Forsaken Deity

Chapter 19

“Not happening. Go away, Hermes.”

“Nope.”

Annoyed, she turned to leave and found herself pinned against the cliff walls. “Dammit, Hermes!”

He gripped her arms so she couldn’t move and stepped in close so she was trapped. “Now listen, Thea. I know you were a bit drunk last night and you had your reasons; having to say goodbye to Shae twice couldn’t be easy. I wasn’t going to take advantage of you when you were - how do I put it? - a little fragile.”

She glared at him but he continued, “I won’t lie, I was tempted - but I’d hate myself as much as you probably hate yourself right now. So, I guess that means we need to decide.”

She stilled. “Decide what?”

He looked her in the eye. “Do we ignore what happened last night and pretend it never happened, or accept it for what it was and move on?”

Thea bit her lip, feeling breathless. “I don’t think I can ignore what happened last night. I may have been drunk but they were my real feelings. I know it will probably make things awkward between us but if you want to ignore it all, then I can do that.”

The grip on her arms subtly changed. “You don’t want to pretend?”

“No, not really.”

“You’re into me?”

She sighed. “Don’t be an arse about it Hermes –“

He stepped closer and her heart stuttered. “Yes or no, Peaches. You into me or not?”

“Bloody hell, yes! All right? Jeez –”

His hands moved from her arms to her waist and her breath hitched. “Good. And for the record? I don’t want to pretend either.”

She didn’t have time to register what he said as his lips came down on hers, his hands curling around her waist, pulling her against him. Her hands automatically came up to his chest. He didn’t give her time to argue, diving right in, and her senses were overthrown by everything that was him.

Her hands slowly moved up around his neck as he deepened the kiss, his tongue gently pushing past her lips. His mouth softly brushed against hers and she sighed, tasting traces of mint. There was no desperation in his kiss; only a burning need, one she felt deep in her own being. It was overpowering, claiming her as she felt a pool of heat building in her core.

He groaned as her tongue hesitantly brushed against his and she gasped, his hands lifting her up, pressing her into the cliff wall. Her legs came up and wrapped around his waist and his hands moved lower, curving around her thighs as his fingers pressed into her skin, sending shivers of pleasure coursing down her spine.

His smell of fresh air and soap filled her senses and her hand curled into his hair, the strands soft between her fingers. The sensation was mingled with that of her other hand, which slowly travelled downward, feeling the hard contours of his back. His muscles tightened as her hand ventured further south and he growled with pleasure, the sound reverberating through her and causing little bolts of desire to dance along her skin.

Her pulse quickened as his hands moved up her thighs, tightening in response to his touch –

“What the Hades do you two think you’re doing?”

Her head shot up and saw Charon’s boat floating down the river. Three souls sat in the boat, thankfully not looking at them. Their eyes were staring straight ahead, looking lost. Charon glared at them with indignant rage.

Her legs dropped, feet landing heavily on the ground and, cheeks flaming, she buried her head in Hermes chest.

He chuckled, his hand coming up to fold in her hair. “None of your business, Charon! Be about your business and we’ll be about ours.”