“He’s still an asshole, but not a real asshole.” She waited for the ground to shake again. It remained nice and stable, just the way she liked it.
“Noted.” Ares set her down and looked her over. “Now what was this about a packing discrepancy?”
She blushed and wished she had never mentioned it. In her haste to leave her apartment with Ares, and in her lust-addled state, she had forgotten to pack some very basic items.
Underwear.
When she had told him that, he had smiled wickedly and said he wouldn’t mind her going commando. While he might find the thought of her parading around without any underwear beneath her clothes appealing, she found it highly uncomfortable. But still, fetching her underwear meant returning to her apartment, and that daemon, Amaury, knew where she lived.
Her gaze zipped to the outside world.
“Daemons don’t like the sun, Megan,” Ares said as though he had read her mind and knew her fear and she nodded.
It reassured her whenever he told her that, but each time it only calmed her for a few minutes, until she started wondering what would happen if clouds marred the endless blue sky and the sun went away.
He grabbed a fresh black t-shirt from the long onyx chest of drawers that lined the dividing wall and pulled it on, hiding his body from her eyes. She tried to calm herself as she tugged her dark blue jeans on and then her socks and trainers. She tied the laces, repeating in her head that it was sunny and daemons didn’t like the sun. Amaury had run away when it had been rising that morning. He wouldn’t come after her, and even if he did, she had Ares with her.
“We could just go shopping for new underwear,” Ares said with a naughty smile. “I think I owe you some.”
He did, but shopping meant spending more time out in the open and that meant there was a greater chance of it clouding over and Amaury coming after her.
Megan shook her head. “You can still owe me.”
The smile he gave her said that he was thinking about very naughty underwear and she rolled her eyes at him.
“Ready?” He held out his hand and she nodded but a bubble of fear rose up and burst inside her. “I’ll keep you safe, Sweetheart.”
She took a deep breath and muttered, “I hate this bit.”
He smiled, wide and charming, the sort that made her insides flip and heat. “How about we go to your place without teleporting?”
Without teleporting? She supposed they could take a taxi or public transport, but it would take a while to get to her apartment. She wanted to get there quickly. The fire in his eyes faded and he looked across at his motorcycle.
His gaze slid back to her, dark and sexy, hitting her with the force of a tidal wave. “How about a ride?”
Her stomach fluttered and she nodded, feeling lighter inside.
“I haven’t ridden it in a long time but I know it starts.” He walked away from her, pulled open one of the drawers in the bedroom and rifled through it. He held a dark charcoal grey jumper out in front of him and then tugged it on over his head, and then grabbed a thick black woollen jumper and came back to her. He tossed it at her and she caught it. “Put that on.”
Megan did as instructed. The jumper was huge on her but she didn’t care. It was warm and smelled faintly of him. She pressed the collar of the top against her nose and breathed it in.
“I’ll take the bike down and come back for you.” He crossed the room to the beautiful black classic motorcycle, slung his leg over it and had barely sat down on the black leather saddle before he disappeared in a swirl of black smoke.
A second later, he was back, charming as he smiled at her and stalked across the room. She smiled back at him, still fluttering inside at the thought of going on his motorcycle, tucked close to his hard broad body, feeling him under her fingers.
He slid his arm around her waist, pulled her up to him, and meshed their lips in a brief, hard kiss.
“You look as though you’re about to pounce on me,” he murmured against her lips and she couldn’t deny that the thought had crossed her mind once or twice since he had mentioned taking a ride.
He took hold of her hand and linked their fingers, and she marvelled at how safe such a small gesture made her feel. She loved the feel of his strong hand in hers, their fingers locked together, palms pressing against each other. The tightness of his grip made her feel he would never let her go and would keep his promise that what they had was forever.
She followed him out of his apartment and it felt strange to cross the threshold in a conventional manner and watch him lock the door. He pocketed his keys and then led her towards the elevators. There was already a couple in the car that arrived and they gave Ares and her a confused look, as though trying to place them or wondering whether they were even residents in the building. She couldn’t blame them. Ares had probably never used the stairs or the elevators.
The doors closed and Ares pulled her close to him and kissed her the whole time they were heading down to the lobby. In the past, she would have found kissing in front of strangers highly uncomfortable, but she was starving for the feel of his lips against hers and took advantage of every second that his mouth was on hers. The doors opened and she caught a glimpse of the horrified expressions on the couple’s faces and then Ares was tugging her towards the exit.
She shivered as cold air washed over her, slender icy fingers working through the gaps in the knit of her borrowed jumper and chilling her skin. She moved closer to Ares and he placed his arm around her, pulling her into his side. She looked up at him, studying his profile as they walked along the street. He led her down a side street and she looked ahead, spotting his bike parked there.
“Get on,” he said, voice a deep purr that stirred heat inside her.
