Goddess in the Middle

by Stephanie Julian

  Which is exactly what Rom wanted. Instead, he hesitated. “Lady, you’re in no shape to help him.”

  “He’s injured. He needs me.”

  “And I want you to help him. But you’re gonna do yourself major harm if you try to heal him now.”

  She hesitated for five long seconds. “Then I need you to have sex with me.”

  Rom’s brain flatlined as he stared into her way-too-serious eyes. “What the—Are you serious? Did the demon knock your head against the ground?”

  Shit. He hadn’t meant for that to come out so harshly. But still. Her brain must’ve been rattled pretty severely. Why the fuck did she want to have sex with him right now?

  Her expression pulled into a frown as he continued to scowl at her. “First of all, I am not crazy. And second, if I’m going to heal Remy, I need to gain strength. The fastest way to get it is to have sex. Otherwise, I need to sleep for a few days, and Remy doesn’t have that much time. Please, Rom…”

  He opened his mouth to tell her no fucking way then shut it as his gaze fell on Remy.

  Vaffanculo, his cousin looked even worse than he had a minute ago.

  Turning back to Amity, Rom felt his jaw clench. Damn it, he wanted her. He could deny it until he was blue in the face but it didn’t change facts. He’d wanted her last night but Remy—

  Remy was dying.

  “Amity…”

  Her head tilted to the side, as if she were trying to read between his lines. “Don’t you find me attractive?”

  He tried to stop his mouth from dropping open in shock and wasn’t entirely successful. He never would’ve expected her to be the type to beg for compliments. Then he realized she wasn’t. She actually thought maybe he didn’t desire her. After last night, how could she doubt it? Then again, he hadn’t touched her, even though every molecule of his body had begged him to.

  Taking a deep breath, he reined in the mounting frustration. “Lady Amity, I think you are… extremely attractive. Beautiful. You’re beautiful.” Yeah, just keep sticking your foot in your mouth, idiot. “But, tonight… the demon… I’m finding it tough to switch gears.”

  Her smile lit a tiny fire in his gut. “I understand, Rom. Truly, I do. It’s been a rather stressful night for me, too. I’m sorry. I know this is asking too much of you. How about just a kiss? That might be enough to get me going.”

  She held out her hand to him, palm up. Not a command. A request.

  Her delicate fingers trembled the slightest bit as they hung in midair, waiting for him.

  Shit.

  Why the hell did he feel like he was betraying his cousin if he did this? They’d agreed before they’d set out to seduce her: it didn’t matter which of them she chose, or if she chose both. Remy had had her last night.

  Why shouldn’t he today? Especially if it would save Remy’s life.

  Because she’d made her choice. She’d chosen Remy.

  You want her. Take her. She’s handing herself to you on a platter. And Remy needs you to do this.

  Right. His cousin needed him. How many times had Remy saved his life in the past twenty years?

  Having sex with a goddess didn’t exactly seem like a hardship to save Remy’s life.

  He reached for her, noting how her smaller hand disappeared in his, the coolness of her skin and the tremble just beneath. Lifting his gaze to meet hers, he saw her lips curl in a sweet smile that lit a simmering heat in his gut.

  Kiss her.

  He wanted to. He’d wanted to from the first moment he’d seen her.

  Lowering his head, he watched her eyes darken in anticipation then braced for impact when she lifted to meet him.

  Their lips came together in a rush, hers cool at first but warming fast beneath his.

  Her eyes had drifted shut just before he closed the distance between them, and he let his close, as well. Let himself shut off the part of his brain that tried to tell him this wasn’t right and simply enjoyed the feeling of her lips pressed against his.

  So soft. So sweet.

  He angled his head so his mouth fit better against hers. Still not good enough. He released her hand and cupped her face in both of his, turning her to get a better position.

  Her hands reached for his shoulders, tiny nails sinking into his skin. The pain heightened his awareness of her. The sweet scent of her, the softness of her skin beneath his palms. The fragility of her bones.

