As if all that wasn’t enough to make him the center of attention, it hadn’t taken long for the murmurs of my identity to make their way around the club. I’d say I was sorry for bringing him out and making us the center of attention, but I’d be lying. Hades was going to have to get used to it if we were going to be together. I had no intention of remaining cooped up in the demon realm. Still, I felt bad that he was so ill-at-ease.
“I’m sorry this is making you so uncomfortable,” I said with a hand on his arm.
His eyes widened. “You don’t need to apologize. I’m fine.”
“The attention must be strange,” I told him.
He chuckled. “The attention is nothing new. I was God of the Underworld. I also have a reputation for being insane. Whenever I go out in public, I get my share of attention. That’s the case even in the demon realm. I’m just not sure what I should do in a place like this. It’s also a struggle to keep my hands to myself.”
“I wish you wouldn’t keep your hands to yourself,” I admitted softly. “I’d like to have your hands on me.”
His eyes widened ever so slightly, and his nostrils flared.
“Am I making you uncomfortable?” I asked with a sweet smile.
“I’m beginning to think you love making me uncomfortable,” he murmured.
“It only seems fair since I’m constantly dying to have you touch me,” I admitted.
“How would you like me to touch you?” he asked, his voice rough with arousal.
“You two should dance.” Beatrice’s suggestion upon returning to the table with Lucifer wasn’t a welcome interruption.
Things had just started getting really interesting with Hades, and I’d have liked my friend to stay away from the table a little longer. Then again, having Hades wrap me in his arms as we danced to the slow song playing sounded nice to me. “We should dance,” I told Hades.
He looked unsure of how to respond to my suggestion.
“She’s going to get you out there, so you may as well give in now,” Lucifer told him. “You already know how persistent your witch is.”
I smiled because I liked being referred to as his witch. My smile widened when Hades stood and put out his hand. “Shall we?”
Placing my hand in his, I allowed him to help me to my feet and lead me to the dance floor.
“I’m not sure how this is done anymore,” Hades admitted as I placed my hands on his shoulders. His hands went to my waist, but he seemed unsure of their placement.
“You’re doing fine,” I assured him. “There’s nothing to it. Leave your hands there, pull me closer, and move to the music.”
Hades did as instructed. I couldn’t resist the temptation to lean against him and breathe in deeply.
“You always smell incredible,” I told him.
“This is nice,” he said in a strained voice. I could feel his erection between us.
“I want to spend more time with you like this,” I confessed. “It always feels like you’re trying to put distance between us, and I hate that.”
“I don’t want to hurt you,” he said so softly I barely heard him over the music. “There’s also a lot going on right now with your great-grandfather and the possible plot on Olympus.”
“That is a load of bull spit,” I muttered.
Hades pulled back so he could see my face. His lips twitched when he asked, “Did you just say bullshit?”
“No!” I replied. “I said spit. This situation doesn’t call for profanity.”
“Why not?” he asked.
“It just doesn’t,” I told him.
“It might be more satisfying to say my response is a load of bullshit,” he argued.
“I’ll stick with spit this time,” I assured him.
“Let me guess,” he began with a fond smile. “Your parents had a swear jar when you were growing up. Each time you used profanity, you had to put money in the jar.”
I laughed at his assumption. “I actually suggested a swear jar because of my mom’s use of profanity. She used some very colorful phrases each time she stubbed her toe.”
Hades gave me a fond smile. “Your face lights up when you talk about your family. I never smile when I think of my family. Our upbringings were very different. We’re very different.”
“Us being different is a good thing,” I argued. “You’re a very moody man. Can you imagine having to put up with a woman who has your temperament?” Before he could respond, I continued. “Can we go back to one of the hallways where it’s quieter? I want to talk to you more, but this is a bad place for it.”
I expected him to tell me no. Instead, Hades took my hand and led me off the dancefloor to the hallway leading to the offices near the back of the club. As soon as we were alone, we simply stared at each other.
“This was a bad idea,” Hades finally said.
He was getting ready to insist we head back out to the main part of the club, but I didn’t want that. I needed more time with Hades. “Please, don’t walk away from me. I’ll even use a curse word if you stay.”
“Really?” He looked intrigued. His hands landed on my hips, and he backed me against the wall. “Which word are you going to use?” His lips brushed against my ear. “The dirtier, the better.”
“Can I touch your cock?” I asked.
“Fuck,” he ground out before his lips came down on mine in a kiss that had me shaking with need within seconds of him claiming my mouth.
Chapter 39
Hades
I should stop kissing Persephone, but I couldn’t. Her needy whimpers and her nails on my lower back were driving me on. She was doing her best to mold her body against mine. I’d been hard since the word cock had slipped past her lips. I’d never realized how hot profanity could be when it came from a woman who rarely used it.
When Persephone reached out to squeeze my dick, I groaned as pleasure and pain shot through my body. I had to touch more of her. Persephone was completely uninhibited. I shoved my hand down the front of her skirt and into her panties, wondering if she was going to stop me when her mouth left mine. Instead of telling me to stop or pushing me away, her hand gripped my wrist.
