Chapter 30 — Be Careful What You Wish For

Control suddenly felt like a foreign concept to Ares as Alicia moved to take him deeper. Each slickened inch he lost to her slipped the idea of control further and further into the recess of his mind. He nuzzled into the crook of her neck, breathing in her scent, encouraging her movement with one hand on her hip. Water licked and swirled between them, small eddies that grew with each swipe of her hips against his.

The only sign that his control had slipped was the sharp intake of her breath. Then an exhale that edged on a moan, her shiver, her nails digging into his thighs. Ares drank the sounds she made as if they were his only means of survival, as if those sounds were how he might breathe.

"Gods, you feel like heaven," he promised, then swore softly.

He grew inside of her, stretching and lengthening as she reached back to grip his hair. The kisses on her neck turned deeper, teeth scratching, lips suckling. He hadn't lost his mind like this since their first night together. Alicia's skin was hot beneath his hungry lips, peppering kisses from her collarbone to her shoulder, sweeping back up from her neck to her earlobe. His hands were twisting in her hair, roaming across her puckered, heavy breasts, sliding down between her legs where they were so tightly joined.

Was it the stress of war planning, the uncertainty of the titans infiltrating their ranks, the emotions that Cue's dead body brought back for him regarding Eros, the anxiety that accompanied every second of Dark's unpredictable presence? He couldn't be sure where the need that gripped its claws into his soul came from, but he couldn't restrain it, those dark, godly desires that so desperately wanted to explode.

"Alicia I—”

"Don't stop," she gasped, "Don't apologize…fuck…harder."

"Be careful what you wish for, my love," the sound of his voice wrapped a vice around her nipples, tightening them to the point of painful arousal. And her words had sent steel into his veins, twisted him into that pit of darkness that threatened to devour her.

Alicia angled her head backward, flustered at all the attention her neck had been getting, and met his mouth, warm and hungry. He pushed her up out of the water, forcing Alicia to her knees without breaking their stroke. She clutched the sides of the bath, crying out as he plunged into her with reckless abandon. Her body buzzed and sweat, her mind hazy, the world upside down and inside out.

He licked her spine, bringing a steadying hand to her right shoulder and left hip, picking up the pace. Alicia's mind came undone, sending her thrashing backwards, cracking her nails against the hard porcelain. Pressure clamped down on her shoulder. White hot pain lanced through her and dissipated into heat. She reached for anything, mindless and headed for the edge of her pleasure. Icy water sprayed from the showerhead overhead, snapping her eyes to her hand, which clutched the knob for dear life. She hadn't even realized she grabbed it.

"Don't," Ares pressed his own hand atop hers, releasing her aching shoulder and letting the mix of sensations drive them both wild. Hot and cold felt like they were fighting for control of her pleasure. She wanted to scream or cum or explode or shred herself into ribbons.

"Ares," she panted, and the word sounded foreign, like her mouth could hardly form words anymore. "Ares!" It was a beg, it was a promise, it was a kiss, it was a knife. The tempo of his thrusts, the rough grate of his fingers against anything of hers he could grab, the growing tenor of his growls and moans until she was sure they could be heard from miles away, all of it sent a hot river of pleasure shooting from her neck down her spine until it exploded across their joining. His roar and the sound of the metal knob ripping from the wall was the only outward sign Ares gave before he was lost to his pleasure. And when he spilled into her, her own orgasm rocked her head into the tile hard, sent her sliding down into the water because she couldn't even make sense of her own existence.

Ares' arms were already there though, lifting her from the water to carry her into his bedroom, their bedroom. It turned out that after their last fight, he'd showed her just how much he loved her every single night. Not always in the bed, if tonight was any judge, but always equally rewarding. But that war god form, that raw, savage fucking he'd unleashed on her all those months ago, had disappeared completely. No matter how many times Alicia promised it was fine. No matter how many times she said the pain was like pleasure, there was a glassy look in his eyes that told her he would hold back. Until now. Until the appetite she’d just wetted in him.

