Love and War

by Tricia Andersen

Athena sighed. “When I say I’m married to my job, I mean I’m really married to it.”

  Mack chuckled. “You make it sound like you’ve been fucked by your job more than a man.”

  Athena stared into his eyes as her heart thundered in her chest. She couldn’t say a word.

  He gazed at her for a moment before he scowled. “Anna, how many men have you slept with?”

  Her voice cracked as she answered. “None.”

  “Women?”

  “None.”

  His eyes widened. “You’re a virgin.”

  “Yes.”

  “Huh.” Mack loosened his grip letting her fall to the floor.

  Athena stared at him, baffled. Rejection tore at her heart. “But I thought…”

  Mack wiggled a finger between them. “This? Oh, this is happening. I just need to be a little more creative, so to speak. You asked how you can help me? Why don’t you be a doll and get me a beer from the fridge.”

  “Excuse me?” Athena demanded.

  “Did I stutter?” Mack patted her on the ass. “Beer, please. Now.”

  Athena’s glare was daggers as she set her fists on her hips. She was a goddess. She could strike him down and leave nothing of his smart ass behind. No mortal would send her like an errand girl to fetch for him.

  His hungry dark gaze met hers. He ran his tongue along his bottom lip. He was a wolf who’d found his prey and was ready to attack. Her scowl melted as she scuttled off for the house. She turned back to notice him studying her lace panties beneath the shirt.

  She shuffled across the shack to the refrigerator. It hummed as she yanked it open and found the cans of beer on the near empty shelf. She grabbed one and closed it.

  She made her way back outside to the porch and popped the tab on the can. She found him squatted beside the fire again tending their dinner. “Mack, your beer.”

  He cocked a grin at her as he approached her, taking the can from her hand. He took a swig from it then wrapped his other arm around her to pull her to him. He buried his lips against her belly through the T-shirt. He set the beer on the deck then nudged up the cloth to taste her bare skin.

  Athena gasped as she wove her fingers in his hair. “Fuck, Mack. Oh, fuck.”

  He broke away from her and grinned up at her. “Not yet, beautiful. But when I’m done with you, I’ll be the only man on your mind. Dinner’s about ready. Go get a seat and I’ll bring it in.”

  Athena stared at him stupefied as he returned to the fire. By his shit eating grin, he knew the effect he had on her. She waited a moment for her legs to steady themselves then hurried back into the cabin.

  Instead of finding a place at the table, she opened up cupboard doors in the kitchen until she found a couple of plates and glasses. She filled both glasses with water then balanced them all to the table.

  She looked up to meet Mack’s amused grin. “Look at little Suzy homemaker here setting the table.”

  “Whatever,” Athena scoffed. “You made dinner. I figured I could help out.”

  He set the platter of duck meat and vegetables on the table then nodded at the glass of water she sat beside his place setting. “I don’t drink water.”

  She scowled at him. “What do you drink then?”

  “Beer.”

  “That’s it?”

  “Other than the occasional soda on the job, yeah.”

  “It’ll rot your stomach out but whatever.” She strode back to the refrigerator to retrieve another can. When she returned, Mack was settled in his chair like a king waiting on his servant. He eerily reminded her of her father on his throne when they were back on Olympus. She dropped the beer can beside his place with a thud.

  Mack chuckled. “You are kind of a ballbuster, aren’t you?”

  Athena huffed as she sat in the chair opposite him. “Try being a civilian woman in a male dominated military department. It’s the only way I am able to get things done.”

  Mack’s gaze darkened as he stared at her. It was the same look in his eyes as when he’d pinned her against the cabin and kissed her. “I know a lot of ways you could get things done without being a bitch.”

  Athena fought the urge burning in her core, the one that wanted to abandon her dinner and climb into Mack’s lap. “Can we just eat, please? I was in a plane crash. I’m tired. I’d like to eat.”