“Don’t stop,” she pleaded. “Please. More.”
My fingers moved against her hot pussy, stroking her slowly as I gauged her reaction, discovering which spot made her squirm and moan most. When I found a spot that made her scream, I was thankful for the loud club music. There was a part of me that wanted to draw it out and savor her pleasure, bring her to the edge over and over until she begged for release. That would have to wait. We were in a public place. Eventually, someone would come along and interrupt us. I rubbed her clit faster as she rocked against my fingers.
Her eyes widened, and her lips parted on a scream as she reached her orgasm. I kissed her, drinking in her scream as she came against my fingers. When she came down from her sex-induced euphoria, my hand was still in her panties.
I waited for her to push me away or show some sign of embarrassment. Instead, she flashed me a sated smile and said, “That was incredible, but what about you?”
“What about me?” I asked, wondering what she was suggesting.
“Let me help you with your problem,” she offered, reaching out to the front of my pants. “I already owe you one.”
Catching her hand, I shook my head. “I’ve waited a long time. I can handle the blue balls tonight.”
Persephone frowned. “Are you afraid to take things further?”
Chapter 40
Persephone
The hallway of a crowded club wasn’t the best place for such a personal conversation, but some might argue that it wasn’t the place to have a mind-blowing orgasm either. Hades had run from me the last time I’d tried broaching the subject. I was certain he wouldn’t leave me at The Cauldron when he was so paranoid about my safety.
He took a few steps back before asking, “Why would I be afraid?”
I wasn’t interested in putting any distance between us, so I mov
ed closer. Two more steps put his back against the wall. I smiled up at him and followed. “You seem to be trapped.”
With a dry laugh, he muttered, “That has been the case since the day I laid eyes on you.”
“Yet, you keep avoiding me whenever possible.” I had to point that out because it made no sense to me.
He looked away, his gaze locking on something at the end of the hall. It seemed he wasn’t going to answer me when he finally looked at me and spoke. “I’m falling in love with you.” His voice was quiet and hard to hear over the noise in the club. “The concept of love at first sight seems foolish, but there’s no denying that I’ve always been drawn to you. I didn’t even know your name, yet I wanted to be close to you.”
I smiled at the memory of the day we’d met. “That first day, you looked completely wild and a little intimidating.”
“I was wild,” he admitted. “I still am.”
“You also looked incredibly sexy,” I told him, reaching out to touch his cheek. “I knew who you were, and I’d heard the stories of you kidnapping women. That sort of thing isn’t at all romantic, yet I was still tempted to tell you my name that day. The next time I saw you, you still looked wild, but you were trying to impress me and not frighten me.”
“I don’t want you afraid of me,” his voice was rough with arousal. My hand stroking his cheek was clearly affecting him.
“I’ve never been afraid of you,” I said with a smile. “You don’t always have to tone it down. The wild part of you doesn’t frighten me. You can be yourself and stop being afraid of hurting me.”
My words seemed to amuse him. “You think that’s why I haven’t taken you?” he asked.
“What other reason could there be?” I asked.
“What if it’s all a sick joke?”
I frowned at his question. “Sick joke? I’m not sure what you mean.”
“What if my curse can’t be broken? Or what if there are some conditions that weren’t revealed to me? Aphrodite is a vindictive bitch. There could easily be more to the curse, and loving you may not break it.”
“So, you have performance issues,” I deduced.
“No!” was his automatic reply. “I can perform. In fact, I’m sure I can perform very well. Completion issues concern me—my completion, not yours. I can satisfy you.”
“I get it,” I assured him as I struggled to bite back my laughter. “My wording was bad. I know men don’t like having their prowess questioned. I wasn’t sure how else to phrase it.”
“But you see why I’m worried about the outcome, right?” he asked.
I nodded and considered his situation. “It’s like a band-aid.”
His brow knitted in confusion. “A band-aid?”
“Yes,” I replied. “You know how sometimes as a kid you have a band-aid on, and it needs to come off, but you’re afraid it will hurt. You keep putting it off until you start to peel it off slowly. In the end, the best way to deal with it is to just rip it off.”
“There were no band-aids when I was a child,” Hades reminded me. “Still, I understand what you’re saying. You think I’m acting like a pussy, and I should get this over with.”
“I wouldn’t have put it that way,” I replied. “I’d like to think that you won’t feel like you’re just getting it over with when you finally have sex with me. Still, that’s the gist of it.”
His eyes darkened as his gaze moved to my mouth. “You always surprise me.”
“Most people say that about me,” I replied in a breathy voice.
“It’s one of the things I like most about you.” His hand moved to my cheek as he leaned forward until his lips were almost touching mine. As he spoke, his warm breath moved across my lips. “You make me feel alive. For more than a century, I felt my sanity slipping away. At times, I felt more like one of the statues on Olympus, dead inside and slowly crumbling. Each day was almost exactly like the last.”
“I imagine that’s a problem with immortals,” I remarked thoughtfully. I’d heard of older witches suffering from depression caused by the monotony of their lives, and they weren’t stuck in Hell. Hades didn’t have the freedom to simply move to a new territory and make new friends. While difficult for witches, it was done occasionally. As a fallen angel, Hades had to live in the demon realm. He could visit areas in the human realm, but only for a short time.
