by Folsom, Tina
“No, I don’t!” he insisted.
She raised her hands, the gesture one of utter frustration. “But I can’t marry a man who doesn’t love me. Don’t you understand that?”
Her words made him think for a moment. A man who didn’t love her. So that was her reasoning for rejecting him? “Say that again.”
“Didn’t you hear me the first time? I’m telling you I can’t marry a man who doesn’t love me.”
Yeah, he’d heard right. She had clearly not said that she didn’t love him. Wouldn’t a woman who was confronted with such a decision blurt out the first thing she thought of? And if she didn’t love him, then surely she would give that as her reason for not wanting to marry him, and not tell him that it was because he didn’t love her.
Hermes cleared his throat. “Hades, would you mind if I discussed this with Penny in private?”
“There’s nothing to discuss!” Penny said.
“You may use the sitting room.” Hades pointed to a door to the left.
“Excuse us,” Hermes said politely and snatched Penny by her elbow, dragging her with him.
“Hermes, please, there’s nothing to discuss.”
He opened the door and shoved her inside a large room with a cathedral ceiling, massive gothic furniture, and a stone fireplace where a fire roared, closing the door behind them with a loud thud. “Oh, there’s lots to discuss.”
She glared at him, defiance in her beautiful eyes. Oh, how he loved her like this, stubborn and passionate. Loved? The word bounced around in his head. Was it possible? He didn’t want to think of it right now, because there was something more important he had to do first, namely, convince Penny that it was in her best interest to marry him. And then later he’d deal with the fact that he was probably crazy, wanting to be locked into the same kind of golden cage his friends Triton and Dio were imprisoned in: matrimony. He wanted to shake his head, shake off the foolish notion, and run away from Penny now before he made the biggest mistake in his life. But he couldn’t. He wanted her against all reason. Her, the woman who’d stolen from him.
“We’re good together, Penny, you have to admit that.”
“Good together? Are you serious? Just because we have great sex, doesn’t mean we should get married,” Penny said, fisting her hands at her sides.
“Yeah, we do have great sex together, don’t we?” he asked, an idea forming in his mind.
Color rose in her cheeks. “But I’m not going to trap you into a loveless marriage because of that! I’d rather stay down here forever than do what Persephone did to Hades.”
Hermes chuckled at her comparison. “That’s hardly the same. Hades was trapped into marriage; I’m walking into it with open eyes.”
She shook her head. “No, you’re not. This decision is being forced on you.”
He brushed a strand of hair from her face and stroked his finger over her cheek. Leaning in, he inhaled her scent and drank in her nearness. How he missed feeling her body writhing underneath his. Had it been only two days since he’d taken her on the desk in her office? Just thinking about it now made the lust in his body burst to the surface.
“So you don’t want to marry me?”
She shook her head.
“Fine. Then I guess this is goodbye.”
He noticed the change in her heartbeat and the disappointment she tried to hide in her eyes. Ah, his sweet Penny! Not only was she a hapless thief, she was also a terrible liar.
“Just one goodbye kiss then,” he said, bringing his head so close that his lips hovered over hers. “Just one kiss.”
One very long, all-consuming kiss.
He pressed his lips to hers, cutting off any protest she might have voiced. Her lips parted as if she’d wanted to speak, and he took advantage of it and swept his tongue into her mouth.
Pulling her into his arms, he slanted his lips and kissed her with all the passion and lust that had built up in him in the last few days and was now ready to burst from him. At first, it seemed as if she wanted to push him away, but then her hands snaked around his neck and held him to her.
He felt her breasts crushed against his chest and her heartbeat reverberate through his body. Penny’s heart was beating in as frantic a rhythm as his own.
With his tongue, he stroked against hers, coaxing her to surrender to him, to give in to his demands. Didn’t she want the same as he did? Didn’t she want to spend her days and nights in his bed, making love, experiencing the pleasure he knew he could give her?
