“You have any idea what’s going on? Projections are starting to come in and the news ain’t great. The international association of corn millers predicts a loss of sixty percent of this year’s harvest. Sixty percent!” Marco’s worried tone scratched Ben’s nerves, fingers-on-a-chalkboard style.
“I’ve been looking at storage statistics. There are reports of pests decimating the contents of seed corn grain bins and silos.” Ben knew this was due to the challenge, but if the seeds disappeared due to pestilence or disease, new crops would be less than a dream. “This could be worse than the Dust Bowl during the Great Depression.” Poor crop rotation practices and wind erosion had drained the ground of necessary nutrients. One hundred million acres of normally vibrant farmland lost the topsoil needed to grow food. Two million Dust Bowl hobos were created. Dust pneumonia was a thing. He shuddered as he considered this could be the fate of the present day world.
“That’s a little alarmist, don’t you think?”
“I hope it doesn’t happen,” Ben said. “Everything okay in the greenhouse?”
“So far. I’m there now. The tomatoes look great even though we’re growing out of season. They’re still green, but big and plump. I think we hit it this time, pal. These are going to be meaty and delicious.”
Ben had worked with Marco to hybridize a specific variety of tomato. They’d applied Mendel’s original principles for seed genetics in the hope of producing a stronger strain that could be grown outside of the normal season, but still maintain the high summer taste.
If they were successful, they could apply the modifications to other food staples. If the badass named Pierus had his way, even this crop would fail. And it was up to Ben and Lia to try to find a way to fix the situation.
Emma left the office with a small wave as Ben finished his conversation. Marco had invited him to a party he was going to in a couple of days, but Ben declined. Until the challenge was over, he wouldn’t make plans. Lia needed his help, and he’d give it willingly.
And hope she’d continue to need him after the challenge ended.
As soon as he disconnected with Marco, Lia’s voice filtered into his consciousness. “Remember we have a meeting this afternoon. Meet me at my house in an hour and we’ll go together.”
Her voice wrapped around him, creating warmth in a body gone cold with the depressing possibilities of hunger and deprivation. “The meeting isn’t for three more hours. Won’t take that long to get to Olympus,” he replied back to her.
A seductive chuckle tickled his brain. “I’m sure we can find ways to fill the time.”
His body stirred, going hard in an instant. Lia had a large wall of windows in her bedroom. Making love to her with the sun shining through them was going to be glorious. “I love it when you get creative.”
A jab of emotion barreled into him…happiness, excitement, desire. The feeling had Lia written all over it. She’d made her emotions his.
Feeling lighter than he had since he’d left her at the club this morning, Ben closed the open windows on his computer. The crop problem wouldn’t go away anytime soon. Happily, the erection in his pants would get relief a lot quicker.
After Pierus interrupted the tai chi session, Aerie had accompanied Lia to the club. Each woman had a to-go cup of coffee from The Daily Grind. Polly shifted out of the Hollow to join them, tablet and a large iced tea in hand.
“Getting through the wards stung like a bitch,” she groused and rubbed the back of her neck.
“Imagine how it would feel for an immortal whose entrance is denied.” Lia could only hope anyone trying to bust through the protective seal would spontaneously combust.
“Not trying to borrow trouble here,” Aerie began, curiosity lifting her tone. “Will the spells stop an immortal-possessed human from passing?”
Lia hesitated. “Don’t know.” It would be a good question to ask Stewart or Mars at the meeting this afternoon.
Together the three of them spent time culling through media reports about developments in the world of farming. Polly scoffed at some of the more sensational media reports, but it was clear a loss in this challenge spelled the dire prospects for mortal deprivation and suffering.
Lia kicked them out of her office fifteen minutes before she had to leave to meet Ben. Anticipation and excitement bubbled around her belly, knowing she’d be in his arms shortly. Celeste checked in when she arrived just after noon.
