Page 5 of The Conquest of Medusa

“Okay?” Perseus only stared at her quizzically. It was amusing how he could come across as intelligent one minute and endearingly clueless the next.

She huffed with impatience. “The normal human female already has acidity in her nether parts. Let’s just say my levels are probably a thousand times greater. I think Athena did that as an anti-assault mechanism in case your uncle or someone else made another attempt. So, unless you have the regenerative powers of a lizard and can regrow a cock, you’re better off sticking with your girlfriend, Andromeda. That is, if we manage not to get ourselves killed before we make it that far.”

The shock on his face was priceless. It was almost enough to overcome the moment of deep shame she was experiencing having to share this most personal information. She was certain it would solidify her as a freak in his eyes once and for all. Not that it mattered to her what he thought.

Okay, maybe it did matter.

“First of all, she’s not my girlfriend. I told you already, I am definitely available,” he said. “Second, I do have very tough skin, as you’ve already seen. Try me.”

“I’d rather not be responsible for the outcome of that experiment,” she murmured.

“Who would have thought you’d care for my welfare?” Perseus remarked with a grin.

“I don’t.” With a short, sharp laugh, Medusa shook her head and narrowed her eyes at him. “What do you want with me, really? I’m at least two hundred years your senior in addition to the acid problem. You must love trouble.”

Perseus considered her words with a dismissive, sexy shrug. “I’m a man of taste. I like my women well-seasonedandspicy.”

Her peals of laughter bounced through the room at that response. She hated to admit it to herself, but this evening was turning out to be more and more delightfully ridiculous by the minute.

“Alright, then. If we can’t do that one thing, there are other ways to give us both pleasure. Surely with all your many, many, many long years, you must know what they are,” he said with twinkling eyes.

“Careful, Perseus. That was one ‘many’ too many. And I really have no idea what you’re talking about. I was a virgin when I served Athena, and after what Poseidon did to me, what he took from me… I couldn’t bear the thought of it for a long time.” Perseus lost his smile at that. He listened with a mixture of anger and tenderness in his gaze. “Eventually I was ready to try but there were few who would dare try me. Except for Cetus. He was willing to lose a tentacle, as he had enough to spare. You’ll see for yourself,” she said.

Gods, she was talking too much, and it was because she was nervous.Nervous. Because the beautiful half-human was staring at her as though he didn’t give a damn about any of that. Because he wanted to touch what had gone untouched for centuries. And she’d never craved another person even half as much as she craved him.

He shifted and drew closer, his leg touching hers. “Well, I have a few things in mind we could try.”

Perseus leaned in and gathered her in his arms. He accidentally touched the place where her wings met her body and grinned when she shook at the pleasure of that alone.

“Hmm…that feels good?” he murmured.

She nodded, wordless, waiting to see what else he would do. Resistance was all but forgotten. He kissed her throat, and her snakes hissed at him but parted to clear the way for his exploration. Perseus didn’t seem to mind it when the snakes crept along his arm, wrapping around the tanned skin. He caressed the line where the wings emerged and gods, yes, it did feel good. She moaned despite trying to hold it in. She’d been unaware that area could experience such a sensation.

His hands continued their gentle exploration of her body, and his mouth was warm. He tasted the skin of her throat and nipped at the hollow, drawing a gasp of laughter from her. The fire in the corner of the room sent ripples of soft orange light across his body as he stood to undo the strips of leather around his waist, then the loincloth underneath. Medusa reached up with hesitation, marveling at the tanned magnificence of his unclothed form. Years of combat hadn’t marked his skin; the muscles that jumped under her touch were hard stone covered in velvet, like the thick, vein-lined cock that swayed before her face.

Her trembling had increased and Perseus tipped her face up to look deeply into her eyes.

“Are you nervous? About being touched by a man again, after…”

“I’m not nervous because of that. I know you’d never hurt me. Well, not since the other day when you tried to kill me,” she joked. Despite the humor, she still shook.

“Not that I could. My head would be on the end of your spear,” he said, also joking, but the look in his eyes made her own well with tears.

He was right about that but wrong that he couldn’t hurt her. He could hurt her in places he couldn’t see. But that was something to worry about tomorrow. Not for this one night before they went out to face the world. Tonight was for them alone.

“You’ve been warned,” she whispered and pulled him down for a deep, long kiss.

“Bedchamber,” he growled.

It was darker and cooler in the bedroom. Their combined weight creaked the boughs of her bed when they lay on it. She tasted the tartness of the berries he’d consumed as he slipped his tongue into her mouth. He pulled back to ease her loose cotton dress from her shoulders and revealed her breasts.

“Beautiful, like the rest of you,” he said, his voice deepening.

Smiling, she accepted the flattery without argument. It had been so long since she’d heard a man say that to her. No touch had ever been this tender and passionate. When he bent his head to suck on her nipple, a thrill shot through her. She ran her fingers through his dark locks to hold him closer. But when he reached lower to grasp the shorts she wore under the dress, she held her breath. The material was special, charged with magic to withstand the acidity.

“Don’t rip it,” she cautioned him when she heard a slight tearing of the fabric. “I don’t come by these garments easily.”

“I’ll be careful.”

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