Page 42 of Flowers Near Me

CHAPTER FORTY TWO

THE GODDESS AND HER KING

PERSEPHONE

C uddled against Hades’ firm chest, Persephone sipped the ambrosia, then guided it through the air to the low coffee table by one of the sets of bookshelves.

“Do you want a ceremony?” she asked him. She did, but couldn’t deny the relief flooding her veins knowing the marriage bond was in place before they held a public wedding.

The app’s promotional events had helped acquaint her with mass attention, but this was too personal a thing to do in front of hundreds of guests—most of whom would be strangers. She’d heard that Zeus and Hera’s wedding had lasted days with droves of mortals and immortals alike. She doubted even almighty Zeus had known more than half of his guests.

Hades ran his fingers through her hair and teased, “I see its appeal.” She recalled the first time they’d met when she’d said the same thing about living in the city of Olympus, and she gave him a playful swat on his leg.

“Is that a yes? Or are you trying to hide how much you want a ceremony?” she asked.

“I want whatever makes you happiest, Sephy.” He kissed her temple, then nuzzled her hair. With a low, throaty sound, Hades pushed his nose and mouth against the side of her neck, sending a tickle down her spine. “You know, there is one more thing we need to do to seal this bond.”

Understanding dawned, and her body wound tight. She pressed harder into his muscular torso. “Oh?”

Holding her in his arms, he asked, “Is this your first time?”

She nodded. “Don’t let that be an excuse to hold back.”

He cradled the back of her head with one hand and used the other to draw her closer to him. “Hold on,” he whispered. The quiet tone was at odds with the sudden jolt of his portal-ing power.

The soft couch disappeared from under them, replaced by a bubbling hot spring. She released a small gasp as she registered her new surroundings—and lack of clothes .

Warm candlelight glowed in carved alcoves. The cedar decking surrounding the pool led to a large bed on the other side of the cavernous room. It was difficult to see into the water, but she felt his strong, naked form under her. He was sat on the polished stone bench carved into the pool’s perimeter, she on top of him. Water lapped at his chiseled torso and a thin sheen of sweat coated his tanned skin.

Envisioning the body under his clothes was one thing, but to see it up close—to be sitting half-pressed against it—was unreal. His half-lidded eyes roamed her exposed waist and chest.

She released a small laugh as he cocked his thigh higher, lifting her out of the water and into his view. The trickling water and fresh air invigorated her skin. He stroked his fingertips down the column of her neck, slowly moving towards the center of her chest while his other arm held her waist.

The yearning in his gaze pinned her in place. A heady feeling rushed through her when he met her eyes. Her cheeks flushed hotter than before and she placed her hands on his wide shoulders to lean in to kiss him.

“Not yet. I’m not done admiring you.” Hades backed away enough to grant his gaze the freedom to roam her face, throat, chest, and stomach.

His admiring smirk sent a pulsing need to her core. Delighted by his appreciative perusal, she raked her eyes over the definition sculpting his torso. Even with their famed likeness, the masterpiece renderings of Hades in marble and paint paled in comparison to the god in front of her.

He traced his fingers across her chest, down her stomach, and back up over the sides of her breasts. “Come here,” he said, before placing her between his legs so that her back pressed against his chest.

With a firm grip, he held her against his groin. The result of his desire pressed into her lower back as he slowly ground into her. He lifted her higher and used his knees to ease her legs apart, spreading her wide. The position forced her to lean back against him, and her nipples pebbled in the cool air. He kissed behind her ear and down her neck.

“You are everything, Persephone,” he whispered as he traced his fingers up the inside of her thighs. Touching so close to her center, he drew tiny circles, stirring a feverish craving in her gut. “I’ve thought a lot about how I’ve wanted to touch you. How I’ve wanted to taste you. How I’d try to take my time exploring every inch until you burst.”

His words drove her heart to beat against her chest. If he didn’t touch her where she needed it most soon, she would flip around and take her pleasure. The want to do just that—slowly slide his length inside her—grew until he ran one finger along her seam. He dipped into her, hooking his long finger into a place that ignited her longing. Alternating the pressure of his palm and fingers dipping inside, he struck a dizzying rhythm, building sparks from his touch. She felt him grind against her lower back.

