by Helen Scott
Self-doubt slithered through me. “Do you want this? I mean, why do I have to pick? Shouldn't we both agree on it?”
“That would be ideal, yes, but you are the future queen. The decision is yours,” Emmett answered while Knox's brows drew together in concern.
“What if I don't want it to be?”
“Then we will assist you as much as we can,” Knox cut in. “Our job is to guard the gates of hell, to protect you, and to make this as easy for you as possible.”
I took a deep breath. There was no denying I wanted both of them, and the idea of having them together was almost too much for me to handle. “So where do we go from here?”
“That depends on you, my queen. You need to decide if this is the life you want to pursue or if you'd prefer to remain in the human realm,” Emmett said softly.
The decision suddenly seemed like a weight on my chest, but also the most obvious choice in my whole life. How could I say no to something like this? I’d picked up the necklace in a second-hand shop because the red stones in it caught my eye, and I hadn't had any new jewelry in a while. Was it really fate? Could there be some kind of divine power that had been guiding me to the necklace?
None of it seemed real in a way, but I knew it was all very real. I stood from the stool and walked into the living room to look out the windows. Their house was backed up into a forest of some kind, and there was only a small section of grass before the trees began. For a second, I tried to imagine living somewhere like this, somewhere out of the city, away from the hustle and bustle, closer to nature, and I just couldn't.
“You were wearing that the whole time we were talking?” Emmett's voice sounded strangled.
I turned slightly, looking over my shoulder at him. The man's mouth was parted, and he was practically drooling. If I ever needed a confidence boost, that sure helped.
“Knox didn't know what happened to my clothes. Besides, you came over and hugged me. You didn't notice then?”
“I had other things on my mind at the time. And as for Knox . . .”
“Now, brother—”
“He should have known that I'd left your bag, or what was left of it, in my room.”
I raised my eyebrows at the other man. He just shrugged and grinned. The likelihood that he could have found my clothes was very high, but he wanted to give himself some eye candy for the morning. I couldn't really blame him. The fact that he hadn't put on a T-shirt had been on my mind the whole time we had been talking.
Of course, Hunter chose that moment to walk in.
“No pants? I dig it.” It was one of the calmest things he'd said to me since we had met. The guy wasn't mean or rude, just pushy and seemed to think he was more important than anyone else, but maybe I had been reading him wrong. “Em, you're up downstairs.”
Emmett nodded at Hunter before stalking over to me. A thrill of excitement raced up my spine as I watched this tall, muscular man look at me as if I were something he wanted to eat. And part of me hoped that he would at least sample some of me later. When he was within a few inches of me, his hands came up and cupped my face.
“I'll see you in a few hours, and I expect a kiss when I return.” He winked at me before his mouth dropped to mine.
A sharp hunger swept through me, and my hands moved of what felt like their own free will, coming up to his chest and wrapping around the back of his neck before twining themselves in his shaggy hair. When they slipped down his chest and around to his back toward his butt, two throats cleared loudly behind us.
He pulled away before giving me one last peck and mouthing, “Later,” to me. Then he was gone in a swirl of darkness that almost looked like smoke.
“You guys can just vanish, and no one thought to mention it?” I exclaimed with my hands on my hips.
“We move with the shadows,” Hunter said nonchalantly, but his gaze betrayed him as it roamed over my body, taking in the T-shirt and pants-less legs.
I strode toward them, my frustration snapping within me. “You can't just keep telling me all kinds of little things as if they're nothing. The ability to vanish and travel through shadows is a pretty big deal to me. So is bonding. And shielding. And seeing ghosts. And you haven't even told me if I have any more abilities. Am I just supposed to wait until they decide to surprise me?”
“We don't know what your abilities are, angel. It's different for every queen. Some are more gifted with Hades’s powers, while others take after Persephone.” Knox paused and came around the counter to me, taking both my hands in his and looking down into my eyes. “I promise if I knew what your powers were, I would tell you, and I promise that if I remember anything we haven't told you yet that seems important, I will tell you as soon as I remember.”
