Then Ciro reached beneath Carter’s shirt, took one of his nipples between his thumbs and forefingers and squeezed. All thoughts of control were gone and Carter watched through his passion-filled daze as he exploded against Ciro’s lips and fingers.
“Come on, Carter,” Ciro whispered. “Again…”
“I don’t know if I have another in me,” Carter panted.
“Only one way to find out, darling.”
It shocked Carter when Ciro picked him up off the floor and placed him to sit on the counter. Carter watched as Ciro slowly stroked his cock in a tight fist. A cold sensation wrapped itself around the hard muscle. Carter groaned. It was as if an ice cube had passed over the tender, pinkish head of his dick.
“That feels so good,” Carter gasped.
“You like that?” Ciro questioned.
“Oh, yes.”
“Wait…it’s about to get better.”
With his lips slightly open in anticipation, Carter almost lost his mind as Ciro pulled the head of his dick into the hot wetness of his mouth. The cold swiftly vanished, leaving Carter hot and trembling. Carter always loved ice cubes against his skin but this feeling was so much better. When Ciro’s tongue flowed over the head, the Shiver moaned before slurping noisily.
“Do you like that taste, Ciro?” Carter asked. His voice was husky, even to his own ears. But he couldn’t dwell on the thought. His tender dick was inching further down Ciro’s throat. Carter didn’t have a choice as his hands gave out beneath him and he fell backward onto the counter. His eyes rolled back in pleasure and his toes curled as his legs twitched. “Oh, damn, Ciro.”
Ciro feasted on him, licking the head and alternating between drawing Carter’s dick down his throat and sucking on Carter’s balls. Having those roll around in Ciro’s mouth was new to Carter. No other lover had taken his balls into their mouth but it was mind-blowing, so damn good. He’d waited a long time but had never dreamed that one motion could cause him such pleasure. For a moment, he gripped the back of Ciro’s head, keeping his mouth where he wanted it, having his tongue dance over those tender balls. When he was about to lose his mind, Carter released the back of his lover’s head and dug his fingers into Ciro’s hair. Now he wanted that hot mouth on his cock again. He pushed Ciro’s head down to slide deeper in Ciro’s throat. He gyrated his hips, loving the fire racing through his soul.
“Ciro…”
“Yes, my love.” Ciro lifted his head, and their eyes met.
At that moment, Carter knew the touch stroking his thighs was familiar. It was as if he knew each touch, the burn behind each caress. “It feels as if we’ve made love before.”
Ciro lifted him off the counter but trapped him there to take his lips. “We have,” he whispered.
“But I would…” Carter trailed off in a gasp as Ciro spun him away from him and bent him over the counter. He yanked the rest of Carter’s pants off and trailed a finger down Carter’s crack.
“You would have remembered? You will again when I am through with you.”
The roughness of his voice scared Carter but only for a moment. A beautiful breeze swirled through the room, leaving Carter feeling the same way he’d felt that night when he’d touched himself to thoughts of the wonderful man now standing behind him, inspecting his ass.
He couldn’t help himself, sticking his ass out further, swaying his hips from side to side. Ciro kissed each of Carter’s cheeks. His lips were hot. Carter sighed dreamily but the passion only stirred higher when Ciro’s tongue slid over his skin.
“I am going to eat you, Carter,” Ciro whispered, spreading Carter’s cheeks. He licked it wet then blew against his hole.
“Oh, darling…” Carter whimpered.
“Do not be afraid to scream for me.”
“Make me.”
Chapter Eight
With a smile, Ciro basked in the first taste of Carter’s most intimate area. He savored the taste against his tongue then let it slide over his lips. Groaning, he leaned forward and licked at Carter’s hole, sucked it then flicked his tongue over it. His lover was delicious and he was certain he’d never be able to get enough. Ciro sank his tongue in then withdrew it, using it as he would his cock.
Tasting Carter was addictive, especially when Carter flowed, hot and tangy, over Ciro’s tongue. He wanted more—needed to watch Carter’s body tremble under his tongue again. Ciro met Carter’s stare while gently stroking the architect’s cock to life once more. He tightened his fist, gently shocking Carter with small bolts of lightning. Carter groaned and his head fell backward. Ciro loved the sight of Carter so turned on, so completely out of control. It turned Ciro on more than having any form of reciprocation.