  He could crush her with one hand. The demon could have damaged her beyond repair with one hand behind its back.

  Rom wanted to kill it again, just for daring to touch her.

  Which he shouldn’t be doing either.

  She was a goddess and he hadn’t given the deities their due in years.

  Not since—

  He pried open her lips with his own and let his tongue slip between her lips, nearly groaned as the sweet taste of her exploded on his tongue. Damn, she tasted good. Still cool but heating fast.

  Her breath became a little hotter now, and he took it into his own lungs as his tongue tangled with hers. She moaned, the sound vibrating through him, straight to his groin. He couldn’t help but wonder what that mouth would feel like wrapped around his cock.

  Sucking in a startled breath, he pulled away, and his eyes flew open to see a slightly dazed look in her eyes. Vaffanculo, he hoped she couldn’t read his mind. She’d probably want to kick his ass from here to—

  Then she smiled and he swore she had read his mind and wanted the same thing.

  No. No fucking way.

  He shook his head, but her hands moved to his face, pulling him down with her onto the bed. He obeyed, his fists punching into the mattress on either side of her shoulders to hold him up. To keep his weight off of her.

  “Lie down beside me, Rom.” Her voice whispered soft and sexy against his cheek as she pressed a string of kisses from his lips to his ear. His own breathing became rough, harsh in his throat. “Please.”

  The “please” did him in. He brought his knees up onto the mattress by her side, causing her to scoot over to make room for him. He didn’t want that much room.

  He wrapped his arms around her shoulders and pulled her against him as he came down on her. They sank into the bed, his mouth again plastered to hers. He kissed her harder, his lips and tongue demanding a response she gave willingly.

  Her tongue slid against his, teasing, eliciting a response from low in his body. Heat made his balls tighten and his cock throb. He got hard and his hips ground into hers.

  She tilted her head to the side so she had a better angle and she chased his tongue back into his mouth so she could taste him.

  With any other woman, he would have drawn back. He wasn’t comfortable with that level of intimacy.

  He wanted Amity to push him onto his back and take what she wanted. What she said she needed.

  Her fingers slid into his hair at that moment, sifting through the short strands and tugging on them gently. Just enough to fire the pain receptors on his scalp. He broke their kiss, hissing a breath at the burst of sensual pleasure, magnified because he’d never felt anything like it.

  Before, sex had been scratching an itch. Not a sensual assault.

  He stared down at Amity as she watched him, her gaze steady, as if she knew exactly what he was thinking. Then she tugged again, making his eyes close for a brief second before she moved her fingers to his scalp, massaging the sensitive area at the base of his neck.

  His head tipped back as she rubbed, his hips pressing harder into the soft flesh between her legs, covered by her soft skirt.

  The skirt had to go if they were going to do this. And he wanted her now more than he’d wanted anything in his life.

  Adrenaline pumped through his blood, making him buzz like he was high.

  Sitting back on his heels, he kept his gaze squarely on Amity. On her dark eyes staring back at him. On her lips, swollen from their kisses.

  He reached for her waistband, grateful to realize he wouldn’t have to deal with zippe
rs or buttons or hooks. The stretchy material was tight enough that it didn’t need help staying up.

  Realizing his hands were shaking, he curled them into fists for a brief second while he tried to regain some control.

  Just another woman. She’s just another woman.

  Total bullshit. But if he let himself think about what she really was, he’d be toast.

  Curling his fingers in the skirt’s hem, he started to pull. The material didn’t want to move right away, but he gave a hard tug, and it gave up the fight.

  He never considered pushing the skirt up around her waist and taking her half-dressed.

  No, he needed her naked. Fast.

  On its way down, the skirt revealed the soft skin of her stomach. She didn’t have the tight body other women seemed to crave. No rock hard abs or muscular thighs.

  No, she was curved. Not fat. Just rounded.

  “So fucking pretty.”

  Moving down to her feet, he pulled the skirt to her ankles, then bent her knees and lifted her feet so he could get it all the way off and drop it on the floor. She lay before him bare from the waist down except for tiny red satin panties.

