He’d told himself it hadn’t bothered him, but when he’d left himself, he couldn’t deny a certain...disappointment.
He didn’t often make missteps, but in this case, it seemed he had and that disturbed him. Naya would not have wanted him to upset Rose, but that night he’d kissed her hand, it hadn’t been Naya he’d been thinking of.
All he’d wanted was to show her that it was a bad idea to go around offering herself to people without any clear idea of the implications or consequences. She was so inexperienced. Someone had to teach her.
However, the little lesson in desire he’d given her had frightened her in some way and he meant to find out why. And he’d also very much hoped to bring some good news with him this time too, to put at least some of her concerns about Athena to rest, yet that had just fallen through.
Athena had escaped Ivan’s compound some months ago and no one knew where she was.
Since Thailand, he’d forwarded the information he’d collected on Ivan to the authorities, and they were now in the process of dealing with him. But Ares had wanted to secure Athena’s freedom, then bring her to Rose personally. But that wasn’t going to happen now, and he was in a foul mood about it.
You shouldn’t be in any kind of mood, let alone an angry one.
That was true, he shouldn’t. Which only added to his annoyance. Still, at least he hadsomenews to give her, and that was better than nothing. She would be pleased to know Ivan was being handled at least.
He strode down the hallway of the little manor he’d bought on a whim five years ago. He had houses in many different countries since he liked to move around—staying in one place for too long made him restless—but this was the perfect location for an autumn meeting. The large oaks in the grounds had on all their autumn foliage and the rolling lawns were still green. There was a crisp bite to the air, and he thought Rose might enjoy rambling through the woods behind the manor.
She’d just arrived, and he’d instructed his butler who managed the house to show her into the library to wait for him. He wasn’t going to let her sit and stew like he had in Thailand. He was going to show her around himself and maybe have a conversation about what had happened three months earlier.
He stopped outside the closed library door, suddenly aware of something else beneath the burn of his irritation. A sparking electricity, a kind of anticipation.
You’ve been looking forward to seeing her, don’t deny it.
It was dangerous thing to admit, though. Certainly, he was looking forward to matching wills with her and having the same kind of blunt, honest conversations they’d had in Thailand. Plus, he liked the thick sexual tension that filled the air whenever they came into contact, a sexual tension she hadn’t even been aware of until he’d made it obvious.
She is more sheltered than you thought.
No, it wasn’t that she was sheltered, he suspected. It was that shehadn’tbeen. Athena had protected her physically at the compound, but no one had protected her emotionally. She’d probably seen the worst men could do to women, and even if she hadn’t experienced it herself, that would colour all her opinions of sex and desire.
He couldn’t let his own desire goad him into making another slip like he had in Thailand. Nothing physical would happen between them, not until the year was up and she chose it. That was his bottom line.
He would need to go carefully.
Ares put his hand on the door handle and went in.
It was a warm, cosy little room, and his butler had made sure there was a fire burning in the fireplace. Tall wooden bookshelves lined the walls, a couple of worn but comfortable armchairs and a sofa set before the fire. Paintings of hunting scenes and forests were hung between the shelves, making the room feel very much like the house of an English aristocrat. Which he supposed was appropriate given that it had once belonged to an English aristocrat.
Rose herself stood before the fireplace with her back to him, her small hands outstretched to the blaze. The blue had faded completely from her hair, leaving its rich gold to gleam in the firelight. It was longer than it had been in Thailand, below her shoulder blades, and she had tied it back in a simple ponytail. She was dressed casually in jeans, a soft-looking jumper in stark black, with sneakers on her feet. A cheap black overcoat lay thrown over the back of the sofa.
He remained in the doorway a moment. He’d prepared himself, yet still the gut punch of desire made his breath catch.
How ridiculous. She wasn’t in a bikini this time, and every inch of skin was hidden by her clothing, yet all he wanted to do was to lay her down on the hand-knotted silk rug in front of the fire and peel those clothes off her, see what her naked body looked like in the firelight. And whether the rest of her was as golden and felt as silky as her hand had that night on the terrace.
Her small fingers cupped in his palm. Her skin so soft and fragile beneath his mouth as he’d kissed her. The flicker of a flame in her golden eyes...
She turned sharply and he heard her indrawn breath as their eyes met. For some reason it felt like no time at all had passed since he’d seen her, and that they were on that terrace in Thailand still, her hand in his, the desire she hadn’t been able to hide alive in her eyes.
The desire he could see burning there now.
He’d shut the door hard and taken a couple of steps towards her before he even knew what he was doing.
Theos, weren’t you supposed to go carefully?
Ares stopped himself just in time and from the widening of her eyes it was clear that she’d known exactly what he’d meant to do. She didn’t look afraid, but there was wariness on her face all the same, as if he was a dangerous animal and she wasn’t sure which way he was going to leap.
She should be wary. You were just about to pounce on her.
Yes, and he should know, better than anyone, the dangers of letting your own desires blind you. Of letting your heart dictate your actions.