“Oh!” Carter cried out.
Faster, harder, Ciro repeatedly shoved his long tongue in while slowly managing to strip. He dropped kisses against Carter’s ebony cheeks but the tasty hole between those lush cheeks quickly called him back. The feelings dancing through him were foreign and amazing but he knew what they were. The same sensations Ares had told him about all those years ago were flooding his soul, driving him crazy and urging him toward climax. Slipping his mouth lower, he sucked on Carter’s balls, playing them over his tongue before finding Carter’s cock. Licking a trail upward again, he then plunged his tongue into Carter’s ass.
“Ciro!”
A smirk danced over his lips and he eased Carter from the counter. Taking his hand, Ciro led him up the stairs to the bedroom then shoved him on the bed. He moved over Carter, kneeling between his legs. The drawer beside the bed seemed to open on its own with a gust of wind. A string of condoms and a tube of lube lifted in the air and fell to the mattress.
“Show off,” Carter accused.
“You haven’t seen anything yet.” Ciro leaned in, taking Carter’s lips.
So addictive.
He was completely dazed with the kiss. Each time he kissed Carter, he knew he could never give up on them. The more they kissed, the more Ciro knew his heart was meant for this man and no one else.
“We have made love before,” Ciro repeated, pushing to his knees and trailing a finger over the familiar contours of Carter’s body. “That night I saw you touching yourself,” he whispered, dragging his finger down the thin line of hair that dipped into Carter’s pubic area. “I knew I should have just walked away but I could not help myself. I yearned to feel you against me. I am sorry.”
“The wind…”
“Again, I am sorry. I just wanted to touch you, and before I knew it, I could not seem to stop myself. I thought I was so strong but when it comes to you and the way you make me feel, I’m like a newborn baby—no control, no stopping it.”
“Don’t be.” Carter sat up and caressed Ciro’s face. “I never felt that good before. You did me a favor.”
Ciro smiled and pushed him back to the bed. “Fuck me,” he whispered. An intense glow filled his eyes. “I want it hard…deep.”
“Isn’t there a rule about fucking…?”
“Carter. I am a Shiver, remember?” Ciro smirked and reached for one of the condoms and a tube of lube. He gave them to Carter while twisting one of Carter’s nipples with his free hand.
“Fuck,” Carter swore, arching from the bed. “Dress me.”
Carter watched as Ciro slipped the condom onto him.
“Bend over for me.”
“What are you up to, Carter?”
Carter smiled and watched as Ciro crawled over on the bed and went up on all fours. He moved behind Ciro and spread his cheeks. Carter ran his tongue over his lips and bowed forward to lick. The Greek Adonis moaned, pushing his ass onto Carter’s tongue. Leisurely, Carter ate at his lover like dessert. There was no hurry, for he wanted to remember, to feel and taste every inch of Ciro’s delicious body. He enjoyed the tangy taste flowing over his tongue. Greedily, he groaned, sucking to pleasure his lover. Easing back, he inserted a finger, slowly pushing it in then pulling it out again. Ciro arched his back. Carter quickened the finger movement until C
iro’s hole quivered.
It was time.
Slowly, he impaled Ciro and groaned as he let his head fall back. He couldn’t move—not yet. He wanted to remember the first time he’d been engulfed in fire and held so tightly. He dragged a hand down Ciro’s back, whispering his name before clutching his hips and driving deeper. Once he started, he just couldn’t stop. From rolling his hips to driving in while clenching his teeth, Carter was in a fiery heaven that set every inch of his frame ablaze. He whimpered while his lungs screamed for air. His body was in control now. Everything he did was spurred by the lust and a deep desire to love the Shiver.
