I had been drawn to him from the first moment my eyes landed on him in the throne room. His touch was something I now craved. Even in my dreams he was there, pulling at this deep well of desire and wild abandonment that I never knew existed. He wasn’t the only one who both craved and despised this attraction between us. We had given in. God help me, but I wasn’t sorry.
That raging river of emotions I had paved over and left for dead was ready to erupt. I didn’t know if either of us was ready for that. He had given me honesty, though. I could give him this in return. After all, it was only for tonight.
“Yes.” I hissed.
Deep down inside the pavement was starting to crack. Instinctively, I knew that he could be the one to break my lonely highway wide open. No one else had ever been a threat because I had never wanted to give anything of myself. This was a man who could handle anything. My past. My present. My future. It was the temptation to give him all of me that had me wanting to take back some control. “Just as I win something from you.”
He gazed at me intently, seeming to understand that I’d given all I was willing to. He nodded. “Then we will both be conquerors tonight.” His hips slammed against mine, and I collapsed onto my back as he held true to his words.
The tension mounted in my body as he drove me higher toward climax with each brutal thrust of his hips. I exploded again in ecstasy, calling out his name. Then he jerked against me, and I felt the warm rush of his release inside me. A tingling spread throughout my body, and I felt him tense above me. He collapsed forward onto his hands, leaning over me with a look of awe.
I smiled languidly up at him, feeling more relaxed than I had in years. He continued to stare at me, a kaleidoscope of emotions shifting across his face too quickly for me to name them all. “You cannot be . . . how did . . .” He drew a deep breath and seemed to gather himself. “You surprise me at every turn, Jillian Davies.”
“Uhm yeah, it’s been—you know—a while.” I blushed hotly. “I, uh, didn’t expect that either.”
He chuckled. “That, too.”
“Chaos—” I gasped, as he began to move inside me again. Heat filled me to an almost burning pitch, concentrated along my back.
“Bennett.” He kissed my lips. “My real name is Bennett Young.”
19
We bathed together, teasing each other as we lathered our bodies in the warm water of the tub under the rotunda. Afterward, we returned to the tent by the light of a lantern, bringing along the scented oil. Bennett used that oil on my body in the dim light of the tent to tease me to a state of feverish longing. Those magic hands wrung promises and threats from me that I would never admit to in the light of day. Only when I was on the brink of combusting with need did he sink back inside me. Then he whispered those promises back to me and made sure I fulfilled every one.
He drove me hard toward my peak then denied me as he withdrew. He used that sharp tongue of his to bring me to orgasm again and again. My voice grew hoarse from begging and pleading before he declared me ready for him. My body was so sensitive that even the slight breeze was too much. Delirious with exhaustion and overwhelmed by endless pleasure, I swore I couldn’t take any more.
He proved me wrong. Pulling my hips up until I was resting only on my shoulders, he made me watch as he took me. The things he said as he claimed me with every inch of himself brought my desire roaring back to life. He had me on the razor edge of release as he took his time exploring my depths. The first jets of his seed spilling into me and the single thrum of my clit had my climax exploding through me, before we collapsed in a sweaty heap of tangled limbs.
We reached for each other again in the middle of the night. It was fast and intense, our competitive streaks coming out to play as we tried to see who could make the other climax first. The rotten bastard won, of course. I’d never been so happy to lose in my life. We made a quick trip to the grandstands to clean up, then crawled back into bed and talked about meaningless things—mostly Axol.
As the first rays of the sun slipped over the horizon to light the tent in a reddish glow, my lips trailed down that amazing body. Tasting and touching until my mouth wrapped around that delicious cock. The jerking of his hips and the sounds wrenched from his lips were my rewards as I paid him back for every moment of torture he had put me through. His rough demands sent delicious shivers through my body. Finally giving in, he called out my name as his warmth spurted on my tongue. Wrapped in his arms, I sank finally into a contented sleep.
The thrust of his cock into my depths woke me. Oh god! Crying out in pleasured pain, my body sore but willing, I met that dark gaze. There was such a look of intensity on his face that it was almost frightening as he drove himself as deep as possible like he was trying to mark me from the inside. This was it. This would be our last time together. Ignoring the stupid ache in my chest at the thought, I rose up to take his lips tenderly. He pushed back hard and deep, trying to drive me back into a lust-filled frenzy. Not this time. Each time he tried it, I pulled away. Only to start all over. Grunting in frustration, he finally let me take control.
I didn’t want another feverish skirmish to see who would claim victory over the other. This last time I wanted something deeper. Something that meant more than merely scratching an itch. Pushing him into a kneeling position, I straddled his thighs and slowly sank down onto him. His hands gripped my thighs to hold me in place. My arms wound around his neck as we watched at each other. His lips parted on a hissed breath when I rolled my hips. A blue circle around the outer edge of his eyes seemed to be pulsing in time with the hard beat of his heart. It was mesmerizing, drawing me in like a moth to a flame. Our hearts were beating as one as the pleasure climbed higher with every slow glide upon him. Nothing existed of the world beyond us and this perfect moment.
