by Tina Folsom
Pressing her deeper into the sheets, he lavished all his attention on her breasts, first freeing one from the bra, then the other before discarding the undergarment and tossing it to the floor. If he had any say in the matter, she wouldn’t wear a bra. Now that he kneaded her breasts with his hands, he realized that his guess had been right: they were firm and sat high on her chest, attesting to her youth and her well-tended body. They didn’t need the support of a bra.
“I could lick your breasts all night long and never get tired of them,” he confessed between kisses and nibbles. “They feel perfect in my hands.”
Then he lifted his eyes toward her face and noticed Ariadne watch him. “Do you like it when I suck them?”
Her lips parted, her pink tongue snaking out and moistening her lower lip. More breath than moan, her answer came. “Yes. Do it again.”
Dio gave her his practiced roguish smile and dipped his head back to her twin swells. As he pressed the two peaks together and alternately sucked each nipple into his mouth, he shifted his position, lifting one leg over her thigh to push her legs apart. His cock pressed against her hip, the contact—even through the fabric of his boxer-briefs—sending a shock as if coming from one of Zeus’ thunderbolts through his body.
“Fuck!” he ground out. If this indirect contact with her body sent him into such a spin, he’d last all of two seconds once he was inside her. That wouldn’t do, because what he really wanted with Ariadne was to stay inside her for as long as possible. Already now he knew that making love to her would be heaven.
Ariadne’s thighs spread further, and she hooked one of her legs over his as if wanting to keep him there. Like he was going anywhere anytime soon! If she only knew that he had no intention of leaving her bed until they were both completely and utterly satisfied.
Slowly, he slid down her body, planting soft kisses along her abdomen, dipping his tongue into her navel, then moving south. Her appreciative moan only spurred him on further, giving him permission to explore her curves, her skin, and her flesh.
As he bumped up against the fabric barrier that still stood sentry guarding her sex, he playfully pulled at it with his teeth, eliciting a soft chuckle from her. He looked up to meet her gaze. Her eyes shone with delight.
“I hadn’t pegged you for being so … so …”
“ … strong?” he helped her and received a soft laugh in response. “Wild?”
She shook her head.
“Hot?”
Another shake, but the more she put him in his place by refusing to acknowledge his physical prowess, the more he enjoyed the interaction.
He grinned and pulled on the fabric, tugging at it like a dog who didn’t want to let go of a bone. “Sexy?”
That made her laugh out loud. “I meant to say playful,” she choked out between laughs.
“Playful?” He gave her a mock-stern glare. “You do know that such disrespect will be punished, don’t you?”
Her body stilled. “How?” Her eyes suddenly gleamed with interest.
“Like this.” He pulled on the fabric, pushing it down a few inches, before he blew air against her sex. Her hitched breath confirmed her acquiescence to his punishment. “And like that.” Dio freed her from her panties completely and resettled himself between her spread thighs.
“And then, of course, like this.” He dipped his head to her glistening pussy and inhaled her arousal wanting to savor this moment but was unable to hold back. His tongue emerged, and he lapped against her cleft, gathering up her juices.
“Oh, Dio!”
“Shh, baby, I’ll take care of you.” And then his mouth was back, his lips connecting with her wet heat, his tongue registering her flavors and cataloguing them for later exploration. He scooped his hands under her backside to get more of her. She was a sumptuous feast, more delicious than he’d expected. Her taste was as rich as wine aged in oak barrels for many years and as sweet as ambrosia. The combination made for a heady scent, one that was quickly making him drunk on her. Despite the fact that he’d had plenty of women, mortals and goddesses alike, he’d never been with one whose body had held such an allure, and whose taste whipped him to such heights. But Ariadne was special. Making love to her filled a need in him that he didn’t know he had.