  His gaze narrowed. “Yeah, about that. You should be dead. If you were not dead, you should be gravely injured. You shouldn’t be sitting at my table eating dinner with me in my T-shirt and a pair of blue panties you weren’t wearing earlier.”

  She growled at him even though she knew it was futile. She knew the truth. “How do you know these weren’t my panties from before?”

  His cheeks tinged pink as he returned his attention back to his plate. “Eat.”

  The rest of the meal was spent in silence. Athena rose from the table first, taking her plate and glass to the sink. She grabbed the cracked bottle of soap and squirted it in the basin before directing the stream of hot water into it. Plunging her hands into the suds, she reached for the plate to scrub it.

  She felt Mack’s touch on her thighs before his voice rumbled in her ear like thunder. “Leave it. Go to bed.”

  “There aren’t that many to do,” she objected.

  He wrapped an arm around her to press her tight against him. She felt him thick and hard through his jeans against her lower back. He brushed her hair off her shoulder to expose her neck.

  Athena moaned as he cupped her chin and lifted it exposing her throat. He left a hot, wet trail of kisses from the lobe of her ear down her neck to the collar of the shirt. His mouth roamed the curve of her chin then her cheekbone.

  She arched her back, grinding her ass against his erection and puffing out her breasts. It was his turn to groan. He let go of her long enough to scoop her into his arms. She wrapped her arms around his shoulders in surrender as he carried her off to the bedroom.

  Chapter Three

  With his gruff, asshole attitude Athena half expected Mack to strip her of her clothes and take her before his were shed. Instead he laid her gently in the middle of the bed then knelt beside her as he pulled his shirt free from over his head. She gazed up at the hard contours of muscle brushed with dark hair. She bit her lip as she whimpered, fighting the urge to slip her hand into her own panties to alleviate the ache building inside her. He was more beautiful than any man she’d laid eyes on.

  Mack spread out on the bed next to her then slipped his arm beneath her head like a pillow. He wrapped a large palm across her hip to gather her into him. His mouth met hers hot and hungry, parting her lips wide to tangle his tongue with hers. She watched him through hooded eyes. His eyes fluttered shut as he kissed her over and over hard enough to steal her breath. Fuck, he was so beautiful. A sliver of her wondered how a man like this could possibly want her.

  Mack broke the kiss, weaving a path from her lips across her cheek and down the thin column of her throat. He let go of her hip to drag his hand up her body taking the hem of her shirt and her bra with it. He plumped her breast with his hand before he attacked the peaked nub with his mouth. Her eyes fluttered closed as he laced the fingers of the arm pillowing her head with hers to keep her hand held tight on the bed. She whimpered as he sucked and nipped at the sensitive flesh. She opened her eyes long enough to watch him cut a trail to the other breast with his tongue before he lavished the same attention on it.

  He let the second peak go with a pop of his lips before straightening out against her. His mouth descended on her neck below her ear. She felt like she was being devoured. His hand returned to her hip to roll her against him. By the way he held her she was powerless to return the caresses. She could only lie in his arms and accept what he gave her. Her whole body trembled with a need begging to be quenched.

  Mack continued a path with his mouth from hers, to her neck, to her breasts. Each caress was hot and wet and elicited a deep moan from her throat. His hand gripped her hip then slid down across her b
elly. Her legs parted in obedience as he cradled his hand between her thighs and rubbed against her panties. The slow circles he drew with his fingers against the fabric stoked the fire in her until it was an inferno.

  “Mack, please,” she pleaded.

  He let go of the nipple caught between his teeth then kissed her against her ear. “Please what?”

  Athena arched her hips against his hand. “Please, I need…” Her voice caught in her throat.

  He chuckled. “You don’t know what to even ask for. You have no idea what you’re about to get. I need you ready to take me.”

  He nudged her panties aside and rubbed her flesh with his thumb. She gasped as he slid one finger inside her. Her heart thundered in her chest as he pumped shallow thrusts inside her. After a few moments, he slipped a second finger inside her, his thumb never stopping its tender massage.

