What a Goddess Wants

by Stephanie Julian

  They needed to talk. He needed to figure out what to do next. Where to hide her. Cimmeria would do for now. They’d stick to the forest, away from the towns by the river—

  “Cal.” Tessa’s voice drew his focus back to her, back to the blue of her eyes. “Tell me. What happened?”

  She stared at him, her gaze steady. Trusting. Damn it, he really wanted to live up to that trust.

  If anything happened to her…

  He took a deep breath, drawing her sweet scent into his lungs. “I’m still not real sure what happened. No,” he held up a hand as she opened her mouth to speak, “I’m not putting you off. Just… give me a few seconds to clear my head.”

  Giving a soft sigh, Tessa rose from the couch and stretched out her hands to him. “There’s a spare bedroom in the back of the house. Why don’t we get you somewhere away from that… woman’s manic energy. I swear it lingers for days and makes me crazy. You need a little quiet time.”

  Cal’s lips twisted into a wry grin. “Sounds great. Let’s get the hell out of here before X returns and wants to wring your neck for pawning Aurora off on him.”

  It took more than a little effort on her part to help him off the couch and back to his feet, which just pissed him off. At first, his legs refused to hold his weight and his knees bent in protest before he forced them to hold steady.

  Damn, that’s not right.

  Travel between the planes usually didn’t affect him like this. Hadn’t since he’d been a green kid learning how to slip his body through the spaces between the planes. Of course, being tossed through a couple of planes at the same time probably hadn’t done him any good.

  Tessa stood by his side, her top lip caught between her teeth, watching his every move with wide eyes. She held her hands at her sides but the muscles in her arms tightened each time he moved, as if she was anticipating him falling on his face.

  That just made him feel that much worse. Christ, he must look pretty fucking bad.

  Forcing his feet to move, he nearly did exactly what she expected. He stumbled forward until she slipped her arm around his waist and aligned her side with his. The warmth of her body seeped into his, causing his heart to kick into a faster pace, and he sucked in a deep breath. Her sweet scent made his mouth water.

  Damn.

  How pathetic was it that he couldn’t walk straight but still wanted her so badly he couldn’t think straight either? And on top of the desire was the guilt. And the fear.

  As they trudged down the hall to the back of the house, he tried to figure out how to tell her he hadn’t learned anything at all on his trip.

  Total bust.

  Gods damn it.

  The knot in his gut tightened even further. What the hell did they do now? That trip had been his Hail Mary pass.

  “Cal! Hey, don’t pass out on me.”

  Tessa gazed up at him with worried blue eyes, but the worry wasn’t for herself. No, the worry was for him. She had no idea how badly he’d failed her.

  “I’m not gonna pass out on you.” He forced the words from his mouth but bit back the curses that wanted to follow.

  “Glad to hear it. But I’d feel better if you didn’t look at me like that. You’re worrying me.”

  He was worrying himself. And not just because he’d failed. His lungs seized, squeezing out air in a painful rush.

  “How am I looking at you?”

  “Like you’re about to keel over.”

  Shit. He shook his head, trying to school his features into some semblance of… well, anything that didn’t resemble fear. Which was exactly what he was feeling. And that really sucked.

  Cimmerians didn’t feel fear. That went against their whole philosophy of life. No pain, no fear. Well, he’d gotten the first part right, at least. He wasn’t in any pain. Unless you counted the agony of a constant hard-on around Tessa.

  He thought about pushing her away. About not leaning on her. He didn’t really need her help to walk. But he liked the feel of her body against his more than he cared to admit. Even through the fear, her proximity made lust boil in his blood.

  “Here, sit down.”

  Looking up, he realized they’d come to a stop in front of a bed. Not as big as he was used to but big enough. And now that he had sex on the brain, nothing else mattered.

  Tessa began to pull away, but he grabbed her arm and held her in place.

  “We need to talk.”

  He meant every word but the bed was too damn close.

  She nodded, her expression soothing, as if she was talking to a child. “Absolutely. As soon as you’ve—”

  Wrapping his arms around her shoulders, he pulled her against his chest and cut off her short gasp with his mouth.