From deep within him, a growl worked its way higher and he didn’t suppress it. Instead, he let it burst from his lips. He needed to show her how much he wanted her, and that resistance was futile. He would do anything in his power to get what he wanted.
When he released Penny’s lips for a moment to take in a much-needed breath of air, his chest heaving, a sigh came over her lips and her hand behind his neck tightened around him.
“Easy, baby! I’m not going anywhere,” he murmured, and captured her lips again.
Feeling her melt into him, he slid his hand up her torso and cupped her breast. Her heart beat into his palm like a locomotive thundering down a mountain. The little peak on her firm globe was hard and he couldn’t resist the temptation to rub it between thumb and forefinger. An uncontrolled moan was her answer.
His other hand slid to her back, finding the zipper of her summer dress, and pulling on it. When the darn thing wouldn’t instantly open, he snapped his fingers and used his godly powers to lower the zipper to her waist. Finally, he was able to push the fabric down and away from her body, revealing her bare breasts. She wasn’t wearing a bra.
When he palmed her breasts, feeling her soft skin and the firm flesh beneath as she pressed herself against him, more blood rushed to his cock. Penny’s hips suddenly rocked against him, her sex grinding in an unmistakable rhythm against his hard-on. Hermes released one of her breasts, placing his hand on her back, before sliding his hand down underneath her dress. His fingers encountered her g-string and moved lower, squeezing her ass, yanking her even harder against his cock.
She moaned, pulling her mouth from his. “We have to stop,” she begged, her words a breathless whisper.
“I’ll stop when you agree to marry me,” he agreed, and slipped his hand between her legs where moisture had already gathered. He rubbed his finger against her slit and felt her shudder. “Marry me.”
Hermes kissed the graceful column of her neck, then dove deeper down, planting kisses on her shoulders, before lowering his head. When his lips found her nipple and captured it, he felt her tremble. But he showed her no mercy. He wouldn’t stop until she’d given him the answer he wanted.
He removed his hand from her behind and tugged on her dress, making it pool at her feet. A moment later, his fingers combed through the curls guarding her sex. He slid past it and dove into her warm and moist folds, bathing his fingers in her wetness.
“Marry me,” he urged her again, this time driving one long finger into her tight channel.
“Yes! Yes!” she cried out.
“Say it!” he said as he pulled his finger from her and found her clit. When he rubbed over it, making small circles, she trembled in his arms. “Say it!”
She ground her clit against his finger. “I’ll marry you. Please . . . ”
His heart made an excited salto, and his finger continued stroking her, rewarding her for her acquiescence. “Yes, baby, I’ll give you what you need.”
Seconds later, he felt her shudder in his arms, her orgasm making her knees buckle. She collapsed in his arms, and he pressed her head against his chest, caressing her softly. “I’ll make sure you won’t regret it.”
33
Penny still felt uncomfortably hot and nervous. How could she have agreed to marry Hermes? It was madness! He’d used his considerable charm and sexual prowess to seduce her. Now she stood in Hades’ sitting room, dressed in one of Persephone’s dresses, waiting for the ceremony to start.
The cerem
ony was nothing like Penny had imagined her wedding would be. She’d always thought she’d be surrounded by friends and family and be somewhere beautiful like Magnolia Gardens, or even on a beach. She’d certainly never thought she’d be wed in a dark, gothic castle in the underworld.
She looked at Hades as he directed Felix to set up a video camera. “No, point it that way. We want them to see the entire thing, not just the couple.”
Felix moved the tripod and readjusted the camera.
Penny glanced at Hermes, who wore a dark suit for the occasion. “Why the camera?” she whispered to him.
He smiled at her and took her hand. “So that we have proof of this and can get this proof to Zeus. If he doesn’t see it with his own eyes, he’ll never believe it. Now let’s get on with it so we can get back to our lives.”
Back to their lives? Yes, she understood that: once Zeus knew they were married, Hermes would go back to his world and she would go back to hers. Everything would be like before, only she would officially be Hermes’ wife. Yet it would mean nothing to him.