Nipping her ear with his teeth, Hades said in a low voice, “I want to feel you come on my hand.” She pushed and pulled as his steady ministrations responded to each whimper.

An orgasm stirred inside her and built so suddenly that she gripped his bicep. Now his cedar-scented power filled her lungs, sending a flood of arousal through her body. The keen sensation spread and she held her breath, frightened by the intensity of what was about to explode within her. Hades didn’t break his pace and whispered a gravelly encouragement. “You feel amazing, Sephy.”

Her muscles seized from the bliss, eyes rolling back in ecstasy. Warmth spread up from his fingers inside her up through her chest, dissipating into a boneless euphoria. He lessened the pressure as she bucked against the intense sensitivity. With a slow roll of his hand, he massaged her entrance as the high faded.

“I can’t wait to see how good it feels when you’re gripping my cock.”

He turned her so her side rested against his chest. She cuddled against him, laying her head over his thumping heart. She planted kisses along his neck. He swept an arm under her knees and stepped up and out of the water. Persephone held tight to his shoulders in anticipation of the strain it’d take to lift them both cleanly out, but Hades’ heart kept its even beat. He offered her a devious smile. Drops splashed to the ground, but by the time his foot stepped onto the cedar decking surrounding the bed, their skin and the soaked ends of her hair were dry.

Cushions like clouds billowed around her as he laid her down. Persephone reached out an expectant hand, but Hades stood up to stalk around to the end of the bed. As she took in the whole of him, her chest fluttered. Imposing yet refined in a suit, Hades naked with his eyes piercing halted all rational thought. Aware of her body bared to him, she sat up, bringing her pressed legs to the side.

“Lie back down. I need to see all of you,” he said in the deep timbre of his voice. Eyes serious and nostrils flared, he waited. Pressing her lips together, Persephone sunk back onto the pillow and kept her knees bent but touching. The soles of her feet pushed into the downy comforter.

“I said all of you, Sephy.” His voice was a command.

She raised up on her elbows and stared back. “Or what?” Maybe it was the afterglow of their time in the pool, but the question in all its boldness spilled out.

He cocked a brow, and one edge of his mouth lifted. “You’re challenging the God of the Underworld?” The bed dipped with the weight of each knee and hand as he crept towards her feet.

She smirked. “Maybe.”

Hades wrapped his fingers around one of her ankles and tugged her leg straight. “Well, you are the Goddess of Spring, Sephy. Empress of the Underworld. I guess that’s why I’m the one at your feet.” He trailed kisses up the inside of her leg, rubbing the scruff of his jaw along the sensitive skin of her inner thigh. Her other leg fell to the side as she lay back.

Goddess of Spring. It made little sense given the dangerous blooms her powers produced, but Fates, did she like how it sounded as he moved up her body.

Still caressing her skin with his lips and stubbled cheek, Hades added, “Everything and everyone comes to life around you. And your poisonous poppies…” He dragged his tongue up her leg and over her hipbone. “It’s more than a clever defense. They’re a symbol of your protective nature. Something earthy, alluring, yet dangerous.”

His sweet words wash over her, building the anticipation of what he’d touch or kiss next. “I wonder how the Goddess of Spring and protection tastes.”

He moved down her body, his hands firm on her hips, and settled between her legs. His tongue flicked against her clit, causing her to squirm. One finger pushed inside her, and he established a toe-curling pace before adding a second. Persephone’s hips struck their own rhythm until whimpers escaped her lips.

Frenzied and charged, she tugged his hair and the crisp scent of his power filled the air. He’d already wound her up so tight but another wave of desire pulsed through her when she smelled his magic.

Once his eyes met hers, she said, “Come here,” and pulled him up. Instead of meeting her in a kiss like she thought he would, he turned to lick her ear which had her shuddering.

She helped position him at her entrance and the realization of how big he was, striding at the end of the bed minutes before, came crashing down.

“Sephy, are you still with me?”

This would be uncomfortable before it felt good again, and with all of her experience—or lack thereof—she’d jumped into murky water without the faintest idea of where the bottom was. But she wasn’t about to stop. “Yes, keep going,” she replied, her voice full of need.

