Page 19 of A Goddess Unraveled (Olympus Rising)

Jackie O kept up an urgent pace, jostling Lexi in the saddle as they navigated roots and potholes. Lexi knew her horse hated riding in the dark, so she stifled any complaints. It was the biting wind that annoyed her more, and she shivered even with Hades’s godly heat at her back.

“I’m sorry you heard the truth about your parentage this way,” he said, bringing his chin to her shoulder. “And I apologize for the role I played. Z is rightfully stubborn when it comes to the offspring gods conceive with mortals. It’s his job to make sure the demigods behave themselves.”

“Is that why he was in charge of telling me about this instead of my own mother?”

“Yes. And on his timeline.”

Lexi shivered as another revelation hit her. All the times she’d recited her debate speeches to Nora for feedback, or when Nora offered a sympathetic ear while Lexi ranted about some injustice at the hands of her overprotective family, she was actually ranting to her birth mother.

“And what about Dion? Does he know?”

“It seems he doesn’t, but I expect he will soon.”

“Wow. That’s going to blow him away. Even I haven’t wrapped my head around it.”

“It will take time.”

Lexi tried to focus on the questions that bubbled to the surface in a steady stream, but every time Hades spoke at her temple, the warmth of his breath and the brush of his lips on the shell of her ear made her groin clench in the most delicious way.

“Are you really forbidden from leaving the underworld without Zeus’s permission?”

He released a sigh, and the muscles in his chest tensed against her back. Damn . She should have saved that question for later.

“Maybe I overheard that wrong,” she added quickly.

“No, you heard right.”

“That’s ridiculous.”

“It does sound ridiculous. But I’ve made peace with it.”

Lexi had read about the injustices portrayed in the Greek mythos, and it seemed she’d been living some of them herself. She needed answers, but there were a few questions she wasn’t anxious to get the answers to. And how was she supposed to think straight when she couldn’t get her mind off her crotch?

“Is Persephone the only goddess who lives with you?”

She glanced sideways at him, catching his soft smile. Or was it a sad one? “Yes. December through February, most years.”

“So, no other goddesses spend time with you at the palace?”

“No. It’s just me and the nymphs. And Cerberus, of course.”

“Cerberus is real?”

“As real as you and I.”

Lexi didn’t want to imagine him with his arms wrapped around another woman, but the gods were a horny bunch. She would have to come to grips with that if she planned to give herself to one. Wasn’t she a goddess too?

“Are there any goddesses you visit in Olympus? You know, during your rare visits topside?”

“Unfortunately, I’m forbidden from entering Olympus. And not many gods are interested in visiting the underworld. One has to wade through a lot of horseshit to get anything approved. Let’s just say my situation is not ideal for cultivating long-lasting love affairs with goddesses.”

As Hades spoke his hand moved across Lexi’s hip, dipping lower until his fingers grazed her inner thigh. The shiver that followed was not caused by the cold. Was he trying to distract her from learning too much and dropping her infatuation? Maybe he was showing her that long-lasting commitments weren’t everything.

“I want to feel sorry for you, but you’re a god, so I’m finding that hard to do.”

He chuckled against her face, tickling her ear, but she was more focused on his fingers as they traveled stealthily beneath her skirt. “I don’t expect special treatment.”

Her sex trembled as his thumb reached her panties, and he began a slow circling maneuver across the fabric. “What are we doing, then?” she asked, although she didn’t know why.

“I thought we could take advantage of our seclusion.”

Hades pressed his mouth to her neck and butterflies erupted inside her stomach as he stamped her skin with hot kisses. Then he reached for her chin, turning her head to access her lips, and unfiltered desire flooded her body as he possessed her.

Their tongues entwined while his fingers traced the seam of her panties, and she felt herself slicken with anticipation. With an urge that seemed out of her control, Lexi pivoted her hips to welcome him in, and he slid a finger under the seam, making her gasp.

