Helios Renewed (The Helios Chronicles #3)

by Tawa M. Witko

  “It’s divine. Andrew, it’s amazing.”

  He beamed. A smile that completely lit up the room as he himself took a bite. He had been worried and called Liam several times during the preparation. Eventually putting him on speaker so he could make sure he was doing everything correctly. He was extremely happy it had turned out well. They ate casually while their conversation remained light and fun. Madison, however, was having a difficult time concentrating as she looked across the table at Andrew. She simply wanted to forgo the meal and feast on his delectable body instead.

  “What’s the matter, Madison?” he asked with a knowing smile.

  Madison waved her hand at his naked chest. “You are very distracting right now.”

  He set his fork down and smirked mischievously. “Would you like me to change?”

  She quickly shook her head as his hand combed through his hair. The muscles in his chest twitched with the motion, causing Madison to let out a whimper. He was too gorgeous and sexy for his own good and definitely more than Madison could handle at the moment. Confident he had done well already, Andrew smiled. He cocked his head slightly before motioning his hand at her meal.

  “Finish up, Madison, so the rest of our evening can begin.”

  The promise in his words had her heart beating quickly. Madison wanted to hurry. She wasn’t sure exactly what he had in store but she was anxious to find out. Her stomach was twisting and turning and every time she snuck a peek at him he was watching her. They finished their meal in relative silence. Madison focused on the meal that was very delicious but also something that she didn’t want at the moment. What she wanted was Andrew.

  “Come, Madison.”

  He didn’t have to tell her twice. She jumped up and waited for his nearly naked body to walk around the table. Although they normally cleared the dinner table together, this time he let it sit, instead taking her hand and leading her to the living room. He positioned her so that she was sitting on the massage bed while he proceeded to walk around the living room, lighting all the candles. Her eyes followed him, unable to look away. When he had lit the last candle, he shut the main lights off, leaving only the small light in the kitchen on. In the dim light, he strutted to her. Madison’s mouth parted as she began breathing rapidly. Andrew’s well defined body was absolute perfection. She would never tire of seeing him.

  “Get undressed, Madison,” he ordered as his finger moved under her chin to close her mouth.

  Madison quickly shed her work attire, suddenly thinking she should have freshened up, maybe put on some sexy lingerie. Of course, the fact that Andrew was walking around half naked, making her forgot her own name, was not helping matters. Once she was completely bare, she stood before him. He gave her a small smile as he walked behind her and ran his fingers through her hair several times. Madison’s eyes closed as he pulled it back and positioned it in a messy bun, held together with a clip he had picked up from the table.

  “Lay on your stomach, Madison,” he said heatedly.

  Madison nodded and lay on the table. Andrew smiled as he turned on the music and walked back to her, covering her back with a thick towel. He then used another towel to cover her left leg completely. Squirting some of the Jojoba Oil in the palm of his hand, he rubbed them together and carefully picked up her foot. Starting at her toes, he ran both thumbs down the bottom of her foot and up her ankle, to her calves and then her thighs. He flattened his hands as they slid up and down her leg, kneading her muscles. He did this three times and then covered her right leg before repeating the same pattern on her left leg.

  Andrew concentrated on what he was doing. He had been studying videos and reading up on how to give a full body massage. He was determined to do it right. Initially, he had thought it would be a simple thing but the more he read the more he became aware of the practice. He knew that Madison hated her birthdays. He needed to change that. He wanted her to remember tonight instead of what she usually did, the death of her father.

  When he had finished with her legs, he covered them carefully with the towel. He then slowly brought the towel on her back down so that it was resting on her rear. He walked in front of her and saw her eyes lift up to his. He smiled and traced the back of his hand down her cheek. She offered him a lazy smile as her head dropped again and she closed her eyes. Moments later she felt his strong hands on her back.

