I knew I had started to fall for him when I walked into the kitchen to find him making breakfast in jeans and a buttoned down shirt hanging open.
“I could get used to this.” Wow. He was hotter with clothes on.
“I’m not a good cook. You won’t go hungry with me, but we’ll eat out. A lot.” He’d handed me eggs, partially scrambled.
We were alike, he and I. Jorge and I were matched in our differences. Anteros was a bookworm, like me. We had the Lord of the Rings DVDs on the schedule for the day. He’d seen the books on my shelf.
“How long has it been since you were in the human world?” He’d alluded to it last night.
“A century. I’ve heard about the technology.” His eyes lit up. My phone rang last night. Although I’d ignored it, he was fascinated.
My text message alert sounded. It was Amy.
“Can I meet him now?” She wrote.
“No. We’re watching LOTR.” I typed.
“You’re such a nerd.”
“Yes. So are you.” She had a Galadriel dress.
“I’m going to meet him some day.”
“How about dinner tomorrow?” I suggested.
Then, to him, “Amy and her husband are going to come to dinner tomorrow.”
“To check me out.”
“Yes.”
“Okay.” He caught the toast as it popped up. “Gotcha!”
Amy’s response. “Dress him up. I want to see him nude, the man doesn’t feel the same way.”
I put my phone down, laughing. Anteros looked at me. “She wants to see you naked. Her husband doesn’t share that curiosity.”
He grinned. “I’ll keep my body for you. If you want to share it with others, let me know. I’d rather it be between us.”
Oh yes, I was going to be happy with him. “I like that idea best.”
After breakfast, I headed to the shower. He hung back in the living room. Once clean, I made a decision. Still naked, I returned to the living room. He stood with his back to me, scanning the bookshelves.
“I have something that needs your attention.” I spoke quickly before I changed my mind.
He turned. “Anything for... you.” His eyes wandered over my entire body. I felt more naked with each moment. His strides were long, pulling me into his arms before I could step back.
His kiss was gentle at first, nibbling on my lips until I parted them. His tongue teased mine, the heat rising between us. Wrapping my arms around his waist, I pulled him close while meeting his tongue thrusts with my own. This time, the moan was his.
“Julia. I’m intoxicated by you.”
I found his belt loops, using them to pull him closer. I could feel his hardness against my stomach. The need for him throbbed inside of me. “I need you.”
“As you wish.” He lifted me into his arms, walking to my bedroom.
The column in the middle of my bedroom seemed strange when we’d moved in. An hourglass shaped indentation was too shallow to place a picture. The deeper triangular shelves held small candles while I hung thin ties with paisley designs from the ones a foot above my head with steel bars running through them. He walked right over to it, laughing.
“You don’t know what this space is for.” He glanced from me to the pillar.
“No, I don’t. I think the architect was drunk. Or he and Jorge had a private joke.” Self- conscious, I was on the verge of calling it off.
He removed my delicate candleholders with care while staring at the ties as if to decide what to do with them. “Maybe next time.”
Next time? What was he talking about? I stood naked, excited in my room, watching this gorgeous man stare happily at the column. I’d missed something serious?
Turning back to me, he gathered me in his arms, returning to tease my lips with his tongue. Running my hands up his back, I held onto his shoulders as my knees threatened to give way. He moved his hands down to my ass, picking me up, turning me so my back was to the column. It finally clicked in my head. What a fool I’d been.
He pushed me gently so my back filled the hourglass shape, I reached over my head for the hand grips I’d been using to display ties, and he pressed his full length against me while putting my feet into the lower spaces. It was a standing sex space.
Before I had time to berate myself mentally, his head was between my legs, with one hand against my rib cage and the other teasing a nipple, I felt him suck my clit. The moan I let out echoed. Firmly embraced between the cold column and hot man, I clenched my ass, pushing forward into his mouth. He sucked so hard I gasped, yet still wanted more.
“Oh my god.”