  As soon as his lips touched hers, the lust that’d been boiling in his gut spilled into his blood. His need for her broke free, swamping his good intentions and better judgment in waves of searing heat.

  Her body stilled against his for several seconds and he wondered if she’d push him away. Then her fingers sank into his biceps, and elation thundered through him.

  Her lips opened for his tongue, and when he sank inside her mouth, she moaned low and deep in her throat. The sound forced an answering groan from him as he twisted them and propelled her backwards onto the bed.

  They landed in a tangle of arms and legs, hands reaching for buttons and hems.

  He tasted her desire for him in the urgency of her movements and the heat of her breath. His tongue plunged into her mouth, lapping at her spicy flavor. Her tongue slid against his, enticing as she shoved her hands beneath his shirt and scraped her nails up his back, hard enough to leave marks.

  Damn, if he wasn’t careful, he’d become addicted to the burn he felt only with her.

  His fingers wrapped around the hem of her dress and yanked it up, out of his way. The tiny scrap of lace she called underwear gave way with a tear. He had a brief second to wonder how many pairs of her panties he’d ruined before she moaned into his mouth and arched into his hand as he cupped her mound.

  Warm, silky skin, wet with her desire, slid beneath his fingers. Groaning, he coated his fingers in her juices, spreading them over her clit and the lips of her sex.

  “Cal.” His name sounded like a plea on her lips. “Hurry.”

  She didn’t need to tell him twice, but the heat of her distracted him. He didn’t think he’d ever not be distracted by her heat.

  With a rough snarl, he kneeled on the bed between her legs and ripped at the button on his pants. The zipper nearly broke as he yanked it open and then shoved his pants down his legs. Somewhere along the line, he’d lost his shoes. Two less things to take off.

  As soon as he was naked she reached for him, wrapping her hand around his shaft, and proceeded to pump him.

  His breath caught in his throat and he stilled. Her touch mesmerized and seduced. His blood flowed hot and heavy, and he had to force his lungs to breathe.

  He stared at her face as she watched her hand work his cock with a steady motion. The smoothness of her palm slid over the skin of his shaft, which ached for her to stroke him harder.

  His hips thrust forward, wanting more pressure, a faster pace. But Tessa had her own agenda, which seemed to be to make him crazy.

  Her hand slowed to a glacial pace, and she used her free hand to reach between his legs and cup his balls. His head fell back on a rough sigh as she stroked and tormented. His balls drew up tight, the blood pumping thick and fast, and he let himself melt under her touch.

  How long could he let her touch him like this? How long could he withstand her torment without ravaging her like a beast?

  Not fucking long, it turned out.

  His cock twitched and swelled in her hand, and he knew if he didn’t get inside her soon, he’d come all over her hands. Not a bad way to go, but not what he wanted.

  He wanted to be wrapped inside her warmth when he finally blew. Reaching for her hips, he lifted her until her entrance was on a level with his groin.

>   Arching her back, she rubbed her pussy on his shaft, spreading her warmth, her moisture to his cock. Their breathing rasped in the silence of the room as she angled the tip of his cock until it brushed against the swollen lips of her sex.

  “Put it in, Tessa. Come on, baby. I can’t wait any longer.”

  He barely recognized his voice, so deep and hungry.

  Her lips curved in a purely wicked smile at the sound, and she stretched one finger from his balls along his perineum and scratched the skin there, not hard enough to hurt. But enough to make his cock threaten an explosion.

  “I have faith in you, Cal.”

  And she did. He saw it in the soft light of her eyes.

  Fuck, he wished he deserved it.

  Before he lost himself in the truth of that, he took matters into his own hands. Putting one hand over hers, he aligned the tip of his cock with her slit and thrust until just the tip of him was lodged within her.

  Her hands fell away so he could go deeper, and with both hands on her hips, he withdrew then plunged again, harder this time.

  “Wrap your legs around my waist, Tess. That’s good, so damn good.”