I wanted to drown in the depths of his eyes. “Okay,” I breathed.
Hunter snorted behind Knox, and when I peeked around his arms, I saw Hunter shaking his head as he stole bits of bacon off Knox's plate. “Do you have something you'd like to add?”
He looked up at me as he crunched away on the latest piece of bacon. “You won't know what your powers are until the fates decide to tell you, and they certainly aren't going to do that if you can't even bring yourself to make a decision about whether you want to be the queen of the Underworld. Although, why you would turn that down is beyond me. It's not as if Chicago is paradise and working at a shitty bar is going to get you anywhere.”
“Hunt, do us all a favor and keep your opinions to yourself,” Knox ground out in warning, and I saw Hunter shrug his shoulders right before I turned and walked out. There was no reason for me to stay just so I could be insulted even further.
The only place I really knew I could go and be alone was a bathroom. I decided I needed a shower anyway, so I boldly opened random doors until I found a room that smelled like Emmett, citrus, spice, and leather. My charred backpack was in the corner by what I assumed was a closet door. I snatched it and left, heading straight to Knox's room.
I went directly into his en suite bathroom and dumped my bag on the floor. The entire left side of the bag was destroyed. Thankfully, most of my bras were intact, and so were my jeans. I'd lost a few pairs of panties, most of my T-shirts, and all my toiletries. I sat back on my heels for a moment. I wasn't usually a girly-girl, but seeing some of my favorite clothes destroyed was kind of upsetting. A few tears trickled out before I could control myself, but I knew if I let go, they wouldn't stop for a long time, and I wasn't ready for that.
As I looked around, I saw that the room was fairly neutral with a few masculine hints here and there. Pale tiles covered the floor and walls, along with a white cabinet and sink. The shower was off to the side and was covered in dark slate tiles, making it a moody blue. The geometric shelving on the walls surprised me, along with the large round mirror that seemed to be edged with flower petals, but when I looked closer, it was just a different style of frame than I was used to.
I opened the large sliding shower door and twisted the handle. Water sprayed from three different points, coming down the wall as though trying to give whoever used it a massage. While I was excited to experience it, the shower was like nothing I'd ever seen before, and I was a little nervous to use Knox's bathroom without even asking. When it came down to it, though, I'd been asleep for two days, and unless they had been giving me sponge baths, which I felt sure one of them would have mentioned, then I was covered in a layer of grime that made me more than a little surprised any of them had touched me.
The water was soon producing a healthy amount of steam, so I stripped out of my clothes and allowed myself to slowly enter the spray. The sensation of water coming from everywhere was a little overwhelming at first, but I quickly adjusted and luxuriated in it. I took the liberty of borrowing Knox's shampoo, conditioner, and body wash. They all smelled delicious and reminded me of him. I was busy lathering my hair and humming a random song lyric stuck in my head when I heard a knock on the door. Butterflies flitted around my belly.
“I was wondering
if I could join you?” Knox's voice rang out. He waited patiently while my heart thudded in my chest.
Be brave, Poppy, I thought to myself as the sex bucket list floated through my mind once more.
Chapter Ten
Poppy
I had to clear my throat a few times before I could get the words out, but eventually, I called, “You can come in.”
The door handle creaked, and the pale wood of the door swung open. Knox's large figure stood there silhouetted in the steam as he closed the door behind him. My heart galloped in my chest as I watched him come closer. I could just about make him out through the haze of the steam as he pulled off his jeans. My mouth went dry. Was I really going to do this?
Hell yeah, I was.
When the door squeaked open, I had to stop myself from jumping like a rabbit faced with a hawk. I certainly felt like prey. His eyes were on me already; I could feel them roaming over my naked form before I even looked at his face. My eyes traveled over his chest and shoulders, taking in the wide expanse of his tawny, golden-brown skin dusted with tight brown curls. Finally, I found his face, lust naked in his expression as he approached me.
