Steamy: A Romance Anthology That Sizzles

by Johnson, Cat

  Gritting my teeth, I settle onto his thigh. His hand snakes around my waist, pulling me close against his body. The air between us seems electrified, and I feel a ripple of excitement like I did when we kissed.

  I can’t have thoughts like this!

  Pulling away, I perch on the arm of the chair. It’s uncomfortable, but at least it’s safe.

  He calls out, “Listen up, fuckers.”

  The music stops and the room goes silent.

  “I’d like everyone to meet my bride, Kinsley. You’ll be seeing her around, so play nice and keep your hands to yourself.”

  This gets chuckles from the men, and I don’t miss a few of the women shooting daggers at me.

  Someone calls out, “To Hades!”

  Hades rubs the small of my back. “Welcome to the Underworld.”

  Cheers and more well-wishes follow suit, all while I try not to be affected by his touch.

  The music comes back on, and the party seems to get wilder, as we watch from the throne. We stay like this until my bottom aches.

  “Can we leave now?”

  He nods, motioning for me to stand. There’s a round of rowdy catcalls that leaves my face burning. They clearly have ideas as to what they think is about to happen.

  Hades leads me up the stairway to the end of the hall. He unlocks the door and steps aside so I can enter. The room is large and spacious, and even has a mini kitchen. When the door closes, I realize the room must also be soundproof. Smoke doesn’t linger in the air here, and the space is clean. His large bed is even made, with decorative pillows atop it. Did he do this for me?

  Before I can ask, he points to a door.

  “That’s the bathroom. Closet is over there.”

  I cross the room to the closet. Inside, his clothes hang on one side and mine on the other, like we’re a real couple that’s lived together for a while. My fiancé and I don’t even share a closet. I let out a small laugh. Since I’m married, I guess that makes him my ex-fiancé…

  I touch one of the shirts. Each item in here is something I’d wear in my day-to-day life.

  “How long have you been planning this?”

  He’s leaning against the doorframe. “A while. I thought your old man would’ve told you by now.”

  “Maybe he thought you weren’t serious.”

  He moves into the closet, which seemed so spacious moments ago.

  “I’m a man of my word.”

  I don’t doubt that. Suddenly he’s too close.

  Swallowing, I say, “Whatever. Just go. I’d like to change and go to sleep.”

  He starts to say something, but shakes his head. “Fine. Don’t leave this room, Princess. Not unless I’m with you.”

  “Afraid I’ll run?”

  “More worried what the groupies will do if they catch you alone. I mean it. This isn’t a movie set, and these people aren’t paid to be around you.”

  His words sting, but he’s not wrong. My agent pays people to be around me, to feed into my all-American girl persona. Hard to be America’s darling when your anxiety makes it impossible to be around large groups of people.

  “Just go.”

  And, to my dismay, he does.

  5

  Hades doesn’t come back until the next day. I slept like crap, not knowing what to expect. Would he come for me? Would someone else try to get in? Was I even safe here? All things I don’t have answers to.

  When he enters, his dark hair is wet, as if he’s showered. He wears faded jeans and a black t-shirt that do little to hide his muscular frame. He looks good, and I hate that I notice.

  “Like what you see?”

  I meet his gaze, finding a smirk on his lips.

  “Just wondering how a thug can afford designer jeans.”

  “Maybe I stole them.” He looks me up and down. “Is that what you’re wearing?”

  I look down at the yellow sundress. It’s not designer, but it’s comfortable. “Yeah. Is there something wrong with it?”

  “No.” He swallows. “Looks nice with your dark hair.”

  I think he just paid me a compliment.

  “Thank you.”

  He motions for me to follow. “Come on. There’s something we need to do.”

  The clubhouse is quiet right now, a stark contrast to how it was a few hours ago. The music stopped as the sun rose, and I was finally able to go to sleep. Hades leads me downstairs, to a locked door and takes me into his office.

  “What are we doing?”

