Page 48 of Raising Hell
“And when you were touching me in bed?”
He exhaled heavily and opened his eyes to look down at me.
“I couldn’t remember a time when I touched you without anger or hate. A time when you were at peace with me. I will take all that you surrender, Ashlyn. But at that moment, I found solace in your willing acceptance of my touch.”
I nodded, relieved that I’d been right.
“I don’t mind if we snuggle in my sleep or if you touch me like we agreed. But don’t remove my clothes again without permission first. Okay?”
“As you will it, so it shall be.”
“Thank you.”
I smoothed the cloth down his arm and took a fortifying breath before continuing.
“Did you like the changes you made yesterday? The throne room? Freeing people?”
“Yes,” he said warily.
“I’d like to keep making those kinds of changes. The ones that make you happy.” My thought process was that, maybe if we changed his circumstances enough, he’d be appeased and go back to sleep. If not, at least we would be making Hell a less miserable place for its inhabitants.
“You wish to make me happy?” Hades asked, sounding confused and suspicious.
“I can’t make you feel anything. Only you can control how you feel. But I’d like to do things that bring you some joy.”
“Showering with you brings me joy. Washing lower would increase what I feel.”
I snorted and saw him grin from my peripheral.
“I bet it would. But I think that’s more than I can handle right now.” Figuratively and physically. “So what new changes should we make today?”
“This one,” he said, turning so I could see the contract flaring to life on his back.
I wiped the cloth over it as I read it.
“You have a room just for festivals?”
“We do.”
“That sounds fun.”
I reached out to end the contract, but he turned and caught my hand, gently kissing my fingers.
“After I feed you honey cakes.”
“Why? So I get your back sticky, and we have to shower again?”
He looked momentarily shocked then grinned boyishly, making my heart stutter.
“That wasn’t my intention, but I enjoy your clever thinking,” he said. “I want to be present when the room changes.”
“Okay. Then let’s finish this up so we can go see your festival room.” I handed him the cloth. “I think you can take it from here.”
He didn’t protest when I took a drying towel for myself, but I could feel his gaze on me as I dried and dressed. All the moisture vanished from my hair once I was covered, and I smiled to myself, liking that he made things easier.
A table set with honey cakes waited when I walked around the screen. Hades was only a few steps behind, already magically dried and dressed.
We ate together, me my cakes and him his ambrosia, then left the room hand in hand.