  It felt like a wave dragged her into its wake and her body exploded into flame at the same time. She cried out at the newborn sensations overwhelming her. Mack buried his mouth in the curve of her neck as she felt his hips roll sharply against her. He growled in her ear as her body shivered one last time.

  “Fuck, baby. You are so beautiful when you come,” he muttered against her skin.

  She reached for him then, as best as she could with her trapped hand. Her words were breathless as she spoke. “Mack.”

  He rose from where he lay beside her and climbed off the bed. Through her dimmed vision she watched him slide his jeans and briefs to the floor. His erection was long and thick against his belly. She sucked in a shuddering breath at the sight of it.

  He lay back down on the bed and nudged her to her side away from him, shedding her of her shirt and bra. He tugged her tight against him, her back pressed against his hot flesh. He wrapped her in a tight hug, his arms capturing hers and pinning them against her body beneath his.

  His lips grazed the curve of her ear before he spoke. “Are you sure you want this? There is no turning back.”

  Athena let go a shaky breath. She was known through history as a maiden goddess. Her father was the King of Gods. There was no way she could hide this from him. This one moment would alter her life for eternity and possibly affect the universe in ways she couldn’t possibly grasp at the moment.

  She nodded. “Please, Mack. I want you. I want this. Make me yours.”

  He held her arms tight with one of his hands as he hooked his arm under her leg. He lifted it up as he curved his hips into her. She felt his fingertips brush her sensitive flesh before the tip of his cock nudged against her. He nuzzled her cheek as he arched up hard, driving him inside her.

  She was the goddess of wisdom and had lived thousands of years. Yet none of it had prepared her for the pain as he filled her. She cried out as she buried her nails into the flesh of his arms. He froze in place as he peppered the side of her face with kisses.

  “Not moving,” he murmured in her ear. “I won’t until you adjust. I continue at your command.”

  “Mack,” she protested as she clawed at him. She squirmed in his arms in panic, but it made it worse.

  “We can stop, Anna. Just lie still in my arms for a moment. Give yourself a chance to adjust.”

  She listened to his voice as he continued the butterfly kisses along her jaw until he reached her lips. She opened her mouth for him, taking his hungrily. His grip on her tightened, bringing her closer than she thought their bodies could get.

  Her body moved against his before she realized the pain had faded. His thickness slid in and out of her, each time stroking deeper and harder. He met each movement with one of his own.

  He pulled free from her suddenly leaving her feeling empty. She whimpered in protest as he unwound her from his embrace and laid her back on the bed.

  Athena smiled content as he spread out over her and nudged her legs apart. He scooped them up over his shoulders as he gripped his cock. Her back arched off the mattress as he thrust deep into her again.

  He wove his fingers between hers then braced them on either side of her head. His strokes were longer and deeper, stretching to the point she thought he’d tear her in two. His dark gaze locked with hers and kept it captive. The tips of their noses nearly touched, and her lips were warmed by his ragged gasps.

  The friction of their bodies set her on fire again. She tried to buck in the position she was in. She needed that rush again but this time with him so deep inside her. What little she could do got her closer to that peak.

  She saw him crack a grin before he shrugged her legs off his shoulders. She planted her feet on the mattress and met him stroke for stroke. Despite her head trapped in his hands, she managed to watch the muscles in his arms and shoulders ripple. His face flushed as he drove faster and harder. This man was so perfectly made, and he was hilt deep within her.

  Her mouth fell open as her body erupted in fiery bliss once again, harder and more consuming than the last. She muttered curses in Greek as she shook violently. She locked her ankles behind his back as she strained for one last shiver.

  His hips slammed into her at a frantic pace. She felt him swell thicker as he grunted with each thrust. He readjusted his hold on her head, his glare piercing her as he grew closer.

  Mack’s eyes fluttered closed as he let go an inhuman growl. She felt him throb inside her then a warm rush. It seemed to go on forever. She struggled to free her hands from his then pulled him on top of her, holding him tight. He buried his face into her neck as his cock kept spasming inside her.

