Oshun jerked and shook her head. “That isn’t true. Maybe I couldn’t share. Have you stopped to consider anyone else? It’s always about you and your damned misery.”
“Oshun, it’s time for you to go.”
“I’ll leave, but I’m not going to allow you to push me away. Not this time. Never again.”
He stared at the loft. How in the hell had he gotten here? And more importantly, what came next?
“What if this is your last chance at love? Forever is a long time to be alone,” Oshun said, then disappeared just as quickly as she had appeared a few minutes earlier.
Did Oshun really believe he was that clueless? Every day of Destiny’s short life he’d tried to ignore the attraction that was separate and fiercer than anything he and Amina had shared.
The intensity of their bond was the reason he hadn’t acted, the reason he had interfered with every relationship Destiny had ever had. He’d managed to convince himself that the first step in her downfall was keeping her alone. The ugly truth had slapped him in the face when he’d seen her with that computer geek. Vulcan didn’t want anyone else touching her, loving her, and damn it—laughing with her.
He lay on the couch, and the truth of Oshun’s words echoed through his mind. The woman sleeping in his bed held no responsibility for a betrayal that occurred thousands of years before her birth. But if he released the anger, set it free like an uncaged bird, where would that leave him?
Alone.
Rage had been his constant companion for so long, he had no idea how to function without it tainting every relationship. When does one abandon that which no longer serves him?
For him, that time may be now.
He surrendered the idea of sleep, not that he needed it, but the couch was too small and his problems too large. Instead of walking around to cut the lights, Vulcan used his powers to turn them off instead. Sitting in the darkness sounded like a good plan. The next half an hour felt like days, knowing that the woman who’d become the focus of his life was upstairs and wanted him.
They both knew it wasn’t the liquor talking. This was Destiny. She’d been low-key and clear in her attraction. Each time he’d intentionally ignored her, it had eaten away at her self-confidence. Talk about being a sadistic asshole. While he enjoyed her attention, he also loved inflicting pain.
Did he plan to continue down the path to shatter her life and stand back and watch as everything around her imploded? He had no idea.
What he did know was that he wanted to spend the night holding her in his arms. So he willed himself up to the loft and stood by the side of the bed, wanting to kiss the corner of her smiling lips. Heavens, the woman was beautiful. Sober she was adorable, but drunk, Destiny rocked his world.
Repeatedly, throughout his lifetimes, he’d witnessed and envied others as they fell in love. But with that love, all too often heartbreak followed. He wasn’t sure he was equipped to deal with that anguish.
Vulcan balled his fists and wondered if in chasing Destiny he’d wind up like Achilles—dead and destroyed because of a flaw. Or, could Vulcan’s weakness wind up being his greatest strength? Yes, if only he would release the anger—and the fear.
Movement on the bed pulled him back to the present. Destiny stretched and opened her eyes. “Either get in or stop standing there making all that blasted noise.”
Vulcan smiled and slipped into the bed and wondered what eternity would feel like without a heart. If he could spend a few decades filled with moments like today, it may be worth it to find out.
Chapter 14
Five more minutes.
Feeling like Goldilocks, Destiny snuggled into the pillow. Well, except for the trying out two other beds part. Last night in her drunken stupor, she’d thought it was comfy, and now she felt this bad boy was just right.
Last night was amusing, enlightening, and maybe even a little embarrassing, but she had no regrets. At least she hadn’t stripped naked and—
Was that an arm thrown around her waist? She glanced down at the muscular forearm covered with fine dark hair, and her eyes widened.
In her fantasies she’d imagined waking up beside Vulcan after a night of mind blowing sex. When was the last time her imaginings reflected her reality? How about never. So of course, why would this be any different?
Destiny attempted to ease from beneath his arm. But instead of releasing her, Vulcan grumbled and managed to effortlessly turn her and tuck her face against his chest. One of his hands slid beneath her shirt, settling on her lower back, and the fingers of the other hand curled around the back of her head, pulling her close.