“Yes.” He replied without irony. “Make love to my face.”
I thrust forward, feeling his tongue flick inside me. I lost all ability to think, only wanting him mattered. “Anteros.”
“Call me Anthony, my dear.” He grasped each cheek of my ass in his hands and, humming, pressed his face into my crotch.
I screamed with pleasure, holding onto the handles, my feet locked in place as my toes curled. “Please, take me.”
“You’re going to come more before I plunge my cock into your wetness.”
Oh god, my body twitched. He took two fingers, inserting them while rubbing them together. I wriggled as his hand cupped my clit while pushing his fingers around. Oh gods, please let me come. I felt a surge of desire building inside of me.
“It’s been three years,” I managed to say between moans.
“Then it should be worth it.” He wiggled his fingers, causing my hips to jerk forward, and then he covered my clit with his mouth.
I heard his sucking me right before I bucked. The intensity as he found my trigger while licking and sucking pulled a groan from me I’d never heard before.
“Ahhhh.”
He laughed, sending another wave over the edge. “It seems you like that.”
“Vibration. Is. Good.” I panted.
“I seem to remember humming helped.”
Words, too. I wanted to say. Talking felt good. I heard my head smack as I stopped being able to hold it up.
He hummed, loudly, a tune I’d never heard. I felt every note, his fingers wiggled inside of me, not moving in and out, as his tongue teased me. I was going to burst. I knew it.
The orgasm’s first hit knocked me forward. Hanging by my arms, I was held up by my feet and his hand.
“Careful, my dear,” he said, slipping his other hand behind me for support.
“I can’t hold on anymore.”
He groaned, sending another wave through me. I lost my grip, falling over his back.
“I’ve got you.” He stood, with one hand still inside of me, thrusting, and carried me to the bed.
I lay back, trying to prop myself up on my elbows, wanting to watch him enter me. He backed away long enough to remove his shirt and jeans. His cock, hard and moist, intensified my desire. I wanted him to fill me.
He lay beside me instead. Pulling my right leg over his hip, he began to thrust with his fingers again. “I want to watch your face as you come.”
The orgasm I’d just had roared back to life. Putting my arms above my head, I offered him my entire body. He leaned over, teasing a nipple with his tongue as I made love to his hand. Each time he entered me, I gasped. The orgasm was smaller than the first, but he held my head so he could watch my eyes.
“You’re beautiful.”
Then he rolled on top of me. I spread my legs, wrapping them around his waist, locking my ankles. His only response was a smile and raised eyebrow. He pushed his cock inside of me and I felt electric. He went slow and steady, too slow. I grabbed his shoulders and thrust up with my hips.
“Impatient.” He laughed.
“Yes.”
“Okay.”
He picked up speed, and I heard our bodies smacking together. It felt so good. I needed this. I wanted this. He took my hips in his hands, sat back on his heels lifting me up, and then thrust. I grabbed the sheets as moan after moan escaped me, my bre
ath becoming ragged. He didn’t slow down. I lost track of time as wave after wave went through me. There was no way to count the orgasms, just riding each one as it broke then catching the next.
Then I heard him moan. Looking up, I saw it on his face. He began to grunt softly and moan with each thrust. Hearing his passion carrying him away turned me on even more. I pulled him down on top of me. He braced his forearms by my side, and he couldn’t control the speed as his hips smacked against me. His orgasm was in control. I lifted my hips and rode with him.
“Oh gods, Julia. You feel amazing,” he breathed.
“So do you.”
My own orgasm joined his; I thrust faster until we both screamed out. He didn’t stop. Slow now, he kept moving, my orgasm not ending as he kept massaging my pussy from the inside. I trembled.
“You done?” He teased.
“I think so. Having never done all of that at once before, I could be in for aftershocks.” I laughed as he slid from me.
“I’d like to watch those.” Kissing my nose, he pulled me to him. “I’d like to hold you for a while, Julia.”