  Just the sight of them made his mouth water.

  He wanted to lean forward and put his mouth over the tiny triangle covering her pussy but he knew if he did that, he might lose himself in the act, and Remy could die before he found his way back.

  Amity wasn’t about to let that happen. “As much as I would love to have your mouth on me right now, we don’t have time.” Her voice, breathy and broken, caught his attention and drew his gaze up to hers.

  Her cheeks now held a flush and her breasts quivered each time she drew in a shaky breath.

  “Later. I would love to feel your tongue against my clit later. Right now, we need to hurry. Take your clothes off, Rom.”

  Just her saying the word clit made his cock tighten almost to the point of pain. And his name coupled with her telling him to take his clothes off… Well, shit. She might as well resign herself to a thirty-second fuck, because that’s all he was going to last.

  When she reached for the bottom of her green T-shirt to pull it over her head, he knocked that number down to fifteen seconds. Damn, she had nice tits. High and firm and more than enough to overflow his palms.

  Her bra matched her panties but the cups were red lace and transparent. Her nipples poked through the lace, and he couldn’t ignore the temptation. He bent and sucked one into his mouth, lace and all.

  Amity gasped and her hands cupped his head. She didn’t push him away, though. She held him to her. As if he might try to get away. Like hell.

  He wanted to suck on her breasts, which she appeared to really like, before he got inside her and completely disgraced himself. If he could bring her off with his mouth and hands now, maybe she wouldn’t notice how fast he came.

  And it was gonna be fast. Had to be fast.

  As he alternately licked at her nipple through the lace, soaking it completely, and sucked the hard tip into his mouth, he brushed one hand down her body to her mound.

  He didn’t bother to pet her through the panties. He just sank his hand beneath them and let his forefinger graze her clit on its way to her slit.

  Hot. Wet. Silky smooth. He was gonna come in his pants. He groaned against her breast and she arched her back to push her nipple farther into his mouth, moaning. But it put her pussy at an awkward angle so he pressed her down with one hand on her shoulder as he slid two fingers into her sex.

  He heard her gasp, her hands gripping his hair tighter, his scalp beginning to burn. He liked that. He wanted to tell her to do it harder but he didn’t want to move his mouth.

  Sucking harder at her nipple, he grazed his teeth along the tip before he bit her. He didn’t let her move this time. He used his free hand to grab her hip and hold her in place as he used his fingers to fuck her. Slow and deep, making sure his thumb rubbed her clit each time he stroked her high inside her channel.

  It didn’t take long for her to tighten around his fingers like a vise. Vaffanculo, he couldn’t help but imagine what it would feel like when he got inside her.

  She’d be so damn snug, she’d milk his cock dry.

  Speaking of… He had to get his pants off or he’d end up coming in them.

  The black tactical pants were designed to be form-fitting but not tight. Easy to slip on and off. But even though they’d been designed with comfort in mind, they still needed someone to unhook them.

  He pulled away from her breast long enough to say, “Get my pants off.”

  The hand in his hair immediately dropped to his waist. Or as close as she could get. “Scoot up.”

  He rose to his knees so she could reach his waistband and deal with the button with a flick of her fingers.

  “Take them off, Rom. Hurry.”

  With one final lick, he released her breast and sat up. Stripping off his own T-shirt, he tossed it behind him then shoved his pants down his thighs.

  His skin felt hypersensitive, and her fingers made his nerve endings flame and pop under the skin as his balls tightened.

  She stroked over his thighs, his hips, his stomach, not lingering until her fingers brushed against his left nipple. Running a finger around the soft areola until the skin hardened and pebbled, she then took the hard tip between her thumb and forefinger and pinched it. The sharp, pleasurable pain took his breath for a second.

  His hands clenched into fists at his sides as she played with him with just her fingers. His cock throbbed with longing, and he had to hold tightly to his internal reins so he didn’t throw her down on the bed and ravage her.