Swaying with Jackie O’s cadence and the rotation of Hades’s finger, Lexi submitted to the sheer eroticism of it. When the lights of the estate came into view, she desperately wanted to turn back. Why had she let Jackie O hurry them? That thought didn’t last long, and she let Hades continue chasing the sweet sensation that had been building since he started his pursuit.

Hades seemed to sense her urgency and sped up his pace, tucking her tighter into him as his talented finger sent her over the edge. The rush was unstoppable, like the moment a firecracker catches and the explosion is inevitable. Lexi squeezed her eyes shut while stars burst behind her eyelids. It felt like rapture, and Hades held on to her like he meant it.

Silence took over during the last one hundred yards. There was nothing more to say. All the questions had flown out of Lexi’s head anyway. She just relished the warmth of two bodies entangled together. At the stable, her legs trembled when she climbed out of the saddle, but that didn’t stop her from wanting Hades more than her next breath.

Jackie O was ready to call it a night, and her mare waited patiently while Lexi fumbled with the gate like it was her first day on the job. All the while, Hades’s mouth was on her neck, and he spoke against it as he dug his arousal into her hip.

“I’m going to walk with a limp the rest of the night.”

Lexi locked the gate and turned around, grabbing his hips and fitting their bodies together. “Then we should do something about that before we’re no longer alone.”

He smiled and backed her into the gate. She’d only seen hints of the wicked smile he offered her now as he leaned in and kissed her. His hands slid down her waist in a luxuriously slow crawl, then he slipped them beneath her shirt, seizing her bare skin. She nudged them upward, giving him permission to continue exploring.

“What have you done to me?” Hades whispered at her ear as his fingers brushed the curve of her breasts.

Although he appeared eager to take things all the way, his movements seemed tentative as he continued around the weighty flesh, warming her where he traced the perimeter of her nipples. Lexi writhed under his teasing touch, considering the rewards over the risks of throwing him into the hay stall and having at it right there.

What did it matter anyway? Her life was currently fucked, and she hadn’t had a chance to figure out what to do about it. So why was she suddenly thinking about the risks Hades would face and the punishment Zeus would inflict on him if they continued their pursuit of pleasure? Did Hades believe the rewards were worth it?

Hades must have felt her apprehension—maybe her body had tensed—because his hands fell away, and he stepped back to look at her.

“What’s on your mind, Lexi?”

“I’m sorry. I don’t want you to stop what you’re doing. I just, I feel like I’m being selfish. I don’t care about the consequences. Not anymore. And I don’t want that to influence the choices you make.”

She lowered her eyes, kicking a clump of wet straw with her toe. Hades lifted her chin with his fingers and drew her into his amber gaze.

“You excite me, Lexi. That’s a rare thing when you’ve been a god as long as I have. You remind me of my human nature. You have me damning the risks. And I always consider the consequences.”

Lexi wanted to believe that she could be special to a god, even as she reminded herself that she was one too. “What are the risks for you? Will Zeus keep you in the underworld for a century? Will he forbid Persephone from visiting?”

She didn’t know why she’d included Persephone. She’d been imagining the goddess losing her memory and forgetting she’d ever been in love with Hades.

“Zeus can’t keep Persephone from visiting the underworld. She holds more sway over the gods than any of them care to admit. But he can deny my requests to leave for as long as his anger and resentment last.”

“That sounds like an ego problem to me.”

He chuckled as he adjusted the crotch of his pants. The mood had definitely taken a turn. “You’re wise beyond your years.”

“Is that a trait among gods?”

“Not at all. Poseidon has a son who spends more time in jail than out of it.”

“So, this son is a demigod?”

“Yes, but that doesn’t mean his power is any less destructive. The question is, what do you plan to do with yours? And, for what it’s worth, I’m at your service, whatever you decide.”

She didn’t really know what to do with her powers. She didn’t even know what they were. But one thing was still certain—she had every intention of giving Hades access to her secret places, and now that she had more information, now that her conscience was clear, she wanted to have the experience somewhere other than the stable, where the smells were better.

“Let’s rejoin the party and see what kind of fight I’m up against.”