He shrugged. “I suppose you’re right.”
I was disappointed that my comment had broken the spell of arousal we’d been under, and I was also unwilling to let Hades drop the subject. “Are you ready to rip off the band-aid?”
“That is a strange way to ask if I’m ready to fuck you until you can’t stand,” he rasped out.
“Please, say you want to do that,” I whispered.
His thumb brushed against my lower lip. “Are you sure?”
Chapter 41
Hades
She should tell me no. Getting involved with me would doom Persephone to a life she wasn’t prepared for. I’d always be dealing with the Olympus side of my family, and they were crazier than I was. Azrael would be unable to ignore her if she was living in the demon realm, and I still wasn’t sure it was a good idea for Azrael to be in her life, let alone the other white-winged assholes. She would also be forced to live in the demon realm. For all its beauty in certain areas, Hell could be horrific. Most of my home was cold and empty. All I could brag about were a strong Wi-Fi connection and a premium cable package.
“Why do you look so afraid of my answer?” she asked.
Before I could respond, Lucifer called out to us. “There you are! I was beginning to worry. You’ve been missing for nearly twenty minutes.”
“We have?” Persephone asked. She took a step back from me. It was the right thing to do. We needed to put a little space between us, but I still missed having her just a breath away.
“We were talking,” I explained.
Lucifer smirked. “It seems to have been quite a passionate conversation. Persephone’s lipstick is all over your mouth.”
Never one to be embarrassed, Persephone giggled. “It’s a good color for him, isn’t it?”
“Yes,” Lucifer agreed with a grin. “I haven’t seen him look this good in centuries.”
I hadn’t felt that good for centuries. Rather than biting Lucifer’s head off for teasing me, I grinned at Persephone. “I’m not sure it’s a good color for me, but I’ll certainly put up with wearing it if it means kissing you senseless.”
“Oh, I’m not senseless,” she assured me before adding, “As for the question you asked before Lucifer interrupted us, I’m definitely sure.”
My mouth went dry. I wanted to say something more, but not in front of Lucifer. Based on his knowing smirk, he was well aware of what we’d been talking about.
“Beatrice is waiting with sparkly rainbow drinks,” Lucifer announced.
“Rainbow drinks?” Persephone grabbed my hand. “I have to try the rainbow drinks. How did I not know they have rainbow drinks?”
I smiled and shook my head as she led me back to our table. She was definitely too innocent and sweet for me, but it was too late to worry about that. Persephone was right. I needed to rip the band-aid off, so to speak. I couldn’t wait much longer to have her.
Leaning close to her ear, I murmured, “Don’t take too long with your drink. I need you—now.”
“Oh,” she said as she looked up at me with wide eyes. “I’ll definitely hurry.”
Chapter 42
Hades
This wasn’t the first time I’d been nervous about sex in the last few centuries. It might seem strange, considering my age and experience. I’d been with countless women before my curse. Despite my gloomy demeanor, as God of the Underworld, I’d had my share of orgies. Sex was easy to come by when you were worshipped as a god. I’d begun to fear the disappointment that came each time my curse wasn’t broken. Each Persephone had been the wrong woman, and I could now recognize what a fool I’d been for believing oth
erwise. Love was a strange thing. What I felt for Persephone was like nothing I’d ever experienced.
“Penny for your thoughts.” Persephone’s words interrupted my musings.
I looked over at her as she sat beside me in Lucifer’s SUV. “What?” I asked.
“It’s an expression,” Persephone told me.
I laughed at her response. “Yes, I know it’s an expression. It’s not one I hear often.”
“It is an older expression,” Beatrice added.
“I take it you don’t plan to tell me what’s on your mind,” Persephone remarked.
“Will you give me a penny if I do?” I asked with a teasing grin.
“If you keep what’s on your mind to yourself, I’ll give you a million dollars,” Lucifer interrupted. “We all know what you’re thinking about. You and Persephone can discuss it later.”
“Lucifer!” Beatrice admonished. “Don’t embarrass Hades.”
“Me?” I asked. “Shouldn’t you be more worried about Persephone being embarrassed?”
“You must have figured out by now that very little embarrasses Persephone,” Beatrice pointed out. “Sex doesn’t embarrass her. If she’d used a curse word today, she might be embarrassed.”
I grinned and looked over at my witch who was turning bright red. “Don’t tell them about that,” she hissed.
“We can hear you, even when you whisper,” Beatrice stated. “What did she say?”
I chuckled. “I have no intention of sharing the details of our foreplay with you.” My eyes were still on Persephone, watching to see how she’d react. My witch didn’t disappoint.
“Hades likes it when I talk dirty,” Persephone explained.
Beatrice giggled. “I totally didn’t expect you to say that.”
“I did,” I replied with a grin.
Lucifer’s phone buzzed, and he put the call on speaker. I could already tell by the screams in the background that my evening with Persephone wasn’t going to end the way I’d hoped.
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