"What?" she asked.
"You."
She nodded, started unfastening the buttons on her top, looking down, her face burning. She'd never felt more virginal in her life, not with the way he'd been looking at her, her nervousness that was about to overwhelm her.
She was about to do Gaia knows what with a god.
"Meghan," he said, and she shifted her gaze to his. "You don't have to if you don't want to, love."
"I want to," she said. "I'm just nervous. I can't think of a single thing I've wanted more in my life," she said, keeping her eyes on his, trying to make sure he knew she meant it. She was happy to see him visibly relax.
She knew he needed to hear it. Molly had been right about that. She swallowed, ignored the blush creeping over her body, and continued undressing as she talked. "I have fantasized about what it would be like to make love to you since the first time we met. Do you remember how Nain said I wanted to jump your bones?" She had her top and bra off now, and the hungry way he looked at her made her ache with need. He gave a small nod in answer to her question.
"Well, he was right. I mean, he's a telepath, right?" She started pushing her pants down over her hips, and he groaned. "I've wondered what it would be like to feel your lips on my body, to be under you, to have you inside me," she continued softly. Seductress, she was not, but she hoped to hell she was doing a decent job of making him see how much she wanted him. "I love everything about you, Hephaestus. I love your eyes. I love your lips, and your strong shoulders and your immensely grabbable butt. I love the way you kiss me, the way you look at me. I love the way I feel when I'm with you. I love the way you get so involved in something that just about everything else ceases to exist. I wonder if you'll be that way when you make love to me," she said, standing before him, naked, her heart pounding as his eyes trailed over her body.
"Why don't you come in here so you can find out, you amazing, gorgeous woman," he said. She nodded, and she watched his face as she climbed into the tub. She faced him, settled herself on his thighs, and the second she was near enough, he took her chin gently in his hand and leaned in for a kiss so tender, so hungry, that it took her breath away.
"I love you, Hephaestus," she whispered against his lips, and he stilled. Frozen.
Then he rested his forehead against hers. "Now I know I'm dreaming," he said quietly.
"Nope. I love you. I have loved you since that first day in the diner. It hit me hard, and it scared the hell out of me." She kissed his cheek, and down his jawline to his neck, loving the scent of him, the way his pulse leapt under her lips. "I love you," she repeated. She kissed him again, lapped at the skin at the base of his throat, reveled in the stubble on his chin lightly abrading the side of her face as she kissed him. "I love you," she murmured again. She kissed her way back up his neck. His heart was pounding, the look in his eyes when she faced him again heartbreaking in its tenderness.
"I love you too, Meghan," he said softly. "It scares the hell out of me, how much I love you."
She cupped water in her hands, let it trickle into his hair. Repeated it, then sank her fingers into his dark mane, massaging his scalp.
"You have nothing to fear from me," she said, keeping her eyes on his. "I will never hurt you. Never betray you. I will never, ever make you feel unloved. I will spend the rest of my life loving you, Hephaestus."
"A lifetime won't be long enough," he murmured. Leaning forward, his lips caressing hers.
"It's what we have," she said, and then she stopped moving her hands. He opened his eyes.
"What's wrong?"
"Is that going to be a problem?" she asked. "I didn't even think..."
He pulled her closer, bringing her body into close contact with his.
"I will accept whatever you can give me, love," he said. "And, if the time comes that you decide a normal human lifespan isn't enough, we can figure something out. But that will be up to you, not me."
She felt his body, hard and very, very distracting. She shifted a little against him, and he groaned.
"I want this. Please," she whispered, pressing closer, so he was very nearly inside her.
"That makes two of us," he said, and she loved the way he smiled at her. "But you said something about wanting me on top of you," he said, "and I have been fantasizing about having your gorgeous body under mine."
"Then we need a bed," Meghan said, smiling and nipping his lip gently.
Faster than she would have imagined, he stood up, taking her with him, and carried her into the bedroom, both of them still dripping rivulets of bath water. She laughed and buried her face against his neck.
And when he laid her down, he wasted no time in settling himself over her, and she cradled his hips between her thighs. His gaze was locked on hers, and she swore she'd forgotten how to breathe.
Slowly, gently, he sheathed himself inside her. She whispered his name, and he leaned down, claimed her lips again. And when he thrusted the rest of the way inside her, they both groaned in relief. He stayed, just like that, pressed so deep inside her she no longer knew where he started and she began.
She suspected she'd feel that way for the rest of her life.
"Please," Meghan whispered," and Hephaestus started moving his hips, each thrust bringing her closer to the edge she'd been barely managing since the moment she'd met him.
Gods, she was beautiful. That was the only thought he could manage as Hephaestus watched her beneath him, as her body welcomed his, as her eyes stayed locked on his as they loved one another.
She loved him.
The thought was enough to make him want to roar in victory, hold her tight, and worship every inch of her. As it was, he could barely form a coherent thought, her body warm and tight around him, her curves lush and welcoming in his hands. Her whispered murmurs, the way she kept whimpering his name.
