Arcadian Nights (8 page)

She pulled away. “You don’t love
me.”

He put his arms around her waist and
drew her back to him. “So what? Does that mean I can only sate my
lust with you? I can only show you love and tenderness if I love
you?”

“
Don’t play games with
me.” Instead of pulling away again, she kissed him
heatedly.

He crushed her body to his, returning
her passion. When they let go, he said, “Ask me to leave if this
isn’t what you want.” He kissed her gently, and then moved his lips
down her neck.

She sighed and ran her fingers into
his hair. “How do you know I’ll let you have control?”

He bit her neck and smiled as she
gasped in pleasure. “Maybe I’ll take it.” He felt her hot skin
against his and looked down to see their clothes gone. He wore
nothing, but she still wore very tiny black lace panties and a
strapless black lace bra.

She looked at him, her eyes full of
desire. She ran her hand over his hard cock. “Better than I
imagined.”

“
You’re even more
beautiful than I imagined.”

She broke their eye contact and
focused her attention on his cock. Her determination to ignore
anything even slightly emotional intrigued him.

“
What are you afraid
of?”

She got down on her knees and swirled
her tongue around his cock. Pleasure shot through his body as her
skilled tongue manipulated him. Her soft lips felt heavenly
encircling his cock.

“
Eris.” He could hardly
speak above a whisper.

She pulled away and giggled, rubbing
his cock in her hand. “You approve?”

He took her by the arm and brought her
to her feet. “Stop hiding from me.”

“
Most men wouldn’t object
to such attention.” She walked to the bed and bent over it, pulling
her panties down. “Take me, Hermes.”

He stood in position behind her. She
looked so inviting he had to make himself slow down. He ran his
hand over the soft curve of her ass, down to her pussy. She was hot
and wet, and she moaned as he fingered her. He rubbed his cock over
her, and then grabbed a handful of her hair and raised her up a
little to nip at her neck. He put his hand on her shoulder and
pressed her into the bed.

“
Fuck me, Hermes. Hold me
down and take it.”

Her lust-filled voice made his cock
jump, but he pulled back and flipped her over, pushing her to the
middle of the bed. She looked confused as he climbed onto
her.

“
What are you
doing?”

“
Taking you.” He moved
into position and held her face in his hands, not letting her look
away.

She seemed close to panic. “What if I
say no?”

“
So holding you down and
fucking you over the bed is acceptable, but having you like this is
offensive?”

“
I didn’t say that.” She
tried to look away.

He kissed her cheek. “I won’t force
you.” He moved his lips to hers, kissing her gently. “Don’t you
still want me?” He moved his cock to her pussy and entered slowly,
just an inch.

“
Yes.” She’d closed her
eyes.

“
Look at me.” He moved
into her, making her sigh. “I want to look into your eyes as you
come.”

She opened her eyes. “Why?”

“
I’ve been fantasizing
about you for weeks. This one is my favorite.”

“
You don’t fool
me.”

He moved into her completely, enjoying
being engulfed by her hot pussy. “And you don’t fool me. You’re so
afraid to feel anything but lust.” He thrust into her several
times. “I’m the one who’s going to make you feel
something.”

She wrapped her legs around him. “All
I feel is your cock.”

He thrust into her, his cock learning
her sensitive curves as the pleasure on her face spurred him on.
“Stubborn, aren’t you?”

“
Yes. You can’t make me
feel something I don’t.”

“
Hiding it from me doesn’t
make you feel it any less.”

She pushed against him and flipped
their positions. She sat up and began riding his cock. She felt
even more amazing as she rode on top of him. He reached up and
pulled her bra off, cupping her full breasts in his hands, his
thumbs working her nipples.

She moaned louder and rode him faster.
He could feel her quivering, ready to come. He wrapped his arm
around her waist and pulled himself up. Using one arm to hold her
to him and the other hand to make her look at him. He thrust up
into her, high and deep, and then she exploded around him. She
closed her eyes but he kissed her, not wanting her to shut him out.
She ran her nails over his back and rubbed her clit against him as
she trembled and moaned.

She opened her eyes, preparing to say
something, but he cut her off as he thrust up into her and came.
She sighed as he held her tighter.

“
So beautiful,” he
whispered against her lips. He kissed her gently on her lips and
cheeks as the pleasure of his release flowed over his body. Her
heated skin and heaving breasts rubbing against him heightened
every sensation. He nuzzled her neck. “You’re amazing.”

She met his eyes guardedly. “You were
good.”

He sighed. “So am I banished now?
You’ve had me and don’t need me anymore?”

She climbed off him and he let her
go.

“
I want to see you again,”
he continued.

“
I won’t stop you.” She
put her hair up and wrapped a black silk robe around her
body.

He felt cold. She’d pulled away from
him so quickly, as if she really had felt nothing as they became
one. “At least I was good. Is that all? Did I not live up to your
expectations?”

She looked at him, but her face
revealed nothing. “You weren’t what I expected, I
guess.”

Earlier that day, she had pulled away
from their kiss and refused to look at him. She had seemed so
vulnerable. Was that the only glimpse of her heart he was going to
get?

“
Could this happen again
if I played by your rules?”

She smiled. “How do I know you’d be a
good boy?”

“
You said I’m honorable to
a fault. What if I give my word?”

She shook her head, but she was still
smiling. He didn’t know if she was laughing at him or if she didn’t
believe him. “You want to fuck me again that bad?” She climbed back
onto the bed and ran her hand over his chest. “You did seem
pleased.”

