The War Within (Curse of the Gods Book 1)

by Danielle James

  “I am so full,” Emma announced, pushing her plate back and laying her hand on her stomach.

  “But we haven’t had dessert,” Ares reminded her.

  “I couldn’t,” she said, and it was true. One more bite and she would pass out.

  “Then let’s get it to go,” he said, with a gorgeous smile. “I love the strawberry shortcake here.”

  They ordered it to go, and Ares paid the bill. Instead of taking a cab, they walked around the Theatre District.

  “I have to sit down,” Emma announced, cursing her choice in shoes.

  Yes, the white stilettos looked amazing on her, but after walking for thirty minutes, she was over them. Completely.

  Ares cursed himself silently for not noticing that his warrior was in pain. True to her nature, she hadn’t mentioned her discomfort until it was excruciating. He found a bench quickly and lifted her into his arms. The action pulled on his still healing wounds, but Ares did not care about that. The most important thing was making sure Emma was comfortable.

  “Hey!” she protested, but he ignored it.

  Once they reached their rest stop, Ares sat her gently on the bench and then took a seat next to her. He pulled her feet into his lap and slipped the shoes off.

  “What are you doing?” she asked, and attempted to take her feet from him.

  “I am massaging your feet,” he said, taking a firmer grip on her legs. There was no way he was going to get her in bed if she was in pain. He began to stroke the top of her foot gently. “I should have realized that your feet would hurt from walking,” he said apologetically. “Let me help.”

  Emma barely, just barely, held back a sigh of pleasure as his fingers went to work on her arches. It was heavenly, the way he knew exactly how much pressure to use and how fast to move. When his hands moved to her ankles, Emma tingled from the inside out. Her body reacted in a much different way. Every nerve ending came to life and apparently were all connected to her pussy. Wetness began to pool in her panties and by the time he had made his way up her calves, Emma was ready to jump on him right there in public.

  “I should take you home,” he grunted.

  The look in his eyes was pure hunger, and not for food. Emma shivered from her head to her feet. The only response she could give was a nod.

  Chapter Eleven

  The trip back to her apartment had taken even less time than she anticipated. Emma was feeling twelve kinds of nervous, and the fact that Ares had insisted on carrying her to the door didn’t help matters. He was being the perfect gentleman. He carried her as if she weighed nothing and even though he had been shot recently, the effort didn’t even cause his breathing to hitch.

  As he set her down on her feet in front of her door, Emma was about to have a breakdown. She couldn’t do this. She fumbled with her keys and damn near dropped them just trying to get the door unlocked. On the third attempt, Ares stepped in. Warm arms circled her from behind and his hot breath caressed the back of her neck.

  “It’s okay,” he breathed next to her ear.

  Hell that man was hot! Everywhere their bodies touched, which was her entire backside, felt like it was on fire. Despite the heat, her nerves cooled and she relaxed as he took the key from her hand and maneuvered the lock.

  The door opened and Emma stepped inside, breaking the contact between their bodies. Ares, however, waited outside. She turned to face him and he was standing there with an expectant look on his face.

  “Would you like it if I came inside?” he asked.

  Oh that was a loaded question. She would like him to come inside, in so many ways. She worried her lower lip between her teeth as she contemplated his question. If she let him in, there would be no turning back. If she sent him away, would there ever be another chance? Without saying a word, Emma nodded.

  In a second, Ares was inside, had the door closed and locked, with Emma in the circle of his arms. Her softness melted into the hardness of his body as he held the back of her neck in his hand. His eyes seemed to glow in the dim light of her living room, speaking of passion like she had never felt before. Emma’s lips parted of their own accord and Ares bent his head down to take her lips. This was no soft and gentle kiss, but a taking of what he knew to be his. At that moment, Emma was. She was his for the taking. It had been too long since she had the company of a lover, and he was more than capable. Her hands traveled over his finely muscled chest and back, trying to touch as much of him as possible as he plundered her mouth with his tongue.

