by R. Scarlett
My heart beat in my chest, in my head, in my fingertips and I couldn’t look away from him.
“Semper fidelis,” I said, softly.
But by the way his head snapped toward me, his eyes catching mine in wide blue shock, he heard me.
His stare was powerful, forcing me to stay still. His mouth parted, but he didn’t speak.
For once, Nathaniel was rendered speechless in front of me.
He knew exactly what I had just spoken in Latin.
Speaking in another language, speaking in Latin to each other seemed so intimate, so personal and exposing. Only the two of us knew.
Always faithful. Always loyal.
Because he was. He was loyal to a select few and that loyalty was so powerful it ruined men and immortals.
And the fact I was in that select few made my heart pound.
I lowered my gaze, I could feel the weight of his on me like the sun burning my skin.
We sat in silence and then he moved, steering the boat and turning us around and back to the estate.
Maybe I had said the wrong thing. Maybe I had broken whatever spell was between us and he felt suffocated by someone like me.
I kept my eyes away from him, focused on the shore fast approaching.
When we docked and he stepped out to tie the boat up, I didn’t waste a second and hopped out, walking away.
“Juliette,” he called, but I didn’t stop.
His hand wrapped around my forearm and he spun me around. “Don’t walk away. Please.”
“I’m sorry if I made you uncomfortable, I was just—“
“No.” His voice was harsh and I glanced up into his stormy gaze. “You just shocked me. I wasn’t…I wasn’t expecting you to say that to me. To think that about me.”
I froze, staring back at him. He looked at me like I had said something more powerful than anything he had ever heard before.
I licked my mouth, tasting the salty water on them. “You were supposed to be my enemy.”
His mouth quirked. “You were never my enemy, Juliette. Maybe that’s why.”
His thumb pressed just below my eye and he wiped a tear away. I wanted to fight him, I wanted to pretend that my heart beating inside of me was from my hatred of him and him alone, but I knew as he kissed me, my heart had already begun to betray my mind.
Soon, my mind would follow.
Weeks had gone by too fast and our affair started to become unclear. We spent each night together at the white cottage. He never slept in his suite. The floors of the cottage were no longer worn and broken; they were now fresh, dark hardwood and new white paint lined the walls from workers renovating.
Both of us slept together in the tiny cottage, bodies tangled, hands brushing over each other in soft, comfortable gestures. Each morning when the sun rose, I found myself wishing I could stay in his arms, stay in the darkness and live there with him.
Somehow, I had given him my body, my soul, and now my heart.
I didn’t know how or when it had happened.
As I laid in his arms, too afraid to fall asleep, too afraid to miss another second of our time together, I traced his jaw with my finger.
“How did you become friends with them?” I asked.
He stared at the ceiling, stroking my bare back with the tips of his fingers. “Who?”
“The American Gods,” I said, smiling at how silly the name was.
His fingers paused. “My family was friends with the Eastons, Gabe’s family. We grew up together. I earned his trust. I keep their secrets safe.”
“Secrets?”
His features grew hard. “Everyone wants to know every single detail about them. It’s a dark touchy subject. I respect that.”
I nodded, rubbing his arm. I could feel the tension the question had brought on.
“I give them my loyalty and they give me theirs. That’s how we work,” he whispered, staring off into the dark room. I could almost hear the waves rolling onto the beach. “We only let a few people into our inner circle. But once they’re let in, we’ll protect them.”
We only had two weeks until summer ended and we had to return to Yale. Two weeks until this summer affair ended and we were done giving into our distractions.
You’re a distraction to him, Juliette. Nothing else.
I knew what kind of man he was. He was determined, just like me, and he wouldn’t stop at anything to get what he wanted.
Not even love.
“You said you never saw me as your enemy, but did you ever hate me?” I asked. “You always seemed so keen on destroying my every argument.”
He hummed and caught my hand, bringing it to his lips. He kissed my palm gently. “I never hated you, Juliette.”