There were gentle caresses and whispered words of praise. Through it all, our eyes never left each other. When we climaxed together, it was as if there was a feedback loop between us that kept the waves of pleasure pouring over us. His pleasure was mine and mine his. It felt as if a part of me now resided in him, forging a link between us. Neither of us spoke as we settled back upon the bed.
He stroked my back as I lay draped across his chest. We lay like that in silence for some time, lost in our own thoughts. Until Bennett asked quietly, “Why did you come here, Lia?”
I hesitated, wondering what we were doing. This felt like more than the one night of no-strings-attached sex that we had agreed to. Lying here in his arms, I couldn’t deny that tonight had only whetted my appetite for more of this man. And not only the sex. There was a funny and caring side to Bennett that had slipped through during our time together. It made me want to get to know the real Bennett.
And that was the danger of answering his question. Did I open the door to share more of myself or slam it closed? The smart thing to do was to give him an answer that he would expect: one motivated by money. But I found myself strangely wanting to say more. To tell him that I was starting to believe I was here for something more profound. I stood on the broken pavement of my lonely highway questioning if I had the courage to resurrect what I had buried here—myself. But at the last moment, I backed away. “Coming here was a gamble to try to save my art gallery.”
What I couldn’t bring myself to say was that I was almost sure I was here to save myself. My lonely highway was crumbling and there was no gallery here to help smooth the jagged pieces back into place. No routine of solitude as business owner Lia where I knew all the moves to make. Pieces of the old me were seeping through with each day that I spent here. They were melding with pieces of the new me, and I wasn’t sure who I would be in the end. For the first time in years, though, I wasn’t going through the motions. I was living.
I was living every gloriously, fear-inducing moment, and it hadn’t destroyed me. Instead it was reshaping me.
Bennett was a big part of my waking up. He stirred up something inside me that wouldn’t let me hide from life. He forced me to take notic
e and participate. He made me feel. And for the first time in years I wasn’t locking those feelings away in the prison I had built to protect myself. It was terrifying but there was a part of me curious to see what life could be like without the shackles I had kept myself contained in.
Bennett had gone rigid beneath me. His voice was bitter when he asked, “Is this because of the rumors?”
Sickening dread filled me, and I scrambled to sit up. “H-How did you know about that?”
Bennett pulled himself up against the headboard, his face carefully blank. “How do you think we keep word of this place and our people from spreading? Only those who are meant to will see the invitation to the Games. We are even more cautious about those we allow in. We knew everything about you from the moment your application was accepted.”
“Blackmail? Is that how you’re planning to keep me and the others quiet about this place?”
“You would not say anything about us. You consider Molly a friend. Possibly Eros as well.” Sarcasm dripped from his voice, “Oh yes, and let us not forget the charming Grayson.”
“That’s not an answer. I can’t believe this,” I said incredulously. “You people are supposed to be unsullied by the outside world or something. Instead, you’re like mobsters.”
“Hardly. We are people like any other. Maybe I should be the one to worry. Were the rumors true?”
How had we gone from those moments of tenderness to this? That he could ask me that after the night we shared made me nauseous. Humiliation and anger gnawed at my chest as I pulled the sheets around me like a shield. Tears welled up, and I ducked my head to hide how much he had gotten to me with that question.
“What do you think?” I said, as a tear slipped down my cheek and I roughly brushed it away. “We spent the night together in this bed. You tell me if I lived up to those rumors.”
“That was careless of me,” Bennett said gently. “I am sorry, Lia. Please forgive me.”
He reached out to me, but I jerked away. “Go to hell!” My fists clenched the sheets as my tear-filled gaze met his. “Nothing about those rumors was true. Nothing! It doesn’t matter though, right? Guilty until proven innocent. It’s my word against whoever’s out to ruin me. Congrats to them, they’re doing a damn good job.”
This night had gone from amazing to shit quickly, and I needed to leave before I had more to regret. “I knew this was a mistake. I almost opened up to you. How stupid. To think for a minute I could trust anyone—especially you.” Bennett grabbed my arm as I tried to slip from the bed. Tears fell unchecked as I fought his grip. I landed a punch to his shoulder. He grunted and then roughly captured my wrists.
Bennett’s heavy weight rolled into me, taking me down onto the bed beneath him. I struggled harder, but he pinned my hands beside my head and waited until I tired myself out. He stared guiltily down at me as another tear slipped from the corner of my eye. His voice was husky with remorse when he said, “I did not mean to hurt you, Lia. Please forgive me.”
“Fine. I jutted my chin up, daring him to keep me pinned even a moment longer. “Let me go.”
“That is something I cannot do.” His fingers tightened where they were twined with mine. There was a tugging sensation along my spine and the room spun for a moment feeling as if he was pulling my energy from me. Then he loosened his grip and gave me a small smile. “I can help you, though. You can trust me, Lia. Please. Will you tell me what you were going to say before I messed this up?”
“You—” I started to protest.
“Please.”
Taking a deep breath, I nodded. He slowly backed away as if waiting to see if I would run. Then lay down beside me and propped himself up on his elbow. His lips grazed mine as he whispered, “Thank you.”
