Haunting Hephaestus (Gods of Olympus Book 9)

by Annalise Nixon

  “What was that look?”

  “Just wondering when you’ll lose the beard. I’ll miss it, but I like your face too.”

  “Good to know, but that wasn’t the look I was talking about. I saw your expression earlier when they asked you about my family.”

  She started to play dumb, but why bother? The music changed and both Jason Aldean and Kelly Clarkson asked if she wanted to stay for a little while. No, Destiny wanted to stay in Vulcan’s arms forever.

  “We know so little about each other.” She shook her head. “No, I don’t know anything about you. I feel like I’ve told you my darkest secrets, and you’ve given me nothing.”

  “Okay.” He nodded twice.

  “That’s it?” She shook her head, frustration building up inside her. But not here, not tonight, she decided. “You know what? Never mind.”

  “What do you want to know?” His voice remained neutral, but something in his eyes changed.

  “You’ll answer any question?”

  “If it’s my story to tell—yes.”

  There was so much she wanted to ask, but one major question had nagged her since their return. “The blizzard. I couldn’t find any record of a storm that day in Wyoming.”

  “If I told you I created it would you believe me?”

  “Yes.” She didn’t need to contemplate the answer. As far as she knew, he’d never outright lied to her, but she wasn’t so naïve not to know that he omitted enough facts to skirt the line between truth and fiction. “I would take you at your word.”

  “Seriously?” His steps faltered, but he recovered quickly.

  “Yes. I know sometimes you live in the gray area, but I believe that you’re one of the good guys.”

  “You’re too damned trusting.”

  “Not with everyone.” The song ended, and they stood there for what felt like an eternity. All she wanted was for him to trust her too. Or at least give her the opportunity to earn it.

  “Come on. Let’s get a drink.”

  “Sure.” Destiny smiled, but it felt bitter, even to her. She followed him off the dance floor, trying like hell to keep her face pleasant while her heart shrank. Right now, she was happy. And tonight after another orgasm she may sleep a full eight hours without reliving memories she’d never experienced. Initially, she thought the dreams were just that, but lately, she had to acknowledge the truth—this really wasn’t her first time at the rodeo called life.

  The longer Vulcan kept his secrets the more her certainty that it wasn’t her he really wanted grew.

  When they stopped by one of the saddle seats at the end of the bar he pulled her closer and lowered his mouth to her ear. “Tonight we talk and then we deal with the fallout. Yeah?”

  She stared at his shoulder and nodded.

  “Shit.” He wiped his hand down his face. “Tell me you’ll hear me out. Promise.”

  “I promise to listen.” She wanted him to trust her, so listening was part of the deal. Even if it sucked. “Just tell me now that it doesn’t involve ex-wives and baby mamas.”

  He chuckled and leaned back to look down at her. “I promise. Although you may wish it did, once you hear what I have to say.”

  Maybe she should have left well enough alone. “I’ll be right back,” she said, backing out of his arms.

  “Not so fast.” Vulcan reached out, wrapping his strong fingers around the back of her neck. This time, he stepped into her, and lowered his face until his lips brushed hers. They stood there lost in each other while time slipped away until he placed a gentle kiss against her lips. “I’ll wait for you. That’s what I do.”

  Wow.

  Destiny swallowed and studied his intense gaze until he released her but still couldn’t move. How he made her feel was… were there even words for something that intense?

  “Go,” he mouthed the words, but didn’t move. And neither did she, until her bladder reminded her why she was walking away from Mr. Sex God. She was so gone it was pathetic. Finally, her feet got with the program, and she made her way to the ladies’ room.

  The trip took longer than necessary. Why? Because every woman she’d ever met in passing decided they wanted to hold a conversation with her.

  It was bizarre, but she handed out five cards. If they wanted the scoop they could shop while they got it. Especially since the gallery would be hers for the foreseeable future. Not that she wanted another career, but if the time came and she decided to pivot, the property was an excellent investment.