Dio lifted his head for a moment and saw how she pressed her head into the pillow, arching her body in obvious ecstasy. “Gods, you’re a sight to behold.” When he lowered his mouth back to her, he sought out her clit and stroked his tongue over it. She almost lifted off the bed, releasing a moan at the same time. So he did it again and alternately licked over the swollen bundle of flesh and then sucked it between his lips.
“Oh God!”
Holding her clit in his mouth, he swiped his tongue over it and pressed his lips together. A second later, he felt her explode and released the pressure, letting her ride out her orgasm as he enjoyed soaking up the spasms her body went through. Her muscles contracted, the resulting waves crashing against his mouth, sending ripples through his body. What hit him instantly was the knowledge of how pure she was: not a virgin, no, but a woman pure at heart, her reactions to him so honest, so open, he cherished the moment even more.
He scooted up, stripping himself of his boxer briefs in the process. His straining cock thanked him, and the air wafting against his skin felt like a release.
“Dio, you’re amazing,” Ariadne whispered and pulled him to her, her hand in his hair. Her lips parted in anticipation of his kiss, and the instant their lips touched, the fire in his gut spiraled higher.
He ripped his lips from her moments later, unable to take anymore of this sensual onslaught. “I need to be inside you.”
She nodded. “Yes.”
As he moved over her, a hand on his chest stopped him. Confused, he halted in his movement.
“Condom,” she said.
Fuck, he’d completely forgotten about that pesky annoyance. She had no idea that as a god, he could will his semen to be infertile if he didn’t want to impregnate a woman. Theoretically he didn’t need a condom, but not wanting to make her suspicious, he played along. “Where?” he searched the surface of the bedside table, but apart from a book and an alarm clock, it was empty.
“In the top drawer.”
Dio rolled over and opened the drawer. A small box of condoms greeted him. Regular it said. Regular? Not bloody likely. He wouldn’t even get that thing on, let alone keep it intact once he was inside her. This wouldn’t do.
“Found them?”
“Got ‘em.” With a quick flick of his wrist he used his godly power and exchanged the box for a different one. Now it said Magnum. He smiled to himself. Better. He opened one of the foil packets and sheathed himself before turning back to her, catching the moment Ariadne lowered her gaze to his groin. There was an almost unperceivable flinch when she perused his cock.
“You’re so big.” And her words weren’t meant as a compliment, not by the way she frowned.
Dio cupped her cheek and stoked his thumb over her skin. “Ariadne, you’ve nothing to worry about. I’ll be gentle. You’ll set the pace. Okay?” Why he offered her this concession when he could barely hold his control in check, he really didn’t want to examine. But it was important to him that she felt comfortable with him.
“Okay,” she whispered and drew him closer.
This time when he came over her, she didn’t stop him but spread her legs so he could settle between them. He braced himself on his elbows and knees, careful not to crush her with his weight. He was a big guy all over, and Ariadne was rather small compared to him. Nevertheless, he knew that despite her small frame, she’d be able to take him.
“Guide me inside. Slowly, baby.”
When he felt her hand on his cock, he gritted his teeth, fighting back the imminent release the touch of her hand demanded. As she placed the tip of his erection at her entrance, the wetness that had oozed from her coated him. Slowly, he inched forward and felt the head of his shaft penetrate, the walls of her channel
squeezing him like a tight fist.
Dio clenched his jaw. “Gods!”
“More.”
“Yes,” he exclaimed with relief. He pushed deeper and into heaven. In one continuous slide, he descended into her tight sheath until he was fully seated. His breath came in heavy pants. He’d never felt anything more perfect.
“Are you okay? Am I hurting you?”
“Yes. No.”
He pulled back instantly, trying to withdraw, but Ariadne wrapped her legs around his backside, digging her heels into him. Confused, he sought her eyes.
“Yes, I’m okay, and no, you’re not hurting me.”
Relieved, he pressed his forehead to hers. “Good. Promise me you’ll let me know if something doesn’t feel good.”
She smiled. “Relax, Dio. You feel good.”
He grinned. “How good?”
Ariadne playfully hit her fist against his shoulder. “Are you fishing?”
