“So what are we watching tonight?”
We were in the elevator at Tartarus, on our way to Zeus's penthouse. Another movie date was on the calendar, and I was sure he had picked something scary since it was the season of spooks.
“You’ll see,” he laughed, squeezing my hand.
I couldn’t stop staring at him. His faded jeans hugged him in all the right places, a white belt adding exactly the right amount of sexiness. A long sleeve, button up maroon shirt which fit him perfectly, accented his chest and shoulders. I wanted to reach out and stroke them, he looked so delicious! His hair was fixed in the normal, messy way I loved. Everything about him was magnificent, as always.
I frowned slightly as I examined myself in the reflective doors. I’d thought my jeans and pink tank top looked good when I got dressed, but now I looked downright awful.
“Don’t even think it,” Zeus said, stepping behind me, wrapping his arms around my waist, and resting his chin on my shoulder.
“Think what?”
“You’re beautiful and you know it.” His reflection mirrored the smile he wore.
“I wasn’t thinking about that,” I lied.
“Yes, you were. I could tell from the look on your face.”
“No I wa—wow!”
The elevator opened and I sucked in a breath, taking in his home. It was decorated in dark grays and blacks, with low lighting. The outside wall, opposite us, was wall to wall windows. The Strip glittered outside, and I suddenly realized the video feed in his office was from this window.
With hesitant steps I entered, marveling at the sunken living room. The gray suede couches looked incredibly inviting, but were outshined by the massive television which sat in front of them. The floor was mostly gray marble tile, except for black carpet under the sofas. On the walls, several pieces of black and white abstract art complimented it all nicely. Everything was immaculate, almost as if he were never here, which, come to think of, he wasn’t. Between work, running errands, and spending time at my apartment, he had very little time left for being home. I think he’d avoided bringing me here due to the awkwardness of our first meeting. But since we were officially “a couple”, he’d invited me to watch the movie at his place this time.
“This is amazing,” I whispered, mostly to myself.
“It’s not a whole lot, but I like it,” he laughed.
“Not a whole lot? This is huge!” I stared at him in disbelief.
“You’ve been living in your tiny apartment too long.” With a kiss on my forehead, he walked down into the living area, leaving me standing there speechless. He pulled a disc off the coffee table in the middle.
“Ready to be scared?” he teased in a menacing tone.
“Yup,” I said, finding my voice and putting on a brave face. I actually scared very easily, but I wasn’t about to admit it.
“Awesome!” The smile on his face was contagious. “Do you want some popcorn?”
“Uh, sure. I guess so.” I shrugged my shoulders.
“You guess so?” He folded his arms in mock judgment. “There is no guessing in this relationship.”
“It’s just . . . everything is so clean!” I burst out. “I’m afraid to even move because I don’t want to mess it up. Popcorn is messy!”
“Only if you throw it on the floor,” he laughed, walking back to me. “I’m going to make some. Why don’t you sit down?” He kissed my cheek and walked into the kitchen on the right, also decorated in a lighter shade of gray. A dining area furnished with a matching black dining set, was off to the side, complete with a fantastic view.
I stood by the elevator for a second longer and then went to the couch. I was feeling anxious. When he’d invited me over, I was excited to see where he lived. Now that I was here, all I could think of was how many other girls had been invited up. It wasn’t that he hadn’t proven himself trustworthy—we’d spent loads of time together and he’d never pushed me too far or asked for something he shouldn’t have. The uneasy feeling in the pit of my stomach wouldn’t go away, though.
“You okay?” He sat by me, bowl in hand. “You look a little sick.”
“I’m fine,” I said, clearing my throat. “A little nervous over the movie is all.”
“Aw, are you scared?” The baby voice almost made me find him less attractive.
“No!” I grabbed a throw pillow and did exactly what its name implied, hitting him in the face.
“Hey!” He threw it back at me but I ducked, managing to only get tagged in the shoulder.
I picked it up again to chuck back, but was tackled by a wall of muscle. I vaguely noticed the popcorn on the coffee table, the pillow tossed across the room, before Zeus’s eyes held me captive.