“Carter…”
Before he could reply, they lifted from the bed, and for a moment, fear charged through him. After only a second’s hesitation, Carter’s whole body relaxed and there was trust in Ciro he never though he could feel for anyone—especially a man who’d just confessed he was the son of Zeus. Still, he caressed Ciro’s back to grip his shoulders and used that as leverage to slam harder and deeper into Ciro. Finally, Ciro’s body stopped shivering. A cool burst of air charged through the room but Carter was too far gone to care. He couldn’t stop the warm rush of climax that surged through him from the tips of his toes to make him shout with happiness. It was powerful and strong and tore from his cock, stopped only by the plastic of the condom. They slipped from the air and landed on the bed, panting for breath.
“I’ve never floated during sex before,” Carter confessed.
Ciro laughed. “Sorry about that. You just make me lose myself when you touch me.”
Chapter Nine
Ciro eased from the warmth of Carter’s arms and hauled on a pair of track pants. When he entered the living room, Adrestia was sitting on the sofa, staring intently at the television screen. There were people arguing on the show about how they weren’t the child’s father. He smiled and sat beside her.
“How can you watch that crap?” Ciro asked.
“I am not sure,” Adrestia said, tilting her head and sniffing the air.
“What do you smell?”
“You two made love,” she said simply without taking her attention off the screen. “I can smell him on you. Are you sure that was wise?”
Of course he knew it wasn’t smart. He took a breath and dragged a hand over his face. The frustration he felt in that moment made him angry. Why was it so hard to do something as simple as love? “I did not ask for any of this. I cannot go on living my life in fear and alone because my brothers are wayward hooligans.”
“I know. But we are dealt certain cards. The humans are not the only ones given hard choices. This is one of those. You know now you must protect him and his family.”
“Yes.”
“I figured as much, so I have sent Hygeia to keep watch over your love’s brother.”
“Thank you. I was going to ask Hades to keep watch, but I think it’s better Hygeia is there. I cannot run any longer, Adrestia. The war must end if I am to be happy or if Carter is to have his life back. Either way, I will not see him in pain.”
Adrestia flipped off the television and turned her body on the sofa to pull a leg against it and under her butt. “Does he know what you are?”
“Yes.”
“And yet he stays?”
“Yes.”
“Good then. That is half the battle.”
But Ciro wasn’t so sure. When his brothers got it into their heads to cause trouble, it never got out again until something bad happened. Whether Carter stayed by his side was one thing but defeating Aerios could prove costly. He left Adrestia in the living room and made his way into the kitchen. He flipped on the coffeemaker then leaned his bare back to the counter. His mother had always wondered why he’d chosen to live among the humans, learning their ways of life and how to do things, but he found it comforting somehow. Living with the humans was not pretentious and everything was so much simpler. With humans love was love, lies were lies, hate was hate and truths were truths. Living on Olympus was a whole other headache altogether and he would not remain in the North Shores with his mother. That was her domain.
As the first drop of coffee hit the pot, he sensed Adrestia enter the room, so he turned to her. She looked concerned.
“What is it?”
“One of your brothers just breached Olympus,” she said. “He was expelled and is heading here.”
“Shit. Which one?”
“Guao.”
“He is young,” Ciro muttered, feeling as if the wind had been knocked out of his sails. Guao was one of his last brothers. He’d been hoping Guao was coming to help but he knew better. Aerios must have gotten to him if he’d tried breaching the protective shields into Olympus. He was the only Shiver, along with his brother Koi, allowed in. The others were all blocked.
“I shall meet him,” Adrestia offered. “You see to Carter.”
“See to me? What’s going on? Who are you?”
Both spun to look at Carter, who was dressed only in his pants. Ciro took a breath. He hadn’t felt Carter entering and that scared him. Obviously Adrestia was thinking the same thing, for her expression was one of perplexity. He took a breath and stepped toward Carter.
“I am Adrestia…”
Carter tilted his head and looked as though he was in deep thought. “My Greek mythology teachings are a little rusty—you are Ares’ daughter?”
Adrestia nodded.
“Goddess of Misery and Revenge?” Carter asked.
“Something like that…”
“So, why are you here?” Carter pushed.
“One of my brothers is heading here. I must stop him before he gets to the house,” Ciro replied before Adrestia did.
