The End of Gods (A Welcome to the Underworld Novel, Book 4) (47 page)

She gasped as she watched the flying object . . .
actually fly
.

Twirling beautifully into the air, the boomerang swam across the expanse of the star-reflected lake. It became one with the wind and disappeared in the distance. Shortly after, the boomerang came gliding back, landing submissively into Yoori’s outstretched and shocked hands.

“Ahhhhhhhh!” Yoori cheered excitedly, spooking all the ducks and geese around her. She unknowingly jumped up and down, dangerously rocking the boat from side to side in her bout of pure exhilaration. Her happy voice barreled through the tranquility of the night, completely lifting up the mood. “It came back to me! It came back to meeee!”

“Holy crap!” Tae Hyun blurted out, sharing her astonishment. “It actually came back!”

Drunk with happiness, Yoori jumped down and embraced Tae Hyun, showing an uncharacteristically girly side. She stared up at him with unadulterated excitement. She was so happy and proud of herself. “Are you proud of me?”

He laughed, enjoying the cuddly version of Yoori. “You know I am,” he cooed to her. He carefully deposited her back against the boat and repositioned himself on top of her. His eyes gleamed with adoration while she lay underneath the length of his body. “You deserve a prize for that.”

“Yeah?” Yoori murmured stupidly, still on a high from her successful boomerang tossing.

“Yeah,” he confirmed, brushing his lips against hers and attracting her lips like a magnet.

Unable to resist, she instinctively raised herself up and wrapped her arms tightly around him. She was about to kiss him when—

Crrrr—crrrrack!

The side of the boat suddenly burst open, allowing water to torrent into the boat. A tsunami of water attacked Yoori and Tae Hyun just as their lips were about to unite.

Instead of feeling Tae Hyun’s supple lips on her mouth, Yoori felt the force of the lake water deluge into her ear, saturate all over her face, and the most horrifying invasion of all: escape into her mouth.

“Ahhhh!”

“Holy shit!”

Whimpering at the unexpected attack from nature, Yoori had her eyes and face covered the whole time as she propelled upright, bashing into Tae Hyun’s head along the way.

Bonk!

“Ah!”

“Argh!”

Yoori could swear she saw stars twinkling in her eyes at the force of the impact.

The fury of a thousand suns materialized in her body as she rubbed her forehead. She knew who was to blame for this travesty.

“You dumb, Snob!” she growled, watching Tae Hyun rub his head in pain. Water clung to him like crystals, drenching him from head to toe. The sight of Tae Hyun in this state was tempting at best for a still horny Yoori, but it wasn’t enough to placate the bratty Yoori within her. Why the hell was she sitting in another faulty boat? Why was she going through this embarrassment
again
?

She glared at him.

His stupidity must be brought to light!

“Is this the same boat as last time?” she shrieked accusingly.

“What the hell?” Tae Hyun shouted, just as outraged as Yoori. He moved to the drier edge of the boat. Fury swarmed into his eyes. He gazed at the faulty area of the boat that still had water coming in. “Did the bastard at the boat shop sell me the same boat I threw away last time?!”

“Ugh! Only you,” she murmured bitterly, moving away from the line of fire. “Only
you
would bring all this ridiculous bad luck to me.”

“Oh, here we go again from the drama queen,” Tae Hyun groaned miserably, looking like he’d rather drown in the water than hear Yoori chastise him.

“It’s true, isn’t it?” she muttered, hitting one side of her head to pop the air bubbles in her ear. Her face was completely drenched.

“Whose idea was it to take a romantic late-night boat ride around the lake?” he countered, not believing that he was getting blamed for this again.

“How was I supposed to know that your smart ass would buy the same faulty boat that ruined us last time?” When she said this, she felt the taste of the lake water that was still present in her mouth. Yoori scrunched up her face and spat it out with disgust.

“
Ewww
,” she complained while Tae Hyun watched her sympathetically. He did not envy her lake breath.

“Yuck!” she breathed out, sourly wiping her mouth with the back of her hand. “Water where those ugly, chubby ducks do the dirty-dirty.”

All of a sudden, the high she experienced from successfully tossing her first boomerang was overshadowed by another failed romantic boat ride around the lake.