The heave of his chest as he tried to catch his breath had her grinning like a fool. He'd unshackled that control again, she made him lose control…and she wanted more. It was an exhilarating feeling to know she had that power over him. His sweat-beaded face hovered over hers as he slowly crawled her into the bed. His eyes studied her forehead, the place where her head had hit the wall. Ares had his wrist open and poised at her lips before she could even speak.

"Your head is bleeding, drink," his wide eyes were still dark, swirling pools of night. Something pulled at his expression. Need and desire and fear and doubt. Alicia sipped a mouthful and pulled back. She didn't need much to already feel the pounding of her head disappear, along with the sore throbbing between her legs. She wanted that throbbing to return.

"Are you okay? Did I hurt you? I'm sorry…" his eyes were like night, searching her for any other signs of injury. She snapped her hand to his jaw, pulling him down to a breath away. His body caged around her, hovering a suitable distance off as if it scared him to touch her despite the raw hunger she could see in his eyes.

"No," her eyes dilated, "I'm not okay. I want more. No—” she pushed him as he tried to kiss her lips. The gentleness of it offended her. She wanted him fully, not chaste, not careful, not scared, or guilt-ridden. "I want the real you. I want more of the real you." Her voice sure as steel, her eyes boring into his like she might glimpse the true nature of the dark pools of his eyes.

Ares hesitated. He always hesitated. At this point, he could hardly look at her without imagining some terrible accident taking her from him. Gods forbid if he were the one…If he pressed too hard. If he drank too fully. He could break her. Hell, his hand had nearly crushed her shoulder blade in the tub. His power could kill her. And that said nothing of his actual enemies. What would Asteria do to her if she knew his weakness? A chill like death passed over him.

Alicia hated the look in his eyes, hated the way fear clawed at him, and yet he pretended to be fine. Just as she did. Hooking his leg, she rolled them to reverse their positions, even as her body barked at the strain. He was not a small man. But it was done. She straddled him, not needing to reach her hand down through her legs to know he was already stretched taut once more. His black eyes told her he'd never left that well of pleasure, never pushed that wildness back down inside himself. And he was afraid if he couldn't leash himself, he would hurt her. But their opinions on that differed.

She didn't bend down to kiss him, instead her hand flew across his face like a blur. The only thing that told her what happened was the sound of skin. The thwack of her hand on his cheek. He barely moved, yet her hand stung. Her lip twitched up on one side. Ares' eyes were completely swallowed by the deep dark pit now and his mouth parted in surprise. Hers did too. She used the other hand and did it again. The stinging heat of both hands sent her pupils wide. His nostrils flared, canines slipping out from under his lip.

"Stop," he warned, but the sizzle of his dry voice told her he didn't want to stop at all.

"Hit me," she whispered, bringing her ass up from his waist in a silent suggestion.

"Absolutely not."

"Please," her whisper was demanding, begging. Her nose slid along his as she arched herself further up into the air. His hands fisted the sheets. Ares could hardly think straight.

"No," he strangled his voice out, "Stop pushing this."

"Pushing what? You love me. You won't hurt me. And if you hurt me, you'll heal me. Hit. Me."

She kissed him then, swirling her tongue against his and as he leaned up to press her lips harder. Alicia bit down on his lips hard enough to draw blood.

"Fuck!" he growled, using his tongue to stay the leaking fluid. His hand connected with her ass before either of them knew what was happening. Hot, fresh tears pooled in her eyes, heat blooming across her backside with a sting that tickled between her legs.

"Shit, baby I'm sor—"

"Again," she growled, pressing her tongue over the seam of his lips, licking away the blood. His eyes twitched once before his other hand came down hard and at the moment she yelped. He slid back inside her so far, he nearly saw stars.

"I want it all," she swore into his mouth. He thought her lips tasted like blood and sweetness. It was the last coherent thought he had that night.