I tipped my head back and allowed the water to wash the suds from it, trying my best to act like sharing a shower with a gorgeous man was a regular occurrence. Gentle fingers began massaging my hair, and I flinched at the unexpected contact, completely ruining the nonchalant vibe I was trying to put out. A low chuckle greeted my ears and sent a shiver of anticipation down my spine.
Knox's fingers trailed down the side of my face to skim over my bottom lip. My whole body was on fire, just like that. I opened my eyes and looked up at him, my head still tipped slightly back and the water running down my back and shoulders onto my chest.
“Hey,” I said in a fit of creativity.
“Hey back,” he said, grinning at me. “Didn't mean to startle you. Sorry.”
“My fault. I let myself get too worked up.”
“Oh?” He raised an eyebrow at my confession.
“I was tense after what Hunter said. Honestly, I just feel a lot of pressure from this whole thing, and I keep wondering if you're sure you have the right woman.”
His eyebrows drew together into a frown. “You think you're not enough?”
“Maybe? It just seems like such a big responsibility. I don't know.”
His hands came up to my shoulders, pinning me in place, before one climbed even higher, gently lifting my chin so I had to look at him. “Never doubt that you are exactly what we want, what we need. Even if you weren't related to Persephone and Hades, weren't meant to be the next queen, I would still want you.”
“Really?” I whispered, my insecurities getting the better of me.
“Really. Let me show you.” His mouth descended on mine then, and the scorching heat of it made me gasp. His body was just as warm as the shower water, and I was willing to bet that it was a natural warmth, not because he was in the shower with me. Soft lips moved over my own, and I felt myself giving in to his touch, angling my head just right so I could kiss him more fully. I traced the seam of his lips with my tongue, and he opened for me. Without waiting for any other indicators, I wrapped my arms around him and let my tongue explore his mouth and tangle with his own.
Large hot hands wrapped around my waist, gently tugging me closer until I was firmly pressed up against him just as I had been in bed that morning. His body heat seeped into me more than the heat from the water, and I felt centered and relaxed, more clearheaded than I had all day. I could feel his fingertips clench against my skin ever so slightly when I nibbled on his bottom lip. The man was like catnip to me, and the more I had, the more I wanted.
“Poppy,” he breathed as he straightened from our kiss.
He was tall enough that my face was basically at chest height, so I began kissing his nipples. I barely had to duck at all to flick my tongue over the sensitive skin there, and each time I did, Knox's body jerked under my touch, making me feel powerful and sexy.
“Yes?” I asked as I pulled away from the taut brown peaks.
“You're so fucking sexy. Do you know that?” He growled down at me, and his hands clenched on my hips as though he wanted to touch elsewhere but didn't want to make any assumptions.
“I'm very glad you think so,” I breathed.
When his hands twitched again but didn't move, I knew he was waiting for me to give permission or ask him to touch me. In a fit of boldness that came out of nowhere, I stepped back slightly and ran my hands down my body, carefully moving them over my own breasts and down my stomach until I found his massive paws he called hands and moved them up to where I wanted his touch.
“Are you sure?” His gravelly voice betrayed the need he was feeling that matched my own.
“I'm sure, Knox. I want you to touch me.”
Before I had even finished speaking, his hands wrapped around my breasts, squeezing and massaging for a moment before his fingers flicked over my nipples. A gasp escaped me at the jolt of pleasure that came from the contact. I’d never felt anything like that during my solo sessions. Then, before I understood what his intentions were, he had picked me up and had me pressed against the wall, his hips pinning me to the slick surface. My core rested against his throbbing cock, and as I looked up at his gold-flecked eyes, a low rumble came from him.
“You feel like silk in my hands,” he whispered before he claimed my mouth with another scorching-hot kiss.