“You can still change your mind,” she said to him. “Really, I’d be okay with it. If you’d rather not change your life for me . . . ”
“Change my life?” He leaned closer, lowering his voice. “Well, I have to admit it is a bit of a change acquiring a wife, but if that means I get to make love to you every night, then I really don’t mind.”
She felt herself blush at the thought. “Marriage is a very high price to pay for sex.”
He winked, grinning. “I’m a rich man.”
“We’re ready,” Hades announced.
Ready? No, she wanted to scream. She wasn’t ready. She wanted to marry a man who loved her, not one who did so out of a misplaced sense of responsibility. How could she marry the man who’d come to mean so much to her, the man who inhabited her heart, who occupied her mind and her thoughts day in, day out? How would she be able to hide from him that she was falling in love with him? And she absolutely had to hide those feelings, because it would be too humiliating to lay them bare to Hermes.
Reluctantly, she nodded. “Yes, I’m ready.”
Hades smiled at her. “I have to say, Penny, you’re making my day. Not only have I never held a wedding in my home before, you’re also giving me the perfect opportunity to stick it to Zeus. And for that, I’m truly grateful!” He broke out in raucous laughter.
Penny exchanged a look with Hermes, who also grinned from one ear to the other. “Sticking it to Zeus?” she asked in confusion.
Hermes made a dismissive hand movement. “Sibling rivalry. Don’t take any notice of it.”
Hades pointed at his footman. “Felix, lights, camera, action!”
Felix pressed a button on the camera, then flicked the switch to the sound system. Soft music began to play in the background. Hades pulled his shoulders back and looked at her and Hermes, who stood next to her.
“We have gathered here tonight to unite this god and this mortal in holy matrimony,” the god of the underworld started.
Tears filled Penny’s eyes and her head began to swim. Words drifted to her and she answered as if on autopilot, until suddenly she heard Hades say, “You may kiss the bride.”
Hermes’ passionate kiss seemed to revive her again, and when he released her, she opened her eyes and reality sank in. She was now Hermes’ wife, the wife of the messenger god.
“Perfect,” Hades exclaimed. She looked at him and saw him step away from the camera. “Felix will upload it to YouTube instantly. It shouldn’t be long until Zeus finds out.”
“YouTube? You’re going to show this on YouTube? But you’re going to expose yourselves like that!” she protested.
“Nonsense,” Hades claimed. “People will think it’s a Halloween gag. Only the gods will know it’s real.” Then he motioned to Hermes. “Don’t you have something to do now?”
Hermes tugged at her hand, making her look back at him. His eyes blazed with lust. “I believe my uncle just ordered us to consummate the marriage.”
Penny’s breath hitched and her eyes shot to the camera. “I can’t just—”
All three men broke out in laughter.
“In private, of course,” Hermes said, his eyes twinkling with joy. “Just so that it’s all ironclad, you know.” He bent closer.
“Of course,” she said hastily, trying to hide her excitement. If he wanted to make love to her one more time before they went back to their old lives, then she would soak up those minutes and savor them.
Hermes had to curb his impatience. Since teleporting was not allowed in Hades’ Underworld, he had to waste twenty precious seconds to lead his bride to the comfortable chambers that Hades had prepared for their use, when he could barely wait to rip the clothes from her luscious body and sink his aching cock into her. Ever since he’d made her come in the sitting room a few hours earlier, he’d been dancing on the edge of an abyss, his control holding on by a thin thread.
As he pushed the door open and entered, holding Penny’s hand, he was pleased to see that Hades’ staff had taken great pains to make the suite look welcoming and less gaudy than the rest of the castle. Not that Hermes cared much where he finally consummated his marriage, though for Penny’s sake, he was happy to see that the room was bathed in the warm light of scented candles.
