Page 20 of Sweet Obsession

Well, he has me there. “My father kept me under tight control. I was hardly free to pursue sexual encounters of any flavor. Believe me when I tell you that, yes, I clocked you, and I’ve wanted you from the moment I saw you.”

It’s even the truth. Poseidon has an unrefined handsomeness that makes me want to dig my fingers into him. He’s not like the perfectly coifed peacocks from the Aeaea court or even like the rest of the Thirteen. He doesn’t play games. I should have taken that into account when I proposed this one. “But in the spirit of perfect honesty, yes. I do think seducing you will pave the way to safety, if not freedom. I couldn’t ask for a better protector than one of the Thirteen’s legacy titles.”

“I already promised you my protection. You don’t need to bring sex into the equation in order to ensure it.” He’s glaring as if being invited into my bed isn’t a godsdamn gift.

Getting riled up isn’t the pathway forward. I swirl my wine lazily. “Maybe not, but it certainly keeps things interesting. I think it would be fun. That’s all the reason I need to do it.”

“No.” Poseidon pushes to his feet, towering over me. I can’t help but rake my gaze over his body. He seems to favor jeans and T-shirts that hug his chest and round stomach, clothing with nothing loose to be caught in machinery or whatever the fuck it is he does. A working man, so to speak. I bet he looks excellent with dirt smudges on his brow and sweat glistening on his skin.

I don’t exactly mean to lick my lips, but I’m only human. And no matter what other motivations I have, lust is always a good reason to jump into bed with someone. There’s lust aplenty when I look at this man.

“I answered your question. I want you to answer to mine.”

He doesn’t sit. His body is tense, as if he’s about to bolt out of the room. In all my estimations and plotting, I never expected Poseidon to be skittish. But then, a lot about him has surprised me in the last twenty-four hours. He finally gives a jerky nod. “Ask.”

There are a thousand possibilities, and even more angles, to take to get what I want out of this. But the question that springs to my lips is one of genuine curiosity. “When I pulled your hair, your knees buckled. Does pain get you off?”

His face flames a deep crimson like I’ve come to anticipate. He looks away and starts up that tapping of his middle finger against his thigh. This man must be terrible at poker. The moment he gets even the slightest bit agitated, he starts fidgeting. Or maybe it’s not actually fidgeting. Maybe he’s stimming. That would make a lot of sense, now that I think about it.

“I…don’t know.” Each word sounds like it’s forced from his thick throat. “I’ve never experienced pain in the bedroom in the way you mean.”

I open my mouth to ask a follow-up question, curiosity sinking its teeth deep within me, but he’s already on the move. He stalks to the doorway, his words trailing behind him. “This game is over. Go back to the guesthouse and don’t leave. I can’t guarantee your protection if you do.” Then he’s gone, the door slamming behind him. I swear the actual walls rattle with the force of it, but for allthat, I don’t even flinch.

Did Poseidon justflee?Fromme?

12

Poseidon

My skin is so overheated, it’s a wonder I don’t burst into flames. I asked my question of Icarus on instinct alone, sure I was overstating things and that he would deny the accusation immediately. I wouldn’t have believed his denial, but to hear him baldly state his intention to seduce me? I should be disgusted. I should be furious. I should be putting as much distance between us as possible. I’m doing the latter…but it feels like running away.

Because Iamtempted.

He’s nothing like my previous partners. That should mean it’s easy to put him from my mind, but the truth is the exact opposite. I can’t stop thinking about him. He’s irreverent and uses charm to lie as easily as breathing, and yet…

What kind of strength must it take to survive someone like Minos? To snatch up a gun and hold it tomyhead, to sacrifice himself so his sister could escape? It’s one of the bravest things I’ve ever witnessed. I may not have said it quite that way to him, but it’s the truth. Most people wouldn’t have done that.

Not to mention…he’s incredibly attractive. Almost upsettingly so. Icarus is lean in an almost delicate way, his light-brown skinsmooth and unblemished, his wavy, dark hair perfectly styled at all times—somehow even now, while existing in my household without so much as a spare set of clothes.

On that note…

I pull out my phone and call Orion. It takes only a few minutes to get them on the task of acquiring clothes for Icarus. At least enough to get him by until I can… Wait, what am I thinking? It’s the height of impropriety for me to take him shopping for clothing. We’re on the brink of a fucking war and I’m worried about doing things that might put a little bit of light back into his dark-brown eyes. Icarus only kissed me once, and yet I’m seduced in exactly the way he intended me to be. What a fool.

My reprieve comes later that evening in the form of Hera arriving to be ferried out to her ill-fated meeting. At least she’s dressed appropriately to be on the water. She has fitted dark jeans tucked into tall boots and a thick, deep-blue coat that covers a good portion of her body. Her long hair is tucked back into a stylized design that looks almost like a crown. No doubt that’s intentional.

Her brows wing up when she catches sight of me. “A little eager, even for you, to be waiting outside for me.” Her gaze flicks over my shoulder to the house behind me. “Unless your darling little captive is giving you more trouble than you’ve admitted?”

“Let’s go.” I’m a smart man, but I know better than to get into a war of words with someone like Hera. She’ll have me admitting things I have no intention of speaking aloud. If she thinks my priorities are suspect when it comes to Icarus, she may pause in her attempt to murder her husband and try to take Icarus from me.

That, I won’t allow. Which is probably just further confirmation that heshouldbe taken from me because I’m not thinking clearly. I don’t care. I’m not ready to let him go.

Fuck.

I lead the way to my SUV and open the door for Hera. She settles in the front seat as I round the vehicle and climb behind the wheel. Thankfully, Hera doesn’t bother to make small talk as I head down the long drive to turn toward the shipyard.

I haven’t been there in days, and the absence is an ache of loss in the pit of my stomach. Not just for the familiar space but for what it represents. I miss my normal days; I miss knowing exactly what will happen at any given hour. There’s been far too much excitement for my liking, and it won’t slow down anytime soon.

Polyphemus waits by the small boat that we’ll take out to meet Circe. His lone eye is lowered, intentionally not meeting my gaze. I’ll have to talk to him tomorrow. It doesn’t matter that I’m still furious at him for hurting Icarus. I’m not sending him away, which means I have to settle this so he can move on. So we all can. In the morning, I’ll take him aside and reassure him that he still has a home here.

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