To her great annoyance, the announcer insisted on not only reading the names of all the men who were here for a chance to high-jack her inheritance, but also sharing a short bio on them.
It took all of her self-control and good upbringing not to roll her eyes at each one.
And who could blame her?
They said inane things like,
“Jamie loves to laugh and says he’s completely normal.”
“Howard enjoys wine and movies from the 2000’s.”
“Kurt’s friends say he’s funny, and his favorite pastime is doing mental math.”
Vomit.
Atalanta felt sorry for her subjects if they thought they might wind up with fools like that for a king one day.
But she had to remind herself, this entire ridiculous display had been her idea. And so far, playing along with it was the only way she was going to retain the option of remaining single.
While the announcer droned on, she settled in for a spell of people watching. She liked making up stories in her head about the people in crowds. It was one of the ways she staved off the boredom at the interminable state events she was required to attend.
As her eyes swept over the crowd, they passed over a crying baby, a young boy dancing in his seat, and stopped on a woman and a man who looked like he had just fallen into the aisle.
Wait. What happened to him?
All of a sudden, he pulled a box out of his jacket pocket and held it up to the red-haired girl whose hands flew to cover her mouth.
Wow. He was proposing.
She wondered if the mega screen was going to pan in on them and make the image massive for everyone to see. Normally, she might have been irritated with these people for piggybacking on her moment, but it was her potential marriage that seemed to have sparked this man to take his own romance to the next level with the woman he loved.
The display quickly evolved into the woman nodding "yes," followed by an onslaught of hugs and kisses. Several people in neighboring seats dabbed at their eyes.
While Atalanta scoffed at the emotional scene, somewhere in the back of her mind she imagined what it would be like to be a regular person. Someone with nothing to offer a partner but herself. What would that feel like, to know that the person who professed their love for you must really love you for you?
Before she could consider the matter further, a new announcer took charge.
"Runners, take your marks."
Placing her heel carefully against the starting block, Atalanta concentrated on the ground in front of her.
Bang! The instant the gun sounded she was off.
Her legs churned. Her arms whipped. She felt the wind brush her cheeks, and she tuned out everything around her and simply ran. Running was her favorite thing to do in the whole world, and she loved nothing more than that feeling.
Pushing her body to the limits took her to a place outside her everyday world.
A place where she was free.
When she was running she didn't have to be a perfect princess. She didn't worry about disappointing people or trusted friends betraying her. No, as her feet flew over the racing course she embraced the pure joy of the moment, and all the rest fell away.
There was no need for her to look to the left or right to see where her opponents were. She knew they were far behind her, and when she raised her arms to cross the finish line first, she knew she had won.
She wasn't sure if the crowd would cheer for her win, or if they would be disappointed that she hadn't found a mate. But the cacophony that rose upon her victory sounded like a happy one.
A precious toe-headed page boy offered her a bottle of water, and she drank it down then doused her hair with it.
"Princess, you've won the race, beaten out all competitors for your hand. Can anyone beat you?" The smartly dressed female sports reporter shoved a microphone in her face.
Atalanta smiled prettily. "I doubt it."
"Oh." The woman looked like she expected a different answer. "Then how will you ever find a husband?"
The words stung, though Atalanta didn't know why. It wouldn't be difficult for her to find a husband if she wanted one. That's what she wished she could say, but the public didn't need to know about her reticence.
"I'm sure there's a man out there who can meet the challenge. But we don't want it to be too easy to become king, now do we?" Atalanta laughed as if the whole thing wasn’t something she took seriously.
"So you'll entertain more challengers?"
Atalanta waved a hand in front of her face. "Of course. Bring them on."
She hoped her words were enough to make everyone think she was all for finding the perfect husband in this preposterous way.
Because she knew it would never happen.
After shaking lots of hands and meeting loads of fans, she was being directed to the locker room when a man jumped in front of her security team.
The security guards quickly took him into custody, but as they were immobilizing his hands behind his back, she noticed he looked familiar.
Where had she seen this man before?
"Princess Atalanta, I'm sorry. I just wanted you to sign my device. My fiancée and I just got engaged today, right here at your race, and I only wanted you to sign something for her. You're her favorite person. She loves you, and I thought—"
"Let him go," Atalanta ordered the guards.
Their scowling faces told her they didn't want to, but they reluctantly released him.
With the guards hovering around, Atalanta felt secure enough to give the man what he asked for.
"Give it to me," she said, and he handed her his device and a permanent pen.
This was the man she'd seen proposing to his girlfriend in the stands. As obnoxious and foolish a gesture as it was, breaking through her security for a silly autograph, Atalanta couldn't help but think his fiancée was fortunate to have a man who would risk being arrested to do something nice for her.
"What is her name?"
"Gretchen."
She nodded, signed "Best Wishes, Gretchen" and her name, then pushed past the man striding so fast that her bodyguards had to trot to keep pace with her.