He wanted her to go on the front? She had imagined sitting behind him, her arms around his waist. The thought of him sitting behind her instead, his body pressing up against hers, caused the heat he had stirred to explode into flames. She swung her leg over the bike and couldn’t resist settling her hands on the grips.
He smiled at her as he tied his tawny hair back and then got on behind her, his body sliding down the black leather seat.
She ended up sitting on his thighs. Hell. He made a very nice seat, all warm and hard.
He leaned forwards, his front pressing against her back, and slid his arms beneath hers, tight against her sides. She moved her hands off the bike and settled them on the fuel tank, stroking the lines of the flame paintwork.
He gunned the engine and the motorcycle roared into life beneath her, vibrations shaking her right down to her bones, causing bubbles of excitement to rise up and burst inside her. His chin came to rest on her shoulder as he revved the engine, and she leaned back against him.
Had her father felt this excited whenever he had ridden his bike and heard the engine purr?
She wanted to feel the cold wind on her face.
“Don’t fall off now,” Ares said close to her ear and kicked the stand up.
She snuggled into him and he revved the engine again and then they were moving. He took his left hand away from the motorcycle and settled his arm around her waist, pinning her to him.
She smiled when he turned onto the main road and they sped up, the motorcycle rumbling through the traffic.
“Shouldn’t we be wearing helmets?” she hollered over the noise of the vehicles around them and the roar of the motorcycle’s engine.
He squeezed her waist and there was a grin in his voice. “Don’t trust my driving, huh? I’ll step if anything happens.”
She should have thought of that. Of course he would just teleport them out of danger. It took the edge off the thrill of riding so fast through the traffic, but gave her leave to sit back and enjoy herself at the same time, safe in the knowledge that nothing bad would happen.
He wove through the yellow taxicabs and cars, gaining speed the whole time, until the breeze caressed her skin just as she had wanted and she was smiling from ear to ear.
“I could step up there for you,” he said, breath hot in her ear, and she shook her head.
She didn’t want to go without him or him without her.
“You can do that steppy thing now.” She held on to his arm and closed her eyes, and felt the darkness engulf her. When it disappeared, she landed on top of Ares on her bed. She rolled off and tossed him a chastising look, evading him as he tried to grab hold of her. “You did that on purpose.”
He smiled, sensual mouth tugging into it and heating her, chasing away her fear. “Maybe.”
She leaned over and kissed him. When he had melted into the bed and was breathing hard, she crawled onto him, teasing him with brief contact, and then off the other side of the bed.
“You did that on purpose.” He groaned and reached for her but she dodged him again and went to her drawers.
“Maybe.” She pulled out various panties and bras, smiling inside each time he groaned again.
“You’re torturing me now.”
She was and it was fun.
She settled on taking all of her underwear and added some more jeans and tops to the mix, stuffing them into a small pack. He sat on the end of her bed, eyes tracking her every move, and she resisted the temptation to look at him, knowing that if she did she would end up kissing him again and that she wouldn’t stop there.
She zipped the bag closed and he took it from her, loosened the straps and slipped the backpack over his wide shoulders. He held his hand out to her and she slipped hers into it, stepped up to him, and closed her eyes. The creepy sense of darkness and cold washed over her again, and then the sounds of the world came back.
She waited for the dizziness to pass.
It disappeared faster this time. Was she getting used to teleporting with Ares?
She opened her eyes and found him smiling down at her.
“There she is. You’re getting good at this. You’ll be a pro in no time,” he said, his smile holding and eyes warm with affection and what might have been pride.
“How long does it normally take to get used to it?”
He shrugged, drawing her attention to his broad shoulders, and she had to force her eyes back up, away from his body, before it roved over him and she had the urge to kiss him again.
“I don’t know. I’ve never teleported with anyone other than my brothers, and they’re all used to it.” He patted the seat of his motorcycle. “Your chariot awaits.”
Megan smiled and sat on the bike, her fingers automatically returning to tracing the flaming pattern on the black fuel tank between her legs.
“What are you thinking in there?” He slid on behind her, the action causing her to end up seated on his thighs again.
She felt like mentioning that there were two seats on the bike and she could sit on the back if it was easier, and safer, but she was enjoying sitting on his lap too much to risk him taking her teasing to heart and making her switch positions.
“Only that it’s such a short ride back to your apartment.”
He settled one hand on her stomach and his chin on her shoulder. “Would you like to drive?”
She couldn’t contain her grin. “I would love to... are you sure?”
He laughed. “I won’t be letting you go off on your own, but I think you’re ready for your first lesson.”
He pressed a kiss to the spot below her ear and nuzzled her neck.
“Hold on,” he whispered and the world spun around her, drifting into darkness and then coming back again.
Her head spun with it and when it stopped, very different scenery surrounded her.
It was hot and sunny, and looked like a different country entirely.
Fields rolled around her, the endless scenery pierced by tall thin dark green trees. Heat and the scent of the earth washed over her and she breathed deep of it, the smell and the picturesque beauty of the landscape relaxing her.