“After sex, you don’t have to ask me to cuddle.” I wiggled my ass up against him, feeling him shake with laughter.
“You’re an amazing woman. So much passion, knowledge, and heart.”
I fell asleep curled up in his arms. When I awoke two hours later, he was watching me. “Did you get any rest?”
“I slept fine last night.” He leaned over, kissing my shoulder. “I believe I need items for cleaning.”
I noticed he turned his head away while speaking to me. “Ah. Toothbrush and toothpaste, perhaps?”
“Are those the mouth cleansing tools?” His innocence surprised me. His age didn’t prepare him for modern convenience.
“I have spares in my bathroom.” Getting up, I took his hand. “Let’s get clean.”
The bathroom was set up for me. Jorge built it so I could mentally escape from six children while remaining only a few yards away. The jetted tub sat under a window overlooking the pool. The blue water rippling in the breeze on a sunny day filled me with calm.
The spare items I kept from shopping at big box stores fit into oversized drawers in the vanity. I’d always complained about small storage space in bathrooms and kitchens. Two rooms I thought should have their own walk–in, closet-sized areas. A momentary twinge paused my progress.
He caught on immediately. “This was your husband’s space. I’ll step outside.”
I stopped him. “No, Anteros. Jorge built this whole house for me. It was a gift. He wouldn’t want me to wall you off from rooms because he’d lived here. It’ll take some getting used to.”
“You let me know when to step back. I will not intrude on your memories.” He stood still.
Falling for him would be so easy—I’d recognize it only when my ass hit concrete. “Thank you.” I handed him a spare toothbrush.
He looked confused.
“Yes?”
“Where do I stay?” He whispered the question like he didn’t want to spook me.
The caring in his voice softened my reaction. I had to decide. There were four bedrooms on the other side of the house. He could use any one of them. Did I want to exile him to that end of the house? Rejecting him wasn’t what I wanted to do just because I was afraid to open my heart again.
“With me.” I sounded unsure.
“Julia.” Still whispering.
I’d decided and that was it. Once I made up my mind, it didn’t shift. He’d learn that as the years wore on. “It’s time for me to move on. I’ve kept this bedroom and bathroom the same since Jorge died. When he was alive, I changed the towels, rearranged the furniture, and redecorated every six months.” As I spoke, I finally got it.
My life was on hold because I’d frozen the house the day Jorge passed. Also, I understood my anxiety and hesitation would continue until my children met and approved of this new man.
“You’ve been living in a still life painting.” He pulled me into his arms, watching our reflection in the oversized mirror.
The tears streaked down my face as I let go. The man holding me wasn’t Jorge and yet, it felt right. “I need—no, wait. I want my children’s approval.”
“I understand.”
We brushed our teeth before getting showered, separately. I even managed to glance at the powered showerhead without feeling guilty.
Chapter Five
Once dressed, I called Amy. “I need a family party planned.”
“That was quick.” She was groggy. “Either you’ve already fallen in love or getting laid for the first time in years screwed up your judgment.”
I was over blushing, for now. “A little of both.”
She announced my new sexually active status to her husband. “Good. About damn time. You want me to call the kids?”
“I’ve got that covered.”
Arranging the family dinner was easy once Carlos was involved. He called his siblings, they made travel plans, and he would host us at the restaurant. In two weeks, Anteros would meet my family.
Until then, he had to pass Amy’s inspection. The knock on the door came thirty minutes after we got dressed.
She burst through the open door, leaving her husband to shrug his shoulders behind her. I felt a breeze as she passed me by, scanning the room for my living statue.
“Get into your suits, people. I’m up before 2 p.m. This means drinks by the pool.” She finished speaking as Anteros walked around the kitchen counter. “Holy shit. You’re the hottest man I’ve ever seen. Julia, you’re aware he looks eighteen?”
“Oh, yeah.” I couldn’t keep the lust out of my voice.
