“Persephone.” Hades reclaims the space between us and gently but firmly takes my shoulders. “Do you want to go back?”
I can’t lie to him. “No, but I don’t see how that—”
He nods as if I’ve answered more than that single question. “Then you won’t.”
“What? You just said—”
“Do you think I’m naive enough to trust the Thirteen with my people’s health and well-being? We were always one step away from pissing one of them off and causing a disruption like this.” His lips quirk, though his eyes remain cold. “My people won’t starve. We have plenty of resources in the lower city. Things might get uncomfortable for a little while, but no one will be irreparably harmed.”
What?
“Where are you getting supplies from?”
“Triton and I have an under-the-table arrangement.” He’s not surprised or angry or any of the emotions coursing through me right now. He’s not even worried.
The shocks just keep coming. “You…you negotiated with Poseidon’s right-hand man to get around the Thirteen. How long has this been going on?”
“Since I took over at seventeen.” He holds my gaze. “I know better than most that you can’t afford to trust the goodwill of the Thirteen. It was only a matter of time before one of them tried to use my people to hurt me.”
I look at him with new eyes. This man… Gods, he’s even more complex than I suspected. A true leader. “You knew this might happen when you agreed to help me.”
“I knew it was a distinct possibility.” He shifts his hands up to cup my face and drags his thumbs along my cheekbones. “A long time ago, I promised myself that I wouldn’t let those assholes in the upper city harm anything of mine ever again. There’s little they can do, short of war, that will overly affect things here.”
What would it be like if Hades ruled Olympus instead of Zeus? I can barely wrap my mind around the very concept. Hades truly cares.
I kiss him before I realize I’m going to do it. There’s no plan, no ploy, nothing beyond the need to show him… I’m not even sure. Something. Something I can’t put into words. He goes still for half a breath, and then he shifts his hands to my hips and pulls me against him. He kisses me back with the same level of ferocity bubbling up in my chest. A feeling bordering on desperation, on something more intricate still.
I pull away enough to say, “I need you.”
He’s already moving, backing me toward the bed. Hades looks down at my mostly bared body and growls. “I want you naked.”
“I hope you’re prepared to wait.”
“I’m not.” He reaches into his jacket and comes up with a small knife. “Don’t move.”
I hold still. I hold my very breath as he slips the blade between my skin and the first strap. It’s surprisingly warm, likely from being so close to his body. The strap gives easily beneath the sharp edge. And then another, and another, and another, until I’m standing before him completely naked. He snaps the blade closed and takes a step back, sweeping his gaze over me from my head to my feet and back again. “Better.”
He stalks to the light switch and flicks it, ignoring my wordless protest. I want to see. Hades moves past me to the windows and shoves the heavy curtains open. My eyes adjust quickly enough and I realize I can see, at least a little. The lights from the city bathe the room in a low neon glow.
Hades strips as he walks toward me. Jacket and shirt. Shoes and pants. He stops a few feet away and I can’t help reaching for him. He might be giving me the view I crave, but I need something even more vital—his skin against mine.
Except he catches my hand before I make contact with his chest and guides it up to his neck. He finishes closing the distance between us, bringing us chest to chest. I get the faint impression of rough scars against my skin, but Hades kisses me again and I forget anything else but getting him inside me as quickly as possible.
He lifts me, and I wrap my legs around his waist. The new position has his cock nearly lined up perfectly where I need him, but he moves before I can lose my mind enough to take advantage. My need is an all-consuming thing that’s been building since the moment I laid eyes on him. Having sex in front of the crowd was one thing, but it barely took the edge off. That was about reputation. This is about us.
Hades walks us to the bed and climbs onto it. He takes my hands and guides them up to the headboard. “Keep them here.”
“Hades.” I’m panting as if I’ve run a great distance. “Please. I want to touch you.”