  She did what he told her, and each movement worked him deeper. His cock felt larger with each thrust. The tight fit of her pussy squeezed him as tightly as her fist and he lost all desire to think. Instead, he let sensation sweep him away.

  With their gazes locked, he felt caught in a spell, every motion heightening his pleasure. And hers, if her expression was anything to go by.

  She stared up at him, her eyes half-lidded, her teeth caught in her bottom lip. A pink flush covered her cheeks, and he let his gaze slide down her body to where they were joined.

  He watched his cock disappear into her body then reappear, slick and ruddy red. Each time he thrust inside, the need grew to do it again. And again. His gaze traveled back up, over the slight swell of her belly to her breasts. He wanted to feel those soft mounds pressed against his chest.

  Pulling out of her tight sheath made Tessa cry out and reach for him, but he had to move her, had to shift her so he could lie on top of her, covering her completely. The hardened tips of her breasts dug into his chest as he set his elbows into the mattress on either side of her shoulders and burrowed back into her body.

  Deeper this way, especially when she lifted her legs and wrapped them around his waist. Her low moan made him shift, go deeper.

  Her eyes drifted shut as he lowered his head to kiss her, letting his hips take up a rhythm of their own. She opened her mouth to him, spread her legs just the tiniest bit further, and gave herself up to him.

  Yes. As if that was what he’d been waiting for, he let himself go, driven by the need to conquer.

  She was his. Lifting his mouth from hers, he wanted to hear her cry out his name in ecstasy, to see her eyes go dark with lust and her body respond to his every move. His hips drove him deep, speed increasing on every thrust in time with her every gasping breath.

  He heard himself saying, “Come on, baby. Come on. That’s right. Let go.” Felt the deep-seated tension in his lower body coil even tighter as his orgasm approached. Felt her body tighten in anticipation, the arch of her neck, the tightening of her pussy.

  And finally the keening cry that signaled her release and the tight clench of her muscles around his cock, squeezing him, milking his response.

  He tried to hold out, but she controlled the action now. Each movement of her body dictated his. She demanded he join her and he did with a harsh grunt, pumping his seed into her and collapsing over her with nothing but bliss on his mind.

  Chapter 9

  “I can practically hear you thinking, Cal. Whatever it is, whatever happened, it’ll be best if you just spit it out.”

  As Cal slipped to her side, Tessa rose up on one elbow so she could stare down into his eyes. He wanted to look away but kept his gaze locked on hers.

  As his lungs still tried to breathe normally, Cal knew he couldn’t put off telling her any longer. The fear he’d managed to keep at bay while he’d been inside her body began to tear at his stomach.

  But, damn, he loved her eyes. They reminded him of the bright noon sky he hadn’t seen in eight decades.

  She smiled when he didn’t say anything right away and ran one finger down his cheek, as if coaxing the words out of him. “Come on, Cal. It can’t be that bad.”

  Yeah, it could. Hell, it could be worse.

  “Tess—”

  Bang, bang, bang.

  “Hey, guys, you gotta get up.” X’s voice barely carried through the thick oak door. “The doc’s looking for you, Lady. I think Flavia’s finally ready.”

  Tessa’s smile spread as she pressed a kiss to Cal’s lips and then scrambled off the bed to gather her clothes.

  Cal shook his head when he realized he still had no idea where he was or what she was doing here.

  “Who’s Flavia and what is she ready for?”

  Tessa tossed his pants at him, nearly hitting him in the face before he grabbed them out of the air. “To have her babies.”

  “And you’re here… why?” Sliding off the bed, he pulled on his pants and then enjoyed the show as she shimmied into the underwear he could have sworn he’d ripped but that now looked whole. Her breasts jiggled just enough to have his cock twitch in response. “I told you to stay at Sal’s, Tessa. What if someone had followed you here?”

  With a breath-stealing shake, she tugged the sundress she’d been wearing over her head. “I couldn’t. I promised Flavia I would be here for the birth of her children, and when she summoned me just after you left, I couldn’t refuse. And don’t blame X. I gave him no option but to come with me.”