Hanging out above large bodies of water . . . why did they even bother?

She scowled at him again. “I hate you.”

Tae Hyun looked at her in outrage. He was about to give her a piece of his mind when his eyes suddenly landed on the drenched, white dress she was wearing. In an instant, all trace of anger obliterated from his visage. The emotion was replaced with a different type of fire—one that had Yoori feeling like she was some succulent dessert being offered to him. Her once hot-tempered attitude chilled like ice.

“W-what?” she stuttered, feeling self-conscious. Why was he looking at her like he was about to pounce on her?

A slow smile framed his delectable lips. In a low and teasing voice, he murmured, “You have a thing with wearing white while on a boat, don’t you?”

Before even giving Yoori a chance to gaze down onto her chest, Tae Hyun abruptly stood up, slightly rocking the boat with his abrupt movement and rocking Yoori out of her thoughts.

“You know what? I’m done with this boat thing. I have other things planned for tonight anyway.”

“What do you mean?”

The question was irrelevant at best. If her heated body meant anything, then she definitely knew what he meant.

He gazed at her quietly, the passion in his eyes seemingly increasing. With a stoic and matter-of-fact voice, he said, “I mean what I mean.”

“What—what does
that
mean?” Yoori asked nervously, though internally, she was secretly screaming:
This is it! This is it!

“You can stay out here and argue about the faulty boat by yourself. However, if you want to . . .” His eyes measured her up and down, reveling in the sight of her drenched from head to toe. Forbidden carnality glowed in his eyes, causing Yoori’s feminine whims to go into overdrive. “. . . have some other type of fun tonight, then I suggest you follow me back inside.”

“Tae Hyun?” she began fretfully, wanting to make sure what she was thinking was correct. She felt slightly sheepish for being so nervous all of a sudden. “What do you have planned?”

He favored her with a suggestive and sexy smile that basically said: “You
know
what I have planned,” and then with the grace of an Olympic diver, he dove into the water, disappearing within the confines of the lake for several seconds before resurfacing. He flashed her with another dreamy grin. With feigned innocence like he wasn’t trying to seduce her, he swam back to shore.

The whole time as he did this, Yoori watched unblinkingly, shamelessly mesmerized.

She was rapt as he swam with grace through the lake, his strong arms rising in and out of the water like he was born to swim. When he reached the embankment, he rose from the glistening lake like a water god. Droplets of liquid streamed down his statuesque body; the water lovingly clung itself to his taut muscles like it had a yearning mind of its own.

Holy hell . . .

Yoori could feel herself—and all the ducks around her—hold their breaths as they watched him stand tall on the grass, breathing softly to catch his breath from the little swim he had just had. Then, with a sultry look that nearly had her fainting into the water, Tae Hyun’s lips drew up into a slow, sexy smile. His fingers reached up, easily finding the buttons of his black shirt. Little by little, he began to release the buttons from their moorings, gradually revealing his chiseled chest and washboard abs under the admiring moonlight.

Tossing his shirt aside ever so slowly, his seductive eyes met hers. An air of grace accompanied his smile as he sensually inclined his head towards the house, openly inviting her in for some playtime.

Yoori took in a lungful of air, watching unblinkingly as he turned away from her. He ventured back into the direction of the lake house, sweeping past their glimmering gazebo, which seemed to pale in comparison in the company of someone as enchanting as Tae Hyun.

Her heart raced beyond its limit while her eyes followed his every move. Tae Hyun made her hot all over with his little nighttime swim, but when she saw him reach for the button of his black pants, she felt an inferno of desire explode within her.

She gasped, her eyes expanding like golf balls.

Just as he turned the corner and went out of sight, Yoori could’ve sworn she saw him pull his pants down, revealing a blur of something so amazingly
toned
and
defined
that she, along with the ducks around her, couldn’t help but gasp out in perverted shock.

Did the enchanting scene just take place?

Did she really just see Kwon Tae Hyun’s naked booty?!

She continued to gape at the area where he disappeared. The grass there was dancing in the wind, waving at her as if beckoning her to come to shore.

This is unreal
, she thought to herself.