He could feel her tightening around him, her breathing elevated, her cries getting more high-pitched, and he thrusted deeper, changing the angle just a bit, just enough to... oh, yes.
She cried his name, ending on a wail as her body convulsed around him, and it was enough to push him over the edge, and he started thrusting harder, pushing deeper into her, and she was moaning his name over and over again like a prayer. His release tore through him, and he shouted her name, ground into her hard as he rode it out, so intense he could barely see straight.
When he was spent, when he came back to his senses, he slowed his movements and looked at Meghan, beneath him, her hands clawing at his shoulders, her legs locked tight around his hips. Her eyes had a glazed, faraway look, and her lips were plump and red from his kisses. A beautiful pink flush graced her features.
"Hephaestus," she murmured, and her voice was hoarse, almost dreamy.
"Meghan," he answered, the only thing he knew to say, the sweetest two syllables in this realm or any other. He made to get up, and she held him tight. "Don't go," she murmured, and he lowered himself, wrapped her tight in his arms.
"Never, love. You are stuck with me, my beautiful Earth-witch," he said, burying his face in the side of her neck, nuzzling her, loving the floral, clean, natural scent of her.
"I better be," she said. She kissed his temple, let out a contented sigh. "Stay with me."
"Always."
When Meghan woke up a while later, she was wrapped in Hephaestus's arms, snuggled against his chest. He was on his side, facing her, and, at some point, she had thrown her leg over his hip, as if there was no such thing as close enough.
Because there wasn't.
She watched him sleep, his prominent brow smooth in sleep, the faint crease in the center the only indication of the way he so often furrowed his brow when he was thinking. He was so warm, it felt like lying next to an electric blanket.
Which was perfect, since she was always cold.
Her body still thrummed, still ached pleasantly from their lovemaking. She smiled to herself, reveled in the sensation. She reached up, traced her fingertips along his jaw, and he instan
tly held her tighter. She watched as he slowly opened his eyes, those beautiful nearly-ebony eyes focusing on her.
"Hello there," he said, and she smiled.
"Hi," she said. "And can I just say, whoa?" she added, and he laughed and held her tighter.
They lay there, eyes locked on one another, in each other's arms, as if they were the only two beings in existence. A concerned look crossed his face.
"What is it?" Meghan asked, hoping, praying, that he wasn't regretting what had happened between them.
"We sort of destroyed your house, love," he answered. She nodded, feeling the cool breeze through the broken walls and windows in the living room blow over her shoulder.
"We did," she said. "And then there's the body."
"I will have someone take care of that," Hephaestus said. "Eros will probably help. Or Molly. One way or the other, we'll get rid of every sign of him." His gaze hardened. "Can't undo what he did to you, though. I wish I could."
"I don't expect you to," Meghan said, running her fingers through his hair. The strands were like silk through her fingers, jet black.
"I know." They were silent for a few moments. "As I was saying. We destroyed your house. I can fix it easily enough if you want me to, and you can go back to the way things were."
"Thanks," Meghan said, trying to disguise the disappointment in her voice.
"I wasn't finished, love," he said. He leaned down and kissed her again. "There is another option."
"And that is?"
"You put up with my disorganized self, and share my life with me. I'll even clean for you, if you want it. You can hang your herbs and make your soaps and syrups and I'll make crazy shit and then at night we can fall into bed together... if you want to," he finished, more quietly.
"Do you want that?" she asked, still running her fingers through his mane.
"More than I've ever wanted anything." He groaned. "Gods, do I sound needy — "
"Hephaestus."
"What?"
"Yes. I want that, too. And you don't have to change anything for me. We'll figure out how to live together."
"I'm a mess, love."
"That makes two of us."
He laughed, and kissed her, and she let herself melt in his arms again.
And it felt like she was finally home.
THE END
Read more about Meghan and Heph in the Hidden Series.
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For backstory material, news, and upcoming events be sure to check out http://www.colleenvanderlinden.com/hidden
About the Author
Colleen Vanderlinden is the author of the Hidden and Soulhunter urban fantasy series, as well as the Copper Falls paranormal romance series. The third Hidden novel, Home, was a finalist for RT Book Reviews’ Editors Choice Awards for best self-published urban fantasy novel of 2014. Her books have consistently received positive reviews, and RT Book Reviews has called her storytelling “electrifying.” She lives in the Detroit area with her husband, kids, demonic Basset hound, and two lazy cats. You can find out more about Colleen’s books at colleenvanderlinden.com, or follow her on Twitter, where she’s @C_Vanderlinden and Facebook.
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Books by
Colleen Vanderlinden
The StrikeForce Series
A New Day
One More Day
The Copper Falls Series
Shadow Witch Rising
Shadow Sworn
The Hidden: Soulhunter Series
Guardian
Betrayer
The Hidden Series
Book One: Lost Girl
Book Two: Broken
Book Three: Home
Book Four: Strife
Book Five: Nether
Hidden Series Novellas
Forever Night
Earth Bound
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Earth Bound: A Hidden Novella Page 11