Awakening (Book One of the Eklektos Series)

Chapter Five

Kali screamed internally. Running off on her own was a bad idea at the best of times. She knew that. But this? How was she supposed to anticipate running into a literal Greek God, sitting on a park bench?

Kali hastily fixed her expression back into an easy grin, hoping that the unease hadn't shown on her face. She raised an eyebrow, mocking his use of the gesture before, and teased "Like the star sign?"

"Like the god." His eyes were fixed on hers and the smile dancing on his lips was enough for her to know that he had seen through her bluff. Ares' hand was still around hers, despite her feeble attempt to pull it back, and he looked curiously down at their joined hands. With a tiny movement, he pulled her to him and she fell towards him. He still sat casually on the bench but now she was leaning over him, and his face was barely an inch away.

There was a hint of stubble on his otherwise perfect face, and it was sexier than she had expected. His brown eyes were surprisingly gentle. And close enough that she could lose herself in them. And his lips were still pulled up in an almost taunting smile. Ares had a hand on her arm and the other on her hip, holding her up. She was dangerously off balance. If he let go, she would be on top of him.

Realising that, Kali struggled slightly to right herself, but Ares' hand tightened on her arm. She glanced at him, letting her uncertainty show in her eyes, and mumbled "You said you weren't going to hurt me."

"Am I hurting you, sunflower?" He asked, his grin taking on a decidedly smug quality. He let her drop slightly towards him and obviously breathed in her scent. Feeling her tension, he laughed and moved her closer, whispering "You're always so in control, aren't you? Maybe you should try letting someone else lead once in a while. You might like it."

Kali hesitated, and trembled when Ares slowly moved his hand from her hip to her thigh. She bit her lip and looked helplessly down at him. After an agonizing second, she whispered "I have had a really bad day."

"So, let me make it better." He said simply, with the same infuriating smile. Kali hesitated; she didn't know what to do. She didn't know what she wanted. Her eyes darted to Ares' lips of their own accord, and he moved in with a smirk. His lips brushed hers once, then twice, and he slipped his hand around the back of her neck. She fell forward towards him and he laughed into the kiss.

Ares hadn't expected her to be like this. He hadn't been prepared for her. He wasn't normally attracted to women he had to save, but her show of strength so suddenly replaced by her hesitation – the helpless way she looked up at him called to every predatory instinct to hunt her, and to protect her. To own her. Damn, he had it bad. But she tasted like salt and smoke and fire. She would be a wild one. And he would have fun taming her.

He lifted her up, still claiming her lips, and switched their positions on the bench. She moaned into the kiss and her teeth grazed his bottom lip. The tentative suggestion of the wilder nature he was sure she was hiding nearly shattered his control. Making up his mind, Ares deliberately tangled his hand in her hair and bit her lip, drawing blood. Kali drew back with a startled gasp, her eyes flying open, but he pulled her back to him and touched his tongue to her lip.

Though she still trembled at the contact, Ares could see that her expression was clearer now. Her sensible side was kicking back in. And the colour on her cheeks made it clear that she was mortified that she had just put herself in such a compromising position with a relative stranger. When he had lifted her, he had pulled her legs around his waist. Now, she tried to scramble back away from him.

Smirking, Ares hooked his hand under her thigh and pulled her back to him. Kali's hands pressed against his chest in a futile attempt to keep him at a distance. "Enough. I'm...that's enough."