  Which lasted all of about thirty seconds. Then he ripped his pants the rest of the way off his legs and tossed them aside before tearing away her panties.

  He didn’t give her time to stare at the rest of his body. Before his pants hit the floor, he covered her with his body, sliding his legs between hers and letting his cock press against her mound.

  Her arms wrapped around his shoulders as his mouth fell on hers and devoured. She was ready for him, opening her mouth to him as she opened her legs. Her tongue slid into his mouth as he shifted his hips so the tip of his cock brushed between her pussy lips.

  So soft.

  He groaned into her mouth, planted his elbows on either side of her head, and began to press his cock inside her.

  He didn’t want to go so fast but he couldn’t help himself. The second she started to close around him, he felt his balls draw up and he thrust forward. He couldn’t spill outside her body. He had to be inside her.

  She took him all, straight to the base. Then she tilted her hips as if she wanted more.

  He wanted more. Wanted everything.

  Ripping his mouth away from hers, he sucked in a deep breath and started to pump. She was so tight, he felt huge inside her. But she was wet and he slid easily.

  He wanted to slow down and enjoy the sensations. The heat of her surrounding him, the sound of her moans… they snuck inside his brain and stoked his pleasure higher.

  His hips began to pick up speed as her fingers sifted through his hair, tugging on the strands as she pressed her mouth against his neck. He felt her lips move on his skin, sucking, biting. Heating his blood, making it pump through his veins like lava.

  And when she bit his earlobe, he couldn’t hold back any longer. His release started at the base of his spine, pushed through his balls and cock. He cried out, his head tossing and his cry echoing through the room as he came. Thick, hot seed pulsed from him.

  Her legs wrapped around his waist and her arms around his shoulders, unbreakable bindings that he wouldn’t have chosen to free himself from anyway.

  After at least a minute, he thought he could finally breathe again and he came back to himself with the realization that she was unmoving beneath him. He pulled back with a start only to sense that she wasn’t harmed.

  She was drawing in the sexual energy they’d raised so she could heal Remy.

 
Rom’s gaze immediately turned toward the other bed where his cousin lay, white as a sheet.

  Pulling away and scrambling to his knees, he sat as still as he could at the bottom of the bed. He didn’t want to disturb Amity, who looked much better than she had before they’d had sex.

  He had to admit he felt a hell of a lot better. Now, if she could just fix Remy.

  Her eyes opened and his body shook in reaction to the glow emanating from them. He bit back the “holy shit” on the tip of his tongue and managed not to give in to the impulse to get the hell out of her way.

  She sat up, blinking as if unsure of where she was or what she was doing, then her gaze focused on Rom.

  Taking in a deep breath, she reached out to him with her hand and he only hesitated a second before he took it.

  And when she smiled sweetly at him, his guard dropped again. Goddess, yes. But still a woman.

  Her fingers wrapped around his and she tugged him closer until his lips were only centimeters from hers.

  “Thank you.”

  Her voice whispered across his cheek just before she brushed a kiss against his mouth.

  “You’re welcome, Lady.”

  “Now, I need to see to Remy.”

  She slid off the bed with a sinuous grace he’d either not noticed before or that she hadn’t had. Maybe she’d picked that up after sex with him.

  Maneuvering until he sat on the edge of his bed, he watched Amity crawl onto the bed with Remy, sitting on her knees next to him. Her lips began to move, though he couldn’t make out what she was saying. She held her hands over Remy’s chest then moved them down to his thighs then back up again to his head.

  Her eyes narrowed and her expression set in lines of intense concentration. And her hands began to shine.

  And he didn’t mean with the dull glow he could produce when he and Remy worked together to create a rudimentary healing spell. Healing was one of the hardest spells they’d mastered, though they didn’t have a one hundred percent cure rate.

  After nearly twenty years of working spells together, you’d think they would’ve come closer to being able to fix more than broken bones, the simplest cuts and scrapes, and the occasional puncture wound.