“Good. You can’t always avoid someone taking you down, but what matters most is that you don’t stay there. Maybe I’ll teach you ground fighting next time once you get this move down.”
Her chest heaved. “But I want to learn it now.”
“You can’t learn it all in one session, Esme. It takes practice.”
“Fine.”
Over and over, they repeated the same move, though she landed on the padded floor as often as she avoided him. And when she did avoid him, he snuck in with an open palm to her chest that thrust her off balance anyway.
“You’re faster than this, Esme. I’m only moving at quarter speed.”
Her jaw dropped. “Quarter speed? There’s no way I can block everything you send at me.”
When the corners of her mouth dropped into a frown, he touched her chin and raised her face to his again. “You can. I know you can do better. I know you’re faster than this.”
Her brown eyes remained on his face, lips an alluring temptation he ached to kiss.
Beau dropped his hand and stepped back again. “Ready?”
Esme raised both fists. He went after her again, practicing the same attack pattern, going for her throat, aiming a soft jab toward her face, a feint toward the stomach. She fended him off and traded hits in return he easily blocked and swept aside despite the sweat dripping into her eyes.
“You’re tiring, babe. Let’s call it a ni—”
Esme adjusted her stance, a fluid transition that brought her nondominant right to the forefront in a jab aimed for his throat, only for an unexpected left cross to break through his guard. The blow rocked his head back, and Beau stumbled a step.
Through the haze of sudden pain, he heard her cry, “I’m sorry!”
He held out a hand and shook his head, holding his nose with the other palm. “I’m good.”
“But I—”
“Broke my nose again. Yeah. You seem to have a talent for that too.”
“Again?”
“Long story.” The bleeding had already stopped, but he excused himself to make sure she hadn’t made a mess of his face.
When he returned, Esme bit her lower lip. “Are you okay?”
“I heal fast.”
She raised a hand and tenderly touched the tip of his nose. The hint of bruising would be gone by the next day. “Are you going to tell me the story of how it was broken before?”
Beau studied her. She’d rolled up her sleeves and tied her shirt up around her midriff. Loose strands of dark hair escaped her ponytail and clung to her perspiring face. Despite that, she’d never been sexier to him, never more attractive, not even when she’d been in her divine body.
“Well?” she persisted.
“I’ll tell you for a kiss.”
Esme quieted.
“Too high a price?”
“No.” She sniffed as if he’d insulted her. “Maybe I was only waiting for you to tell me where you wanted my lips. Your face might be too tender from me beating on it.”
His cock jumped up, her words shooting arousal right to his groin. He lurched toward her in a step and claimed her mouth, hungry for the first taste of lips he hadn’t tasted in centuries. All his hunger, all his need conveyed in one unending kiss, eager for the tease of her tongue flitting between his lips, the soft curves of her body pressing close. She wiggled in, grinding against his erection.
Hot and wanton passion surged between them. Her palm slid between them over his cock, stroking him through his gym shorts and pressing against the unrelenting force. He groaned into her mouth.
“Touch me, babe.”
She nibbled his lower lip. “I am touching you.”
“Skin. I want to feel your skin. Your hands on me. Your body against mine. I need to be inside you.” The breath rushed in and out of him, chest heaving with excitement.
He’d shared her long enough with the others, and in this moment, for these brief and precious seconds, he didn’t have to share. Every fleeting brush of her fingertips took him down the road to ecstasy.
Her fingers slid between his skin and waistband, beneath his boxers, then stroked over the tip of his cock, sending a jolt of bliss trembling through his body.
A fist hammered against the door. “Hey, Beau, you almost done with this room or nah?”
Esme jerked away from him. He could have killed the trainer on the other side until he glanced again at the clock and saw they were five minutes over the block he’d scheduled.
“Shit.”
Esme stepped away from him and dipped down to grab her bottle of water. She chugged it in the corner then fanned herself. He was arrogant enough to think she was cooling off from their make out as much as the training session.
