hers, big lakes of blue ice, “you must tell me at once. At once.”

“Why?”

“So I can kill myself.”

She did not know if she should laugh or slap him across his chiseled cheek. What a thing to say! Mocking her again, no doubt. But his eyes were still on hers, earnest, burning.

“That is not funny,” she said with as much acerbity in her voice as she could muster.

“I did not mean it to be,” Hades replied, looking down at his feet. “Do you not know that you are killing me every second, even as we speak?”

“I am?”

“Dying,” he said, his voice raw, guttural. “I am dying.”

What on earth for?she wanted to ask, but her courage seemed to have deserted her once more. She hid her hand in the folds of her dress.

“Don’t do that,” Hades said immediately. Insufferable man; nothing escaped him. “Never for my sake. Never, do you hear?”

Poppy licked her lips.

“Did you mean to say, before, that I have injured you, as we fought just now?” she asked, hating how timid her voice sounded.

Hades looked surprised.

He took one step closer, then thought better of it, and stepped back again.

“No. I am suffering for another reason altogether. Can you not tell?”

She shook her head and he chuckled.

“You seem to be hardly aware that you are doing it,” he murmured. “It would be fascinating if it were not so excruciating.”

“Doing what?”

A smile that looked more like a snarl split Hades’ face.

“She doesn’t even know,” he said to himself.

“What?” Poppy was getting impatient, butthathad not sounded timid. At all. “What on earth am I doing?”

“Seducing me,” Hades replied.

…

They fought some more.

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