My back sank slowly into the couch as our combined weight pressed into it. Zeus held himself carefully over me, but every inch of my body was touching his. There was an uncomfortable twisting in my stomach. His eyes said so much, asked for much more than I’d ever been ready for.
Slowly, he took each of my hands in his and raised them above my head. My racing heart joined in the dance the rest of my nerves had started, blocking everything else from my mind. His head lowered, eyes focusing on mine, while his hot breath caressed my face. Goose bumps erupted across my skin and I squirmed under him, trying to free my hands. The grip he had on me tightened, and I gave up, waiting for him to make his move.
His breath continued to warm my skin after he broke eye contact and rubbed his jaw against mine. I gave a shudder of pleasure when he finally, softly licked under my ear and placed a soft kiss there. He blew warm air into my ear and then slowly rubbed his stubble across my lips, scratching them slightly. A moan escaped my throat as his lips found mine, and he released my hands, sliding his down my arms. They continued down my sides, barely grazing the sides of my chest, until they rested on my hips. I pressed myself against him, reveling in the feel of his body against mine. There was something about his abs and V cut that made my brain go fuzzy, giving my hands a mind of their own. All the while, he kissed me like he never would again. Lips smashing into mine, he gripped me tighter and moaned.
My skin tingled like I was catching fire, hands moving to his chest where they fisted in his shirt. I knew we were getting into dangerous territory, but I couldn’t seem to care at the moment.
One of his hands slid down my leg, squeezing my thigh. I became acutely aware of the other hand slowly creeping to the button on my pants. One of his fingers slipped inside the top of my jeans.
“Why don’t we watch the movie now?” I said, breaking the kiss, I pushed him away while I tried to wiggle out from underneath him. The ensuing sensations made the warning bells sound even louder.
“We don’t have to,” he said, holding me in place, rubbing his jaw along mine again.
“But I want to,” I said, trying to ward off temptation. My entire body was screaming at me to shut up and let him have his way.
“You sure?” He finally pulled himself away a little, examining my face.
“Yeah, I’m sure,” I said, pushing myself out from under him.
“Okay,” he said, sitting up. “If that’s what you want.” He sounded surprisingly indifferent.
“It is,” I said strongly. My mind was made up, but my body was marinating in disappointment.
He got up and put the disc in the player. I shook my head while his back was turned, unable to even look at him. That had been a close one. Relief and dissatisfaction battled inside me.
I sat wide eyed as the credits started to roll, hugging my knees to my chest. Zeus laughed, one arm around my shoulders.
“If I’d known it would scare you that bad. . . I would have insisted we watch it anyway,” he chortled.
“Jerk,” I said, slapping his arm. “I’m going to have nightmares for weeks.”
“I’ll protect you. Promise.” He pulled me onto his lap and kissed me softly. “I have a sitting area in my room where we can watch the Strip if you want. Maybe it
will help you wind down and forget about the movie.”
I was hesitant to answer, my mind flashing back to our pre-movie activities. The movie had distracted me, but simply sitting on his lap now was making me feel things I shouldn’t. I was curious to see his room, though, so I agreed.
Taking my hand, he pulled me off the couch and led me over to the silver‑handled double doors on the left side of the room.
“After you,” he said, opening one of them.
The lights weren’t on, but I could instantly tell everything followed the color scheme of the rest of the house—the glow from the Strip filled the room. There was a large, king size bed in the center of the room, pushed up against the far wall. The comforter was gray, matching the metal rods which twisted together to form the headboard. The black pillows looked absolutely heavenly. Two closed doors, which I thought were probably a closet and bathroom, were on the left wall. The right was a continuation of the giant window. Precisely as he’d said, there were two arm chairs and a small round table set up next to the window, much like his office on the ground floor.
“What do you think?”
I turned, not realizing I’d walked into the room, leaving him by the door.
“It’s very nice,” I said truthfully. “It feels . . . relaxing.” I smiled softly.
“It is.” He pushed himself away from the wall he’d been leaning on. Walking over to me, he grabbed my hand. “And it’s got one heck of a view.”
