Her Creator (Myths Retold)

by Normandie Alleman

  It would have royally sucked if it had been in use when they arrived.

  On the counter there was a note.

  Stocked the place with a few things. Be safe, and we will see you in a few weeks in Xenapolis.

  ~Cupid and Psyche

  Ian sighed with relief. He’d known he could get Galatea here, but he hadn’t been sure how he’d feed them for the next several days. It made him anxious to think he was going to have to rely on a bow and some arrows to scare them up something.

  He opened the cabinet to find a variety of canned foods and some jugs of water.

  Thank the gods for Cupid. His friend Psyche had done well in choosing him.

  Now that they were here, the rest of the world fell away, and he was alone with his precious Galatea.

  She stood in the corner shivering.

  “Have a seat.”

  She sat and he handed her a blanket which she unfolded and wrapped around herself.

  All snuggled down, she rubbed her eyes like a child.

  “It’s colder here than in the city.” She yawned.

  “Higher elevation. I’ll make us a fire.”

  “That sounds nice.”

  “Would you like some tea?”

  She stretched under the blanket. “What’s this? You’ve gotten all domestic while I was away?”

  He grinned. “I just want to take care of you.”

  She smiled. “Tea sounds good.”

  Soon they were drinking tea and watching the flames grow taller. Before long it began to warm up, and even though the cabin wasn’t exactly luxurious, it was cozy.

  “I’m sorry for being so controlling,” Ian began. “I drove you away. I hope you will forgive me.”

  She took his big hands in hers. “There’s nothing to forgive. I needed my freedom, so I left.”

  “Instead, you wound up someone else’s prisoner.”

  She dropped his hands, picked up her teacup, and shifted back on the sofa. “How’s that for ironic?”

  He shook his head. “I’m so sorry, Galatea. Damn Aphrodite. Without her, you wouldn’t be here. But for her to confine you and mistreat you like that…”

  Galatea drew her brows close together. “I know. Do you think she will come after me?”

  “Not here, but if she tries, we will stop her.”

  “How? How can you possibly do anything about the behavior of a goddess as powerful as she is?”

  “We have influence with her son, Cupid. He’s married to one of my best friends. His grandfather is Zeus, and we will tell her you are under their protection. Cupid and Psyche—that’s my friend—they seem to believe she’s jealous of your beauty.”

  “Really? She would enslave a person just because she envies them?”

  “Sounds that way. They said she sent Psyche to be a sex slave in the underworld because she was jealous of her.”

  Galatea’s eyes rounded.

  “But that was after Aphrodite tried marrying her to a monster.”

  “What?!”

  “I know. That goddess is a witch.”

  “That’s a nice way of putting it.”

  He laughed. “Maybe, but Cupid promises to do his best to keep you safe.”

  “How can he do that?”

  “You know family dynamics…”

  She blinked. “No. I don’t.”

  His heart clenched.

  “You’re right, you don’t.” He swallowed. “I will be your family.”

  Her eyes filled. “Thank you.”

  It came out a whisper, and he opened his arms to her.

  Her teacup clattered onto the table, and she put her arms around him and touched her lips to his.

  He knew they had more to talk about, but first he wanted her.

  He didn’t care if it was selfish or what their future held.

  At that moment she was reaching out for him, and there was no way he could deny her. They had been apart way too long.

  While the fire crackled in the background, he allowed her to pull him on top of her.

  Covering her with his length, he inhaled her scent, letting himself become intoxicated with it.

  It wasn’t long before the clothes between them were an annoyance, but before undressing her, he wanted to kiss her.

  Really kiss her.

  His lips crushed against hers, her mouth opening for him, making him rock hard with desire.

  Invading her with his tongue, he tasted her sweetness. There was nothing in creation like it, and there was nothing he wouldn’t do to be able to taste her night after night for the rest of his life.

  Her fingers curled around the back of his head, and her pelvis tilted toward him.

  His erection strained against his pants as he ground his hips against hers.

  “Not yet,” he growled between kisses.

  No. He wanted to savor every moment with her.

  With one hand he pulled her shirt up, revealing she hadn’t had time to put on her bra before they left the palace.

  A fresh surge of lust overtook him, and his cock stiffened as he buried his head between her breasts then worshipped each one with his mouth.

  Circling each nipple with his tongue, he transformed them into hard, tight points.

  Sucking them between his lips, he proffered a small bite just hard enough to make her legs open like a flower.

  “Please,” she whispered.

  “Please, what?” he teased.

  “Please take me.”

  He pulled away and stood up. “Take off your clothes for me.”

  She started to pull her shirt over her head, but he stopped her.

  “The way you did for the cameras.” His voice came out two octaves deeper than usual, and the look of discomfort that passed over her face wasn’t lost on him.

  “Ian, I don’t…”

  “Babe, do it this one time, and I’ll never ask you to do it again. But you can’t blame me for wanting to see what you were doing for who knows how many men when I wasn’t there.”

  She bit her lip.