  He wove his fingers through her hair and held her mouth tight to his own, bending the kiss to his will. Emma sighed into his mouth and he grabbed her by the ass and shoved her body into his. She could feel so much of him like this, his muscled abs, his legs and the hard ridge of his cock that was pressing into her stomach.

  He rocked his hips against her and broke the kiss to growl. “I want you,” he told her.

  “Yeah?” Emma asked breathlessly. It was supposed to come out sarcastic, but it sounded more like an agreement. “What do you want?” she asked.

  “I want to lick every inch of your delicious skin,” he growled, kissing the side of her neck. Her head fell back to grant him better access. “I want to taste you, to feel you,” he sucked lightly at her sensitive skin, “To fuck you,” he finished with a roll of his hips.

  “Oh,” she moaned.

  Her mouth opened to say something, anything, but her powers of speech were taken away as he turned her body to the wall and planted her hands above her head, palms flat against the cool drywall.

  “Stay,” he commanded.

  Emma didn’t even consider moving.

  His breath was hot on the skin of her shoulder as he nipped his way across them. Emma was alive with sensation as his hands touched her arms, her legs, and then her ass. She was helpless to do anything but moan and enjoy his touch.

  “What’s my name?” he asked her.

  “A-Ar-Ares,” she stammered.

  “Damn right,” he growled. He dropped to his knees and slid his hands up her thighs to cup her ass cheeks. “That’s the only thing you’re gonna be able to say when I’m done with you.”

  Her answering moan was all the encouragement he needed. With a quick movement of his arms, her dress was up around her hips, exposing her backside to him. “I like these,” he said as he leaned in to kiss her red lace panties.

  Emma could feel the heat of his mouth through the thin material and it sent a thrill up her spine. His lips ghosted along the hem of her panties, just barely there, yet enough contact to send goosebumps all over her body. Her back arched, silently begging him for what she wanted. For what she needed.

  “Beautiful,” he mumbled as he moved to the soft skin of her backside.

  And she was. Emma, his warrior, was the most beautiful creature ever created. It was no wonder she had been chosen to break his curse. She would make the perfect complement to his reign once he was free. He couldn’t wait. His tongue darted out of his hot mouth to taste her skin. She was his heaven. As he nipped his way around her flesh, Ares felt the tight hold of his own control slipping. Keeping his own lust at bay for the moment, he slid the panties down her legs to her ankles and then instructed her to step out of them. Once she was truly bare to him, Ares couldn’t have stopped himself even if he had wanted to.

  Her scent filled his head with the promise of desire and he hungered for her. With as much gentleness as he could muster, Ares pressed his mouth to her core from behind.

  “Oh shit,” she cried as the first contact with his mouth caressed her tender flesh. And then, his tongue was on her.

  He was tasting, licking, and sucking as if he were starved and she was a buffet. He ate at her core with a purpose, a single minded goal to bring her as much decadent pleasure as she could handle. Emma could feel the tension in her body coiling tight, getting ready to release, but Ares kept her just shy of that goal. Each time she felt she might go over the edge, he retreated, keeping her on the brink.

  On the
verge himself, Ares finally stood behind Emma. “I’m going to fuck you now,” he growled in her ear. Emma kept her hands where they were and pressed her backside against him. Without waiting another second, Ares freed himself from the confines of his trousers, allowing them to pool at his feet. His cock was standing taller than he had ever remembered before, aching to touch her from the inside out.

  “I’ll try to be gentle,” he told her as he pushed himself inside her.

  All the air rushed out of her lungs as Ares pushed his cock deep inside of her. It was a mixture of trying to relax to accommodate him, and strangely, relief. As if this was what she had been holding out for for so long, like coming home. Her walls contracted around him, aiding his entry and pulling him in further. When his pelvis touched her, Ares placed his hand around her stomach, holding her to him. “Better hang on, Warrior,” he grinned as he began to move.