  They were moving up and down along her spine and then over her shoulder blades and back down again. Madison was at a loss for words. She had massages before, by professional massage therapists, but nothing would compare to this. There was something special about the man she loved taking time with her like this. She could feel all the tension of the day, this dreadful day that caused her so much sadness throughout her life, starting to wash away with every sweep of his hands.

  Andrew moved to her side and placed his left hand on her lower back, rotating it in a full circle and a half circle with his right. He began doing this slowly, moving his way up to her shoulders and then back down. He did this three times before moving to the other side of the table, repeating the process. Madison was in tears as she felt his hands on her. This was the most sensual thing they had ever done. That, topped with the pressure of holding her feelings inside, caused an unusual reaction in her. She was overwhelmed and unable to stop the swell of tears from breaching her impenetrable wall of feelings.

  “I’m going to have you roll over, Madison.”

  She turned to him, tears streaming down her face. Andrew was shocked. He had not anticipated this response from her. He suddenly worried that he had done something wrong, that maybe he had been too rough with her. He crouched down so that he was face to face with her. His heart hurt seeing her in such distress.

  “Madison?” he questioned.

  Madison’s chest heaved as she tried to control her tears that just wouldn’t stop. She desperately tried to form the right words, words that could express how special he was and how much she loved him. Unfortunately, no words came out of her mouth.

  “Did I hurt you?”

  She shook her head. “No,” she finally spoke. “I love you so much.”

  He smiled brightly and kissed her gently before helping her roll onto her back. He kissed her forehead, letting his lips linger before finally laying the towel over her body. He walked to the end of the bed and began massaging her leg using smooth motions over the front of her shin and deeper pressure over her thigh. He then moved to her foot and began rotating his thumbs in small circular motions, starting at her heel and working his way to her toes. He glanced at Madison as he moved over to the right side so that he could follow the same pattern that he had just done. Madison’s chest was still heaving but it was getting better, slowing down. As his hands worked over her thighs, he had to fight every part of his nature not to touch her sexually. He already wanted her and if her eyes opened she would see just how much. He moved to stand beside her upper torso.

  “I love you,” he whispered as his lips touched hers.

  She opened her eyes as he pulled away from her and lifted her hand. She wanted her eyes to stay open but he was making her so relaxed that they kept drooping shut. She felt him working up her arm and then massaging her wrists and fingers. He did this on both arms and then he was gone. Once again, Madison wanted to open her eyes but she wasn’t able to. Soon she felt his thumbs at the junction between her eyebrows. He started moving his thumbs over her brows. He did this a couple of times and then moved them along several spots on her face. His hands then moved over her collarbone, where he rubbed gently before they went to her breasts.

  “Andrew,” Madison whimpered, moving her hands over his.

  Andrew didn’t hesitate as he leaned down and kissed her waiting mouth. Her hand reached up and entwined in his hair while her other hand touched him through the thin material of his pants. They kissed intently for several minutes until he finally pulled away from her. In Madison’s current state, all she could do was lull her head to watch him walk determinedly to
the end of the bed. He reached underneath her and positioned her at the edge while her limp legs dangled off to the sides. Their eyes met and in that moment all the love they felt for one another was transmitted between them.

  “Andrew,” Madison moaned as he slipped inside her.

  “You’re so beautiful, Madison,” he said reverently.

  Andrew started moving in and out of her slowly, determined to make their lovemaking last. Madison tried to raise her hips but she wasn’t sure if she was actually doing it or not. With a wide smile, Andrew brought his hand under her and lifted her to him. Madison moaned softly as Andrew’s gentle movements inflamed her heart and soul. She whimpered as he continued to move and when her body stiffened, he finally allowed himself his own release.

  “Madison,” he groaned out one last time.

  He dropped his head, catching his breath before disconnecting with her. He started to say something and realized by the rise and fall of her chest that she had finally succumbed to sleep. He smiled and covered her body, not wanting her to get cold. Andrew watched her sleep for a good thirty minutes before he went around and blew out all the candles. Everything he had read said to not wake them, to let them wake on their own but he was afraid she would roll off the table. Besides, if she was going to sleep she would do it in their bed. He carefully lifted her into his arms and carried her to their bedroom, setting her on the bed.