He drew his hips back, withdrawing almost completely from her tight pussy before sliding back inside. “Fishing wasn’t what I had in mind.”
As he delivered the next thrust, her lips parted on a sigh, and her eyelids lowered to half mast. Perspiration was already building on his neck from trying to hold onto his control. To feel her in his arms giving herself so freely to him, rattled on the hinges of his restraints.
His body found its own rhythm, catapulting him into an inferno where nothing else counted but Ariadne’s heart beating against his body, her breath ghosting along his face, and her nails digging into his skin. Even as he rode her harder, his cock sliding in and out of her in a smooth glide, his tongue mimicking every stroke, he knew that this wasn’t just a frantic coupling or the quick, hard fucks he generally preferred. He felt connected to her on a level that wasn’t physical. He was spared from analyzing his sentiments when her muscles suddenly spasmed around him and drove him over the edge.
As he tumbled into the abyss of weightlessness and pleasure, he clutched her tightly, his lips forming only two words. “My love.”
Chapter Four
Ariadne cuddled into him, purring like a cat who’d just eaten her fill. Shell-shocked, Dio’s arm went around her as she fitted her head into the crook of his neck. In her arms, he’d had the most amazing orgasm of his life, and instead of feeling content and sated, he felt panicked. He’d called her my love. What the fuck had gotten into him?
He’d felt something, an emotion so strange he hadn’t been able to truly comprehend it. It had hit him broadside, knocking him on his ass and taking over his senses: no wonder he’d tossed the endearment out and actually meant it at that moment. It had blinded him, but he couldn’t let this strange feeling take root in his mind. It was dangerous to let himself be sucked into believing he was actually capable of such emotion. No, something had to be wrong with him. Maybe he’d eaten something that didn’t agree with him. It had to be temporary. It just had to be.
“I knew it would be like this with you,” she murmured.
“Mmm hmm.” Dio searched for anything to say, but his mind had never been so blank. Was it the warmth of her body that had turned his brain into molasses, or was he still drunk on her taste?
“I knew that once I found the right man, things would be perfect. And they are.” She drew a lazy circle around his nipple, her fingernail arousing him more than was humanly possible. “My mother was right about one thing, you know.”
He couldn’t stop himself from asking. After all, he had to say something at some point. He couldn’t just lie there like a log. “What’s that?”
“If you find the person you’re meant to be with, everything will be perfect. Just like it is with us.”
Dio froze. This couldn’t be happening. Ariadne couldn’t possibly think that this was more than just a fling, well, a one-night-stand really. When had he ever given her the impression that he was interested in a relationship? At that word, something in his solar plexus constricted painfully. Why had he called her my love? And why had he felt so connected to her when he’d made love to her? There: he couldn’t even call it fucking! How pathetic was that? Since when had he turned into some pussy-whipped idiot?
Yes, something was seriously wrong with this picture. He was still in Ariadne’s bed, cuddling, for Hades’ sake! And his body made no motion to move, to get up, get dressed, and get the hell out of there. But he knew he had to. He couldn’t allow the things that flitted through his mind change him in any way. He was who he was: a philanderer, a womanizer, a seducer. Nobody would change that. It was better if he made a clean break right now before more words about a relationship flew about the room, before he gave her hope where there was none.
And before he seriously hurt her, just like his father had hurt all the women he’d ever been with. And he was his father’s son if he liked it or not.
Even though he hated what he had to do, he forced himself to do it anyway. “Sleep, my sweet.” His persuasive powers, powers each god possessed, lulled her into sleep.
Like a thief in the night, he left her bed. As he cast a glance back at Ariadne’s sleeping body, his chest tightened. His body rebelled, wanting him to return to her arms, to sleep with her body wrapped around him. The draw was so strong, he swayed and had to steady himself with a hand against the wall. She was weakening his resolve just by lying there in her sleep, vulnerable and as beautiful as a summer’s day. But he had to resist for Ariadne’s sake. She would be better off without him.