Then Beau recalled the dozens of times his sex kitten love goddess had tackled him into bed, desperate for him, unable to go a second longer without him inside her. He smirked. She was definitely cooling off because of him, and soon, he’d give them both what they needed.
“Yeah, we’re cleaning up. We’ll clear out in a sec.”
Beau sent her off to the showers while he finished tidying the room. Then he hit the locker room too.
Esme showered in the women’s locker room after their lesson, wondering what would have happened if his coworker didn’t interrupt.
Absolutely nothing, considering she’d spent the previous night with Alex and he’d wrecked her so completely she was fortunate to be at the gym at all.
Beau had been a delicious temptation to test the resilience of her body, however.
No wonder Aphrodite had continued her affair with Ares centuries ago. Who could give up kisses like that? Then she thought of sweet Alex’s gentle kisses, the passion that surged between them while his skilled fingers coaxed her to orgasm and he asked nothing in return.
Even if she wanted to pick up wherever everything left off, that felt impossible now. Everything ached, from her shoulders to her hamstrings. Beau hadn’t gone easy on her, and she’d appreciated that in a weird way. The few times she’d ever gone to the gym with Daniel, he’d always lowered the weights, steered her away from certain equipment, and generally treated her like she should be there to look good rather than actually work out.
Beau was different, treading some fine line between treating her like a woman but also holding her to higher expectations.
Although it was a lot to take in, she’d had lots of time to think things over since their revelation.
Beau waited for her outside at the juice bar where he’d already ordered and an enormous orange and purple layered smoothie. She eyed it.
“It’s your favorite,” he said.
“How do you know my favorite?”
He cocked one dark brow. “I know your favorite everything.”
“Fine.” She took an experimental pull through the straw from the rich fuchsia layer, filling her mouth with blended raspberry and pomegranate followed by a tangy and sweet peach mango bottom. She didn’t stop until the inevitable brain freeze punished her greed.
He chuckled. “Like I said. I know your favorite everything.”
Esme took her time with the rest of the drink. “I had a good time with you this evening. Thanks for the lesson.”
“No need to thank me.”
“So, I was wondering... could you call the others up and tell them I wanna talk tonight? They can meet us at Luke’s place.”
“I could, but how about I give you a lift to Alex’s instead? Luke is already over there.” When she raised a brow, he added, “It’s game night.”
“Are we going on your bike?”
The rakish grin she’d come to love made an appearance on his face. The girl behind the juice counter sighed. Esme couldn’t blame her.
“The roads are clear. Why? Afraid?”
“No, I was actually hoping you’d say yes.”
Alex’s manservant met Esme and Beau at the door and welcomed them into the estate. He took their coats then guided them into the living room where Alex and Luke we
re embroiled in a game of cards.
Did gods seriously spend their Sunday evenings playing gin rummy?
“Hello, Esme,” Alex greeted her. A smile lit his entire face. She wasn’t the only one to notice either. Luke looked between them with one raised brow.
“Oh, hey. How’d the brawling lesson go?” Luke asked.
“Pretty well. I managed to bust him once in his nose.”
“Awesome. Just give us one second to finish this. I got Alex on the ropes.”
Fifteen minutes later, after Alex had thoroughly trounced Luke, they moved to the couch where the guys had pizza and craft beer. From what she understood of Luke’s awful taste in beer, she assumed the latter belonged to Alex.
“So, to what do we owe the pleasure of this meeting, Esme?” Alex asked.
“I made up my mind about our arrangement and wanted to offer the three of you a deal. Together. You three say you can share, that we can do this together without any fighting. As long as you can honor that, I’m in.”
Luke’s eyes brightened. “Really?”
“Yeah. I gave it a lot of thought after what happened Monday. The truth is that ever since I met you guys, I’ve come to care about you all for different reasons that have nothing to do with who I was.” She glanced to Alex and smiled. “So as crazy as this is, I’m game to make it work. At my pace.”