  “Sit. We’re giving your father a call. A friendly reminder—you’re doing this to save his ass. Convince him that you’re okay with your choice.”

  I nod my understanding, and he pulls a burner phone from the top drawer, dialing. Putting the call on speakerphone, he sets the phone between us.

  “Hello? Kinsley?”

  My voice cracks, but I pull myself together. “Dad. It’s me.”

  “Honey, where are you? Are you okay?”

  “Dad, I’m fine.”

  “Tell me where you are. I’ll come and get you.”

  Closing my eyes, I say, “I…I know what you did.”

  His breath hitches. “I swear to god I’ll find a way out of this.”

  “It’s okay, Dad. It’s only for six months. I’m fine. I promise.”

  “I’ll make some calls. I’ll—”

  Hades reaches over, taking the phone. “You’ll do what we agreed, Senator. You have forty-eight hours.”

  He ends the call, tossing his phone onto the desk.

  Gathering my courage, I say, “I need to call my fiancé.”

  “No.”

  “Why not?”

  “Because I need the world to believe we’re madly in love. Calling that prick won’t do anything to help my cause. Besides, he probably won’t take your call after seeing this.”

  He turns the laptop so I can see the screen. The top story on the gossip website is a photo of me and Hades on the motorcycle. My eyes are closed, and my cheek is against his back as we turn a corner. To the world, it appears I’m content. No one would ever guess that I was really terrified when the photo was snapped.

  The headline says it all: Breaking News: Hollywood Royalty, Kinsley Hamilton, Marries Mystery Man in Secret Wedding. Details to Come.

  When I look up, Hades is smiling.

  “Now the world knows.”

  6

  Two months fly by in a blur as I settle into a new routine. It’s strange knowing no one misses me—well, no one except for my dad. But he’s upheld his end of the agreement with Hades, and the Feds are no longer looking into the club. I’ve also gotten a crash course at life in a motorcycle club. These people are crude and wild, saying and doing as they please. It’s pure chaos, but it’s also freeing. At the center is Hades, who’s truly like a god amongst them, where his word goes above all others. There’s only one man who holds more power than Hades, serving as the ruler of all of the clubs across the country, but he’s in Savannah and only intervenes as a last measure.

  Hades comes into our room, as he does every morning. I’ve given up trying to figure out where he goes each night. There are plenty of women here who would share their bed with him, and they make sure to point it out when he’s not with me. Well, good riddance. Except, as much as I want to hate him I don’t. And the thought of him with another woman makes me want to hit something. Maybe even him.

  “Morning, Princess.”

  “Morning.” I put the book I’m reading aside. “Late night?”

  I don’t miss the dark smudges under his eyes. He sits in the chair across from me, stretching his long legs with a sigh.

  “Something like that. Had a run-in with another club.”

  “Is that bad?”

  “It’s not good. We took care of it. Just hope they got the message.”

  “That’s good, I think.” I clear my throat. “So, I was wondering if I can call my dad today? See how he is.”

  Hades reaches into his pocket, pulling out my phone. />
  “Here. You can have it back.”

  I raise an eyebrow. Why is he willingly giving me my phone now? Unlocking it, I see that I have several messages from friends and my dad, all of them read. Some messages even have replies from ‘me’.

  “You broke into my phone?”

  “I didn’t personally, but yeah. Had to make sure people didn’t get too suspicious. Don’t worry, I didn’t look at any from your fiancé.” He pauses. “He sent you one this morning.”

  I open it first. As I read, the blood drains from my face. In two months, he’s texted three times. Once to berate me for leaving the engagement party, embarrassing him. Once to inform me of his foul opinions about me. And today he texted to say he’s engaged to someone else, and that he hopes I get everything I deserve.

  I drop my phone. Our relationship was nothing more than a business deal arranged by my agent. But there was a part of me that wanted it to be as real as the love my own parents shared.

  “You okay?”

  I nod. “Yeah. I think I’m going to lie down for a bit.”