  His body was a heavy blanket on her as he finally relaxed, blowing out a long, steady breath. She just held him tight as she smoothed her fingers through his hair. Nothing in her eternal existence had felt like that. Nothing. She was terrified to move. She didn’t want it to end.

  Mack slid his hands along the mattress until he gathered her against him. They lay knotted together in silence for what felt like an eternity. Athena didn’t mind. His body was a comfort against her.

  Mack didn’t break the silence with words. He lifted his head until his mouth met hers, the kiss hot and searing. He rolled his hips into her slow and easy, his cock still hard. She frowned. Mortal men didn’t normally stay like this. What secret was he hiding from her?

  He pumped into her a couple more times before pulling free. “I am far from done with you.” He pressed a kiss to her lips then brushed against her belly inches from where his own flesh met hers. “You need time to recover.”

  Mack lifted himself with his arms to move off her but she clung to him. “Stay,” she pleaded. “Please.”

  He settled himself back on her as he held her tight. She nestled her face against his, sharing his breath.

  As a goddess there were many things she held sacred. None of them were more precious than the man lying in her arms.

  * * * *

  Sharp sunlight pierced Mack’s vision before he even opened his eyes. He flinched to get away from it. A soft body lying against his moaned reminding him of the night before. He froze in place so as not to wake her up.

  The first few rays of morning were just brushing across the sky when he fell asleep with Anna in his arms. He didn’t know how many times they’d fucked. He did his best to allow time between for her to rest and recover despite his raging desire to continue. For being a virgin, no woman he had ever been with compared to her.

  As the night wore on the sex became continuous. There wasn’t a moment their bodies weren’t joined in some way. His little spitfire took control of him multiple times stroking both of them to a release greater than he had ever experienced.

  He pried his eyes open and watched her slumber curled against his chest. His cock went rigid as a board at the sight of her. Fuck, she was the most beautiful woman he’d ever laid eyes on. He may have wanted to kick her out of his cabin and send her packing but now he wasn’t sure if he could let her go.

  He wiggled his arm free from beneath her then scooted off the bed. Before he woke her up to fuck her again he was going to have to take a piss
. And maybe an aspirin because every muscle in his body ached.

  He nudged the bathroom door closed behind him then staggered the final steps to the toilet. They might have joined together all night. It didn’t mean they were close enough for her to watch him pee. He gripped his cock in his hand and aimed for the bowl.

  That was when he saw it. A tribal tattoo now ran the length of his thigh from his groin to his knee. He tried to crane his neck to look at it as he did his business. It seemed to be a continuous, unending pattern the entire circumference of his leg. It wasn’t there the night before.

  He muttered a string of curses under his breath as he flushed the toilet. It was the mating mark of his ancestors. The exquisite blonde in his bed had to have one too. He blew out a long, steady breath.

  He was bound to her for eternity. There wouldn’t be another woman in his life, at least not without dire consequences.

  “Poor girl has one wild night with me and is stuck with me forever,” he mumbled.

  A loud rumbling tore him from his thoughts as he washed his hands. He scrambled for the towel then threw open the door. The bed was empty, the covers bunched together at the foot of the bed. He glanced around. Anna’s underwear and flight suit were missing also.

  He grabbed the pair of sweatpants he’d left out for her the day before and climbed into them. Once they were up past his hips, he hurried into the living room

  Anna stood at the window zipping up her flight suit as she peered outside. She looked excited as a puppy at what was going on in the swamp.

  “What the fuck?” was all that Mack could stammer out.

  She smiled at him. “They’re here. They found the jet. I’ve got my ride home.”

  His heart dropped into his stomach at the news. She was leaving. His mate, the first person he wanted to be around since his mother’s death was about to walk out of his life.

  His mate...

  Mack reached out to grasp her wrist. ”Wait, we’ve gotta talk.”

  She closed the space between them. She wrapped her free hand around his neck and pulled him down into a deep, passionate kiss.