  The fear cranked up a notch but he tried not to let it show. “And where exactly are we?”

  “Well, right now we’re in Dr. Eric Frentani’s home on Hawk Mountain.” She stopped at a mirror to check her reflection, tried to finger comb her hair into behaving, and then gave up with a little shrug. “Below us is the medical facility he runs for the Fata.”

  “Hey, guys.” X’s voice came through the door a little bit louder this time. “Why don’t we discuss this on the way downstairs. Frentani said it’s gonna happen in, like, minutes.”

  Tessa hurried to the door, hopping from one foot to the next as she pulled on her sandals, and opened it as Cal yanked a T-shirt over his head.

  She turned back to wave at him as she hurried through the door, giving X a quick once-over as she passed him. “You don’t look any worse for wear. You got rid of Aurora nicely, I hope.”

  “My brain’s bleeding, trust me.” X shook his head. “That one never shuts up. And I don’t think Aurora would’ve noticed if I told her to fuck off. Hell, I barely got a word in edgewise.”

  Cal caught his brother’s gaze and held it as he attempted to keep up with Tessa. “You and I need to have a talk about what I mean when I say, ‘Don’t leave.’”

  X just rolled his eyes. “Try the tough guy act on someone else, big brother. And you know there was no way I could’ve kept her at Sal’s.”

  “Fuck me, X—”

  “If you two are going to resort to name calling, I’m going to go downstairs and lock the door so you can’t follow me.” Tessa paused in the doorway midway up the hall. “Don’t be angry at X. It’s not his fault. I’m irresistible. You would’ve given me what I wanted, too.”

  Knowing she was right but still figuring he should punch X for the principle of it, Cal settled for a quick jab to X’s shoulder as Tessa rolled her eyes and pushed through the door. Cal nearly didn’t get his foot in the crack before the door closed and automatically locked him and X up there.

  X gave him a brotherly shove through the door, and they followed Tessa down a bright stairwell to another bright hallway. No harsh fluorescent lighting down here. Recessed lights gave the illusion of sunshine, even though he knew this entire place was underground.

  And though it smelled mainly like a hospital—that disinfected, sterile, chemical scen
t—he also smelled flowers. And not a fake, perfume scent, either. It smelled like—

  The unmistakable sounds of a woman in pain came from down the hall. He and X froze as Tessa picked up her pace and disappeared into the room at the end of the hall.

  “Shit.” Cal looked at X, whose face had paled just the slightest bit. “There really is a woman about to give birth down there.”

  “Yeah, there is. But trust me when I say that you want to get your ass into that room.” X leaned closer and spoke in a tone barely above a whisper. “Frentani’s got a thing for Tessa. I’m warning you now so you don’t go off the deep end when you meet him.”

  He shook his head. “Son of a bitch, I don’t need this now.”

  “Cal, what happened? Were you able to talk to anyone in Invol?”

  “Yeah, for all the good it did. I haven’t told Tessa yet. Hell, I don’t know what the hell to tell her. It was fucked up.”

  “What do you mean?”

  “I mean, something wasn’t right with the person I spoke to. It was… almost like they didn’t know who they were or where they were. Just fucking weird.”

  “Well, shit.” X’s expression screwed up into a frown. “Now what?”

  From the end of the hall, the woman moaned again.

  Gods-freaking-damn. He hadn’t signed on for any of this shit. Not for blue-skinned demons or trips to Invol. And definitely not for pregnant women.

  “Cal?”

  But he wanted his woman. A real-life goddess. He wanted her more than was healthy, considering he’d nearly been burned to a crisp.

  “Yeah, yeah. I’m going.”

  Taking a deep breath, he started down the hall, pausing as he got to the door before he walked through.

  “Push, Flavia,” Tessa said. “You’re so close to meeting your first child. You just need to push.”

  The woman on the bed barely noticed Cal’s entrance, but Tessa, standing by her head, her arms around the woman’s shoulders, gave him a quick glance and a smile before her attention returned to the action.