  “Destiny, how are you?” Pam, the real estate agent who handled Mr. Sanders’s initial sale of the gallery three days ago, smiled and hugged her.

  “I’m great. Thank you for asking.”

  “I just have to say I felt horrible about selling the building before you were able to submit an offer. But with his wife sick he needed the money.” Pam looked around and lowered her voice. “When he received a cash offer thirty percent higher than asking price…” She licked her lips.

  “I understand. It’s business, not personal.” Although it felt pretty personal before she discovered the new owner would honor the original asking price.

  “Of course not.” Pam let out a low wolf whistle. “Wow, talk about lucky. You got the building and the man.”

  “Yes, I did.” Destiny followed the direction of Pam’s gaze and saw Vulcan’s frown just before he headed in her direction

  Pam smiled and shook her head, and her high ponytail swayed across the top of her shoulders. “This is first deal I’ve written that comes with those kinds of extras.” Pam wiggled her eyebrows. “I would have purchased the building myself had I known Vulcan came with it.”

  “Excuse me?” Destiny tried to keep her expression bland, but was pretty sure she’d failed, since it felt like steam was coming out of her ears.

  “Oh dear.” Pam looked past Destiny and her eyes widened. “Your boyfriend’s on his way over, and I think I may have spoiled the surprise.” She leaned in and whispered, “Although, most men buy flowers not buildings. You’re a lucky woman.”

  “One question,” Destiny said, fighting back the nausea quickly rising in her stomach. “When did he purchase the gallery?” When Pam started looking uncomfortable, Destiny gave her a smile that said they were part of the sisterhood and had to stick together. “You know, so I can figure out how lucky he’s going to get tonight.”

  “Oh,” Pam said, grinning. “He made the offer on Monday, and we rushed the paperwork and signed on Thursday after he left the sheriff’s office.” She gave Destiny fake air kisses on both cheeks and whispered, “Have fun.” Then the woman scampered off.

  Destiny felt Vulcan’s energy in her space, and she turned and faced him. Whatever he saw on her face made him wince.

  “Destiny…” Vulcan reached for her, but she stepped back. “Let me—”

  “No. I’m leaving.”

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  Vulcan would give anything to erase the disappointment haunting Destiny’s dark eyes. “Let’s go somewhere so we can talk.”

  “So now you want to have a conversation? How much of it will be the truth? Or are you planning to parse out facts?”

  “I don’t want to do this here.” He needed to touch her, to comfort her. This was messed up but not beyond repair. The longer he watched her, the more annoyed he became. Not even ten minutes ago, she’d made a promise to hear him out, and already she’d broken it. Once again he was wrong, so wrong about a woman. How fucking surprising. “So it’s like that?”

  “Excuse me?” She lowered her chin and looked up at him like she was ready to battle. “I swear, if you try to make this my fault somehow I will rip your—” she glanced down at his crotch.

  “Point taken.” He was tempted to step away from her, and he found that amusing. If she wasn’t so pissed, he’d laugh. This was screwed up three ways to Sunday, but if she thought he was going to allow her to walk away behind something as trivial as money—she had another thing coming.

  “Destiny?” Oshun walked u
p and hugged her, then stepped back and looked Destiny up and down. “Hey now, don’t you look scrumptious. Is that the dress we bought in Cheyenne?”

  “Thank you, and yes. I’m glad you nagged me into buying it. How are you? I’ve been meaning to call you. It’s been kind of crazy.” Destiny looked at Vulcan, and her smile faded. “I’m being rude, Oshun this is —”

  “She knows me well.” He crossed his arms to keep from strangling Oshun. Things were starting to make sense, and he didn’t like it one bit.

  “Vulcan and I are old friends,” Oshun said to Destiny. Then she turned to face him. “I take it you approve?”

  “The two of you know each other?” Destiny asked. It wasn’t really a question, and it was pretty clear she was still pissed, and Oshun showing up wasn’t helping.

  “Yes, but—” Vulcan began.

  Destiny spoke over him. “Just tell me not intimately.”