“You always pointed out everything wrong in my arguments, in front of everyone,” I said, lowering my eyes.
“I was an ass because I wanted to see you light up,” he said, touching my cheek and running his fingers through my hair.
“See me light up?” I raised my head, resting on my hand.
“All those heated arguments, watching your eyes flare, the fire burning inside of you, it got me hard so many times. I wanted to kiss your lips when you were lecturing me on the importance of the Roman Empire or China’s reform or the flaws in our government,” he spoke, lost in thought, still combing my hair. I felt weightless, breathless in his presence, listening to his words. “No woman has ever had such an intense effect on me.” His eyes lifted and sought mine, heated and dark and endless. “Just you, Juliette. And I want more of it.”
I toyed with my necklace and his hand reached out, grabbing my own in his. I stared at the man before me, uncertain. Afraid of what he was saying. My heart couldn’t take it if it was a lie.
I swallowed, leaned forward and kissed his soft lips.
Two weeks.
The white party was in full swing. Every guest was dressed in pristine white gowns and suits as Frank Sinatra sung in the background.
Lights hung overhead, glistening in the darkening evening.
I walked around, holding a tray of champagne in flutes, offering them to each guest.
I spotted Nathaniel, amongst the crowd, surrounded by powerful, wealthy people.
I wanted him, but I was afraid to admit it. To say it first. Because I wanted him to want more from me. I wanted him to say it wasn’t over once we left and returned back to Yale.
Taking a deep breath, I looked away and continued wearing a mask I had mastered years ago.
Someone tapped my shoulder. “Ms. Monroe.”
I glanced back to see Senator Scott. Shivers ran down my back, but I managed to force a polite smile.
“Senator,” I said, nodding a hello but internally I cringed. “How can I help you?”
He flashed me a smile, showcasing all his perfect white teeth and reached over, his elbow brushing across my chest, startling me. He grabbed a flute, his eyes flitting to mine, his smile now faint.
“Simply admiring your beautiful features is helpful,” he whispered and took a greedy gulp of the champagne. I noted his eyes were unfocused, wild and the tips of his ears were bright red.
The tray shook in my hands. “Excuse me. I need to get more champagne.” It wasn’t a lie; he had just taken the last one, but I needed to get away from him.
I moved past him and back through the manor, setting the empty tray down on the front desk counter.
As I walked toward the kitchen, I breathed in and out slowly, trying to calm myself down. After a few more breaths, I finally felt myself relax. I had almost reached the busy kitchen when Nathaniel walked out of a room and grabbed my hand, forcing me to follow him into a dark room.
Before I could say a word, my back was pressed against the now-closed oak door, his mouth on mine as he stole the words out of me.
His hands stroked upward into my hair and clenched, bringing me flush against his strong frame. There was such fervor in his movements, so much burning, desperate passion.
“Nathaniel,” I
gasped between a kiss.
His mouth pressed a kiss behind my ear, then I felt his warm, delicious tongue lick the length of my ear before he took the lobe in his mouth. I pressed my thighs together, shivering.
“What are you doing?” I asked, trying to sound stern but failing when a deep moan broke through my words. “We can’t—”
He kissed his way down my throat, leaving sinful trails of wetness behind. Growling deeply, one of his hands went to my ass, lifting me up with one arm until I wrapped my legs around him. Like this, we were connected in the best of ways, but there were too many layers between us and it did nothing to tame the fire burning deep in my core. I couldn’t see straight—couldn’t think straight.
“We can’t do this here, we could get caught.”
“You’ve been fucking me with your eyes all night, Juliette,” he whispered, dragging his nose up my neck once more. “Did you think I wouldn’t do something about it?”
Both hands were grasping my hips now and he moved us to the office desk, ignoring the papers and pens scattered about.
His hips settled in-between my legs in this new position, forcing my skirt to roll up higher, exposing my panties to him.
