by Tina Folsom
Triton carried her into her bedroom and placed her onto the bed. When she tugged at her clothing, he captured her hands. “No, please, let me undress you. It’ll be my pleasure.”
She sighed contently and relaxed into the sheets. “When you helped me dress that first time, tell me what you were thinking then.”
He undid the button of her shorts and slid the zipper down. “I was counting myself the luckiest guy on this earth. And I had a huge hard-on. You would have probably fired me if you’d seen it.”
Her cheeks colored a beautiful shade of red. “Do you have a hard-on now?”
He chuckled. “Why don’t you tell me?” Triton took her hand and guided it to his groin, where his erection threatened to burst through the seams of his jeans. Her fingers travelled along his length before her palm settled over the bulge. Warmth flooded through him. “I’m always hard for you, agapi mou, my love. There hasn’t been a moment since I’ve met you that I didn’t want to take you into my arms and make love to you.”
“Why?”
“Why? Because you’re beautiful, and you’re brave and courageous. You never give up, you’re strong and determined. You’re a fighter, and you’re fair. And you’re generous. When Greg’s wife needed a job, you offered her one, even though you can barely afford to pay her. And despite Michael’s betrayal, you didn’t want him hurt. You have a good heart, you know that?” He’d never met anybody like her, and he admired her.
“But look at me, I’m a mess. I’m going blind, and there’s nothing the doctors can do. And I don’t know if I can ever get this Bed and Breakfast off the ground.”
Triton put his finger to her lips. “Stop worrying. I’m here now, and I’ll help you. Everything will be fine. I promise you that.”
Then he kissed her.
***
Sophia relaxed into his kiss. Was he really a god like he claimed? Of course not; after all, gods didn’t exist. But did it matter? Not really. He’d saved her life, he’d taken care of Michael, and now he made her feel safe and cherished. He wouldn’t hurt her. And he needed her. She could help him. Once he accepted that what he saw wasn’t real, she’d help him make the creatures vanish, just like she’d done for herself. Everything would be all right. And once he was better, she’d find out who he really was. And what did it really matter who he was? Her own cousin was a bad person, and she’d known him all her life. She didn’t know anything about Triton other than that he was good and that she wanted him. Maybe it was foolish to trust him, but she couldn’t deny him. Tonight she would forget about her doubts and only do what her heart asked for: to love him.
As the storm outside rattled against the window, she felt safe in Triton’s embrace. He peeled her out of her clothes with gentle and patient movements, the movements of a man who was sure of himself, certain that what he was unwrapping was his to take. Every time he uncovered more of her naked skin, he kissed the area as if greeting it and mapping it for further exploration.
“You’re more beautiful than any goddess I’ve ever seen.” He breathed against her navel. “I wish I could make you a goddess, but I promise you, I’ll treat you like one.”
She laughed softly. Yes, he was just as crazy as she’d once been. So she played along. “How does one treat a goddess?”
“You’re about to find out.”
A moment later, he covered her with his naked body, the hard ridge of his cock sliding over her mound of curls, rubbing ever so slightly against her clit. “I think I like being treated like a goddess.” She tilted her pelvis to meet him.
“I can feel that.” He pressed his shaft against her, harder this time. “I missed you the last two nights.”
His admission filled her with warmth. Triton didn’t have to say all these things—he already had her in bed; no more seduction was required. Yet, for him to tell her that he’d missed her, it meant something to her. It felt good, it felt honest, and it felt right. “I missed you too.”
His response was a kiss full of passion and desire. Triton slanted his lips and took hers, ravishing her. Sophia tasted the salt of the ocean in his kiss and smelled the sand. It was as if an ocean breeze engulfed her when his hands roamed her body, caressing, exploring, conquering her body and soul. No other man’s hands and mouth had ever made her feel this free and this cherished.
Sophia caressed the smooth skin on the back of his neck and felt him shiver. The thought that he was as affected by her touch as she was by his, made her heart beat in a violent staccato. His hips moved restlessly against her, making his cock drag against her sex, igniting an avalanche of heat inside her. When Sophia pulled back from his kiss, it was only to ask him for what she wanted. “I need you now.”
She couldn’t wait any longer. The need to feel him inside her, filling her, loving her, was growing too big to ignore.
“You’ve got me,” he whispered against her lips while he drew back his hips and lined up his cock at the wet entrance to her body. Slowly, he slid inside her, inch by inch, the walls of her tight channel stretching for him, inviting him deeper until she’d captured all of him. Then he stopped and exhaled.
“You’ve got me,” he repeated. “All of me.”
Triton’s lips fused with hers at the same time as he withdrew from her sheath, then thrust back in. And again.
***
Triton found his rhythm, and slowly and steadily pumped into her. He wanted to make this last, their first lovemaking after he’d confessed his identity. It was as if this was the first time he truly made love to her as himself, without deception, without pretense.
Sophia had accepted him despite her doubts. Nothing else mattered now. He’d won her back after he’d thought all was lost, after he’d almost lost her forever. Wanting to forget the painful memories, he ravished her mouth again, drinking in her sweet taste, glorying in the feel of her fingers dancing over his skin. Wherever she touched him, his body ignited in a firestorm until his entire body was one raging inferno, so hot he thought he’d incinerate.