Normally, Lia would have stayed to chat and help her bar manager prepare for the evening’s operations. “The new liquor shipment should arrive by two. Do you mind checking it in by yourself? I have a meeting with my dad.” It was common knowledge among her employees that Lia sat on the board of directors in the family corporation. It didn’t stop guilt from crawling in at the idea of leaving her friend alone to deal with the heavy lifting.
Celeste clicked her tongue against her teeth. “Haven’t I told you for the past year I can handle the work on my own?”
“I know. But I like to help. Unfortunately, I’m a little jammed with stuff at Olympus. My focus will be split for another week or so.” Until she defeated a magpie named Hunger. The challenge wouldn’t last much longer.
Lia left the club, delighted to jump in the Jag for the quick ride to her house. She’d just turned the engine over when one of her extra partisans began the shift out of the Hollow. With a groan, she dropped her forehead to the steering wheel.
Shelly opened the car door, slid in, and settled in the bucket seat. “Before you complain, remember I’m just following orders. No messenger shooting this week. If you aren’t in a protected building, like the club, or your house, or the corporate office, you will have a guard.” Her voice had an edge of steel in it, her spine rigid against the seat cushion.
Lia went straight for the shock factor. “When we get home, you have five minutes to strengthen the perimeter, then you will make yourself scarce. Ben is coming over and I plan to have very noisy sex with him. We might even do it more than once. The second time, I think we’ll use your bedroom. I’ve always loved the view from that room.” She punched the gas and then sped toward her home, wind blowing through her curls.
Shelly’s cough sounded more like a strangled chuckle. “It’s your house, so, you know, whatever. I’ll be sure to wash the sheets while you’re at work this evening.” The woman might be embarrassed by what had happened last night, but she held her own in the face of Lia’s declaration.
“Can you do the rest of my laundry as well?” Lia teased, finding she liked her shadow a lot more in that instant. “My time isn’t my own, it seems, and I’m running out of clean underwear.”
“You should know, my domestic skills aren’t great. I wash everything together. Whites, colors, oh, and I always use bleach. Lots and lots of bleach.”
Tipping her chin up, Lia howled. After catching her breath she cast a side-eye glance toward her passenger. “Well, in that case, you don’t have to worry about it. I’ll order new undies online.”
“Good idea. I can help you with that. I have ninja skills when it comes to online shopping.”
They passed the rest of the drive chatting about their favorite Internet shopping options, both of them declaring a love for a home décor site. Shelly admitted an addiction to buying shoes and Lia confessed that she did more browsing than buying.
When they arrived home, Shelly scouted the yard, pausing to look at shrubs, trees, and flowerbeds. Each pause Shelly appeared to be simply inspecting the native flora and fauna, but Lia knew every stop allowed her to reinforce the wards in place. Once they moved inside, Lia left the woman to her work and raced to her bedroom. After examining the contents of her nearly depleted lingerie drawer, she made the bold decision to simply be naked in bed when Ben arrived.
Shelly shouted from down the hall. “You’re all set. I’m leaving now, so feel free to be as loud and kinky as you want.”
“I never said anything about kinky.” Leaning her shoulder against the doorframe, Lia stopped Shell
y mid-mist. “Thanks for making me safe in my own home.”
Shelly’s lower half was a cloud of cobalt, while her upper torso remained solid. “You’re welcome. If you’re going to go anywhere mortal style, shout out. Mars threatened us with rolling heads and stripped down powers should we allow you to go anywhere without one of us playing secret service. I wouldn’t be nearly as lovely without a head.”
“Hey, Shelly? There are five thousand comedians out of work. You should keep your day job.”
The last bit of Shelly’s form to disappear into the Hollow was her hand, with middle finger lifted. Hands down, the woman was Lia’s favorite partisan.
Lia scrambled to yank the blankets to the foot of her bed. Grabbing the aromatherapy spray Aerie had given her as a Christmas gift, she spritzed a liberal dose above the bed and around the room. Lia had never had a reason to use the aphrodisiac before and paused as the scent of roses and ylang-ylang wafted in a gentle breeze through the partially opened window. The mist mixed with the wards at the window and glowed golden in the midday sun.