  “Why are there towels on the bed?” Madison mumbled.

  He smiled as he lay behind her. “I figured you would be oily from the massage and I didn’t want to ruin our comforter.”

  She looked over her shoulder and smiled sleepily, “Thank you.”

  He pecked her lips. “Go to sleep, birthday girl.”

  She grinned and turned back around. He snuggled against her as his arm draped over her chest. She ran her hand over his, entwining their fingers together. She could feel the steady rise and fall of his chest on her back. She squeezed his hand.

  “Thank you, Andrew.”

  He laid a tender kiss on her shoulder. “You’re welcome.”

  4 People Are Strange

  OCTOBER

  “So I told him that I could replace the front and rear suspension, the exhaust system, and pull that old tired tank out of there and that I would absolutely 100% guarantee that if he let me do all of that that he could beat that asshole Chase that always likes to show off because he’s trying to look good so he can get a piece of ass since the only way a girl will look at his ugly mug is if he’s riding that kick ass bike of his,” Connor said in one very long breath. He waved his wrench towards Andrew and Jayden. “I hate that guy. He shouldn’t be allowed to have a bike that cool.” He looked down at the bike he was working on and shook his head. “He’s such a cocky mother fucker. You guys know who I’m talking about right?” he asked as he looked back up.

  Andrew and Jayden exchanged a look with one another and then Connor again. The both broke into a fit of laughter. Connor had been talking nonstop for at least twenty minutes. Andrew and Jayden were used to Connor’s manic sort of way of interacting with them. He was a hard worker and an overall good kid. Neither Andrew nor Jayden was qualified to diagnose him but they were certain he had ADHD with an overemphasis on the Hyperactivity part of that diagnosis. They often wanted to go buy him some marijuana to settle him down as Connor had said once that it calmed him. They would never do something like that though and often enjoyed trying to keep up with him.

  “What? What’s so funny?” Connor asked, generally confused.

  “Yes, we know who you’re talking about,” Andrew finally said through his laughter.

  “So what time is this party tonight?” Connor asked Jayden, jumping to another topic.

  “Nine, but we need to be here at eight. Don’t be late,” Jayden said still laughing.

  “I won’t be, man. Callie will kick my butt. She’s small but I think she might really do it. Like she’s probably like some stealthy little ninja,” he jumped up and started posing in what Andrew and Jayden assumed was a ninja stance. “Sneaking up on you and then POP,” he flicked the wrench and it flew across the room. “Shit!” he scuttled to grab it, glancing at Jayden and Andrew. “Sorry, man, got carried away.”

  “Did Johnny say he wanted you to overhaul his bike?” Andrew asked, trying to get Connor back on track.

  “Huh?”

  “Johnny, the one you gave the spiel to,” Jayden added. “You know, your 100% guarantee that if you fix it he will be able to beat Chase, Johnny.”

  Connor nodded with a big smile on his face. “Um, yeah, hell yeah. He’s bringing it in next week.”

  “Good, great work,” Andrew said and went back to work on the bike in front of him. Feeling eyes on him, he looked back up to see Connor staring at him. “What?” Andrew questioned.

  Connor smirked and then got another huge grin. He shook his head and his long unmanageable hair fell directly in front of his eyes. He bounced in his spot, opening his mouth and then closing it several times. Andrew glanced at Jayden for guidance but all Jayden did was shrug. Neither was sure what was floating around in Connor’s head.

  “No one has ever told me I did good, like, at anything. It’s, umm, kind of weird.”

  Jayden smiled. “Connor, even if we don’t say it often, know that it’s true. We,” he motioned between him and Andrew, “are glad you are here. You are a great kid.”

  Connor continued to smile and then laughed. “Thanks, you guys are great too.”

  “Now, get back to work,” Andrew said firmly. He held the expression, seeing Connor’s face drop. Finally he couldn’t hold it any longer and grinned mischievously.