  He didn’t think she was going to.

  She looked, for all the universe, like she was going to bolt.

  He pictured her running outside and was already trying to determine how far she could get without her shoes on in that rough terrain when she said, “Sit down.”

  She got up and pointed for him to be seated on the sofa.

  In the middle of the room, she began.

  Slowly, she took her socks off. More necessary than sexy, yet his cock still twitched as he watched her do it.

  Then she wiggled her hips, rocked them from side to side as she slipped her pants down, inch by inch, until they were low enough she could drop them to the floor. Gingerly, she stepped out of them and kicked them to the side.

  Bare-legged but still wearing a thong, she turned her back to him and caressed her in exactly the way he wanted to.

  She ran her hands over her back with those dainty hands and ever so slowly began to slide up her shirt. Her ass looked so round and delicious, he was dying to put his mouth on it.

  Every wag of her hips brought her shirt higher and exposed a touch more skin.

  Beautiful, creamy alabaster skin that had never been touched by the sun. Skin he knew was as soft and flawless as a baby’s tush.

  A groan erupted from his throat, and he couldn’t help but take his cock in his hand and stroke it.

  He tried not to think about how many other men had done that very thing to her image the way he was now.

  Forcing those thoughts to the recesses of his mind, he focused on Galatea alone.

  Because tonight she was giving herself to him and him alone.

  15

  She stood naked before him, her beauty glistening in the firelight.

  Unable to wait any longer, he quickly stripped off his clothes and sat on the couch sporting a major erection.

  With the crook of his finger, he beckoned, and she came to stand centimeters in front of him.

  His hands tra
ced those familiar curves. The curves that were practically a part of him.

  He recalled lovingly fashioning them, and that moment when he realized there could never be any other woman for him.

  Parting her legs, he took her into his lap. She knelt over him, her pussy teasing the head of his cock.

  “Such a little vixen, you are,” he chuckled softly then firmly impaling her onto him.

  Her breath caught as he entered her, and they clasped each other tight. Pleasure washed over them, and they gasped at the intimacy of this moment where they were rejoined at last.

  Galatea was his, and if she chose to leave him, he would have to accept her choice, but for now he would revel in her beauty, her essence. For the attraction was more than physical. It went to an elemental level. It almost seemed as though her breaths were his.

  Except now he was much more aware that she had her own mind. He loved that.

  He smiled as he thrust into her.

  “What?” she asked. “What are you thinking about?”

  Her hips met him as she raised and lowered herself on his cock, each movement bringing her closer to release.

  He stared into those gorgeous eyes of hers, hooded with lust. “How lucky I am to have you here with me right now.”

  In response, she leaned down and kissed him, searching to connect every inch of them.

  What began as a languid pace soon increased in intensity and speed. The sound of their sweaty bodies slapping against each other drowned out the crackle of the fire.

  Ian held her hips firmly as he continued to push his cock so deep inside that he filled her completely.

  She clutched his shoulders and threw her head back.

  “Yes!” she screamed out as her orgasm took her.

  Unable to hold back anymore, he jetted his seed inside her then embraced her as she collapsed on top of him.

  Stroking her hair, he whispered, “Thank you for giving yourself to me like that.”

  “I’m yours.”

  He pushed a strand of hair from her face. “What I asked you to do—I’m sorry. I shouldn’t have.”

  She shook her head. “It’s okay.”

  Lifting her hand, he touched her fingers to his lips. “No more cameras, okay? I promise.”

  She nodded and climbed off his lap to settle herself next to him on the couch.

  He covered them both with the blanket.

  “Galatea, I need to tell you something.”

  “Alright.”

  “I love you with all my heart, but if being with me is too stressful or too constrictive, I will let you go. You may leave me at any time. If ever you need more, or I’m too difficult, you need to be able to go. But if that’s what you want, I want you to do it safely.”

  “No, Ian. If there’s anything I’ve learned being apart from you, it’s that I want to be with you. I just need you to give me a little more space to grow and breathe.”

  “I can do that.”

  “But—can we go out more? I’m tired of being a prisoner—first of stone, then of yours, and most recently of a wicked goddess.”

  “Definitely. I’m sorry I got rather carried away with work. Artists can be like that. You’ll have to help me find a balance.”

  They laughed, and she agreed.

  A few minutes later, he asked, “How would you like to relocate?”

  “Move?”

  “Yes, I’ve been offered the opportunity to be the artist to the royal family of Xenapolis. What do you think?”

  “That sounds like a great opportunity, especially since we probably can’t live at your apartment anymore. What’s it like there?”

  “Less interference from gods and goddesses. In Xenapolis, they let the humans rule for the most part. It’s a bit more rural, more family-oriented. I think you’ll like it.”

  16

  “Is this really how you two fell in love?” Galatea looked up from the glass case that held a trio of gold apples into the beaming faces of Princess Atalanta and her husband, Hippomenes.

  “Guilty.” Hip held up his hands in feigned surrender.