The door fell shut behind them. Finally, he was alone with his wife. How strange that word sounded, yet it felt so right. An odd sense of peace spread in his body, and he wondered whether this was how his friends Triton and Dionysus had felt when they had finally won the hearts of the women they loved. A tiny twinge of guilt speared through him: he hadn’t won Penny’s heart; instead, he’d forced her hand and practically coerced her into marrying him. This was only the beginning of it. He now had to do everything in his power to make her fall in love with him, because there was one thing he didn’t want: a loveless marriage.
Hermes watched as Penny glanced around the room and her eyes fell onto the large bed, which was covered with satin sheets. From behind, he snaked his arms around her waist and pulled her against his chest, nuzzling his face in the crook of her neck, his lips planting small kisses on her skin.
“I want you so much,” he whispered into her ear.
His hands traveled over her body, exploring her curves, before he brought them to her back. “I’m going to undress you now, my sweet wife. And once you’re naked, I’m going to make love to you until we both collapse.”
Her breath hitched, and he sensed her heartbeat accelerate.
He lowered the zipper down to her hips, then pushed the dress off her shoulders, allowing it to fall to the floor and pool around her feet. She wore a bra and a g-string. Hermes let out an appreciative grunt.
“By the gods, you’re beautiful.”
“Hermes,” she whispered, the hesitation in her voice evident.
“Yes?” He snapped the clasp of her bra open and slid the garment off her shoulders, tossing the item to the floor.
Her back stiffened slightly. “Relax, baby.” He stroked his hands over her back, sliding his fingers underneath the string of her panties, and pushed them down. “Step out of them.”
She followed his command. He turned her to face him and his mouth went dry. Her bare breasts were topped with hard, pink nipples, and lower, her sex was exposed to his view.
“Fuck!” he cursed, knowing that he didn’t have the patience left to continue with a slow seduction. Instead, he snapped his fingers once, and made his own clothes disappear. On the inside, he was burning up.
“Oh!” she gasped, clearly surprised, before her eyes ran over his naked body.
He tossed her a crooked smile. “Sorry, but I can’t wait any longer. I’ve gotta have you now.”
He lifted her into his arms and laid her down on the bed, lowering himself over her. “I promise you next time we’ll do this more slowly, but right now I need to get inside you fast, or I’m going to go crazy.”
His cock had never been this hard in his
entire life, and his balls had already pulled up tightly. He wouldn’t last long, he was sure. Impatiently, he nudged between her spread thighs, and positioned his cock at her pussy. When he looked up at her face, he noticed how her lips had parted, and how she gazed at him from under her dark lashes. The desire blazing from her eyes nearly made him come.
Unable to hold back any longer, he plunged into her, finding her ready for him. Warmth and wetness engulfed him, her tight muscles wrapping around him like a snug glove. “Thank you,” he muttered, realizing only now that he hadn’t even bothered to do anything to arouse her. Some lover he was!
Slowly, he withdrew, only to thrust back into her harder than before. His entire body trembled, and bolts of fire shot through him. Penny’s eyes shut on his next thrust and her body arched toward him.
“Look at me!” he ordered, his voice gruff as he clenched his jaw to hold off his imminent orgasm.
Her eyes widened and he pinned her with his gaze. “Look at me,” he said more softly now. “I’m your husband now.” A wave of possessiveness slammed into him. At the same time, his cock took on a rhythm of its own, driving harder and faster into her. She was his, and he would never give her up. Never. And as if to prove it, he rode her hard, his hips bucking against hers, his cock spearing into her, his hands gripping her hips for more leverage.
Like a savage, he fucked her. Despite the rough treatment, she moaned out her pleasure, while her hands clamped over his ass, and her fingernails dug into his flesh as she urged him on to take her even more ferociously.
“You like that?” he managed to ask between heavy breaths and deep thrusts.
“Yes!” she cried out and tightened her legs across his back.
He’d never seen her like this. Even when he’d fucked her on the desk in her office, she hadn’t been this wild. But by the gods, he liked it. No, loved it. His wife was a passionate woman—more so than he’d expected, and to know that she enjoyed what he was doing made him want to howl like a wolf. Because if he could satisfy her every need, one day she could learn to love him.