  “Heavens no.” Oshun shuddered.

  “This night is full of surprises,” Destiny said. Anyone looking at her placid smile would miss the fire in her eyes, but Vulcan didn’t.

  “We were just on our way out.” He moved to Destiny’s side and decided that next time he had to deliver unwelcome news, he’d find a time when she’d be more amenable. Like after a couple of orgasms.

  “Okay, Destiny,” Oshun grabbed her hand, “give me a call if you want to talk.”

  That was not going to happen. Vulcan wrapped his arm around Destiny’s shoulder. “Stay out of trouble,” he said to Oshun, then guided his pissed off woman out of the bar.

  The walk to the truck was quiet. Unfortunately, it wasn’t enough to drown out the incessant racket inside his head. “You want to go to my place?”

  “No. Could you take me home?”

  “I can do that.”

  “I don’t even know where you live. I know as much… Never mind.”

  That was never a good sign. Over the history of mankind, when a woman didn’t want to talk about something that meant one of two things; either she planned to poison you, or she’d already done it.

  Silence, regret, and sorrow filled the truck’s cab. His transgressions were many, but as he tried to figure out a way to reveal them to Destiny, he figured he might as well start small and work his way up to the mother of all confessions.

  “If you’re concerned about Oshun and me, I assure you in all the…” he almost said centuries but caught himself. “Years she and I have known each other, we’ve only been friends.”

  Destiny stared out the passenger window, and after a few long seconds finally commented. “Thanks for sharing.”

  Thanks for sharing? He gripped the steering wheel. The woman didn’t plan to make this easy. “That’s it?”

  “What do you want me to say?”

  “You know I wouldn’t do something like that.”

  “Do I?” She shifted her body and finally faced him. “The only thing I’ve learned about you the last few days involves fishing and sex.”

  He parked in front of her house and killed the engine. “So what are we doing?”

  “I don’t know. I don’t want to start a relationship based on lies and half-truths.”

  “That makes two of us.” He unfastened his seatbelt and removed the key from the ignition. “May I come inside?” For a minute, he thought she’d say no and tell him to kick rocks, but after a few heart shattering seconds she nodded.

  One thing about Destiny: she wasted no time. As soon as they entered the house and she’d disabled the alarm, she went right in. “Why didn’t you tell me?”

  “I… I don’t know where to start.” This was going to be difficult. Amina hated conflict to the point she’d do anything to avoid displeasing others. In comparison, shy Destiny was not one to hold back when angry. He could always walk away, end their relationship here and now, but he’d tried walking away—and failed.

  “Here’s a novel idea,” she said, snapping her fingers. “Let’s try the effin’ truth.”

  “Fine. It was business, pure and simple.” Great, another lie. Yet this didn’t seem a great time for the I-wanted-to-crush-you-like-a bug explanation. “Retail space is tight, and I needed an investment. When I found out about the gallery, I took advantage.”

  “Okay, let’s say I believe you.” She pursed her lips. “You saw how stressed I was, and you said nothing. You listened to me blubber and blather on and on about the gallery and my stupid dreams. You should have just told me.”

  “I didn’t know how.” He sat on the couch and rested his forearms on his thighs. “I couldn’t tell you okay? You already hated me.”

  “I didn’t hate you then.”

  “And now?” He looked up at her.

  She stood gripping her tiny purse with both hands. “When? When did you buy it?”

  “I signed the papers Sunday.”

  “Sunday.” She made a throaty noise. “After you came to my home talking a good game about how much you wanted me? Perfect.”

  What could he say? Because that’s exactly what he’d done.

  “Goodbye, Vulcan.”

  “What?” He sprung off the couch. “Bullshit. You say you’re not good at playing games. I get that. But do you have any idea how long it’s been since I’ve had a relationship.” She looked at him like she didn’t know and couldn’t care less. “This is… I’m drowning. Was I wrong? Yes. And my reasons were cruel and thoughtless. But I tried to make it right.”