Wow. She’d become his personal teddy bear.
Like a cat in heat, Destiny rubbed her cheek against Vulcan’s warm chest. It was official; the man’s body was perfect. She didn’t want to examine the healthy morning wood pressed against her belly, so she concentrated on the short hair covering his chest. While a waxed chest didn’t do much for her, a too hairy one wasn’t her thing, either.
From the soft tickling she felt against her cheek, Vulcan had it just right. Figures.
Then she made the mistake of inhaling. “Why do you have to smell as good as you look?”
Shit.
“Please tell me I didn’t say that out loud,” she whispered, which probably wasn’t such a great idea either.
“You did. Be still and be quiet.” The hand on her back, slid lower, and pulled her thigh over his.
“Hey, big guy” she said, patting his chest, and she’d been right, he had the perfect amount of chest hair. “Let me up.”
“I like you here.”
“Um…”
“Quiet woman.” He shifted, and his morning wood felt even more impressive, which shouldn’t be possible.
She needed to get out of the bed before she made a mistake and fell on his erection. The thought made her giggle. “I have to use the bathroom,” she whispered.
He grumbled then tightened his arms around her before whispering against her hair, “Hurry back.”
When he released her, she lay frozen for a couple of seconds, then scurried out of bed, grabbing her clothes and her tote before her mad dash to the bathroom.
Destiny looked in the mirror and snorted at her felonious case of bed head. Uh, no. Definitely not sexy. If real life were like the Young and the Restless, she’d have woken with soft artfully applied makeup and perfect hair. Instead, she looked like the love child of Tina Turner and Don King.
Thank goodness her legs looked more like Tina’s. Well, now that winter was over at least. What was the use of shaving when no one would see them?
One glance out the window reminded her that perhaps winter was still here. She pressed her hands against the glass and gasped at the massive flakes pinging against the window. It looked like it was snowing even harder than when she’d gone to bed the night before. As a matter of fact, she imagined it the kind of storm that would have forced the Donner party to search for alternate food sources—each other.
Which she probably shouldn’t have done, because the errant thoughts about eating drifted to Vulcan eating her, and not to satisfy any nutritional needs.
At least it was daytime. If he had snowshoes, she could walk until she found a cell phone signal. In fact, she might have one now. She dug in her bag, pulled out her phone. “No bars.” Okay. If the rest of her life wasn’t falling apart, she’d happily slide between the sheets and snuggle up with Vulcan. But was it awful that a tiny part of her celebrated that the choice of whether or not to spend the day with him was beyond her control?
No, not at all.
“Next step—dental hygiene.” A brand new toothbrush sat on the hammered steel counter, along with a tube of toothpaste and facial wash. Vulcan was the least metrosexual man she’d ever encountered, but his taste in products was impeccable.
The door opened, and she glanced in the mirror, and holy cow…Watching a sleepy Vulcan make his way into the bathroom almost made her ovaries burst. Lying next to him had felt incredible, but witn
essing all that sexy goodness up close and personal wasn’t fair.
And to top it off, his nipples were pierced. Before she could stop herself, her gaze drifted lower, meandering along the fine trail of dark brown hair leading down to his low-slung basketball shorts.
And the… holy shit.
“Sorry,” Destiny mumbled around her toothbrush. After rinsing and trying to erase the image of his impressive equipment, she stood and met his eyes in the mirror. “I’ll get outta here and let you take care of your business.”
“I’d prefer you stay right there.” He reached around her and grabbed his toothbrush. When she didn’t move, he raised an eyebrow as if giving her a chance to escape.
This was it. The choice was hers. If her synapses were firing, she’d run from this house like her hair was on fire.
Another heartbeat passed, and he took half a step back. When she didn’t move he nodded, then proceeded to brush his teeth. No big deal, except instead of using the other sink, he pressed every inch of that glorious body against her back.