For some reason, her triumphant mood had darkened.
CHAPTER THREE
"Hey, watch where you're going," a short little man with a big mustache jeered as he pushed past Hippomenese.
Dodging a sea of elbows, the former soldier finally made his way to the bar.
It was a typical sleek glass structure filled with bright lights and pulsing music.
Sliding onto a vacant seat, Hippomenese searched the place for the friend he expected to meet.
Not finding him, he ordered a beer from a dark-haired waitress with a cute button nose. He considered hitting on her, but it had been a long time since he'd been around women, and he wasn't sure his game would be up to par so he decided against it.
A hand clamped down on his arm, and his first reaction was to whirl around and take down the person it belonged to; instead, he took a deep breath and turned to see his friend standing behind him.
"Hip! Good to see you, bro. It's been a long time."
Hip stood up and gave his friend a massive hug. "Too long. What's it been—two years?"
"At least." Will perched on the seat next to him.
"Can I get you a beer?" Hip asked.
Will made a face. "I should be getting a beer for you, big war hero and all."
Will signaled the bartender to bring them another round.
Hip frowned, shaking off the accolades. He was far from a hero. All he had done was sit in a chair and monitor the Domhan Nua border. The drones he flew helped keep the skirmishes from escalating into something more, but it wasn’t like he’d been saving the world.
Wanting to change the subject, he asked, "So what have you been up to?"
"Work. Kids. The usual."
"Got any pictures of the kids?"
The bartender brought them two beers, and Will took a sip be
fore pulling out his device to show Hip three smiling faces of the little people who called him Daddy.
"Wow. Three kids? I can remember when Jack was born."
Will clapped him on the back. "I know. That's what kids do. They grow."
"And multiply apparently." Hip chugged the rest of his first beer and set the empty on the bar.
"Stair steps. A baby every year. That's what Crystal wanted, to get the diaper years out of the way all at once."
"But you're done now?"
Will chuckled. "Oh yeah. Three is enough. But that's enough about me. What are you going to do now that you're back?"
Hip shook his head. "I'm gonna take a break. Then who knows?"
Will nodded. "You've earned some time off, bud. Sounds good."
But it didn't sound good to Hip. He hated not knowing what was next for him.
He'd gotten into the military to help his country, but during his time there it began to feel like he was just doing the dirty work for a bunch of bureaucrats. If he were honest with himself, he could admit that his drones patrolling the borders probably did aid in keeping the people of Xenapolis safe. Ever since the goddess Oroona took charge of Donham Nua there had been great unrest in the North along the border. She was young and had yet to solidify her rule, which left her people restless. Many of the undesirables formed gangs that had begun crossing into Xenapolis and raiding the Northlands until the military fought back with their drones.
But by the end, it felt like following orders was the sum of his existence, and he needed more. He wanted to contribute to the world in a more substantial way. The only problem was he didn't know how.
He and Will ordered some food and caught up over their meal.
It wasn't long after they finished eating that Will said he needed to get home to his family.
"Take care, buddy," Will said and took his leave.
Hip left the waitress a tip, got up, and went outside.
The fresh air felt good, so he decided to go on a walk.
It was nice to be in a place where drones didn’t litter the skies. In Xenapolis, sky traffic was limited to the northwest quadrant. This allowed residents to enjoy the clouds during the day and the stars at night, as well as listen to the chirping of the birds and the crickets.
Lined with colorful flowerbeds that changed with the seasons, the streets had been repaved with centuries old brick pavers. The capital city of Sirdeen was like a snapshot of times past, populated with public works of art and featuring formal gardens, each one complete with its own sundial.
Hip wandered off the main thoroughfare onto a dirt road and kept going. Patches of wildflowers dotted the landscape, and the area reminded him of where his grandparents used to live when he'd gone to visit them as a kid.
Then, out of nowhere, a flash of something flew past him.
And even though he'd only seen it for a split second, he imagined that he'd just seen the most beautiful girl in the whole world of Darteen.
Fascinated, he followed in the direction of the flash.
Because it had been moving at an incredible speed, he broke into a run.
After a few minutes he passed a man with a cart selling vegetables.
"Excuse me, sir, but did you see something fly past here? A woman perhaps."
The man frowned. "No, but it wouldn't surprise me."
Hip thought that was an odd answer, but he kept running.
Finally, he came across the beautiful woman he thought he'd only imagined.
She held a cask of water and drank it thirstily. She wasn't sweating, but the way her breath came rapidly made him think it had been her he saw zoom by him.
Emboldened by liquid courage, he spoke to her. "Hello, you're an epic runner."
The instant the words were out of his mouth he wanted them back. He sounded like an idiot. He stared at the ground. "Sorry. That was stupid. Of course, you know you're fast."
In his mind, he was hitting his palm against his head. When he finally found the courage to look up, she was grinning at him.
