“So help me, Morrigan, if you ditch me right now for my brother I’ll do bad things with every nice pair of panties you own.”
Her eyes widened. “Have you lost your mind?”
“Maybe.” It was a fair question. Ares wasn’t quite sure what had possessed him, or why he was saying these things. It wasn’t that they weren’t true, they were. But they were deep, dark desires never meant to see the light of day.
“Are you saying you want under my battle armor, so to speak?”
Morrigan studied him as if he were some new kind of creature she’d never seen before, and maybe he was because the next words out of his mouth startled even him.
“Honestly, I want to see you in that pink dress again with those heels, your hair curled soft, and then I want to see you in nothing but a pink pearl necklace.”
She looked as if she’d just sucked on a gym sock. “Fine! Then I want to see you tied naked to my bed. How’s that?”
“Fine,” he barked.
What were they doing? What was happening? He’d just agreed to let a woman tie him to her bed, and not just any woman, but Morrigan.
“Wait, what? Really?”
“Eh, well, I mean the tying can be negotiable, can’t it?” Ares asked. He wasn’t into the whole sub thing. He liked being in charge everywhere.
“No.” She crossed her arms over her chest.
“Fine. But I get you naked before you tie me to the bed.”
“Fine.” She snapped her fingers and she was wearing that pink ensemble again. Heels and all. “You bring the pizza. I’m hungry.”
This couldn’t be happening. But it was. He should put a stop to it. This was madness. Where would their friendship be after this?
“Are you coming?” she demanded.
It might’ve been the sexiest thing she’d ever said and Ares couldn’t tell her no. “I’m not even breathing heavy yet.”
“Slacker.”
He scooped up the pizza and followed her into the bedroom. Magic cleaned up the water he trailed from the wet room and even dried him. But before he had a chance to say boo, he was flat on his back and tied to her bed spread-eagle.
The light in her eyes was almost terrifying. He knew her every expression and the one on her face now wasn’t sweet or soft—it was a look he’d seen in the mirror many times. It was conquest.
Only his dick didn’t know to be afraid. Or maybe it was a fear boner? That was it. Not that he was a coward, but this was a side of Morri he’d never seen before and Ares wasn’t one to go around letting people tie him up.
She arched a brow and offered him a smirk. Another expression he was aware he employed in situations just like this. Well, maybe not just like this. He was never the one tied up. He wasn’t sure he liked this. Not at all.
“What’s wrong? Scared?”
He was going to lie, but thought better of it. She’d know anyway. “A little bit, yeah.”
“Aww, I’ll take good care of you and your war hammer.” Her gaze raked down his skin slowly, her regard almost like a touch itself, until it settled on his cock. “I have to say you were right. Impressive.” She licked her lips.
His cock jerked in response and she laughed, delighted. Or what he assumed was delight. He’d never had anyone laugh with mirth at his dick. Frankly, he didn’t care if she laughed, as long she got naked, too.
“My turn,” he growled.
“Not by a long shot. I’m just getting started.”
“Naked, Morri. Lose the dress. Keep the pearls and the heels.”
“Oh, so demanding even tied up and flat on your back.” She stalked over to him and he couldn’t help but think she was like some great axis predator.
He’d never been more turned on. This chains around his wrists and ankles weren’t something he’d have considered, but he liked being at her mercy because he knew she had none.
She crawled up the end of the bed and between his thighs, raking her nails lightly up his legs, the cool, smooth texture of the pearls dragging in their wake.
Then she closed her fingers around his shaft and began to stroke. He arched forward so he could see what she was doing, see her press her full lips against the crown of his cock, her pink tongue darting out to taste him.
He committed every stroke to memory, every brush of her lips, every heated breath against his skin. Ares strained against his chains, both to get closer to her and then to pull away. The sensations were almost too intense.
But everything about Morri was like that. He knew this would be too.
She was still wearing that dress, those heels, and they hadn’t even kissed. He didn’t know if she tasted like she smelled, like cinnamon and cloves. He wanted her to.
Ares wondered what her cleft tasted like—
“Where’d you go?” The pleasure she’d been wreaking on his cock like a military assault called a temporary cease-fire. “You’re not here with me.”
“I’m plenty here with you, Morrigan.”
“I know you. Your mind is on something else other than what I’m doing. What is it?”
“I was just thinking about how you’d taste.”
“I’m giving you the blow job of your life and you’re thinking about getting me off?” She seemed skeptical. “Who am I to argue?”
She pulled back and he watched her slide off her panties—his mouth watered.
“The dress, Morrigan. Take it off. Let me see you.”
She gave him that smirk again, but now it was somehow sweet on her. “Not yet.”
Morri snapped her fingers the bed extended and stretched so that he was splayed even more widely, but he knew what she was doing. She was making room for herself so that she could give him what he wanted—a taste of her.
She straddled him and he wished his hands were free to touch her, to explore her, but no… all he could have was what she’d given him.