“Absolutely,” Beau said first, while Luke and Alex echoed his agreement.
“We meant what we said. No more fighting,” Luke said. “Just tell us what you want us to do.”
“Well, for starters, if I’m going to get my powers back so I can keep up with you, I’m guessing it means I need to talk to the guy in charge.”
Anticipation and fear created a frenzy of warring emotions. On one hand, she still expected to awaken alone in bed to discover the past few weeks had been a wicked fantasy, a product of her imagination after one too many drinks with Marie on the couch. On the other, she wasn’t yet sure if she believed it was all real and the three weren’t mistaken.
Powers. Godhood. It was too unreal. Too spectacular and unbelievable.
“Then you will need to go to Olympus,” Alex said.
Beau groaned. “Luke, you up for taking her to see Zeus?”
Luke sighed. “You two are pussies. Yeah. I’ll take her.”
“Wait, why can’t we all go?” she asked.
“Bad blood, so to speak,” Beau replied. “I was kicked out. Mom and Alex convinced Zeus to lift my exile a couple decades ago, but still…”
Luke snorted. “And Alex—”
“I don’t go there,” Alex said for himself.
“Anyway, I’m Zeus’s personal messenger, and I know all the shortcuts to Olympus and the other divine realms. It’s better if I take you.”
“Well then, what are we waiting for? Let’s go see Zeus.”
13
Esme’s first time in the In-Between while aware was an eye opening and odd experience. When they finally stepped out into the real world again, she shook off the dizziness and looked around. They stood in an office lobby, a quiet room with aerial views hung on the walls in gilded frames.
At a nearby desk sat a pretty blonde woman in a navy blue uniform. She smiled at them and touched the wireless device curled around her left ear.
“Welcome to Elysian Airlines International. May I help you?”
“What’s up, Iris? You’re looking good. Is the big man in?”
The woman cut her eyes from Luke to Esme, a frown on her perfectly bowed lips. “Mister—”
“It’s okay. You can relax. Esme’s in the know. Don’t you recognize her?”
“Um, Luke, she and I have never met,” Esme whispered.
“Sure you have. Well, the old you knows her.”
Iris’s eyes lit up with interest, shifting from dull gray to vibrant green. Esme blinked, certain it had to be a trick of the light, but then the woman’s eyes were an unmistakable shade of lilac.
“Wait, do you mean this is her?”
“In the flesh. So, is the boss here or not?”
“Go ahead. He’s probably expecting you.”
Iris passed Luke a golden key and waved them off. He led the way to a door across the office marked as a stairwell.
“What? No elevator or magic portal?” Esme asked.
“Nah, the old man likes the classics.”
A normal stairwell was visible through the narrow window set in the door, gray walls and stainless steel railings, but when Luke pulled it open he revealed something else entirely.
The warmth of a balmy spring day greeted them, and sunlight shone from every direction. Instead of the standard staircase, wide steps spiraled upward without any railings, and vanished somewhere far above them.
“What the hell is this?”
“Stairway to heaven, baby. Come on.” Luke offered out his hand and smiled.
As she stepped out onto the landing, Esme realized the steps weren’t connected. To anything. Each one hung suspended in the air. Her fingers tightened around Luke’s, but she didn’t try to turn back. The marble didn’t shift or move, and the air was still, a windless and ideal day. Once she overcame her fear of falling, she was able to appreciate the world below them in its dazzling array of unusual colors. The mountains were blue and purple, arising from plains and valleys of fertile green.
Miles and miles of unspoiled beauty stretched for as long as she could see, kissed by golden and pink skies as radiant as the dawn.
But it wasn’t dawn. Or sunset. These were the colors all times of the day, and somehow despite never setting her mortal eyes on the view, she knew that.
“It’s like we’re walking in the sky.”
“In a way, we are, only not in the sky as you know it. This is Olympus, realm of the gods. And here we are, the big man’s office.”