"Well, you're not wrong," she said. Her chestnut hair was piled on top of her head in a messy way that made her look like a goddess, and her eyes were so dark they were almost black.
They both laughed.
"So I run fast. What do you do fast?" she teased.
Could this gorgeous girl really be flirting with him?
"Uh, I fly drones."
The corners of her mouth turned down as she considered this. "Hmm. Those suckers are fast. I'll have to give you that. So are you a soldier?"
"Former."
She brightened. "Recently returned home?"
"Is it that obvious?"
She shrugged, and he couldn't help but notice she had the prettiest shoulders he'd ever seen. Her skin looked so soft. He longed to touch it.
"It's just that I've seen it before."
"Seen what exactly?"
"Let's walk, shall we?" She held out a hand, and he took it without thinking.
Her skin was soft, and when she entwined her fingers with his, he felt a surge of desire. He wished he could rearrange his pants which were starting to tent, but he didn't want to be obvious about it.
She led the way, and they strolled along an old farm road.
"You've seen what before?" he asked again.
"Men who haven't seen a woman in a while. Who haven't been with a woman in a while."
His cheeks burned, and he felt like a fool. "It's that obvious, huh?"
She bit her bottom lip. "So I'm right?"
He let out a deep breath. "Yeah."
"Well, don't feel bad about it. It's not your fault. And anyway, I like it."
He'd never understood women, but this really confused him. "You do? Why?"
"Because I bet you're hungrier."
He gulped, not sure how much longer he could resist kissing her. "Hungrier?"
She nodded and as they strolled along, she asked him about his work.
“I’m sort of between jobs. How about you?” he asked.
She bit her bottom lip before saying, “Running. That’s pretty much my job.”
“Nice.”
They came upon a mother deer and her baby.
She put her finger to her lips, and they watched in silence as the baby jumped playfully around his mother who was only interested in grazing.
Even though he’d only just met this girl he squeezed her hand, and she didn’t pull away.
There was something about her...
He felt a connection.
After a few minutes something startled the mother and they moved on behind some trees.
“I love watching the wildlife. It’s one of the reasons I run out here. C’mon.”
She took him deeper into the woods. The buzz of the insects and woodland creatures played a soundtrack for them.
When they reached a clearing, he couldn’t wait any longer. He placed his hand behind her head and brought his lips to hers.
She wound her arms around his neck, giving him the invitation he needed, and he placed his hands on her hips and drew her to him so that his pelvis ground against hers.
Parting her lips with his tongue, he invaded her mouth and tasted her.
She tasted like strawberries, and that only made him want more.
Pulling away, she tugged at his arm and he had no alternative but to follow her.
"Come with me. I know a place..." Her voice trailed off, and he felt a familiar rush of excitement he thought he'd forgotten about.
CHAPTER FOUR
His pulse raced, and it wasn't because he was now running after her.
Ducking under some low branches, they came out inside a clearing. Leaning down, he picked a few of the tiny purple and blue wildflowers that dotted the ground and handed them to her.
She tilted her head adorably as she took them and gave a little curtsy. "Well, aren't you sweet? Thank you."
He reached for her again, and she allowed him to draw her to him.
"I'm
so glad I came across you today," he said, kissing her neck and moving toward the delicate curve of her collarbone.
"Mmm. Me too." Her hands cupped his buttocks and pressed him against her as she kissed him back.
His cock stiffened, straining against his pants.
She began fumbling with his buttons, but gave up.
"Take these off," she ordered before taking a step back and removing her clothes with a few quick tugs.
His jaw dropped as she stood there naked in front of him. Who was this beautiful, bold female who had just taken him off the streets with the clear goal of seducing him? And how the hell had he gotten so lucky?
He almost expected the dudes from one of those practical joke shows to pop out and let him in on the farce.
She dropped onto the ground and settled in a reclining position, patting the grass beside her. With a flick of her tongue across her lips, she purred, "Don't make me wait. Please."
He unfastened and stepped out of his pants, lifted his shirt over his head, and sank down onto his knees beside her. "You're incredible. Did you know that?"
She laughed. "I've been told."
He nodded. "Good."
"But you're still not naked." She eyed his underwear.
"I thought maybe you could take it off me."
Her eyes sparkled, and he could tell she liked him taking charge.
Without another word, she got on her knees and yanked the fabric down, freeing his pulsing erection.
She swallowed then took the head of his penis in her mouth. Her tongue darted around the underside as her lips moved over his shaft.
He placed one hand on her shoulder and the other behind her head, moving her mouth onto his rod, urging her to take him deeper and deeper into her throat.
This girl was amazing. He couldn't remember feeling anything better in his life than how her hot, wet mouth felt now. But he knew something else that he believed was going to feel even better, and he steadied himself so he wouldn't lose control before he did everything he wanted to her.
Reluctantly, he removed himself from that heavenly mouth and leaned down to kiss her.
The Girl Who Ran Like The Wind (Myths Retold) Page 2