  There was no building up to speed, but an instant, hard, almost violent coming together of their bodies. Ares held Emma firm as he pounded himself into her.

  “Ares!” she shouted as he touched parts of her that had never been touched before.

  Electricity zinged all over her body and a chill that was anything but cold wracked her body as Ares claimed her. When his teeth grazed her bare shoulder, Emma crashed over the edge. The orgasm hit so hard and fast that all she could do was hold her breath and let it take her.

  ***

  Emma lay on her back, breathing hard and basking in the bliss this man had just brought her. She needed that. Sex was a great stress reliever and … holy hell! She had just had sex with someone who was virtually a stranger and likely off his rocker! What was she supposed to do about it now, though? She had never been one to just have meaningless sex before, and she knew without a doubt that if she didn’t get him out of her bed, that feelings would soon follow. If she were honest with herself, those feelings had already begun to grow.

  She dared a look at him. He was lying on his back next to her, his hands behind his head, with a satisfied smile on his stupid gorgeous lips. Lips that had done wonderful, naughty things to her body. Lips that felt like magic on her skin, lips that … no. She had to break that train of thought immediately.

  Getting up quickly, Emma found her robe and pulled it around her body and tied it tight at her waist.

  “Leaving so soon?” he rumbled from his relaxed position on her bed. Why did he have to look so damned sexy like that?

  “Well, ya know, I gotta work in the morning,” she told him. “But thank you very much for tonight. I had a wonderful time.” She found his boxers and tossed them on the bed. She knew she was being a bitch, but she had to get him out of there before she did something stupid. Like ask him to stay.

  Ares stared at Emma in confusion. Did he not just give her several orgasms? Did she not enjoy herself? “Do you want me to leave?” he asked slowly. There was no breaking a curse if she was dismissing him.

  “Yes,” she answered apologetically. “I have to get up early and you know what they say, the early bird gets the worm.” Good gracious she sounded like an idiot.

  Ares rose from the bed and pulled on his underwear. “If you’re sure,” he said, hoping she would change her mind.

  This was not how it was supposed to go. He was supposed to win her over and she would break his curse and he would get all his power back. He was supposed to dismiss women when he was finished with them, not the other way around.

  “I’m sure,” she said. “I’m sorry. I’m going to go take a shower. Lock up when you leave?” she asked as she nearly ran from the room.

  Ares heard the shower start and still, he was dumbfounded. He shook his head and dressed. He stopped at the bathroom door, but didn’t hear anything out of the ordinary. What did he expect to hear? Was she going to change her mind? He figured not. He saw himself to the door and rubbed the center of his chest. It had started aching the moment she left the bed. Perhaps his injuries were strained? He had thought himself healed, but perhaps he was wrong. If the growing ache was any indication, he was. There were hardly any scars on his chest now, but who knew what was going on inside? Maybe a night of rest was the answer, he told himself as he pulled the door closed behind him. Maybe it was going to take more than one time with Emma to break that damned curse.

  Chapter Twelve

  “Hello, Emma,” a sweet, sultry voice said from behind her. Emma knew before she turned around who it was.

  “Athena.” She acknowledged her with a nod of her head.

  Damn it, all she had wanted to do was hang out at the park while the weather was nice and get some work done on her laptop. Was it too much to ask for some peace and quiet? Was it too much to ask for Ares to just get the hell out of her head? It had only been two days since she sent him away and, so far, he was all she could think about. And now, his family drama was following her around.

  “I wanted to talk to you,” Athena said, walking around the bench and taking a seat next to Emma. She leaned back and crossed her long legs out in front of her. “Have you seen Ares lately?”

  Emma stared at the woman, debating how to answer her. Should she answer her? Really, what Emma did was her own business and none of this woman’s. The feeling nagged at her that if she didn’t tell her something, though, Athena wouldn’t go away. Bet she would go away if Emma stabbed her in the vag. Shame that she wasn’t that violent. Damn it.

  “It’s been a few days,” Emma admitted. “I don’t know where he is.” She made a show of going back to her laptop.