Her clothes pooled on the floor as Lia walked out of them on the way to the bathroom. After a quick splash of water on her face, she ran her brush over her hair, and then dabbed her cinnamon scented hand lotion, another gift from Aerie, along her arms. She dropped her undies by the nightstand and crawled to the center of the bed. Insecurity flared and she tried several different poses, going for the most coquettish, or seductive.
As Ben shifted out of the Hollow, she’d just gotten on her hands and knees to move toward the pillows. Of course he popped into the room behind her. She paused, glanced over her shoulder. The smolder in his eyes as he stared at her naked ass started a slow burn deep in her belly.
“Tiger, seeing you like this…” His voice was strangled, husky, needy. “I’ve been uncomfortably aroused since you told me to come early, but seeing you on all fours, um, now I’m rock solid and ready to come early and often.” His gaze swept her butt again and his tongue made a circuit around his lips. “Sweet, sexy. Mine.”
She froze at the intensity of his expression, his possessive claim. Only her eyes moved, tracking his hands as he jerked his dark green shirt over his head. His movement highlighted the steely bulge front and center, straining his low-slung jeans.
He approached the bed where she remained motionless. The mattress gave under his weight. He reached out to caress her butt, the callouses on his palm scratching erotically over her bare flesh. Nerve endings under her skin zipped and zinged with such intensity, her belly clutched. He leaned forward and traced his lips along the same line his fingers had traveled. Her body jumped the instant he flexed his fingers into her flank. Lia closed her eyes as he slipped his finger toward the cleft between her thighs and parted her folds. When he dipped his thumb into her sheath, she hung her head, fighting for each breath.
“Oh, goddess, Ben.” Her voice sounded drugged as she moaned.
“Stay put.” His hands left her and the bed rocked. A loud thunk must have been his shoe dropping. Another thud quickly followed. She opened her eyes as he stood, moving to drop to her back.
His hot hand on her hip stopped her. “No. Like this.”
“Okay. Get those pants off and get in me fast.”
“Ask me nicely.”
She covered his hand and dragged it around her front, guiding it to her center. “Pretty please would you fuck me?”
Ben growled as he lowered his zipper, yanked his jeans and boxers over his butt. He kicked out of them almost before the material hit the floor. Lia spread her knees wider to allow him to kneel behind her. Shivers ran up her spine, chasing the hand he swept up her back. Spearing his fingers around her nape, he grasped her neck, holding her in place as he licked up her back until his warm body covered her.
Gliding his other hand around her hip, he pressed flat on her belly before sliding through the thatch of curls in search of her clit. He tapped the knot of nerves. Jagged bolts of need spread through her torso. A moan escaped her with the circling of his thumb on the sweet spot. He guided his cock into her, inch by slow inch, filling her, seating himself as deeply as possible. Cupping her sex still, he retreated then slammed back into her, rough, hard, and so freaking awesome, she screamed.
“Oh God. Ben,” she groaned. “Again, harder.” She twisted her fingers in the sheet.
“Like this, tiger?” The taut skin of his lower abs slapped loudly against her ass as he plunged into her. Meeting each of his thrusts with a grind of her hips, her body rocked in a rhythm that wouldn’t be denied.
Ben straightened, angled to drive deeper, and pounded his hips over and over, groaning with pleasure. He sat on his heels, pulled her back onto his lap and grabbed one breast, massaging it, pinching the tight, hard peak between his thumb and finger. The pleasure was so immense, tears wet her eyes. He circled and rubbed her clit with his other hand, pumping into her, his cock so hard and full inside her body.
Out of control tingles burst from his fingertips, coursing through her, from point of contact to the top of her head. She reached behind and dug her fingers into the muscles bunching on his hips. Blood sang in her veins, and the thump of his heart against her back launched a barrage of red-hot lust, tumbling in her chest, battering her heart and brain. Every inch of her tightened, preparing for the plunge over the edge of reason.
Her body went rigid in his arms as sanity left. Only sensation remained. He pushed down on her belly and shoved his hips up, until not a speck of space was left between them. Chest heaving, back arched, she let out a loud sibilant cry, answered by his voice straining in her ear.