“Nathaniel, I’m working.” I rolled my head back as his bent, kissing my bare inner thigh and moving closer to my aching core.
His fingers pushed my panties to the side and he glanced up at me, a wicked glint in his eyes. “Are you saying I should stop, Juliette?”
I swallowed thickly, unable to look away, unable to stop craving his fingers stroking me.
I shook my head and he smirked, bringing that smug grin to my most intimate warmth.
My fingers dug into the ancient wood desk. His finger and tongue worked together, stroking deep, flicking ever so slightly on my clit.
I felt like I was about to split open under the pressure building inside me. I was captive to this insatiable growing need and I wasn’t sure I ever wanted to be set free.
“You’re a god, Nathaniel Radcliffe,” I gasped, my fingers tangling in his dark mane, pulling hard. “A filthy god.”
He hummed against me and my voice cracked.
He lifted one of my legs over his shoulder, making me open farther for him and devoured me with even more ardor. He was a man on a mission, driven by his own need to conquer, take, bend to his will and I was boneless, weak to his touch, to his mouth, to his voice and just like that, I came undone, cursing and blessing him all at once.
He stood, cradling my sated body, smirking down at me.
“A filthy god, huh?” His smile stretched as a blush spread across my features. He bent down, pressing a gentle kiss to my burning cheek. “I’d prefer that to Nathaniel. Maybe I should make you call me that in bed from now on.”
I glared, rolling my eyes and shoved him back so I could fix myself before returning to the party. “You had me in a weak, desperate position.”
He leaned against the desk, watching me flatten my skirt. My eyes darted to his crotch. His pants didn’t hide the large erection, straining against the luxurious fabric. When I looked back up at him, he was smirking.
“A weak, desperate position.” He seemed to think that over. “I’ll remember that for later tonight.”
“Or perhaps I should give you a taste of your own medicine? See the things Nathaniel Radcliffe is ready to say when he’s the one in a weak, desperate position.”
I approached him slowly, lazily, and loved the dangerously arousing spark in his eyes when he realized I was lowering myself to my knees.
I licked my lips provocatively, knowing all too well what I was doing to him. Unknowingly, he’d challenged me, and I never backed down from a challenge.
I was going to make him come harder than ever before.
He growled, fist curled in restraint and anticipation. “Juliette—”
“Shh…”
His eyes were two pools of red, hot lava as my fingers toyed with the zipper of his pants before pulling it down so, so, so slowly. “It’s my turn.”
My wanton desire was the master of my every move. Desire to please this man that I’d fallen in love with. To tease and lick and suck and kiss every last inch of him until he gave me his all.
When I finally took his hard length out of his pants and briefs, red and angry and beautiful, my mouth watered at the swollen crown. He let out a pained breath, watching me fiercely.
My mouth was nothing but a breath away from him now, so close, but not quite close enough.
“How does it feel to finally have me on my knees for you, Nathaniel,” I said lowly, careful not to touch him. He growled my name out, like a prayer or a curse. One of his hands was gripping the edge of the desk, knuckles white as it shook. His other hand flew to my head, tangling in my hair. He pulled on it, not hard enough to hurt, but hard enough to make a point.
“Stop fucking teasing and let me fuck your mouth,” he snapped, but the words held no bite, only consuming, unspent desire. I laughed playfully, sending little puffs of air on his hot, sensitive flesh. When his fingers tightened further in my hair, my tongue finally met with his swollen fat tip. Sliding through his slit before I sucked the head in my mouth. I heard him try to breathe out, but it came out uneven.
“Fuck,” he hissed and tangled his fingers into my hair, gripping it into a makeshift ponytail.
His saltiness filled my mouth and I drew him in deeper, my eyes growing wet with tears. But I didn’t stop. I slid him out, a sticky wet string of saliva and precum dangled from his glistening cock to my parted lips.
He tugged at my hair, glaring down at the sight of his angry red cock and my wet lips.
