Page 90 of Flowers Near Me

Persephone’s heart swelled at the revelation. Hades, the formidable god with a reputation for ruthlessness, secretly supported a local food bank.

“Tell me more,” he urged, his hands growing bolder as they caressed her legs.

She laid out her vision: community partnerships, incentives for businesses, the potential to transform Olympus with greenery. His gaze never left hers, his interest genuine and intense.

“I’ll assemble a team,” he said, his voice a low rumble. “We’ll make this happen.”

Pride surged through her, but so did desire. His touch, growing more confident, sent heat pooling in her core. Hades’ hands slid up her back, and he nuzzled the side of her neck, making her shiver.

“Sounds good to me.” She smiled back, fixing her eyes on him.

No dizzying nausea or limp extremities. It was the closest to full health she’d felt since the fainting episode.

Hades’ shoulders filled his sweater the way a lion filled its velvet skin. The cashmere screamed to be touched. And his smokey white hair accentuated the olive tones of his face. If he kissed her now, she wouldn’t stop him.

The knowledge there were no meetings, events, or responsibilities on the calendar that day, made this moment even more thrilling. Hades hugged her by the waist and ran his nose up the side of her neck. Her arms wrapped around the tops of his shoulders. He pulled back just enough for them to be face to face.

“I hope you choose to stay with me, Sephy.” Hades closed his eyes and kissed her. Full lips with gentle pressure. Returning the kiss, her lips parted and tugged his lower one between them. Florals and pines mixed in the air with heady abandon. She grazed his scalp with her nails, putting weeks’ worth of yearning into the slow drag. Their lips fit together as if made for each other. Perfect.

With her legs now on either side of his hips, chest to chest, the evidence of his desire pressed in into her. His grip kept her planted on his lap, allowing mere centimeters of desperate movement. When softer touches of her kiss turned needy, a gravely moan sounded in Hades’ throat. That noise spurred her hands to stroke the shell of his ears and trail a path towards his strong shoulders.

Like a warm statue.She recalled the first touch of her fingers on his sides in the hibachi restaurant where they’d shared their first kiss. She ran her fingers over the length of his torso as he continued kissing her. Time stood still to unlock a new heaven.

The rock of her hips sparked a building release. Chasing the mounting pleasure, she leaned further into the kiss as his grip pushed her deeper into his lap.

CHAPTER THIRTY FOUR

NO ROOM FOR REGRET

HADES

The Fates were smiling upon Hades. Sephy sat astride his lap, returning the kiss with equal fervor. Too scared to breathe or break the contact, he pressed his fingers deeper into her hips, willing the moment to never end. Want turned to need, coiled and wound so tight, he thought he might burst.

Sephy smelled like flowers and sugared treats and tasted better than anything he’d ever eaten. Days and nights of imagining this exact scenario paled compared to the heat of her center pressed on his lap. Tension radiated low in his stomach. Every point of pressure from her sent frissons of pleasure through him.

Without warning, Hades stood, holding Sephy against him with one arm and cradling the back of her head with the other. He turned them both and slowly laid her back down on the couch. Covering her body with his, he watched her half-lidded eyes staring at his mouth and settled himself on top of her. He leaned over her, pressing a kiss to her neck and savoring the light scratch of her nails on his back.

He parted her lips with his tongue and rocked his length against her. Reaching under the hem of her shirt, he pushed the fabric up and traced the curved line of her waist. Her smooth skin under the pad of his thumb ignited need deep in his gut.

His hand roamed higher until it met the satin fabric around her chest. Fingertips traced the skin under the band. In response, Sephy arched her back and pulled his head deeper into the kiss and his body closer with her leg. Dragging his finger back and forth under her bra, he moved higher to meet the soft underside of her breast.

A purr-like moan stirred from his chest as his palm cupped her breast and his thumb brushed her nipple. The faint whimpers from her spurred him on to keep a gentle rhythm as he ground his hips on her center.

“You’re perfect, Sephy,” he whispered in her ear. She shuddered as he licked up her throat, then lightly dragged her earlobe between his teeth.

She grabbed his sides and tugged him towards her, almost causing him to press his full weight on her. “Careful, little goddess, or I’m going to crush you.”

Persephone gave a breathy laugh and said, “Good,” as she yanked him to her again with more force.

He lowered himself, pressing fully onto her with one arm wrapped behind her head, tangled in her hair, and the other circling her breast. The press of their bodies, the way their lips fit, felt right to Hades. He’d been chasing this high and now that he’d caught it, he wouldn’t let it go.

Persephone’s hands slid under his sweater, roving over his back. When she ran her nails over his skin, a sigh of pleasure escaped his lips. The waves of release stirred, so he slowed the stroke of his hips and pulled away. He’d pined for this and the build-up created a wildness within him that needed to be tamed.

Opening her eyes and placing her hands on his chest, still under his shirt, she asked, “What’s wrong?”

“If I keep going, I won’t stop,” he breathed out.

“Then don’t stop.” She twisted the hem of his shirt in her hands to yank him towards her, but he held himself still.

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