While he acted as if sharing the bathroom was an everyday occurrence, she was having a minor freak out of the “whoop-whoop-I’m-going-to-get-laid” variety. Then, he placed a hand in the center of her back and gently nudged until she leaned over the counter. Then he quickly reached around her and rinsed his mouth.
The entire exchange was the sexiest—and weirdest—thing she’d ever experienced. And she wanted more.
“Last night you seemed… interested. Is that still the case?” Vulcan asked, wrapping an arm around her and resting his hand on her stomach.
“Yes. It is.” Try as she may to sound cool, her words escaped on a rush of air. She could do this if she made a few adjustments. Since she knew who and what he was going into this, it should be a piece of cake. This was pure pleasure—nothing more.
His eyes softened before he bent and kissed her neck. “You smell delicious.” He nipped at her neck gently before effortlessly lifting her and sitting her on the counter.
“So do you.” She appreciated all that was Vulcan. Screw the bashfulness. She was a grown-ass woman and not a stupid one. “You’re a buffet of sexy, and I plan to try every dish.”
Vulcan chuckled. Then it turned into a deep clit-tingling laugh. The body was banging. His cooking was incredible. That voice was like melted chocolate. But his laugh, oh, that felt like something rare, special. And it was all hers.
“Before you ask—yes, you did say that out loud. And I liked it.” He pushed her knees apart and stood between her thighs. “I have a confession to make.”
“You do?”
“Oh yeah.”
“As long as it ends with you inside of me, I wouldn’t care if you whipped up the storm that destroyed my life.” She placed her hand on his pec and grazed her thumb across the silver bar that ran through his nipple. Was she prepared to harden her heart to get the “D” from Vulcan?
Yup, yup, and more yup.
“Each day I led you to believe I didn’t want you, was a lie.”
“You give me whiplash. First, you’re friendly-ish, then you ignore me.” And then he broke her heart, which she really didn’t want to think about with that erection pointing at her like true north. “Then suddenly you kiss me to the edge of insanity.” Destiny trailed her finger down the soft line of hair that would lead to her future happy place.
“Right back at ya. You have no idea how many vases I blew just to make excuses to return to your gallery.” He moved closer, trapping her hand between their bodies. “And those sweet skirts…” He groaned and it was low and sexy enough that she wanted to end the conversation and get him naked. “Tell me you didn’t get rid of your old clothes. I liked them.” He pressed his lips against the side of her neck. “Almost as much as I like you.”
He trailed kisses along her neck until he reached her ear. Then he sucked gently on her lobe before whispering, “I tried to give you time. But I must tell you, when I left your house the only thought on my mind was tasting you.”
She remained silent. What could she say after that? For a man who rarely spoke, Vulcan was a poet.
“Tell me you want to explore this thing between us.” He kissed the corner of her mouth, then cupped her cheeks. “Tell me I’m not in this alone. I feel like I might go up in flames if I don’t touch you. If you don’t want me stripping you naked and kissing every inch of that magnificent body—tell me now. I need you, Destiny.”
She covered his large hands with hers, opening her eyes and staring into dark pools of desire. When books said hokey stuff about falling into someone eyes, this must be what they meant. In those depths were pain and sorrow, but also the capacity for love and great pleasure. But what rocked her to the core was a loneliness she recognized, because it looked like her own.
For once, instead of weighing the pros and cons, Destiny took the proverbial leap by wrapping her arms and legs around the enigma in front of her, hoping she wouldn’t get burned by flying too close to the sun.
Chapter 15
Until Destiny wrapped herself around him, Vulcan wasn’t certain this morning’s sobriety had returned her sense of self-preservation. Abandoning the opportunity for vengeance after waiting centuries seemed ridiculous, and taking her to his bed was insane. But damn the fates and common sense.
For him there was no choice.
Vulcan carried Destiny into the bedroom, praying she didn’t change her mind. Pausing before they reached the bed, he tapped her thigh. She reluctantly loosened her thighs and slid down the front of his body. It was time to face some blatant truths. Yesterday he’d initiated the ultimate revenge. Now, finding himself the recipient of the trust shining in her eyes and the shy smile barely hiding her desire, he knew this had always been about chasing Destiny.