As fast as his shaking limbs allowed, Dio got dressed while contemplating wiping her memory of him. But the content smile that touched her lips even in her sleep stopped him. He didn’t want to take her memories away. They’d given each other pleasure tonight, and he didn’t want to erase those memories, though he knew it would be better.
As he stalked into the night, running from something he didn’t understand, Dio’s gut twisted. He’d never had any problems walking away from a woman before, and the knowledge that he was hurting her with what he was doing only magnified his guilt and the feeling in his chest that he was making a big mistake. The biggest mistake of his life.
***
Ariadne stretched her arms over her head as consciousness returned and sleep traded places with wakefulness. Slowly, the events of the previous nights returned, pasting a smile on her face. Her entire body still hummed from the aftermath of her lovemaking with Dio. She’d been overwhelmed with the intensity of sensations he’d conjured up in her. She’d never felt so cherished.
Even before she opened her eyes to the sunlight that streamed through the partially closed blinds, she knew she was alone. She glanced at the clock on her bedside table and shot up from her prone position. No wonder Dio had already left: it was past eight o’clock and high time to get ready if she didn’t want to be late. Dio probably had to get to work too.
For a moment, she paused. It was strange, but he’d never mentioned what he did for a living, other than saying that he managed some investments and traveled a lot for his job. Ari chuckled to herself: being the perfect gentleman, he’d always asked her about her life and interests and refrained from constantly talking about himself. It was a welcome change from other men who found themselves so important that they only wanted to talk about their own achievements. Now that she thought about it, Dio always deflected questions about his life, almost as if there was a lot of pain in his past and he didn’t want to talk about it.
Ari knew something about pain. She’d gotten hurt over a year ago, and it had taken her until now to pick up her life again and let go of the disappointment and heartache. And in the process, she’d found Dio. Sometimes things did turn out all right.
Ari swung her legs out of bed and rushed to the bathroom. She had no time to daydream right now, but even her lack of time couldn’t wipe the smile off her face. As she stepped into the shower and let the warm water sluice down her body, she was aware of every cell in her body, every inch of skin Dio had touched and kissed, and particularly of the place between her legs that thr
obbed pleasantly in synch with her heartbeat.
She bit back the disappointment that Dio hadn’t woken her when he’d left, but maybe he was just being considerate. She must have fallen asleep shortly after they’d made love, because for the life of her, she couldn’t remember that they’d talked or cuddled. She wasn’t normally one to nod off that quickly, but then she’d never before felt so sated after being with a man. Her body had been so relaxed that it was probably normal that she’d fallen asleep so quickly.
Without much ado, she finished her shower and dried off. Maybe next time when they had more time, she and Dio could shower together and then go back to bed. Ari shook her head and started blow drying her hair. She’d turned into such a dreamer again. After the debacle with Jeff, she’d stopped wishing for things she didn’t think she could have. She’d felt useless and unworthy of someone’s love. And why wouldn’t she? The humiliation she’d endured was a feeling she never wanted to reacquaint herself with. The only way to protect herself from it had been to close off her heart and keep others at a distance. But Dio had pierced her armor and broken down the walls she’d erected.
For the first time in many months, Ari left her house feeling elated and carefree.
The walk to her shop was short, and when she arrived, her assistant Lisa was waiting at the entrance. The summer dress Lisa wore made her appear even younger than her twenty-two years, or maybe it was simply the fact that she was extremely pretty and tanned. As a vintner’s daughter from California, she’d come for a one-month internship and had then asked if she could stay on for another year since she really liked Charleston and found the people charming.
Knowing that she needed help with the shop if she didn’t want to work seven days a week, Ari had hired her immediately. The girl had a great way with customers and could charm just about anybody. And she knew her wines. Besides, being from California, she was able to negotiate larger discounts from some of the California wineries whose owners she knew personally and whose sons and daughters she’d grown up with.