We walked to the window and took a seat. I could feel the nervous energy growing in my stomach again. Every sexy thing I’d ever heard of or seen in a movie was running through my mind like a freight train.
Silence filled the room for a long while as we stared out the window. Zeus seemed perfectly content to sit there all night, but I could hardly stand being this close to a bed with him.
“I should probably go home,” I finally said, standing up.
Without saying a word, he stood up and came over to me. Pulling me into his embrace, he placed a gentle kiss against my lips.
“Why don’t you stay here tonight?” he whispered.
“I’m a virgin!” I practically shouted, then covered my mouth in horror. Zeus’s eyebrows had risen so far they were in danger of disappearing into his hairline.
“Sorry!” I said in dismay. “Oh my gosh, I am so sorry. I’m going to go.” Moving to escape his arms, I looked down at the floor in embarrassment.
“No you don’t,” he said, tightening his grip on me. “Why’d you say that?”
“I’m so sorry,” I said again, my cheeks flaming so brightly I could feel the heat radiating from them. “I don’t know. I thought you wanted to . . . you know . . .”
“I did.” I flinched at his brutal honesty.
“I can’t,” I whispered. “I’m so, so sorry, Zeus. I just can’t.” I wanted to, but I couldn’t tell him, not with his bed right next to us. It was too much for me to handle.
“It’s fine,” he said, surprising me again. “I won’t do anything you’re not ready for.”
“It’s not that I’m not ready,” I said uncomfortably. “I simply want to wait—until I’m married.” I cringed as I said it, hearing what my parents had said so many times.
“Okay,” he said. “Why till marriage?”
“Well, as much as I don’t want to be like my parents, that’s what they did. And I can tell it made them stronger as a couple. Don’t get me wrong,” I said hurriedly. “I’m sure there are couples who did it before they were married and they’re just as strong, but this is something I always knew I’d follow my parents’ example in.” I grimaced in embarrassment. This was not the conversation I’d imagined having.
“Alright. That’s fine. I totally understand.” He nodded his head and smiled at me. “I still think you should stay here tonight, though. We’re both really tired, and I think it would be a bad idea to drive.”
“I can take a cab,” I interjected.
“Nope, you’ll sleep here in my bed, and I’ll sleep on the couch.”
“I can’t take your bed from you!”
“Sure you can,” he purred. “All you’ll have to do is say the word, and I can come lay with you.” His eyes gleamed as he rubbed his hands down my arms.
“No thanks,” I squeaked.
“If you say so,” he chuckled. “Call if you need anything—anything at all.” He kissed me and then winked as he headed back to the living room.
The door closed quietly behind him, and I turned to his bed. His understanding amazed me. I thought he would try and talk me into it. I mean, we had been dating for a while now. I’d been more shocked he hadn’t tried anything until now.
How many girls had slept in this bed? I really was tired and knew I couldn’t fight over who got the couch—I would lose. I realized it didn’t matter who else had been in his bed. I was not a one night stand, and it wasn’t like the sheets had never been washed. If Zeus respected me enough to let me do things at my own pace, then I could trust him enough to sleep in his bed. Leaving my clothes on, I climbed in between the covers and slipped into a peaceful slumber.
Fingers ran softly through my hair, and I sighed contentedly as soft kisses were placed on my forehead. It was so warm and comfortable—I didn’t want to move ever again. I’d be content if this dream went on forever.
“I love you, so much,” the velvety voice whispered in my mind.
A small smile crept onto my face, a reaction to the kisses being placed on my cheeks now.
“You mean everything to me,” the voice picked up again. Was it Zeus? It must be. “I can’t believe I spent all that time without you, not realizing what I was missing. It’s like I was blind, unable to see what was waiting for me. If I’d known . . . maybe it would’ve been worse, waiting for you.”
The softest of kisses fell on my lips, like the whispering of angels.
“I love you, Karly—from now until the end of time.”
The warmth around me dissipated slightly as I slipped from this dream into the next.
Chapter Thirteen