  “When did you change the paperwork?” Her voice softened, and she sounded like she only wanted to punch him rather than commit a murder. Only a slight improvement, but at this point he’d take whatever he could get.

  “Yesterday after I left the Sheriff’s office. I didn’t plan to keep it a secret. Sweetheart, you were so happy when I arrived tonight. I didn’t want to spoil that. All I wanted to do was give you a romantic evening. I wanted tonight to be special, and this sounds stupid, and I know this thing between us is new, but I wanted the world to know we’re together.”

  “Oh.”

  He walked around the coffee table. “I wanted to just give you the deed, but I didn’t think you’d accept it.”

  “You were right.”

  He placed a hand on her hip, and when she didn’t punch him, he stepped closer. “So, you forgive me?”

  “I heard a lot of words, but I don’t recall an apology.”

  “Ouch.”

  “Whatever.” She poked him in the side.

  “I’m not sorry for buying the building. Knowing that I put that light in your eyes is something I’ll never regret. But lying to you, even by omission, that I apologize for.”

  “Promise not to do it again?”

  “If I thought the truth would hurt you, there’s a chance I would be less than honest.”

  “Pretty words, but that’s not how it’s supposed to work.”

  “Yeah, I know. But to say anything else would be lie. Are we good?” He pressed his mouth against hers while he waited for an answer.

  When he pulled away, she said, “I don’t know.” Her body relaxed beneath his hands.

  “I can think of a few ways to make it up to you.”

  “Yeah?” She slid her hands up his chest and draped them around his neck. “I’m listening.”

  “It involves that dress on the floor, and you on my face.”

  “Give me everything.” Vulcan lay on his back, fingers gripping Destiny’s hips, and struggled not to take over. Like the rest of the evening, things hadn’t gone as planned. Her dress was in the hallway, and the slow sweet lovemaking hadn’t happened because she’d wanted it hard and fast.

  Who was he to deny her?

  Watching her as she used him and took her pleasure was something he could get used to.

  She leaned over and moaned into his mouth.

  “You like that, baby?” he asked, grabbing her hips and rolling them both over until her body was beneath his. “Sorry, I need this.”

  “All I need is you,” she whispered into his mout
h.

  “Next time I’ll give it to you slow, but now…” He slid his tongue into her mouth as he filled her over and over. Only in bed could he give her everything she deserved. At least for the time being. There they were completely honest, their basest, truest selves.

  With his body, Vulcan could show his emotions. Vocalizing the desires of his heart would expose his weak underbelly. Neither he nor Destiny were at that point—not yet, anyway. But they were getting there.

  He ended the kiss and rose up on his knees, watching their bodies, mesmerized by all that was his Destiny. “Touch yourself,” he said as he slipped his arms beneath her legs. He wanted her to feel every inch of him, and he made sure she did.

  “Vulcan…”

  “Yeah, sweetheart?” He struggled to wait for her to find her release first. The woman made him lose control.

  “Thank you for tonight, for everything.”

  “You shall never want for anything if it is within my power.”

  She nodded, and he made a silent vow to protect this woman, even if it meant from himself.

  As he watched her bite her lip, he knew she was trying to make it last. Damn, he wished that he could read her mind, share her emotions during these most intimate moments. With her, he may as well be mortal. Her body tensed and her touch against her clit quickened. Good. Because he wasn’t sure how much longer he could hold out.

  She orgasmed with a scream, and he followed her into the precipice.

  When he regained control of his body, Vulcan released her legs and placed a kiss on her damp forehead. “Are you okay?”

  She sighed then opened her eyes. “Better than okay.”

  Yes, she was. He held the edge of the condom and reluctantly eased out of her body. “I’ll be back. Need something to drink?”

  “Water would be good.”

  He pulled the sheet and comforter over her body and chuckled. She’d be asleep before he hit the bathroom. They’d passed the first hurdle, and now he wondered how she’d do with the other two. He glanced at the bed one last time and hoped for once in his life that the Fates would gift him with their favor.

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