  Not caring that he’s in the room, I kick off my shoes and climb into bed fully clothed, pulling the blankets over my head. Hot tears fill my eyes. Being lonely isn’t something new for me, but it never gets easier.

  The bed dips and I peek out to find Hades lying next to me. He doesn’t say anything, but pulls me into his embrace, holding me close.

  “I’m sorry, Princess. He’s a dick.”

  “Thought you didn’t read it?”

  “I didn’t, but I saw it on the news today.” He strokes my hair. “You deserve better.”

  “Sure.” I half-snort, half-sob. “Guess it’s a good thing I’m already married, right? Too bad my own husband doesn’t like me. It’s okay, since I hate you.” The lie rolls off my tongue.

  “I don’t think that’s true, Kinsley. I think you like me as much as I like you.”

  Hearing my name on his lips is like a jolt of electricity to my soul. Hades looks down at me and the air shifts between us.

  He cups my face with his large hands. “Princess, can I kiss you?”

  My pulse pounds as I nod. He’s been true to his word, not touching me once since the wedding. But I’ve thought about that kiss. A lot. Especially at night, when I’m alone. If I’m being honest, that kiss inspired more naughty fantasies about Hades than I can count. And right now, he’s here, about to kiss me.

  His head lowers until his mouth hovers just above mine. Leaning forward, I press my open lips to his. He groans as I kiss him. When I nip his bottom lip, his groan turns into a growl.

  “Careful.”

  I smile as I nip him again. “Or what?”

  “Or you’ll see why they call me Hades.”

  He moves above me, kissing me. I thought I was the one in control, but I was wrong. He kisses me until I’m breathless, whispering into my ear how sexy he thinks I am. And I believe him. Wrapping my arms around his neck, I pull him closer, his hard body covering mine. When his hand slips under my shirt, I actually shudder. His rough palm skims over my smooth skin, moving to my bra. And what do I do? I arch into him, urging him on.

  “I’ve wanted to do this for a long time,” he says. “Since the first day I saw you.”

  His hand dips into my bra, and air hisses through my teeth.

  “At the engagement party?”

  He rolls my nipple between his finger, sending jolts of pleasure straight to my core.

  “No. At one of your father’s fundraisers.”

  I can barely think as he toys with me. Somewhere in the back of my mind, I remember, gasping. He’d just returned from a tour in Iraq, injured. My father thought it would help his numbers having someone from the military there. I just wanted to know more about the man who looked so…lost.

  “You were shot in combat.”

  He presses his forehead against mine. “I was.”

  “You were supposed to dance with me, but you left.”

  “Didn’t want to embarrass you with my limp.”

  I look into his eyes, wondering how I didn’t see it before. For weeks after the fundraiser he was all I thought about. I even tried to find him but came up emptyhanded. My father wasn’t even able to help with his vast resources.

  “Hades-”

  We’re interrupted as someone pounds on the door. “Hades! There’s been an attack.”

  With a groan, he moves off me. His lips are swollen from our kisses and I can only imagine what I look like.

  “We’ll revisit this later, Princess. That’s a promise.”

  He gives me one last searing look as he leaves. I fall back on the bed, still trying to figure out what just happened. I know one thing—I most definitely don’t hate that man.

  7

  Hades is gone all day, and I take time to respond to messages, assuring my dad that I’m safe. The crazy thing is, being away from Hollywood and the press seems to be working in my favor. My agent says I’ll have my choice of roles when I’m ready, and the press is dying to know where my mysterious retreat is. But I kind of like not having to be anywhere, doing as I please without camera flashes in my face. I’m about to grab something to eat, when I hear shouting downstairs.

  Downstairs, there’s chaos everywhere, and I don’t see Hades.

  I find Ace, asking, “Where’s Hades?”

  “They’re bringing him in. He’s been shot. It was a fucking ambush, but we got 'em.”

  My breath hitches in my throat, but I ask, “What can I do to help?”

  He tells me to help gather supplies until the doctor arrives. When they bring Hades in, my entire world shifts. He’s pale, and the cloth at his chest is soaked in blood. I rush to his side, and he groans. The doctor arrives, and the look on his face is grim.

