Page 80 of Eryx

Axios laughed, too, and the sound lifted my spirits. I wondered if his mind had taken him to the same place as mine, a memory of two boys falling out of a tree and landing on top of each other just as we were now. We had laughed then, too, all the while fighting the desire surging in our hearts.

I slid my hand along the side of his neck before bringing our lips together once more, gently this time. His fingers tangled in my hair as we lost ourselves in the taste of each other. As the kiss deepened, he tugged me closer and groaned against my mouth.

“Tell me you forgive me,” Axios said, breaking the kiss. Kissing the king had filled him with regret, but we had both made mistakes that day.

“There is nothing to forgive,” I responded, then placed a finger on his lips when he went to argue. “Enough. I do not want to hear more of this. What’s done is done.”

His expression softened, and his beauty sparked a possessiveness in my being. I had forgiven him just as he’d forgiven me for my foolishness; however, I needed reassurance that he’d never stray again.

I gripped his chin. “Swear to me you willneverkiss another for the rest of your days. Your lips.” I kissed him. “Your neck.” I nipped the skin at the base of his throat. “And every part of your body is mine. Swear it.”

“I swear,” he moaned, rolling his hips into me.

“And I swear I will forever choose you,” I said, releasing my hold on his chin. “When the day comes and we are asked to settle down with wives, I will refuse them. Sparta can have my life, but she cannot take my heart.”

The decision had been made. More than a decision, it was an oath of fidelity for as long as I breathed. I belonged to him body and soul.

Axios grabbed my biceps and flipped me to my back before climbing on top of me. I yielded to his dominance, letting him have complete control. Beautiful and devastating—I had once described him as such. It still held true as he straddled my hips and peered down at me with a lustful gaze.

Upon realizing my surrender, he smiled and tugged down my bottoms before removing his as well. Then, as if to test my self-control, he teasingly glided his body atop mine. Normally, I would’ve grabbed him then, flipped him to his back, and pinned him to the ground before taking him hard and fast.

I only smirked.

His fingers moved to his backside, and I watched in frozen anticipation as he prepared himself. The warm night surrounded us, and the men could still be heard chatting nearby. We could be detected any moment, but neither of us cared.

When he gripped my cock, I dug my nails into the grass to keep from seizing his hips and taking control. It proved to be more challenging than I’d imagined. My heart banged against my ribcage and my breathing quickened as I waited for him to join our bodies.

He didn’t keep me waiting for long.

Axios slowly descended on me, and I couldn’t contain the sounds of pleasure as I felt his tight heat. Our gazes locked as he took me farther into his body. His eyes held heartache, love, and relief—contradicting emotions, but I felt them too. I gripped his waist, helping guide his movements as he started to ride me.

I failed to express my true feelings the majority of the time. So, I expressed them with actions. Each kiss to his skin was anI love youand every thrust inside his body was anI’ll never leave you.

After smoothing my palm up his ribs and to his hard chest, I sat up and wrapped my arms around him. My entire world was right here in my arms. My home. I pecked kisses to his collarbone as he gasped and came down harder on me. I shuddered as he pulled my release closer, but I gritted my teeth to keep from surrendering.

He panted as his muscles tensed, and sensing him so close to orgasm, I placed my mouth over his nipple and flicked my tongue against it.

“Ery,” he moaned, tightly gripping my hair to hold my head in place as he rode me harder. He quaked with the force of his release seconds later.

I soon followed, spilling into him as waves of pleasure crashed down on me. I clawed his back as I came apart beneath him, shuddering with both pleasure and relief. Relief that we hadn’t said goodbye, that he was still here. I was his prisoner. My heart was bound to him with invisible chains.

And I never wanted to be set free.

“You should allow me to have control more often,” Axios murmured against my temple as he brushed his fingers through my golden locks.

I smiled and pressed my face against his throat, inhaling his intoxicating scent of sweat and earth.

“Who’s there?” a man called.

My wandering hand on his back froze just as Axios stopped kissing me. I felt him smile against my lips. Careful not to make a sound, he slid off my lap and pulled on his clothing. I dressed as well.

When we stood from the grass, Axios bumped the shrub and rustled the leaves.

“If you little bastards are out of your beds, I’ll redden your asses with a whip,” the voice came again.

I had to slap a hand over Axios’ mouth as he started to laugh. But then I was laughing, too, because his joy was contagious. We took off running down the path, hand in hand, and fled the courtyard. I felt like a boy again, sneaking away with Axios when the urge struck and discreetly returning to the barracks afterward.

We hid in the shadows when the man pursued us. He ran past, grumbling about insolent worms. Axios held his breath and barely managed to stifle his laughs. When the man was out of sight, we slipped through the square and entered our quarters.