He decided to play her game. He opened
her robe and took one nipple between his teeth, making her sigh
with desire as he played his teeth and tongue over it. He looked up
into her eyes. “You were the best I’ve ever had.”

That made her smile, but it faded when
he touched her cheek and added, “You were so lovely when you came,
even though you wouldn’t look at me.”

She pulled away and got off the bed.
“Just go.”

He stood and began putting his clothes
on. “You said you were afraid I was toying with you. You still
think that? Seems more like you’re toying with me.”

She walked into the bathroom and shut
the door. “You can call me. I may eventually answer.”

He sighed and dressed quickly. He
hoped he was right about what he’d seen hiding below her cold
exterior. He was risking more than his pride if his instincts about
her were wrong, and that was something he didn’t like to think
about.

* * * *

Eris sat on the bathroom floor,
thinking. She heard a meow and looked up to see Cosmos getting out
of the tub. She slept in there fairly often. The petite gray cat
came over to her mistress and rubbed against her, meowing
again.

“
I suppose I can talk to
you, baby. There’s no one else I can trust.” She rubbed Cosmos
behind the ears.

The cat looked up at her and
purred.

Eris sighed. Sleeping with Hermes had
been a mistake, even though it had been satisfying beyond words.
He’d touched her just right, and his cock had sent her over the
moon. She shivered as she remembered the hot pleasure flowing over
her. He’d been even better than she’d expected.

But she hadn’t expected him to
challenge her in the way he had. She’d imagined them trying to
dominate each other. She would have given into him eventually.
Instead of trying to control her body, he’d tried to command her
heart. That was too dangerous. He’d taken her more gently than
she’d expected, yet with a force she couldn’t explain. It confused
her, and she didn’t like it. She’d refused to let him see how much
she wanted to sleep with him again. Her body craved his touch
already. She felt she’d gotten a little taste of what Aphrodite had
become addicted to. Now she knew she was right about all the
complexity below his detached surface.

She still felt him touching her, and
she ached to feel him inside her again. Shaking her head, she got
up, knowing she had a new dilemma. How could she get him back in
her bed but block him from her heart? She knew he didn’t love her,
but could that be what he wanted? He’d certainly hinted at it. If
that were true, he must believe she could love him. She thought of
Ares and how much he talked when he was drunk. What if he’d said
something about suspecting she had a thing for Hermes? She knew it
could have gotten back to Hermes somehow.

She pushed the thought away and drew a
hot bath. Right now she didn’t want to think about him. She felt
the memory of their coupling engulfing her, and she had no
intention of giving into it.

* * * *

Hermes walked into Iris’ restaurant in
London and went straight back to her office. As soon as he appeared
in the door she ushered him in and got up to close the door behind
him.

“
So, what’s happened?” she
asked as she motioned for him to sit down.

“
We had a fight, but then
we had sex.”

Iris opened her mouth to reply, but
then stopped.

“
I’m not sure how it
went.”

She looked at him quizzically. “How
can you not know?”

“
She just wanted a shag.
She didn’t want me.”

Iris shook her head. “That’s not
true.”

He had a hard time believing that.
“What makes you so sure?”

“
Why go to all this
trouble and spend all this time if it’s not more about you than
she’s letting on?”

“
Is this a female
opinion?”

She nodded. “Yes, it is. Eris is
snobby and unfriendly, but she’s not a bad person.”

“
I didn’t say she
was.”

“
She’s been hurt, so she’s
defensive. Think about me and Eros. I wouldn’t believe he cared for
me because I was judging him on past behavior. I thought I was
protecting myself.”

“
But I’ve never done
anything to her.”

“
I mean she’s protecting
herself the way I was. Do you want to tell me about it?”

“
What you’re saying makes
sense, it really does. It just bothers me. She didn’t want to look
at me. Anything emotional seemed to make her
uncomfortable.”

“
I don’t think she’s ever
been in love.”

Hermes considered that. She’d never
been married and never been too closely associated with anyone
except for a few famous flings, like the one she’d had with Zeus.
Her brother seemed to be the only person she cared
about.

“
Neither have I.” He
looked up. “I didn’t count on any of this.”

Iris laughed. “Who does? I don’t think
anyone expected this. Do you really like her?”

He nodded. “Don’t get me wrong. I’m
not in love, but I think the Fates foresee something we
can’t.”

“
That you two will be good
for each other maybe? I can see that. She’ll loosen you up, and
you’ll rein her in.”

“
Sounds like a recipe for
constant bickering.”

“
There are worse ways to
show affection.”

“
I guess so, but what am I
getting myself into?”

“
Even Aphrodite couldn’t
tell you that.”

He rolled his eyes. “She’s going to go
through the roof.”

“
She is going to be pretty
jealous.”

“
No, I mean she’s going to
be angry. Didn’t Eros tell you about the fight she had with
Eris?”

“
Yes, but that was
jealousy too.”

“
Please tell me you aren’t
implying Aphrodite loves me.”

She shook her head slowly. “Not at
all. She wanted to keep you around to play with. She was very
impressed, it seems.”

He tried not to blush. “Yes, so it
seems. Eris says that’s why she was interested in me.”

Iris tilted her head. “You think she’s
that shallow?”

“
I didn’t, but after last
night I’m confused.”

“
Are you going to see her
again?”

“
If she’ll let
me.”

Iris leaned back. “I’m sure she will.
She did enjoy it, right?”