With every thrust, she took him deeper into her body, her tight channel clenching around him, squeezing him like a tight fist. But he wouldn’t come, not yet. He wanted to prolong this physical connection with her, to enjoy it for as long as he could. And he wanted to give her every ounce of pleasure he was capable of. She needed it, she deserved it. He wanted her to forget the painful memories she carried, the disappointments she’d experienced.
For the first time in his long life, he wanted nothing for himself and everything for her. If he could bring joy and satisfaction into her life, maybe even happiness, he would be happy too.
Triton shifted his angle and pulled himself out of her.
“What’s wrong?” she asked, a hint of panic in her voice.
“Nothing, agapi mou. But I want this to last for you, and if you squeeze me so tightly, I’ll come before I can make you come.”
“But—”
He put his finger onto her lips. “It matters.”
Sophia relaxed back into the pillow, and Triton settled between her spread thighs. His hand went to her pussy, finding her clit instantly. It was fully engorged. He flicked his finger against it and elicited a not so subtle moan from Sophia.
“You like that?”
“Yes.”
“Good.” Triton took his shaft into his hand and guided it to her clit. He was slick with her juices and slid easily against her hard little button.
“Oh, God, yes,” she rasped.
“You may call me Triton—I think we’re past all formalities,” he joked.
A soft chuckle was her response before another strangled moan left her throat as he continued to slide his shaft against her clit, up and down. First softly and slowly, then faster and with more pressure. And all the while he held onto his control. The muscles in his neck and shoulders bulged from the strain of holding back, but it was worth it. Every breathless moan he coaxed from her gave him more satisfaction than he could have ever imagined.
“Please, now, insi
de, Triton.” Her wish was urgent, and he didn’t hesitate. With one swift move, he plunged back into her, riding her harder than before, reaching deeper. He felt every cell in her body, felt a merging of more than just their flesh. He felt closer to her than he’d ever felt to another being.
The moment her muscles seized and contracted around him, his control shattered into a million pieces, and he let himself go. He exploded inside her, his cock shooting its seed into her in hot and eager spurts. And with every wave of her orgasm, he came again. When the explosions in his body subsided, he buried his face in her neck and nuzzled kisses on her skin.
“By the gods, I’ve never felt anything this amazing,” he confessed.
Her hand buried itself in his hair. “I love you.” Her whisper was so soft he barely heard it.
Triton lifted his head with a jolt. “What did you just say?”
“I love you.”
“You love me?” She loved him? Sophia loved him? “You love me!” He shouted it out, wanting everybody in the world to hear it. “Sophia!” His heart felt like exploding, like it was too full to keep what was inside. He captured her lips, kissing her like a madman, like a starving man who’d just discovered there was food and water and couldn’t get enough of it.
A loud sound interrupted him. Triton turned his head and saw a branch hitting the window repeatedly. The storm had kicked up and was whipping the coast and this city.
The storm!
Triton had forgotten everything about it. He rolled off Sophia and sat up.
“The storm.” He had to calm it. And with Sophia’s love, he knew he could. He’d fulfilled Zeus’ challenge and should have his powers back.
“Conch shell,” he called out while stretching out his open palm. But nothing appeared. His hand remained empty. “Conch shell,” he repeated, but nothing happened. Panic traveled up his naked back. Why couldn’t he conjure a simple shell?
“What are you doing?” Sophia sat up next to him.
“It’s not working. Why isn’t it working?” He was talking to himself.
“Why is what not working?” Confusion laced her voice.
Triton turned to her. “I should have my powers back. I should be able to calm the storm now, but I can’t even conjure up a conch shell. I don’t understand it.” He ran his hand through his damp hair and felt Sophia press a kiss on his shoulder. But the touch wasn’t enough to soothe his distress. If his powers weren’t back …
“Triton, forget about it. You don’t have to prove anything to me. I love you, and I don’t care who you are.”
He looked at her and recognized the sincerity in her face—she spoke the truth; she loved him. “But, that’s just it. If you love me no matter what, then I should have my godly powers back.”
She smoothed her hands over his tense shoulders, alternately massaging and kissing them. Her soft lips and her tender fingers felt like heaven, when outside the house the storm raged, creating hell for the coast.
“Stop thinking,” she urged him. “Not everything can be explained rationally. Whatever your powers may be, if you had them before, they’ll come back. Just give it time.”
“But there is no time.” He rose and walked to the window. All he could see was the relentless rain. “People will die. I have to save them. It’s my duty.”
The rustling of the sheets told him that Sophia had left the bed. A moment later, she stood next to him and took his hand. Her voice was soft and soothing when she spoke. “You can’t save anybody if you don’t save yourself first. Don’t you know that? You’re a lost soul. You have to find your way home first before you can help anybody else.”
He turned his face to her. Her words were so similar to those his father had spoken. Hadn’t he said something about finding his home and forgetting about the storm? “But all the devastation out there. I have to do something.”