At that amazingly dreamlike instant, while lake water continued to burst into the boat, a distracted Yoori contemplated grabbing the necks of the two nearest ducks so they could quickly herd her back to shore. Surely their assistance would afford her the opportunity to shamelessly throw herself into naked Kwon Tae Hyun’s arms and beg him to have his way with her. She wanted to do this (and was
seriously
considering it while eyeing two unsuspecting ducks). She immediately vetoed that idea when she rationalized that such tactics only worked with dolphins. If she attempted such a method with ducks, she would surely drown with them rather than make it safely back to shore. And what a shame it would be to die before seeing Tae Hyun naked.

Blushing while still sitting on the sinking boat, Yoori cleared her throat, trying to act as though the sight of Tae Hyun all glorious and naked didn’t turn her on. Very calmly, she unhurriedly grabbed a paddle and began to stroke the sinking boat back to shore. When the boat hit dry land, she demurely stepped onto the grass with all the womanly grace in the world and took the time to patiently twist the water out of her hair.

But then, just as five ducks started to waddle back to the lake house as if hoping to catch sight of Tae Hyun in all his naked glory, Yoori abandoned all poise. She excitedly sprinted off, kicking a couple of perverted ducks out of the way before running into the lake house to officially claim what belonged to her.

Mine. All mine.

“I know you’re not seeking Paris . . .”

26: I found Paris

Yoori shyly poked her head from around the corner and carefully walked into the hall with a white towel wrapped securely around her chest.

For the past three minutes, as she wandered around the lake house in search of Tae Hyun, Yoori could not help but feel slightly disappointed that he was nowhere to be found. Her initial plan was to “bump” into him while conveniently wearing a towel. She didn’t want to sound perverted by shouting:
I’m only wearing a towel! Come get me!
As such, she decided it was better to walk down the hall all seductive and seduce him right then and there. Yoori could swear that she could hear her perverted ovaries giggle with each other, clapping in glee that she was finally ready to take the next step with him.

Unfortunately for Yoori’s ovaries, her plan was dutifully foiled when the BFF she needed for the mating dance was nowhere in sight.

“Where the hell are you?” she muttered to herself, bitterly clutching onto her towel.

After three more sexually frustrating minutes of peeking into various rooms, Yoori bit back a curse when chills started to course down her body. Her hair was still drenched with lake water, and she felt as if she was about to catch a cold from walking around under-clothed. One could only be sexily dressed in a towel for so long before they succumbed to the unforgiving cold temperature, and Yoori was no exception.

Cold and disappointed that she didn’t know where stupid Tae Hyun was hiding, she gave up on her efforts to find him. She might as well take a shower by herself like a loser. She sluggishly kicked a random bathroom door and walked in, unaware that her sexy counterpart was already inside.

“Took you long enough to come in here, Nemo.”

Yoori straightened at the sound of his sultry voice. She looked up, her eyes widening at the sight before her.

There her partner in crime was, with his arms crossed and back leaning against the wall beside the bathroom door. Tall and dominating, he only wore the silver ring necklace around his neck and a white towel around his hips. The onslaught of sexual heat that poured out from him was so extreme that it had every hormone in her body kneeling in absolute awe. Yoori had already deduced that she was in trouble as soon as she heard his voice, and now, after seeing him, she knew her last vestige of control was fading fast.

The bathroom they were in was unlit, completely void of any artificial light; it was solely illuminated by moon rays. In the backdrop, the glass roof gave a clear view of the star-embroidered sky. Underneath, the floor-to-ceiling windows hugged the room, holding the splendor of the iridescent lake in its grasp. To add to the ambiance, several ducks and geese flew over the glass roof, emitting a feeling of such peace that Yoori felt like she had just disappeared into a magical new world with Tae Hyun. The beauty of this scene was only perfected by the view of the picturesque gazebo in the distance. 

Nevertheless, no matter how breathtaking every inch of her world appeared to be, none of it held a candle to the extravagance that was Kwon Tae Hyun. The bathroom they were in was gargantuan, at the least mirroring the size of a master bedroom. Ironically, at that particular instant, it couldn’t have appeared daintier as Tae Hyun saturated the room with his powerful presence.