“That mouth could bring past empires to their knees,” he said lowly, using his free hand to hold himself at the base of his cock. He traced my lips with his head slowly and then he popped just the crown of it into my mouth.
I sucked, my tongue flicking the hot slit again, and then I pulled him deeper, licking the underside of his veiny shaft.
I continued to swirl my tongue around his sensitive head, enjoying his grunts, his moans, his hips arching and thrusting to go deeper, for me to take him to a high we only got with each other. Either debating or having sex.
My vision blurred when he hit the back of my throat, but I forced myself to look up at him. I didn’t want to look away from his warlike glare as he grew vicious and rough, his cock swelling and pulsing with need.
A need only I could satisfy.
The sloshing, the sound of his flesh and my wet mouth filled the room, along with my breathless gasps, his low grunts.
My fingers slid down my thighs and I rubbed them along my hot core, aching to find my release with him.
He caught that and his eyes grew dark and deadly and his hips moved faster, his grip on my hair tight as he used it to go faster.
I moaned around him, humming as my release grew closer.
The smacking of his flesh, the suction of my mouth around him—sent us both over the edge and he erupted in my mouth. Warm and salty and bitter.
His heavy breathing filled the room and I looked up to meet his heated eyes.
Then I swallowed.
“Fuck,” he hissed and gripped my forearms, yanking me up. He kissed me, his tongue plunging into my mouth, tasting himself. He pressed his forehead to mine, sweaty and hot, our pants blending together. “For the first time in my fucking existence, I have no words.”
I laughed, breathless and kissed his open mouth. “I need to get back to work.”
I turned to leave, but his hand wrapped around my arm and pulled me into his embrace.
He stared down at me with soft, warm eyes. Slowly, he kissed my cheek. “You’re just as filthy when you want to be, sweetheart.”
Nathaniel let me go, stuffing his hands into his pockets and I stared back at him. My chest felt heavy, so close to bursting wide open and all because of that damn man.
I turned, left the room before he could see he’d stolen my heart. My fingers touched my cheek. His touch had been
soft and gentle and meaningful and I gripped my shirt.
I sank back into the shadows, underneath the staircase and held my breath. I watched Nathaniel leave the room and walk back to the party, his features composed and steeled.
Did he feel the same?
Did he want more?
I moved out from underneath the staircase and rolled my shoulders back.
“Ms. Monroe?” I flinched at the sudden voice and glanced behind me to see Senator Scott looking at me with a smug smile.
“Senator,” I said, catching my breath and plastering on a fake smile.
“I seem to have misplaced my cell phone. The last time I saw it was in the study.” He gestured to the room Nathaniel and I had just been in. My pulse sped. He wore a soft smile. “Would you mind helping me search for it?”
I nodded. “Of course not,” I said, gesturing for him to lead the way.
We walked back into the study and I looked around the desk and leather couches.
When I bent down to look by the couch, I felt Senator Scott right behind me. His front pressed to the curve of my ass, and I froze. My brain seemed to empty out completely like it couldn’t process what was happening. It wasn’t until I felt a large hand palm one of my breasts through my work clothes that I jerked into panic mode, finally unfreezing.
I turned around fast, confused and uncomfortable. When I backed up, trying to put as much distance between the two of us as possible, the back of my thighs hit the couch.
“Senator,” I said, cautioning him, trying to reason with him, with myself, with this whole situation—
He grinned and it was full of lust and arrogance and I felt my body starting to shake. He breathed out. He was so close to me—too close—and I smelled the whiskey on his tongue. “I’ve been watching you all summer, Juliette. And I rather like what I’ve been seeing.”
I swallowed thickly, not liking his tone or the way his eyes scanned me like a starving dog eyed a piece of fresh meat before pouncing on it.
When he reached out once more and his hand touched my hip, I swatted it away.
“Don’t you dare look so offended at my touch, darling. I just saw you service that rich kid in here,” he growled, unpleased at my defiance.