Page 97 of Broken Obsession

“I never said I didn’t want you.” He swatted his hand away and leaned back in his chair.

“You wouldn’t let me fuck you,” Ares reminded.

“You hadn’tearnedit.”

Touché.

Still, he made a big show of sighing forlornly. “Why should we both suffer for that?”

“Who’s suffering?”

Ares almost laughed, catching himself at the last second. Something told him it was too early to tell Eden about the hidden cameras in this room. Though he’d reacted rather calmlywhen he’d learned about the ones in his house on the other side of the planet.

“We’ll play with them for as long as you like,” Ares said. “When you’re ready to end things, just say the word.”

Eden’s head whipped in his direction, hand freezing over a slice of cheese.

It took Ares a second to figure out why, but once he did, he leaned forward and stroked a hand through Eden’s hair soothingly. He must have thought of their fight earlier and misinterpreted Ares’ words.

“No, babe. I didn’t mean it like that. I meant, when you’re ready for them to die and for us to move on to the next target, to let me know. This is your revenge. No lives will be taken until you wish it so.”

“And us?” he forced the words out, almost as if it pained him to do so.

Pride was a bane.

Ares was grateful his had been beaten out of him.

“We’ll still be here. This is our reality, remember?”

“This is your reality,” Eden corrected. “You’re just letting me stay a while.”

“I want you to stay forever.” His hand cupped the back of Eden’s head, and he pushed him closer, holding firm when the Starling attempted to resist before giving in. “What I’m creating is a world for the two of us, one in which we stay together. For all of eternity.”

“Careful, I thought time wasn’t real.”

“It isn’t linear.” Everything that’d been given a name had once been or would be. “I’m real. The body I’m contained in is real. So long as this heart beats, I’ll want you in it. I suppose time can be measured in that way. Through heartbeats.”

“How poetic.”

“It’s said every art form stemmed from the existence of Creation.” Ares lowered his mouth until it was just a breath away from Eden’s. “Including the art of seduction.”

The Starling let him kiss him.

Their lips merged, soft at first, tentative, until Ares was certain he wouldn’t pull away. Then he deepened it, giving in to the coil of need in his chest. He was careful with his tongue, using it to tease Eden, but not plow through him. Whenever Eden’s entered his mouth, he gave a light suck, then chased it back, never overstaying his welcome.

It was a dance of sorts, a back and forth, all while he altered the angle of the kiss and nibbled on Eden’s bottom lip. Ares kissed him in a way he hoped conveyed how precious he was to him. How much he’d treasure him when Eden ultimately submitted and voluntarily offered himself.

All of himself.

Every piece.

Every scrap.

Every snippet of time and reality.

Every pulse and beat of his heart.

It was to that end that Ares broke the kiss and pulled away, fingers tugging at the strands of Eden’s hair to pull him back when he tried to chase after him.