* * *
SO HE TASTED HER—and she was like sweet cinnamon candy. He’d never wanted the taste of anything more. He even liked the naughty sensation of being under her prim and perfect dress.
Now, every time he saw her in a dress, especially this one, he’d remember the way she tasted. The sounds of pleasure. The way she pressed her silken body down against his face to get more.
Oh yeah.
He was determined to drive her wild, but she wasn’t giving an inch either—she was taking all ten like a champ. He could feel her lips at the base of his cock, the way she worked his flesh, tasted him, demanded his ecstasy for her own.
Ares refused to be outmatched, refused to let her push him over the edge first.
But she reminded him that it wasn’t up to him when she withdrew.
He growled. “Where are you going? We’re not done.”
“Not by a long shot.” She peeled herself out of the dress and delicious creature she was, gave him exactly what he’d desired.
She stood in front of him in all her naked glory, so beautiful. Her hair in soft curls over one shoulder, her breasts heavy and round, and her nipples the exact same color as those pink pearls that hung between them.
He didn’t know where to look first. The curve of her hips, her lovely, strong and toned legs, the arch of her foot in those pink heels, the neatly groomed thatch between her legs, or her bee-stung lips swollen from pushing him toward bliss.
Ares licked his lips and tasted her there.
“Is this what you wanted?” Her eyes met his and their gazes locked.
“Yes.”
She walked toward him slowly, again. It was all a show, a seduction, even though she had him right where she wanted him.
He’d already tasted her, how was there still this much anticipation?
For one brief moment, he wondered if this was all some kind of trick. If she was going to change her mind and leave him there as punishment for some thing he’d done, some fuck up he didn’t remember or understand.
But he remembered this was Morri.
Holy Gods, this was Morri. The impac
t of the reality of the situation just struck him full force, but then it faded away like a dream.
Or magick.
The scent of the pizza wafted over to him. He realized they’d gotten the wrong pizza. Or it had been tampered with, but that thought was quickly murdered by the needs of the flesh. She straddled him again and her fingers guided him inside of her.
It was as if he’d been struck with a thousand bolts of lightning and he arched up to fill her. Her palms now splayed on his chest and her head was thrown back as she rolled her hips.
This was better than ambrosia.
Better than anything he’d ever experienced.
And it was about to be over.
He couldn’t have that.
“Gods, it’s been so long.”
“Look at me. I want to see your face.”
She tilted her head up and met his gaze and what passed between them… he didn’t know what to call it. It was like she could see under his skin, but it was okay because he could see under hers.
And damn if it didn’t push him over the edge, but she was right behind him. For the first time, his bliss was secondary to his partner’s. It wasn’t that he wasn’t good at what he did, he was a considerate lover.
But as good as the sensation was, it was nothing compared to watching it wash over Morrigan, to reaching that place together.
As soon as his culmination began, the chains disappeared and he had use of his hands. He’d thought if he could just get free, all the places he’d touch, the things he’d do, but right now he just wanted to watch the waves of ecstasy take her. He wanted to keep feeling her body tightening around him, wanted to keep falling into the universe with her.
He could rally later and press her down into the bed, wrap her thighs around his waist and—
She still hadn’t kissed him.
Morrigan, sated, rolled off of him and panic set in. What were they going to do now? They’d crossed a line. Morrigan wasn’t a bar nymph from Atlantis. She wasn’t the kind of goddess for a one-off. At least not for him. She was his best friend. As good as that had felt, it wasn’t worth losing her.
He wasn’t in love with her though, and she wasn’t in love with him. Casual sex until they got tired of fucking? But then what? His usual charms wouldn’t work on her and they—she grabbed the pizza, seeming unfazed. She flopped on the bed, the pizza box between them and opened it.
Only there wasn’t a double meat pizza inside.
There was zero meat in residence, only slices of juicy golden apples(literally gold), a pomegranate sauce, and a champagne whipped cream on top.
For gods and goddesses, it was an aphrodisiac.
“Oh, what the fuck?” Morrigan swore.
He grabbed the box. The name on the label said, Priapus. Of course it would be for Priapus. “Fate thinks she’s being funny.”
“Isn’t Thalia, the Muse of Comedy taking her turn in office?” Morrigan narrowed her eyes. “What did you do to her?”
“Well, there was this one time during the Trojan War and—”
“Never mind. I don’t want to know.”
“Aphrodite and I were on a break.”
“She was ready to kill you, you mean.”
“Toh-may-to, toh-mah-to.” He shrugged and picked at the slices of golden apple.
“Do not put that in your mouth,” she warned.
He shrugged. “I’ll try anything once.”
“Reconsider. That pizza was for Priapus. There’s a condition named after him. Do you want that?”
Ares cocked his head to the side trying to remember what condition she was talking about.
“Priapism. When you have a boner lasting more than—”
“Oh! That’s the one. See, I don’t need Viagra so why would I know anything about that?” He smirked.
“I should’ve let you eat it.”
“I don’t know why she’d do this. After all this time. I mean, she’s had plenty of chances to punish me.”
“To punish you? Really?”