A door leading to seemingly nowhere hovered on the next landing. Luke unlocked it with the golden key and pulled it open. An office was on the other side. Esme marveled a moment. Through the door was a room worthy of any wealthy CEO, but when she looked around the frame, there was nothing but open air. Luke chuckled and stepped through first.
“Pretty neat, right?” he asked.
“It’s amazing.” She followed behind him and the door closed on its own.
A man stood with his back to them at the far end of the room. Floor-to-ceiling windows let in the diffused golden light, highlighting broad shoulders clad in a tailored suit.
“Why does everything look so normal?’ she whispered to Luke. “I mean, I expected roman baths and gardens, not an executive office.”
“Changing times, remember?”
“Is that him?” They hadn’t moved from the door, and the man staring out the windows remained still as a statue.
“Yeah,” Luke whispered back. “We’ve gotta wait for him to acknowledge us. He doesn’t like when people just barge inside.”
“He’s… smaller than I envisioned. No white beard or robes either. Shouldn’t there be lightning?”
“I can hear you, you know.”
The deep voice came from directly beside her. Esme jumped, a scream caught in her throat. Zeus had crossed the room and appeared beside her. He towered over her, smaller than Alex in height though her perception made him seem larger than a mountain.
“Sorry,” she squeaked.
“Hey, Uncle Z. How’re things going?”
Zeus turned an unimpressed look on Luke, his lips turned down and his gaze hard. “A little respect, please. This isn’t the mortal world.”
Luke’s easy grin faded, and he ducked his head, shifting his weight from one foot to the other. “Sorry, sir. May I introduce you to—”
“Esmeralda Caro. College student attending University of Ashfall. Human. I know who she is. And I know who she was.” Zeus looked her up and down, from head to toe then back again. Steel-gray hair coursed over his shoulders and framed a stern, unforgiving face that might have once been handsome, could be handsome if he smiled. “What
brings you here?”
“Oh, well, um…” She looked to Luke for help, but he tucked his hands in his pockets and stayed quiet.
Zeus gestured for her to follow him to a cabinet where he poured two glasses, though Esme had no idea what it was. The liquid shimmered like a sparkling rainbow. Zeus pressed a glass into her hand and kept the other for himself while Luke remained by the door.
“Yeah, well, I was pretty surprised myself. I don’t exactly remember anything about my former… life. Existence. Whatever you’d call it.”
“An existence you threw away.”
Esme sniffed her drink. At first it smelled like candy canes, but another whiff brought to mind chocolate covered cherries. A tentative first sip exploded like liquid sunshine against her tongue, bright and tart citrus that mellowed to a spiced sweetness. She’d never had anything so delicious in her life.
“I don’t remember any of that, to be honest. I’d sorta hoped you’d help fill in some blanks. Or at least let me have the chance to come back and make things right.”
“I hear what you’re saying, Esme, but you haven’t given me a reason. Why do you want to be a goddess again when you were so happy to toss it away?”
His stare worsened her anxiety, both palms so moist with sweat rubbing them against her jeans didn’t help. She wiped them on her thighs again, flushed and hot. Vulnerable under his gaze. “I’ve learned things since then. Learned what it means to care about others. Learned how it feels to be human. I’ve read stories about the old Aphrodite I used to be, but I’m not her anymore.”
“Why should I return your gift?”
“Because I can do better. Alex—Hephaestus believes the love has gone from the world and has faded more and more since I left my powers behind. If that’s true, give me this chance to put everything right.”
Zeus snorted and knocked back the remainder of his drink. “The Aphrodite we all knew was a self-absorbed bitch. Why should I believe you’re any different now?”
“Why wouldn’t you?”
“There are three gods chasing you across a shit town in the middle of nowhere California, each of them with more mortal currency than you can spend in a lifetime. Convince me this is about the greater good and not wanting to prosper.”
Divine Ambrosia Page 14