  They take him away, and I’m left standing there alone. Inhaling, I roll up my sleeves and start helping the others in any way that I can.

  * * *

  The doctor finds me several hours later.

  “He’s stable. The bullet didn’t do any major damage, but he’ll be sore for a while. He’s being moved to your room as we speak.”

  “Thank you.”

  I make sure I’m not needed, and head to our room. Hades is asleep, so I change into my nightgown and slip in bed next to him, trying not to disturb him. I must doze off at some point because his groan wakes me up. Sitting, I see him reaching for his phone.

  “Here. Let me help you.” I grab his phone, and ask, “How are you feeling?”

  “Like I’ve been shot,” he jokes.

  “I really hope that’s not something that happens often.”

  “It’s not. Do you know if the others are okay?”

  “Ace said everyone got out, all because of you. We made sure they were taken care of once they got here.”

  He sighs. “Good.”

  I move closer to him, leaning my head on his shoulder. “I was worried about you.”

  “I was pretty worried, too. Knew I had to make it back so we could finish what we started this morning.”

  That makes me smile. “Was the kiss that good?”

  “Hell yeah, it was. All I’ve been thinking about all day.”

  “Me, too,” I admit. “That, and how I didn’t realize we’d met before.”

  “I wasn’t myself back then. The war took a lot out of me, and I wasn’t in a good place. The club helped me get my shit together when nothing else could.”

  “Want to talk about it?”

  “Maybe another time. Right now, I just want to kiss you again.”

  “Hades, are you sure? I don’t want you to hurt yourself.”

  “A little pain never hurt anyone.”

  His wolfish grin makes my body tremble in anticipation.

  “Is that so?”

  He nods, covering my mouth with his. As we kiss, I know that I’ve completely fallen for this man.

  8

  We kiss until we’re both breathless. I pull away, kissing the curve of his neck and moving
upward. He lets out a deep moan when I lick his salty skin, grazing his jaw with my teeth.

  “You play dirty.”

  I grin. “Just paying you back for being such a jerk to me.”

  “Then keep going, because I was a huge dick.”

  I run my hands down his chest, to his jeans, where I cup him.

  “Yeah, that checks out, too.”

  He lets out a growl as he rolls so that he’s on top of me. “Aren’t you full of jokes tonight.”

  “What can I say? My husband was shot and is alive. I have a lot to be happy for.”

  His eyes soften as he kisses me. “We both do.”

  I kiss him back and say, “There’s something I’d like to do. Something I’ve thought about for the last two months.”

  “You’ve got my attention.”

  “I want to kiss you. Here.” I move my hand down, showing him exactly where.

  He lets out a groan. “You’re killing me, Princess.”

  But he gets off the bed, kicking his jeans and boxers down his legs. I knew he was muscular, but seeing him in all his glory is something else. Tattoos cover his body, but even so he could be used as a model for a Greek God.

  “I like the way you’re looking at me, but it’s only fair that you get naked, too.”

  Grinning, I sit, pulling my nightgown over my head, tossing it to the chair next to the bed. He eyes me until I feel like I’m going up in flames.

  “Goddamn, Kinsley. You’re so beautiful.”

  I pat the spot next to me. “Less talking, Hades.”

  He laughs, but climbs on the bed. Straddling him, I lean forward to kiss him. He moans again, and I smile against his lips before kissing a trail down his stomach. His fingers thread though my hair as I move lower to my destination. His cock is perfect, like I knew it would be. Wrapping my hand around his erection, I pump him a few times. The engorged flesh feels like iron and pre-come coats the tip. I lean forward to taste him.

  He moans as I close my lips around him, taking my time to enjoy this. His taste. The way his muscles tense when it feels good. The way he whispers my name. I continue the slow and steady motion, sliding his cock in and out of my mouth. He pulls me closer, shoving his length further down my throat. I swallow, allowing him to slide deeper.