Amy laughed. “Good.” She walked over and hugged him. Even resisted the urge I know she had to smack his ass. If her husband hadn’t been there, she would’ve asked him to strip. She still might’ve.
Once in the bedroom changing into swimsuits, Anteros looked more comfortable. His muscles weren’t bunched up like they appeared when Amy blew in the door.
“Don’t let her intimidate you, she’s protective.” I was feeling that way about him at that moment.
He laughed, kissing me. “My darling, I’m thousands of years old. I’d like her approval, but you’re the only person whose opinion matters to me.”
“Thousands of years?” He could pass for a high school kid. Something I knew I would have to explain to my kids. They looked older than my new man. Maribel would be the exception. She’d give me thumbs up.
“Yes. I wear it well.”
I smacked his ass.
“Anytime, beautiful. Any time.” He kissed me so hard I thought about making love to him with my friends outside.
He did too. “We could leave the blinds open, that way you wouldn’t have to tell her how I was, she’ll hear it.”
A flush warmed my cheeks. No way would I do that. Amy would grab her phone and make it a ring tone.
He was amused. “Teasing, my dear. Let’s go impress your friends.”
We did. Amy was so enamored of him. She spent the entire afternoon listening to him speak about living in Ancient Greece. Even her husband approved. He pulled me aside at one point saying, “He looks at you the way I look at Amy. You may have reservations about him, but I don’t see a single one on his face.”
Amy pulled her man away, shoving off to the guys’ end of the pool. I don’t know what they discussed. Probably, how crazy we were.
“There’s a brain inside that body.” Amy was surprised.
“Yes.” Frankly, so was I.
“A good one. He likes literature, poetry, history, mythology, and everything you do.”
“It’s not history or mythology to him, Amy. He was there.” Glancing across the pool as light highlighted each small wave, I caught a wink from him. “He met Aristotle and Plato, saw Shakespeare’s plays performed for the first time, heard the greatest composers of music as it was originally intended.”
“All that knowledge packed into a hot
as hell twenty-something body with zero percent body fat. I’m jealous.” She sounded a little green with envy.
“If the kids approve....” I let the thought trail.
“They will. He’s falling for you, and you’re lit up and happy. It’s all they want. Maribel may ask you to send pictures of him in a speedo.” She laughed.
My daughter would do that. “I hope they like him. It’s been moments, yet it matters to me.”
“It only takes moments.” She splashed me.
We ordered dinner. The deliveryman, used to me answering the door, raised his eyebrows when he saw Anteros, jeans hanging loose on his hips and nothing else. Amy and I peeked around the kitchen corner, laughing like teenagers.
“Girls, you did that on purpose. The poor child looked stricken with something.” His eyes were filled with joy. He really hadn’t been around people for a while.
“We promise to only do that a few more times.” Amy crossed her fingers behind her back.
“Amy,” I teased. “Once more. Maybe.”
When they left, we were full and happy. It was the most joyful night in that house for years. I treasured it. Amy made me swear to marry him the second he asked as she left.
He heard her. “We can marry when you are ready.”
I hadn’t thought of that before. “How many wives have you had?”
“God or human?”
“Maybe I don’t want to know.”
“I’ll answer if you ask.” He saw I was crawling back into my shell.
“Take me to bed so I’ll forget the question.” I fought back tears. I didn’t want to share him. Even in the past.
“Yes, my lady.” He picked up me and carried me to bed.
We made love all night. The next day, I couldn’t walk, so he carried me to the hot tub. I returned to work that afternoon, Amy by my side. We covered every gruesome story in South Florida for the next two weeks. I was confident and loving my nights beside Anteros. We watched movies, television, read books, and made love.
I was happy. It was time to meet my family. If sparks were going to fly, the fourth was the best time for it. At that point, I still cared what they thought, but I would’ve kept my man even if they had a problem with it. He brought joy back to my heart. I clutched my handbag a little tighter.
Red Hot and BOOM! A Sizzling Hot Collection of Stories from the Red Hot Authors Page 38
