Finding Paradise (The Gods of Oakleigh Book 1)
Page 20
“Let me explain,” he growled.
She looked at the fingers that circled her bicep, strong, long and wide. Fingers that had the power to hurt her — he was angry enough to — yet he only applied enough pressure to hold her still. She felt the strength in his hands, the weight of it he carried in his wide-legged stance, the restraint he maintained with apparent ease, despite the storm brewing in his eyes.
He dropped his hand from her arm, and reached for the leather straps that secured his breastplate. “You are right. I was sent to find you. You are wrong about the motive.”
Arian watched in fascination as he stripped away his armour. Carelessly, he tossed the breastplate on the low couch that faced the two chairs, followed by the golden greaves from his shins, until all that remained was his sword and linen chitoniskos. Her gaze was drawn to his powerful legs, all bronzed muscle below the shortened tunic. Anger momentarily gave way to admiration for this beautiful, brave warrior who’d stolen her heart then stomped all over it in greed for possession. She tore her eyes away from the body she’d worshipped with hers.
“I no longer care.”
“I do.” He walked towards her, stopping when she took a step back. “When I met you on the beach, I knew I wanted more than just to protect you. You touched a part of my heart frozen for too long, but still I harboured a distrust of women. The more time I spent with you, the deeper I fell, the less I could resist you. Yes, I wanted my soul, my release from Purgatory, but I began to need you more. I’d fought for the honour of the shield only to lose it because of a spiteful misdeed. A mistake that would cost me my life, whether I took it myself or in a form of punishment from the Greek army whose sheep I’d slaughtered.”
He reached out to touch her face. For a moment, she sank into the warmth of his palm, her heart aching, then she pulled away from his touch and he dropped his hand to his side.
“The night you choked on the ouzo, I felt my soul being ripped away when I thought you were going to die. Hades had used a strong potion, not enough to kill me but you … he could have killed you.” Jax pulled off his helmet and it fell against the discarded breastplate with a clang. Raking a hand impatiently through his hair, he looked Arian in the eyes. “Then later, I kissed you and I knew ...”
Arian stepped closer and he held out his hands. She let hers hang at her sides while her heart pounded at the raw need in his eyes. She couldn’t be drawn under his spell until she knew the truth.
“You are more than a means of bringing me back to life. You are my life.” He removed the sheath from around his waist that held his sword, knelt at her feet, head down and offered it up to her with both hands. “Arian, my queen and keeper of my heart, for you I surrender my sword and the Shield of Achilles, in return for your forgiveness and eternal love.”
Arian swallowed the lump in her throat and squeezed her eyes shut against the tears that stung her lids. “What does that mean?” she whispered.
He raised his head, his love for her a glow on his face. “It means I sacrifice my immortality, my place in Zeus’ army, to spend the rest of my days in Paradise with you, until we die of old age and seek the shores of eternity together.”
“You’d do that?”
“In a heartbeat.”
She cupped his face between her palms, his beard soft against her skin, and drew him to his feet. “Then I accept your apology.”
***
Later, Arian lay with her head pillowed on Jax’s chest, his heartbeat still unsteady in her ear. Their coming together had been wild, uncontrolled and desperate. Skin on skin wasn’t close enough as they’d tasted and teased, devoured and adored. His chitoniskos lay on top of her discarded robes, the only thing saving it from ruin during removal was that it held together with safety pins—pins now bent out of shape.
“I love you, Arian.” His voice rumbled beneath her and the hand that held hers squeezed her fingers tightly.
Arian kissed his chest then looked up to find him watching her. His arm around her waist drew her closer still. “I love you, Jax.”
“When you disappeared from the stadium … the accident … I thought I’d lost you. Were it not for Zeus’ potion, I might not have had the strength in me to save you.”
“Sshh …” Arian wriggled her hand from his and put a finger to his lips.
He kissed the tip. “Then you ran away ...”
“Hades fed me lies so damn believable they made perfect sense. I thought he would come after you again as long as I was around. Jax, if I lost you ...”
“I know.” He tipped her face to his and kissed her long and hard.
Breathless, she traced the hard plain of his abdomen, across his hip and down those strong thighs. She loved the feel of him, the dip and rise of his muscles, the firmness of his hold and the heart that beat strong and hard in his chest.
“Are we truly free from him now?”
“Yes, he won’t come for us again. This time he’ll keep his promise. Who knew he had a heart, black as it is? We have your gran to thank for that. Looks like she had a thing for bad boys,” he teased as his fingers played up the length of her spine. “I can be a bad boy too.”
“I am my gran’s progeny, and Queen of the Faeries too. I might have to punish you for your misdeeds.” She rolled on top of him, aligning their bodies for a fit they already knew was perfect.
“I like your idea of punishment,” Jax murmured. His hands stroked across her bottom as he hitched her closer.
She arched away a little, long enough to stroke his length as it pressed between them, smiling as he moaned his pleasure. Then she began a rhythm he couldn’t ignore, kissed his lips tenderly and swallowed his whispered words of adoration. As she guided him home, she lifted her head and said, “Jax … will you love me forever?”
“Forever and beyond.”
He joined her dance, matching her move for harmonious move. Together they found Paradise.
THE END
Note from the author
Thank you so much for taking the time to read my story Finding Paradise which is part of the Gods of Oakleigh series. As the story is set mostly in Australia, I have used Australian English for the text. I hope you will forgive the minor spelling differences between US and UK English and enjoy this fantasy romance.
All reviews are appreciated.
Best wishes
Juanita Kees
About The Author
Writing fun, action-packed, sexy stories filled with feisty, caring characters ready to risk everything for love.
Juanita Kees achieved her dream of becoming a published author in 2012.
Under the Hood (Book 2 in the Under the Law series) followed in 2013 as one of the first releases from Harlequin’s digital pioneer, Escape Publishing.
Since then Juanita has been a finalist in the Romance Writers of Australia Romantic Book of the Year and the Australian Romance Readers Awards.
She escapes the real world to write stories starring spirited heroines who give the hero a run for his money before giving in.
Juanita loves to hear from at:
Author Site: juanitakees.com
Facebook: Juanita-Kees-Author-Page
Twitter: @juanitakees
Goodreads: Juanita_Kees
Other Books By Juanita Kees
Under Shadow of Doubt
Under The Hood
Under Cover of Dark
It Happened at Café Nix
Home to Bindarra Creek
Whispers at Wongan Creek
Writing as Juanita Chavez
Loving Evie
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