“You have my heart, Sephy.” He slowly pushed into her and the sharp pinch disappeared before she could register the pain.

Releasing a soft moan, she met the drive of his hips with the roll of her own. The angle of each thrust hit that sweet spot she wanted pressed over and over again. The fullness of him inside her and his unchanging, pleasure-building tempo drove her higher.

In a gravelly whisper, he said, “I could stay inside you forever and it’d never be enough. I knew you’d feel perfect. ”

She pulled him towards her in a kiss, swept away by the sensations. Let him do all the talking—it was her first time, and she was going to savor the ecstasy wracking her body. His mouth left her lips to press frenzied kisses into her neck. Her head sunk further into the pillow as she arched her neck and back. She wrapped one leg around him to pull him tighter towards her and his satisfied grunt spurred her to wrap her other leg around him as well.

The slow increase of pleasure rose like the crest of a hill. She braced for impact before her body snapped. “You’re made for me, Sephy,” he whispered but she could hardly speak as an orgasm rolled through her, sending wave after wave of rapture through her core. She pressed her nails into his back and Hades released a strained grunt, slowing his movement at the same time. He murmured something incoherent that sounded like muffled expletives.

With a desperate breath in, the scent of his power filled her lungs. She hadn’t thought to use her power during sex, but he had, and she’d loved it. He gave her a long, slow kiss before pulling out and resting on his side. Stretching his arm around her waist, he pulled her against him and rubbed his chin on the top of her head.

“From the moment I saw you, little goddess, this is all I’ve wanted. To have you in my arms forever.”

She hugged him tighter. By the way she’d lost herself, she wondered if he was bleeding from when she’d clawed at his back. “Did I hurt you, Hades?”

With a throaty reply, “Fates no. You could’ve driven a knife through my heart, and I wouldn’t have stopped. Nothing has ever felt as sublime as being inside you.”

She woke from a short nap on Hades’ chest to find him gazing at her, running his fingertips up and down her spine.

“Sleep well?” he asked.

“Very.” Stretching her neck and back, she sat up to lean against the plush pillows. With the excitement of their joining, she’d barely noticed the silky sheets and impressively large bed. “Did you fall asleep?”

He shook his head. “I couldn’t. The most beautiful goddess the Fates ever made was asleep in my arms.”

A blush crept onto her cheeks. “Such a sweet talker.” She ran her hand over his stomach, enjoying how every muscle tensed under her touch. “We’ll have to do this again soon.” She shot him a wink to which he chuckled.

“That a promise?”

“Listen. If you’d like to bargain for a prom?—”

He cut off her retort as he grabbed her by the waist, bringing her into his lap. She yelped in delight, squirming as he playfully bit where her neck met her shoulder, causing goosebumps to erupt over her skin. His fingers tickled her sides as he squeezed her and continued to kiss her collarbone. “Try again, little goddess. I’m not letting you get away. You’re mine now.”

Giggling and struggling to catch her breath, she replied, “No, you have to bargain to get all this again.” The boldness she felt fled when his eyes narrowed and felt the chill of his power swept through the room.

He pulled her into his chest. A low hum rumbled from him before he whispered into her ear. “Is that right?” He ran his nose along her neck, his hands roaming over her ass then under her thighs. He lifted her to settle her astride him. “So if I tried to slide you onto my cock right now, you’d try to slip away?”

Fates. Hoping he’d make good on that threat she arched her brow. “You wouldn’t dare.”

A sly grin was all she got from him before he slowly lowered her all the way down his hardened length. His eyes stayed locked with hers, and her heart sped. Hands still gripping her hips, he lifted her until only the head of his cock was still inside her.

“Should I stop?” he said with feigned coldness. After months of living together, she now knew that harsh look on his face was one of desire and not anger and it thrilled her to no end.

His Fates-given strength held her in place as she leaned back to push her chest out and run her fingers down her chest and towards her navel. “If you need to stop, that’s fine. I’ll take care of?—”

She released a heady whimper as he slammed her back down on his cock. Her hands flew to his shoulders to brace herself. “You win, little goddess.” He moved her up and down until she started to roll her hips.

His palms covered her breasts. “Take what you need, Sephy. I can do this all day and night.”

So can I.