“Where are we?” She looked over her shoulder at Ares.
“Tuscany.” He said that very casually and then grinned at her. “It has the best roads for riding.”
Tuscany. Italy. She had trouble taking in the fact that he had just teleported them halfway around the world.
“Now. Time for your lesson.” He took hold of her hands and settled them over the grips, his hands covering hers.
She tried to take in everything that he told her about the bike and how to change gears, accelerate, brake, but it was difficult when they were riding slowly through such beautiful scenery. They rode past ancient hilltop towns that looked like something straight off a postcard, and along snaking roads that cut through stretching uniform lines of vineyards.
The warm sun beat down on her, Ares’s deep voice in her ear made heat curl through her, and the world around her amazed her. She stared at it, not really listening to him, just feeling everything and letting it wash over her and soak in.
They turned down a dirt road, following it through groves of trees and past more vineyards. His hands gripped hers on the handlebars, guiding her through each turn and slowly encouraging her to accelerate, and she felt suddenly aware of him.
His thighs pressed against the underside of hers, his hard stomach and chest against the curve of her back. His breath tickled her neck and his arms touched hers along their whole length. She fell silent, focused on him behind her, touching her, and he fell silent too as they raced onwards, throwing dust up behind them on the track.
The air crackled between them, intense and laced with desire, passion that she struggled to contain.
He slid his arm around her waist, leaving her in control of one side of the handlebars, and drew her closer. She tried to focus on driving but the feel of his strong arm banded around her, his breath on her neck, and the thoughts racing through her mind collided and overwhelmed her. She hit the brake, causing the bike to veer left, and his hand grabbed hers and he took control again, pulling the motorcycle over to the side of the track.
“Gods, Megan. What on Earth were you thinking?” he snapped and she pushed herself up onto the fuel tank, twisted and turned to face him.
She slid back down the tank, settling with her bottom between his thighs, her legs astride his waist, and her front against his.
“I was thinking I need to kiss you,” she breathed and caught him around the nape of his neck, dragged him against her and meshed her lips with his.
He groaned into her mouth, grabbed her hips and pulled her closer.
She wrapped her legs around his waist and he kicked the stand down, letting the bike settle. He kissed her harder then, stealing her breath away and stirring the heat inside her into flames that burned her with a need for more.
She ran her hands down his chest, cursing the thick jumper he wore. She wanted to feel his body on hers.
She needed to make love with him, right here and right now.
She tugged the hem of his jumper up and he broke away from her, breathing hard. He pressed their foreheads together and his hands trembled against her sides.
“What are you doing?” he whispered and she kissed him again, trying to silence him and convince him to let her continue. He broke away again, catching hold of her upper arms this time so she couldn’t get close to him. “You need some time away... I need some time away.”
She nodded.
She could go along with that, anything to get him to kiss her again.
If he needed an excuse to toss at his brothers should they have a problem with what they had done, then he could use that one. They both needed a break from New York and the threat of Amaury.
She kissed him again and then broke away, causing Ares to frown at her. “What about the gate?”
He kissed her chin and then along her jaw, and devoured her neck, nipping at it with
his teeth. She groaned and tried to keep her mind on track but it was hard when he was cranking up her temperature and sending all her heat shooting towards the point where her hips pressed against his.
“It’ll be daylight there for hours yet. I’ll have you home by nightfall. Just let me have this time with you before we go back,” he murmured against her skin and kissed her again, and she tilted her head back, willing to do whatever he said as long as he kept kissing her like that. “I just need this time with you.”
“I need it too,” she said and he pulled back and stared at her. She righted herself and looked deep into his dark eyes, seeing the need he had spoken of blazing in them. It wasn’t a physical need but an emotional one, a need to feel the connection that blossomed between them whenever they touched or kissed, a need to know that they both felt something. They loved each other. They were just too scared to say the words. “I need this too. I want to forget New York, and the daemon, and the gate, and your brothers. I want to forget it all. I just want some time alone with you, without it all hanging over our heads. Just us.”
He smiled and she stroked his cheek, hoping he could see down into her heart through her eyes and knew she meant every word that she said.
“Just us.” He leaned in and kissed her again, and she looped her arms back around his head.
She lay back on the fuel tank, luring him with her and kissing him the whole time, letting her worries drift to the back of her mind as she focused on him and the feel of his lips on hers, his hands caressing her sides and her thighs, running up and down and teasing her.
He kissed along her jaw and she looked down the sloping vineyard to her left. It was quiet, not a soul for miles. He shifted his hands beneath her jumper and top, and cupped her bra-clad breasts as he kissed her throat, lips brushing it softly and making her shiver.
She arched her body into his, rubbing her hips along his hard length in his jeans. She wanted that inside her, wanted to make love with him again.
She had never considered public sex before. Back in British Columbia, the weather had been a factor that had put people off making out in their cars, let alone the open. After she had left there, she had spent most of her time avoiding relationships, fearing people would notice her ability.
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