 “What are
you
doing here?” Yoori asked, attempting to sound scandalized while hiding her cheeky grin. She did her best to keep from gawking at the tight abs she loved so much. Although she was internally excited to see him, she refused to outwardly show it.

Tae Hyun merely smiled at her query. He pushed himself away from the wall in a fluid motion, the muscles within his body rippling teasingly.

“Waiting for you,” he answered delicately, walking over to the bathroom door. He wrapped his hand around the gold knob and lightly pushed it shut. The soft click of the door filtered into the room.

Though Yoori didn’t verbally admit that the mere sight of Tae Hyun scantily dressed was a turn on for her, her body’s reaction was a telltale sign as to what her mind was thinking. Her face was flushed, and her lips were somehow becoming a bit more swollen from the sheer exhilaration of seeing him. The very thought of that flaming hot body being covered up with nothing but a measly towel was driving her over the edge.

Freaking irresistible bastard,
she thought caustically, resenting that he had such power over her body. It took all her self-control to not throw him against the wall, rip off his towel, and take him right then and there.

She continued with her efforts to control her hormones by briefly averting her eyes from him.

“Did you shower already?” she asked nervously, though she already knew the answer to that.

“No,” he replied, his voice low and hypnotic.

Purposeful footsteps echoed in the bathroom as he moved away from the door. Maintaining his appreciative gaze on her, he walked past her, casually pulling open one of the glass doors to the enormous shower stall. He leisurely stepped in and pulled the lever, releasing a stream of fresh clean water from the showerhead.

“Like I said,” he said, stepping out of the shower stall. He left the shower door ajar as the water poured out. He leisurely drew closer to her and began to circle her with deliberate slowness. Though it was clear that he wanted nothing more than to claim his prize and devour her as a predator would his prey, Tae Hyun maintained commendable control. This was foreplay, and he was just beginning to tease her. “I was waiting for you.”

“Excuse you?” Yoori said pretentiously, keeping her eyes on Tae Hyun. He continued to walk in a slow and deliberate circle around her, making her feel more and more like prey. She protectively clutched onto the knot that held up her towel, still pretending that she wasn’t a willing participant in this raunchy little bit of foreplay. “What would make you think I’d want to shower with
you
?”

Tae Hyun laughed, the muscles on his bare upper body rippling gorgeously for her.

“Oh, I’m sorry, Princess,” he began blithely, manufacturing confusion. “Was that a duck with a towel I heard walking around the house for five minutes looking for me? With all your muttering, I could’ve sworn it was you.”

“I . . . I . . .”

Yoori blushed, clamping her mouth shut. She did not know how to respond to the more-than-on-point accusation. She had been caught, and for the first time in her life, she had no witty reply to give in an attempt to save face. Fortunately for her, a reply wasn’t needed on her part.

“Do you have any idea,” he launched, suddenly closing in on the space separating them. With his arms securely wrapped around her hips, he pulled her close to his powerfully built body. “How long I’ve waited for this moment?”

“H-how long?” she stammered, caught off guard when she felt the heat of his body rolling off him and onto hers. It was a miracle she did not melt in that instant.

“A little over an eternity,” he answered lazily, a hand stroking over her hair in appreciation. There was a wickedly sexual glint in his eyes when he said this.

Yoori smirked playfully at the reply. Still managing to hold onto some semblance of her wits, she said, “That doesn’t seem very long . . .”

A dark, sensual smile kissed his lips. “I don’t intend on waiting anymore.”

He was about to lean in to shower her bare shoulder with all the kisses he could give her when, in a swift and unexpected motion, Yoori extracted herself from his hold and ran to the opposite side of the bathroom.

Making sure the towel was still wrapped around her body, she turned back to a stupefied Tae Hyun. He looked confused with her behavior, and if the lust and desire building in his wickedly sexy gaze was any indication, his sexual prowess was at an all-time high.

“Do you really think you could outrun me?” he asked carefully, surveying her with acute interest.

A teasing look played on Yoori’s face.

“As far as I’m concerned,” she answered coyly, her hands holding her towel safely—almost mockingly, “you’re not the only predator in the room.”