  “Shit, man,” Connor pointed his wrench at Andrew. “You got me, man. I really thought you were pissed.”

  They all laughed and started working again knowing they only had a few more hours before Callie got there and took over. Callie had taken on the promotion of the shop. She had thought one thing they could do to get more attention was to host an open house since they didn’t really do anything like that when the shop opened in January. In the planning of that, she decided on a holiday party instead. Since Halloween was the closest holiday, she went to town. Callie had it all worked out and was actually upset that she didn’t have the entire day to decorate the shop. Andrew and Jayden had both put their foot down and said they needed it at least until noon.

  Tonight, under Callie’s expert guidance, they were hosting a Halloween party. They had invited former customers, people they did regular business with, and some of their racing friends. Callie had planned on doing a whole zombie themed garage, stating that zombies were ‘in’, citing the popularity of shows like The Walking Dead. She had actually wanted them to be zombie bikers but Andrew had absolutely refused. After a great deal of debate, the three guys agreed to be bikers who just so happened to be vampires. That being decided, Callie revamped her zombie garage idea and went with a whole vampire lair theme. Andrew had no idea what that entailed exactly but he assumed he would soon find out.

  “Okay, boys, pack it up,” Callie said, walking inside the shop and clapping her hands around Ellie who was strapped to her chest.

  Jayden smiled and shrugged at Connor and Andrew. They each moved the bikes they were working on to the corner, a little worried how they were going to keep them protected. Callie had told them not to worry about it as she had a plan for keeping them safe. Callie carefully set up Ellie’s portable crib and set Ellie inside it. She strapped the baby monitor over the railing and clipped the receiver on her pocket. She immediately started dictating to everyone, to move this here, move that there. She was on a roll. When things were moved to where she wanted them, the decorating actually began. By the time they were done, Andrew needed a cigarette.

  “She’s really scary,” Connor said, leaning against the wall.

  Andrew smiled as he brought his cigarette to his lips.

  “Can I have one?” Connor asked, motioning to Andrew’s cigarette.

  “Yea
h, sure,” Andrew reached for his pack and shook a cigarette out of it.

  “Don’t get me wrong. Callie is da bomb and all, but damn.” Connor took a long drag off the cigarette.

  “Don’t tell me Callie wore you out?” Andrew asked, chuckling.

  “How the hell does Jayden remain so calm?”

  “Years and years of practice,” Jayden stated as he walked towards them. He grinned at Andrew and raised a brow at Connor.

  “I didn’t mean no disrespect or anything, I really like Callie. She is awesome and brings us stuff and I’m sure she is ...” Connor started to ramble until Jayden raised his hand to stop him.

  “Callie has always been that way. I’m used to it.” He ran his hand through his hair. “Sooooo,” he drug out the word, “this is where you two snuck off to.”

  “Sorry,” Andrew smirked. “You mean we’re not done?”

  “I think we are,” Jayden blew out a breath. “God, I hope so.”

  “So what time do we need to be back?” Connor asked for the tenth time just in the span of the day.

  “We need to be here by eight,” Jayden answered patiently.

  “Alright,” Andrew pushed off the wall. “Madison will be home in thirty minutes so I’m gonna head out. We’ll see ya at eight.”

  “I better call Jewel and tell her I got the time wrong.”

  Andrew looked over his shoulder, “You’re bringing someone?”

  “Oh yeah, I got me a lady,” Connor stated proudly.

  “Well, good for you. Hope she knows her costume needs to be coordinated with yours.”

  “What? Really, are you serious? I thought that was only you guys. Shit! Shit! Shit!” Connor said digging out his phone.

  “Later,” Andrew snickered as he walked to his bike.

  ~*~

  Madison waited patiently for Andrew to come out of the bathroom. He had been in there for a while and she was beginning to wonder if he was having issues with his costume. She smiled because she couldn’t wait to see him in it.

  “I hate these damn things,” Andrew said motioning to his eyes.