  “I was just worried,” Athena continued. “He is ill. I can’t find him and I was hoping you had some idea where I might look. I thought maybe he was with you.”

  “As you can plainly see, he is not,” Emma said firmly.

  “Yes, I can see that,” Athena said.

  Emma couldn’t be sure, but she thought she detected a note of happiness in the woman’s statement.

  “Well, it was nice seeing you,” Emma told her, closing her laptop and standing.

  “Emma,” she stopped her. “I meant what I said. Keep him away from you. He is nothing but trouble. Do it for your own well-being.”

  Emma nodded as she walked away. There was something in the way Athena said to do it for her well-being. As if it were a threat and not a suggestion. She chanced a glance over her shoulder to see that Athena was still sitting on the bench, watching her. A shiver ran down Emma’s spine. This woman claimed that Ares was dangerous, but she gave off more stalker vibes than he did. She crossed the street quickly and beat feet back to her apartment.

  At the top of the stairs Emma was not surprised to see a hulking giant of a man waiting at her door. Her insides went to mush and she stumbled slightly as he turned. That gorgeous face was lilt with a genuinely happy smile as she approached.

  “Hello,” he rumbled in that deep, too sexy voice. It sent thrills all over her skin and instantly, Emma wanted to run into his strong arms.

  She did not.

  She kept walking with her spine straight until she reached her door. “What are you doing here?” she asked.

  “I had to see you,” he told her.

  It was the truth. All he could think of was her soft skin, her taste, her scent. Hell, he even wanted to hear her laugh. He didn’t care if all he did was stand next to her. But of course, if he were to stand next to her, would he be able to resist touching her? Feeling the softness of her hair in his fingers? Tasting her lips?

  “Well, now you’ve seen me,” she said as she unlocked her door.

  “I was worried,” Ares lied. There wasn’t a doubt in his mind that his warrior could look after herself.

  Emma stared him down, trying to decide if she should tell him about his sister or not. Whereas Athena caused her to be reserved and cautious, Ares provoked a very different reaction. She wanted to trust him. She wanted to believe in him.

  “I saw your sister today,” she said and watched as the smile faded from his face and was replaced with anger. He looked positively dangero
us when he was mad. Emma subconsciously took a step back.

  “Athena,” he growled. “I told her to stay away from you.”

  “Yeah, she said the same about you.”

  “What did she say?” he demanded.

  Emma shuffled into her home without taking her eyes off him. He moved like a predator and she feared if she looked away he would pounce. She didn’t feel any fear for her safety, though. No, the thought of him pouncing on her was exciting and caused her heart to beat faster in anticipation.

  “Not much,” Emma told him.

  Ares followed her inside and closed the door. “What did she say?” he growled.

  “Now, don’t come in here getting all dominant and shit,” Emma warned him.

  Ares was taken aback by her courage once again. His eyes softened and he even smiled slightly. “I’m sorry. She is such a pain in the ass. I’m sorry if she upset you.”

  Emma shrugged. “It’s nothing. She is kind of creepy, though. She said that you were mental. Had some kind of personality disorder.”

  “Did she.” Ares frowned.

  "She said you actually thought you were the Ares from Greek Mythology," Emma said, the corner of her lip curled up in a half smile.

  "I am," Ares said flatly. "And it's not mythology, it's history."

  Emma rolled her eyes. "Seriously? A three headed giant dog guarding the gates of the Underworld? A mountain in the sky? A man who draws the sun across the sky with his chariot?" There was no stopping the giggle that escaped her lips.

  "Apollo is grounded," Ares ground out. "And then there is the God of War." There were many things that he could abide by with her, but disbelief was not one of them and neither was laughing at him.

  "Oh right," Emma laughed. "You. Pfft. You are no God of War. You're too nice."

  Ares could feel his temper pushing the limits of his control. "I am the God of War," he growled deep in his throat.

  "I think I'm gonna have to see some proof of that, big boy," she teased.