Page 71 of The Seducer
Athena lifted her hand and caressed my face while looking deeply into my eyes. “Have you forgiven yourself?” she asked with deep empathy.
“Of course,” I replied but the truth was that even though I didn’t regret killing Johnson, I had nightmares about the way it happened. The blood-rush that had made me into a senseless monster, out of control, was the reason I never participated in fights, unless it was training and with friends.
“Can I hug you?” Athena asked and moved closer to me.
I was a bit stiff at first, not liking the idea of her pitying me. But Athena’s warm hug was like getting under the warm shower on a freezing day, and it made me wrap my arms around her too.
We sat like that for a while, until she spoke the same foreign words that she had used the two previous nights to lift her curse.
“Thank you,” I whispered, and kept close to her when she rolled down on her back, with her arms still holding on to me.
As we were completely snuggled up in each other, I had my forehead resting in the crook of her neck. Closing my eyes, I breathed in her wonderful smell of homemade cake and flowers, while Athena stroked her fingers up and down my upper arm.
I cleared my throat. “Do you think I’m free now?”
“I’m not sure, but talking about our past can be liberating and help put all ghosts to rest,” she said.
“No, I didn’t mean free from my past, I meant from your curse. Do you think I’ll be able to find satisfaction with a woman now?” I asked.
Athena’s hand stopped stroking me for a few seconds. “I can’t be sure,” she whispered, her hand trailing up my arm, shoulder, and neck, until she weaved her fingers into my long hair and turned to look at me. “I guess you’ll have to test it with someone.”
We were nose to nose and my heart was beating like a war drum calling me to action.Was there an offer in those words?
I didn’t want to make assumptions and ask, because the closeness I had with Athena at that moment was worth more to me than an orgasm. It was like that woman from the painting on the wall in Johnson’s office had come to life. The way she caressed me, held me close, and comforted me reminded me of the times I had imagined the woman being my mother.
Thinking about yesterday when Athena had moaned my name, and kissed me with sexual hunger, reminded me of the times I’d imagine the woman as my lover.
I smiled a little, when I thought about Athena and me battling for control just like I imagined siblings would do.
Yes, Athena was everything that woman in the picture had represented to me, and with that realization, I swallowed hard, searching for the right words to tell her how amazing she was, but before I could say anything, she kissed me.
For a second I was so surprised. “Wait, are you offering me…” I couldn’t even say it. The idea that Athena was offering to have sex with me, of her own free will, blew my mind. I hadn’t seduced her, pressured her, or flirted with her, had I? We had been talking about my disgusting past. How the hell could that make her want to have sex with me?
“You don’t have to,” I said, but she just kissed me again.
“Remember when I said that I was more interested in the spiritual part of lovemaking?” she asked and looked down.
“Uh-huh.”
“Your opening up and sharing your secrets with me makes me feel connected to you, and respected by you.”
“I thought you would hate me when you knew what I had done.”
She raised her gaze to meet mine. “Finn, you are not that scared fifteen-year-old boy anymore. You might have killed that awful man, but don’t forget that you became a doctor – dedicating your adult life to easing people’s suffering and saving lives.”
I leaned in and kissed her then. My head was exploding with an overwhelming mix of desire, gratitude, and excitement for this sexy, forgiving, wise, and sweet member of the female gender.
“Athena,” I whispered. “I like you a lot.”
“I like you too,” she said, smiling. “I love that we can finally be honest with each other.”
Guilt gnawed at me and, being stupid, I blurted out my other secret.
CHAPTER 22
Satisfaction
Athena