From her tone, and the way she drawled out the last word, he knew he’d said something wrong again, but couldn’t figure out quite what it was.
8
MORRI
So having sex with her was a punishment?
She studied his face and there was just… it was obvious he had no clue why what he’d said was offensive.
Aphrodite had dealt with this for eons. No fucking thank you. She’d stick to the best friend job. The perks were better.
Not that the sex wasn’t amazing. Her cheeks heated thinking about it and her goods, well now she could sort of see its resemblance to a cat because hers was purring.
“Never mind.”
“No, come on. Don’t do that goddess thing where you say you’re fine, but you’re really seething. I can’t fix it if you don’t tell me. We’re better than that.”
“That goddess thing? For fuck’s sake, Ares. Listen, it’s not only a ‘goddess thing.’ It’s a sentient being thing. Feelings are tender when we admit someone hurts them, that gives them the power to hurt them more. As a strategist, I’d have thought you’d have gathered that by now.”
She saw the light bulb go on. “No one’s explained it to me like that before.” He nodded. “Yeah, okay. So how did I hurt your feelings?”
He looked so earnest that she felt stupid for having her feelings hurt.
“Come on.” He grabbed her and pulled her close. “You have to know I’d never try to hurt you, Morrigan.”
Hearing her name on his lips now was almost a trespass. She remembered them pressed against her, his tongue doing the most sinful things and the timbre of his voice—it had never affected her like this before.
She was in trouble.
Big trouble.
“You said that us getting the wrong pizza was to punish you—ergo, sex with me was a punishment.”
“Oh for…Morri. Really? You know that’s not how I meant it.”
“Yeah, I know you.” She realized it didn’t sound like the support it was supposed to be, but more like an indictment. Like she knew him, therefore he was a piece of crap.
He wasn’t. Ares had his faults, but so did she, and despite all of them, he was the best god she knew. He blustered about war because he spent his youth building this reputation which was mostly to prove to the world and himself he didn’t care what other people thought of him. That it didn’t matter he was the younger son who could never please his father.
She inhaled a shuddering breath. “I guess I’m afraid that you’re going to treat me like one of them. That I know that these encounters don’t mean anything to you unless it’s Aphrodite. I don’t want to be a throwaway.”
“Then don’t act like one.”
His words were low and soft, but they sliced through all the way to her guts.
She tried to pull away, but he wouldn’t let her.
“Morri, shit. I didn’t mean that. Don’t you think I’m afraid of losing you, too? Don’t you think I know we fucked up?”
“I guess I was hoping that you wouldn’t think we fucked up.” Oh, why did she say that? Hell, she could’ve just ripped her own heart out of her chest and summoned Corvinus to chew off all her heartstrings and saved Ares the trouble.
“Did you want this? Before the aphrodisiac, I mean.” He’d gone very still.
“Didn’t you? We’ve both wondered what it would be like since that time you almost kissed me.”
“But cooler heads prevailed.”
She snickered, then he did, too. “You said head.”
“I did.”
They laughed.
“But where do we go from here, Morrigan?” He was serious again. “No matter how good this feels, and let me reassure you, in case you were confused—it was the best sex of my long existence—it is not worth losing you.”
“Why would you lose me?”
“Because I’m a fuck up. I know it. You know it. Aphrodite knew it. War is strife. That’s no way to have any kind of
relationship.” He shook his head. “And we’re not in love.”
She’d been ready to go to the mat, to argue with him, one up him, until he said they weren’t in love. He didn’t love her that way.
“That’s not to say I don’t love you or you don’t love me, but it’s different,” he rushed to add.
She swallowed hard, and with it, she choked down the truth. They weren’t in love and she was insane to think that trying a relationship with him would be anything but bad news. That’s why she’d been so angry earlier about even the implication that anything about them together was a punishment. She’d started to see it as a possibility.
A happy possibility.
Her orgasm-stunned brain was not to be trusted. Not at all. Those were crazy thoughts.
“First, I’m going to tell you something that you should already know. There is more to you than War. There is more to War than strife. Here’s something else that you should already know. You don’t have to pretend that there isn’t more to the office you bear or the god beneath it with me.” She held up her hand before he could say anything else. “Look, we’ll just chock this up to a thing that happened. We were curious and the aphrodisiac did the rest. Nothing has to change.”
But it already felt like everything had changed.
He was still her best friend, but he wasn’t. She couldn’t talk to him about how this really made her feel. Or the crazy thoughts in her head.
“I’m still hungry.”
“Haven’t you had enough to eat?” she smirked and then realized that the days of banter like that were probably over.
“Not really. I wanted meat. Instead, I got a lot of red hots.”
“What?”
He grinned. “You taste like cinnamon candy. Like red hots.”
Her face heated. “I do not.”
“Yeah, you most assuredly do.” He licked his lips. “Mmm. Yeah. Kiss me and find out.”
“That’s not really in line with our accord.”
“This is true, but you said you were curious—”
Ambrosia Lane 1-3: Saranna DeWylde Page 53