My anger melted away. Those lips should be outlawed. “Kissing me when I’m angry at you is cheating.”
“Is there a rule somewhere that I did not know of?” He pretended to be serious but was fighting back a grin.
“Yes, my rule. I just made it up,” I bantered back. This man could make me run the gamut of emotions in sixty seconds flat. There was too much to feel, and I was inexperienced at processing it all. So, I winged it. “You are in violation of rule one of Lia’s Law.”
“So sorry, officer. Is there a penalty? Perhaps there is some way that I could make it up to you.” His gaze traveled down to where the sheet barely concealed my breasts.
“Are you attempting to bribe an officer of the law, sir?” I asked sternly.
“Only if it is working. Would hours of servicing you—I mean community service—take care of the issue?” The corner of his mouth curled up.
I licked my suddenly dry lips. Oh boy. “Umm yes, I believe that would do it.”
“Indeed. I look forward to putting in my time.” His dark gaze had heat pooling in my belly once more. “For now, I believe you were going to tell me something of yourself. I want to know you. Tell me.”
“Bossy. You probably have a file on me already.” The fact that he knew so much about my life already still annoyed me.
“The minimum details. You are a single child. You were raised on Mercer Island in Washington. Your father was a prosperous shipbuilder. Your mother stayed at home but was very involved in your activities. Throughout high school and into college you were active in gaining artist support for causes. You founded a couple of non-profits, I believe.”
“Yes, one for child abuse education and the other was focused on supporting women.” More reminders of what I had walked away from. I had been such a crusader in those days. Convinced I would change the world. Instead, it was me that had changed.
“Then your parents died, and you disappeared, only to resurface almost a year later in Port Lawson.” He studied me closely, obviously curious. “There you set up shop and have been a good taxpaying citizen for the last three years. Leading a very quiet life until recently.”
“See, you do have all the details.”
“None of that tells me about you as a person. Your hopes and fears. What drives you. Where you went that year you disappeared.”
His voice was gentle, but I immediately turned ice cold as memories tried to pry their way up through the cracks. No! Push them down. Pave them over. No one needed to know about the things that I’d seen living on the streets. The things that I’d done to survive them. “There’s nothing interesting to tell. How ’bout we talk about you? Growing up with Eros as a stepbrother must have been interesting.”
His rough fingers traced my mouth. “Your lips say it is not important, but your eyes say differently. One day you will tell me. When you are ready. What about your parents? What were they like?”
“They were . . . beautiful. Inside and out.” My heart ached remembering the way they were. “My mom was kind and smart. She had my dad wrapped around her finger, but she never asked for much. She was good at everything. Except baking. She was horrible at baking. But she kept trying. Bake sales for art camps were the worst. My dad and I would have to buy back everything she donated. It was a win–win for me though. I got the money for camp and didn’t have to console my mom when she sent everyone to the hospital with food poisoning.”
Bennett chuckled, and the tension eased a little. “My dad came off all gruff, but he was a big teddy bear. He lived to make my mom smile. They were so in love. And so comfortable with each other. Half the time I swore they could read each other’s minds. They were always holding hands or had their arms around each other. They were inseparable. One would have never been able to live without the other.”
My thoughts inevitably turned to the day of the boating accident. Losing both of my parents at the same time was horrible, but it was true what I had said. If one of them had lived, it likely would have only been for a short time longer. The will to live on without the person who was their other half would have been gone.
“Tell me,” Bennett softly coaxed as he twined his fingers with mine.
20
Bennett was asking me to tell hi
m about the worst day of my life. To dredge up memories that I had never discussed with anyone. For some reason, it felt right that he would be the first.
“I had just gotten my art degree and was ready to take the world by storm. My artwork would be hanging in the galleries alongside the most famous artists in the world. I was so naive. But my parents believed in me, and that was all that mattered.”
My fingers toyed with the bedsheet as I lost myself in the memories. “The plan was to spend a few weeks at home before I decided what my next steps were. Usually, Dia joined me, but she was sick. So, it was the three of us, like old times.”
Selfishly, I had been glad to have my parents all to myself for a little while. “It was good to be home. We spent a couple of days catching up and dreaming big dreams about my future. My dad wanted to celebrate my graduation by taking me out on our boat that weekend. I was so excited to get back out on the water.
“It had been a perfect spring day. Not a rain cloud in sight and warmer than usual. We had joked around as we packed for our day out on the lake. Mom and Dad had shared secretive glances the whole time.” A smile tugged at my lips. “I pretended not to notice, letting them think that they were so sneaky when they surprised me with whatever it was they had planned. My dad had always been big on surprising us, but he was horrible about actually keeping it a secret. It was just that he got so excited, he gave himself away. My mom was normally much harder to read.
“We got an early start so we could make a full day of it. We stopped at all my favorite spots along Lake Washington. Laughing over stories about Dia and this older guy she had started dating. Talking about Dad’s plans for a new ship. We had sandwiches in the Japanese Gardens at the Arboretum in Washington Park. It’s amazing there in the spring when the flowers are in bloom. We shopped. Drank wine and gorged on chocolate. It was the best day.”
Paldimori Gods Rising Box Set Page 17