Knox's hips gently rocked against my own as I gripped his back, my fingers digging into his muscular shoulders while our lips and tongues danced together. Soft moans were coming from me with his movements, and it almost felt as if he were trying to eat them up with the way his mouth moved over mine.
After a moment, he broke away, kissing a line along my jaw and down my neck to my collarbone. His tongue swirled in circles over one of my favorite places to be kissed. My head fell back against the tile as his mouth descended to my nipples. He started with gentle kisses, each one perfectly centered over the tight little peaks, before he used that same swirling motion he had used on my neck around them. It had me arching my back and grinding my hips into his as much as I could, which earned me a groan that went straight to my core.
I could feel my slickness slowly spreading over his cock, and I wanted nothing more than to have him inside me, but that was a big step, given everything that was tied to it. I knew it was right, though. Not only did these men, even Hunter, call to me in a way that no other man ever had, even the idea that I would be running the Underworld felt natural, as if it were just the next step in my life.
When his teeth grazed the sensitized nubs, all the thoughts that had been circling in my head fell away, and I was in the moment again. It was just me, Knox, and the water from the shower. His hands were running up and down my ribcage, careful to avoid my bruises, before they cupped my breasts once more. He drew back and gazed down at me, his eyes hooded with desire.
“I want to taste you,” he said as he began to set me down on the floor.
“Let me wash first,” I protested, thinking of the days I had spent in bed.
“No. I love the way you smell right now. I could bury my whole face in you and be perfectly happy.”
“Can we at least go to the bed?”
He shook his head. “I want you to come here and now, and then I'll take you to bed.” His voice was like hot wax being dripped on my skin. Every single word sent bolts of desire through me.
I hated this part of a sexual experience. I sighed, and he paused, unsure what was wrong. “I can't climax with a guy. With a vibrator, sometimes, but I've never come with a guy.” I held my hand up as he took a breath to speak. “I know what you're going to say next, that it will be different with you, and you won't give up, and blah blah blah, but the truth is, I've stopped believing that a man can give me an orgasm. Don't get me wrong, I'll enjoy everything, but I don't want you to get bored or spend time working on something that's never going to happen.” I waited for the
inevitable confusion and pity that seemed to take over every man I'd ever been with for a moment before they decided that fucking me was still worth it even if I didn't get off.
“It might never have happened before, angel, but I'm sure we can get you there eventually. Besides”—he paused with a wicked glint in his eye—“we'll have plenty of time to practice. Oh, and trust me, licking that sweet pussy of yours will be anything but boring for me.”
A small smile played at my lips. I wanted to believe him so badly, so I played along. “You're welcome to try.”
“That's all I need to hear,” he said before getting on his knees and kissing a line from my breasts down my stomach to the apex of my thighs. His hands cupped my ass from behind and squeezed the cheeks before he nudged my legs apart. I leaned back against the wall he had just pinned me to and let myself be completely exposed to him.
Knox nipped at my inner thigh before he kissed a line up from my left knee to the apex once more before kissing his way down my right thigh. I needed him to touch me. I needed to feel him. It seemed as if he could sense it, and the more I needed him, the longer he took to get to where I needed his touch the most. When he kissed a line back up my leg, his breath skimmed over my mound, and I practically whimpered.
“Please, Knox,” I whispered.
His fingers stroked me then, in one long line from my clit to my opening. I moaned, and he slipped one long, thick finger inside me. His touch was electric. It made me want to ride his hand, to grind my hips against him, but I held still, letting him dictate the pace. When he slid a second finger in and found a steady rhythm, I couldn't help the sounds I started making. Everything about him just felt so damn good.
When I least expected it, his tongue joined the equation, making my hips buck against him. He sucked and licked my bundle of nerves while I writhed with pleasure, and his fingers kept up the same thrusting tempo they’d started with. I moaned and wiggled and wouldn't have been able to stay standing if it wasn't for his free hand helping to support me.