Sophia pressed his hand to her face and kissed it. “Triton, accept that you are a man. A man I love. Calming the storm is outside your powers.”
Triton tossed another look at the window and the storm beyond it. He’d failed. Yet, as much as he regretted his failure, another part of his heart rejoiced. He’d won Sophia’s love. “Do you truly love me?”
“Yes.”
He prayed for the lives that would be lost, and he promised he would make amends one day when he had the power to do so. But Zeus hadn’t given him his powers back, and for now, he was only human. And the woman beside him had offered her heart to him, and by the gods, he wanted that heart, and he wanted her love.
Triton turned to her and wrapped his arms around her. “I want your love, more than I ever thought I could want anything in this world.”
When he kissed her and took her back to bed, he let everything else melt away. Only the two of them existed, wrapped in a cocoon of desire, passion, and affection. His hands explored her, his lips worshipped her. She was his goddess, even if he wasn’t a god anymore. Even if Zeus had deserted him and stranded him on this earth, Triton was happy for the first time in his life. Happy for one reason only: Sophia loved him.
He’d never understood what others meant when they talked about love, but he understood it now. The love of the woman currently urging his cock to penetrate her, was the only thing that mattered to Triton now. As long as she loved him, as long as he could make her happy, his world would be perfect. He didn’t need to be a god, because she made him feel like a man. A man, who belonged and had found his home.
“I’m yours, agapi mou,” he whispered in her ear and surged into her, taking her more fiercely this time. His body joined with hers, and he felt as if floating on a cloud. Ecstasy drove him higher, desire and passion fuelled his ascent. His skin sizzled from the contact with her hands and lips. And his shaft impaled her time after time, never tiring, never stopping, eager to please her and surrender to her.
In her arms he felt whole and complete. With her kisses she appeased his longing. When her channel tightened around him, he surrendered to her love and let his climax wash over him. His cock pulsated, filling her with his essence as his lips released what his heart had known for a while now.
“I love you, Sophia. I love you with all my heart.” The words felt right, rolling off his tongue with ease despite their newness.
He saw her eyes well up at his admission and kissed the unshed tears away. “Get used to me saying that to you, because it’s true and it feels good.”
Before he could kiss her again, he felt a bolt of electricity hit him and shoot from the top of his head all the way through him. His body convulsed from the impact. With difficulty, he managed to roll to his side so he wouldn’t hurt Sophia. The crippling pain only lasted a few seconds before it vanished. Left was the knowledge of what had happened.
“Triton, what’s wrong?” Sophia’s panicked voice reached his ears.
His powers were back. He could sense the ocean calling to him, asking for his help. And he heard the cries of the people endangered by the storm.
Triton reached for her hand and squeezed it in reassurance. “Everything’s fine, my love.” Then he stood and stretched out his hand. “Conch shell.” Out of nowhere, a beautifully formed coral colored conch shell appeared in his palm.
With two steps, he was at the window and opened it. The wind and rain blew in, but he stood firm despite the elements lashing at his naked body. There was no time to lose.
Triton set the shell to his lips and blew. The melody was a simple one, but the ocean recognized it and was appeased.
***
Sophia watched Triton stand in front of the open window, holding something to his face. The melody he created passed over the noise of the storm. It felt as if the sound coaxed and cajoled the winds and the clouds.
The strange energy emitting from Triton now was something she’d seen before. No, not really seen, but felt. Whenever she’d seen one of the gods or otherworldly creatures, she’d felt that same energy buzzing from them.
Sophia swung her legs out of bed. What was hap
pening right in front of her was impossible, yet she knew she wasn’t dreaming.
By the time she reached the open window, the rain had already stopped and the wind that had whipped the trees earlier was withdrawing.
She turned away from the window and stared at Triton. When he’d despaired earlier about not having his powers, she’d merely tried to calm him, hoping this episode of hallucination would pass. She hadn’t believed a word he’d said. All she’d wanted was to help him heal. Yet he didn’t need any help.
“Oh, my God, you are a god, aren’t you? Just like you said.”
“Are you trying to tell me you didn’t believe me earlier?” There was surprise in Triton’s voice.
One side of her mouth tilted up. “Of course I didn’t believe you.” Had he really thought anybody in their right mind would believe his fantastic claims?
“Then why did you even take me back if you thought I was lying to you?”
“I just thought you were as crazy as I am. But—”
Triton burst out in a hearty laugh and lifted her into his arms, spinning them both into a circle. “You thought I was crazy? And you love me anyway? And now, do you still love me even though I’m a god?”
She ran her hands through his hair. If he was a god, what on earth did he want with her? “The question is: do you still love me now that your powers are back?”
He brushed his lips to hers. “Let me show you how much I love you.” He carried her the short distance to the bed and lowered them. “A little warning though. Now that I have my powers back, I won’t get tired very easily.”
“Oh, God.”
Thirty-Four
Triton felt a hand on his shoulder, shaking him lightly. Was Sophia trying to wake him to make love again? Frankly, he wasn’t going to object.
“Agapi mou,” he whispered and opened his eyes and was awake with a start.
“I guess that endearment wasn’t meant for me,” Eros said from beside the bed.