  “That’s fascinating.” The pair of them seemed perfect for each other, she thought as she watched Atalanta run her hand over her swollen belly.

  “I tried a more traditional courtship, but she wasn’t interested.” Hip laughed, and Atalanta punched his arm lightly.

  “A traditional courtship? I think those must be overrated,” Galatea quipped, and Ian smiled.

  “So true.” Atalanta grinned.

  They had been in Xenapolis for a few days, and Galatea already felt more at home than she ever had before. She and Ian had a small cottage at the far end of the palace grounds, a short walk from the massive studio they gave him to use.

  Princess Atalanta and her husband Hip had been more than welcoming, and she loved spending time with Ian and them.

  “I’m dying to meet your friend Psyche,” Galatea said. “Ian and I are so grateful to her and her husband for helping me escape Aphrodite.”

  Atalanta placed a hand on Galatea’s forearm. “I heard about that. It must have been awful, what you’ve gone through.”

  Galatea appreciated the sympathy, but she refused to wallow in self-pity and didn’t like to talk about the ordeal. “I’m glad it’s behind me now.”

  Wanting to change the subject, she added, “Ian tells me that Psyche is an artist in her own right. I’d love to explore my creative side, so I’m hoping she can offer me some advice.”

  “That sounds like a wonderful idea! She and Cupid should be here by the end of the week. They’re bringing their daughter as well. I’m so excited. This will be my first time to meet her.”

  “Ours too. Hard to believe you guys are all procreating,” Ian said.

  Atalanta caressed her baby bump. “I know. Shall I show you the gardens? I need to have a word with the gardeners about a leak in one of the north greenhouses.”

  “You go on ahead. We’ll catch up,” Ian said, sounding so innocent that Galatea suspected he had an ulterior motive.

  “Alright,” Atalanta said.

  “Duty calls.” Hip flashed them a grin before trotting off after his pregnant wife.

  Ian took Galatea’s hand, and they strolled slowly into the formal gardens behind Atlanta and Hip.

  “Do you think you could be happy here, my dear?” Ian asked.

  The sweet scent of honeysuckle mixed with roses wafted under her nose, and she drank in the bright colored flowers and expertly manicured hedges. “Are you kidding? It’s beautiful here.”

  “Yes, but do you think you could be happy with me?”

  “I do.”

  “Because you mean the world to me. You are my one true love.” His eyes sparkled with emotion.

  Her heart squeezed.

  “And you are mine.”

  “Really? You’re not just saying that?”

  How could she make him understand that he was the one person she wanted to wake up next to every day for the rest of her life?

  “Of course not. It’s true. You made me, so you made me perfect for you. And I get it how sometimes you forget that I’m my own person, not just the fantasy from your mind come to life. But I am willing to spend eternity reminding you of that fact.”

  “You are? That makes me the happiest man in the world.”

  She reached out and touched his cheek. “And I am the happiest woman. For, even though you created me to be the perfect woman for you, you are also the perfect man for me.”

  This puzzled him. “But how?”

  She shook her head. “Don’t ask me. All I can say is that we were both created for each other. Maybe there’s some other force at work here that’s larger than the two of us.”

  “Bigger than the goddess of love?” he asked skeptically.

  She shrugged. “I believe so. Because let’s face it, she is not concerned with what is best for us.”

  “No. She’s only worried about herself.”

  “Exactly. But she’s not the onl
y one with a little magic. Atalanta and Hip are proof of that.”

  “My, you are a clever girl.”

  “Not bad for a former piece of rock.” She laughed, and he hugged her tight.

  “Don’t ever refer to yourself that way again,” he insisted.

  “Too far?” she teased.

  He nodded.

  “Okay, but I thought it was funny. Hey, so Atalanta is going to have a baby. What do you think about that?”

  “Well, I never thought she’d settle down and do it. Goes to show what I know. Why? Would you like kids?”

  Galatea considered. “In some ways, I feel like a kid myself because I have so much to learn. Plus I don’t even know if I can have children.”

  “It would be fun to practice,” Ian teased.

  “Yes, I guess being around Atalanta’s baby will be good practice.”

  He grabbed her by the waist and pulled her close. His hot breath tickled her ear. “That’s not what I meant.”

  She giggled.

  “Oh, I know exactly what you meant,” she said before closing her eyes and losing herself in his kiss.

  For more information about Normandie’s books, join her Facebook Reader Group.

  And continue reading for a preview of the first book in the series about the fictional Barnes family The Baller’s Secret Baby.

  The End

  Chapter 1

  The Baller’s Secret Baby

  Nick

  One Year Ago

  She told me there was a baby.

  That’s how my mother got me to come to her house when I was supposed to be at basketball practice.

  Now that she’s got me there, she tells me there’s not a baby.

  “What the hell, Mom? I thought you said some bitch was growing a mini-me over on the south side, which is why I blew off practice. That’ll cost me thousands in fines. Not to mention coach is gonna be pissed.”