“Oh my goddess.” She slumped against him, supported by his arms around her.
He claimed a breast again, kneading it, circling the nipple. Residual electricity cascaded, making her inner muscles tighten and ripple around his shaft. Ben lightly bit the spot where her neck met her shoulder, then gently tongued the sting away. His thighs were solid and comfortable under hers and she nestled against him, curving back to belly.
Bracing on his arm, he lowered them to the mattress, and curled around her, not giving up his place in her body. “It smells really good in here. What’s that scent?” he asked in between pressing kisses to her shoulder.
“Well satisfied woman,” she laughed, squeezing down on his still firm erection.
He groaned. “I was going to say roses and orange blossoms, with a hint of cinnamon. But I guess I could describe it as well satisfied woman.” He rocked his hips against her butt, proving his point with a sated sigh.
He withdrew, pulled her shoulder until she lie on her side, facing him. Drawing her thigh over his, he opened her center and nestled into her.
Slowly, holding her gaze, he lowered his head and claimed her lips. Flecks of white and gold were visible in the depths of his irises. A line of indigo around the outer rim mesmerized her. Sinking deeper into the kiss, he lowered his lashes, brushing hers as his lids closed. The caress of his mouth was tender, sweet, loving. Completely unlike the hard, fast coupling. In her chest, Lia’s heart shifted, landing on the right side of trust, respect, and love.
If this was part of the challenge, she hoped the contest would never be over. Because living without this man’s mouth and body, without his sweet mind, would be unthinkable.
Chapter 12
With Lia’s head on his chest, holding her tightly in his arms, Ben mulled the problem presented by the rapidly failing harvest and diminished availability of seeds for future crops. He’d rather be concentrating on how perfectly she fit against his body. How right the weight of her thighs felt over his. Sultry warmth from her legs seeped into his still aroused junk.
He’d been right. Making love to her in her sunny bedroom was magical. The light illuminated her creamy skin, and dazzled strands of gold in her pretty red curls.
His world felt oddly complete. Strange in that he’d only just met Lia. Complete because despite only knowing her for a hot minute, he already couldn’t contemplate life without her
. Which was exactly why he was wracking his brain for an answer to the problem of Pierus instead of kissing Lia back into a sexual frenzy.
“Okay, what if the solution is a chemical one?” he mused. “What if it’s simply a matter of finding the right pesticide or herbicide to handle the diseases? Won’t help this year’s harvest, but it might help stave off future problems.”
“Ben?” Lia pressed a kiss to his nipple.
He sucked a hissing breath in through his clenched teeth. “Yeah, tiger?”
“Your pillow-talk skills need work.”
“What?”
She lifted her head and regarded him, her eyes petulant, the smile on her lips wry. “Dude, you are supposed to be declaring me a goddess, which I am. Why aren’t you telling me how you can’t get enough of me and my super-sexy bod?”
He rolled them until she was on her back, his chest cradled against the softness of her breasts. Her taut nipples dug into his pecs. Holding her gaze, he skated his lips over her mouth, and slid his hand down her ribs to claim a spot on her hip. “You are a goddess, and your rocking body drives me crazy,” he confessed.
“This is cute, you, trying to be funny. Not working.” Lia shoved his shoulders, trying to push him away. “You’re distracted and we might as well get out of bed.”
Chagrinned that he’d hurt her feelings, he resisted her attempt to move him. Trailing his fingers over the satiny skin on her shoulder, he tried to explain. “I’m attempting to figure out how to defeat our common enemy, because I like being in your bed. I’m hoping once we kick Pierus’s ass, I’ll continue to have a place in your life. I’m worried that the attraction between us is made of smoke and dreams…that it’s not real. I don’t think I’d like that.”
“I worry about the same thing.” She cupped his cheek and ran her thumb over his jaw, eyes clouded. “I wish I’d found you on my own, instead of Pierus throwing you into my path.”
Hunger: Goddesses of Delphi Page 11