“I want to see you,” he said and retreated a step. If he stayed too close, all his good intentions would go to shit. Plus he’d probably scare her, because he was seconds away from shredding the T-shirt separating him from his reward.
Her tiny whimper of protest almost broke his will. Down boy. We’ve waited this long, just a few more minutes.
With steady hands, Destiny gathered the oversized shirt and pulled it up her body with a slowness that would have made a stripper proud. He was a fool for wasting so many years. Now that she stood before him in a simple black lace bra and panties it was his turn to whimper.
“You’re more beautiful than I imagined.” Yes, he’d seen her in her underwear before, but without her knowledge. That she’d exposed her body and planned to share it with him was an incomparable gift. The combination of the graceful curve of her neck, the swell of her breasts, and the dizzying swoop from her waist to her hips, was a work of art.
Destiny. His muse, his nemesis, his everlasting hope.
Judging by her quickening breaths, he wasn’t the only one ready to get the show on road. One by one, she slipped the thin black bra straps off her shoulders then reached behind her. The bra loosened. Instead of falling to the floor when she dropped her arms, the lace cupped her breasts as if hanging on for dear life.
Never had he been more jealous of an item of clothing. “Must you torture me?”
“You’ve been naughty.” She covered her breasts with one arm, while tugging her bra free.
“You have no idea just how—” The words turned to dust in his throat, because she chose that moment to lower her arm. Full breasts with a hint of a tan line were topped with large, dark, magnificent areoles and nipples that begged to be sucked and worshipped.
“Shall I continue?” she asked, sliding her hands down her sides, pausing just above the lace band of her panties.
“Please, less I perish from need.”
“I’ve never heard of blue balls killing a man.”
“First time for everything.”
“I guess I should hurry, because if I’m going to kill you, I plan on having fun doing it.” Destiny slid her thumbs beneath the band of lace riding low on her hips. Then with a bend and a push,
she stood before him gloriously naked. But just in case she hadn’t tortured him enough, she placed her hands on her hips, tilted her head to the side and wiggled her eyebrows. “It’s time for you to show the goodies.”
“If you insist.”
“Oh, I do.”
Destiny was such a contradiction. In every other way, she appeared an introvert, but she stood proud and confident, comfortable in her skin. And it had to be about the sexiest thing he’d ever seen. And he couldn’t wait another second to make her his. Without a bit of finesse, he shoved his basketball shorts to the floor and stepped out of them.
From the smirk on Destiny’s face, he gathered stripping wasn’t his forte. “In case you weren’t aware, chuckling the first time a man stands before you au naturel is not good form.” He forced his face into a frown.
“Don’t even try it.” She didn’t wait for him to close the distance. She took two steps and wrapped her arms around his neck. “They say it’s not the size of the ship,” she said pressing against him, “but I, for one, am happy we’re talking yacht and not rowboat.”
He laughed. Vulcan, god of fire, a male who had bedded thousands of women, had never had this much fun with his clothes off. “Tell me how it’s taken us this long to reach this point?”
“You don’t really want me to answer that do you?” Destiny answered.
“No, there’s only space for the two of us in this room. The past is not welcome.” Especially for him. He slid the back of his fingers down her arms. One foray into the darkness in his heart, and this special time with Destiny would turn into something ugly, painful, and completely wrong.
“Agreed,” she whispered.
He slid his thumb along her lower lip, and she engulfed it in the warmth of her mouth. If the woman had any idea how often those lips starred in his fantasies, she’d take out a restraining order. But it wasn’t his thumb he wanted in her mouth. Not this time.
He gently removed his thumb, slid his fingers into her wild mane, and covered her mouth with his. How could he have been so wrong? As he sipped from the cup of her sweetness and their tongues explored each other, his only thought was—mine.
Haunting Hephaestus (Gods of Olympus Book 9) Page 10