Although Yoori wanted nothing more than to throw herself at Tae Hyun, she was also adamant about inviting the sex God to come out and play. Tae Hyun, in this gentlemanly state, was seductive as hell, but she also knew that he was holding back. After months of denying them this very experience, Yoori wasn’t going to settle for anything less than a passionate, uninhibited Kwon Tae Hyun. Being graced with the primal desires of Tae Hyun’s aside, Yoori was also feeling a bit naughty. Foreplay was always fun.

Strained muscles adorned his arms, indicating that he was using every modicum of strength to keep from freeing the beast within him.

“You’re really going to tease me like this?” An amused chuckle graced the room while competitive fire burned in his coffee brown eyes. He resumed his predatory gait around her. His eyes on her were voracious and utterly rapt. He was regarding her as though she was a decadent treat that had been kept out of his desperate reach.

Yoori lifted her shoulders into a playful shrug. “I just want to play a game.”

Laughter rolled throughout the room, warming all the places in Yoori’s body and heart.

“You suck at games,
baby
,
” he purred with affectionate amusement. “You
always
lose when it comes to me.”

Yoori felt her hormone level increase ten-fold at his strategic usage of the term “baby”. He was a master at the game of seduction. He knew better than anyone else that using that particular word
always
turned Yoori on.

Proud of himself, and convinced that he had just won this courting game, Tae Hyun moved to reach out for her. He was determined to end this game and catch her once and for all.

“We’ll see who the loser in this game is,” she replied swiftly, evading his capture by bolting for the door.

“Oh, you’re definitely getting spanked for this,” he murmured, skillfully catching her just before she could reach the door. He embraced her from behind and began to herd her back to the center of the bathroom. “Uh-uh,” he disapproved, smiling as he held her in his grasp.

Yoori laughed, faking a defeated posture. She purposely fell limp in his arms. At the signal of her compliance, Tae Hyun let his guard down by loosening his hold on her.

“No running in towels,” he whispered into her ear, unbeknownst to him what she was planning to do once he had “caught” her.

In an unanticipated move, Yoori’s fingers strategically latched onto a healthy amount of fabric that was his towel. Mischief twinkling in her eyes, she looked up at him and teasingly said, “For the record, you didn’t catch me. I
let
you catch me.”

And then, while holding her breath, she did the impossible.

Whoosh!

Unable to deny her desires any longer, and too damn perverted for her own piece of mind, she swiftly ripped his towel off. Magic spread over her world at this action. The innocuous white cloth that had been the bane of her existence submissively came off, clinging to the tips of her fingers before falling listlessly to the ground. Oxygen immediately dissipated from her stunned world. Yoori could scarcely breathe as she stared at the result of her handiwork. A surge of heat electrocuted through her, energizing points of her body that she did not know could be charged. While she struggled to keep from fainting, the desire she possessed for Tae Hyun rose above its capacity and shot through the roof.

Holy moly . . .

God of all Sex Gods.

Perfection.

Kwon Tae Hyun was nothing short of a breathtaking and sexual perfection, the very embodiment of sex come to life. She could hear her perverted ovaries giggle, cheer, and applaud in joy that he belonged to them and only them.

Yaaaaaay! Score! Score! Score!

“Oh . . .
oh
. . . oh my . . .” she uttered breathlessly, melting like butter on toast. Her eyes feasted on the mouthwatering sight before her. She had died. She had definitely died and gone to heaven. “You . . . you look good.”

“For the record,” he began, his voice a velvety smooth melody. He stood before her in all his naked glory, proudly noting how much her big brown eyes were enjoying what they were seeing. “I
let
you rip the towel off.”

By now, Yoori was past listening. She was too lost in the best view any woman could ever dream of having. In a move she didn’t even realize she was commencing, Yoori began to retreat backwards, her heart hammering feverishly against her chest. She couldn’t take her eyes off him. The way the soft hues of the moon illuminated on his striking body was too much for her to bear. He was perfect—
inside and out
.

He looks
good enough to eat
, she thought perversely.

“There are several things you should know about me,” he prompted professionally, strategically stalking her across the grand bathroom.