Carter instantly turned for the door but Ciro grabbed his arm.
“Wait one moment!” Ciro demanded. “Where are you going?”
“My brother…” Carter replied.
“Is being watched over,” Ciro assured him. “I promise.”
For a silent second, Carter stared into Ciro’s eyes as if he was reading him then nodded. “Okay, then I’m coming with you.”
“Carter, you…”
“You won’t be able to persuade him otherwise, Ciro,” Adrestia said, stepping forward. “We do not have much time to debate this. He shall travel with me. You get prepared. We shall leave the moment you are ready.”
“This may get wet and cold,” Ciro explained to Carter. “Put your shirt on.”
After running from the room, he took the steps two at a time. He dressed quickly and called for Osaki. His friend appeared almost instantly in the bedroom, in full battle gear. He smiled. “I may need your assistance, my friend,” Ciro told him.
“You do not have to explain. I was there to help get Guao from Olympus, but he escaped before we could restrain him.”
“Carter is coming with us.”
“Carter? The mate you’ve been seeking?”
Ciro nodded, and the two floated down the steps to stop in the kitchen where Adrestia, and Carter, now fully dressed, were waiting. None of them spoke but all of them turned for the door. Outside the plan was set. Carter would take his car and Osaki would go with him. Adrestia and Ciro would travel in their own way.
Ciro took a breath, kissed Carter deeply and, after caressing his cheek gently, he stepped back and followed Adrestia in disappearing. He was worried but Adrestia was right. There was no way he would have enough time to convince Carter to stay away. Still, taking a human into a battle with a bunch of super beings wasn’t the greatest of ideas.
They all met at the spot he felt Guao’s presence. “Stay in the car, Carter,” Ciro pleaded. “If the fight comes toward you, I need you to get out and run.”
“But…”
“Please…do this for me.”
He saw hesitation in his lover’s brown eyes but he smiled sadly and caressed the side of Ciro’s face. For a moment, Ciro closed his eyes and basked in the closeness of this man he knew he would adore for the rest of eternity. Breathing was a chore for him so
he turned his mouth to brush his lips over Carter’s hand. The moment wasn’t long enough, because the air changed.
Carter climbed into the car with Osaki and closed the door. Ciro kept his gaze on Carter even as he levitated beside Adrestia.
* * * *
It was hard to keep his mind on anything but what was happening. It started raining, lightly at first, one tap on the windshield, followed slowly by another until the sounds sped up in a symphony of water. Carter leaned forward to watch as the sky seemed to open and a funnel appeared falling hard and fast toward the ground. He covered his mouth, stifling a shout for Ciro to look out. To his shock, Ciro spun in the air, so fast the movement was almost a blur. Water deflected off his swirling coat as he fell backward suddenly and sent his foot upward, as though kicking a ball into a net over his head. A man, tall and slender fell toward the earth.
Before he got too far, Adrestia was on him, kneeing the man in the back, sending him flying upward.
“He is weakened,” Osaki explained.
Carter spun around for a moment. He’d forgotten the Japanese man dressed like a samurai was in the vehicle with him. There was the loud clash of metal on metal and Carter jerked back to watch the fight above them. Both Ciro and the brother were now sparring with long blades. Each time they clanged together, sparks charged and sprayed around them. Ciro was knocked back, sending him sailing through the sky, crashing into the outside of a large building and slipping to the hard ground. Adrestia attacked. A gust of wind sent her flying through the air while Guao went after Ciro again. Ciro didn’t move. He lay there, back propped against the wall and the rain pasting his hair over his face. Carter’s heart fell. He gripped the door handle to shove it open, but Osaki grabbed him.
“Get up,” Carter called. “Come on, Ciro…get up.”
He slammed his fist into the dashboard, not because he wanted to but a single part of him thought Ciro would hear what he was saying or feel him. “Please…”
When Guao was close to Ciro, Carter saw Ciro stirring. The rain fell harder now, skewing his vision, so he turned on the car’s auxiliary and flicked on the windshield wiper. It cleared the water-drenched glass in time for him to see Guao bending over Ciro then go flying back.
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