Page 93 of Raising Hell
“What you did to my foot was immeasurably cruel.”
“But you were laughing.”
“So hard that I struggled to breathe.”
I made a sad face. “Does that mean I can’t touch your feet again?”
“I would never deny your touch but would choose an infinitely more enjoyable location for it.”
I rolled my eyes at him.
“You have a one-track mind.” I picked up a grape and offered it to him. He seemed surprised but quickly snapped it up along with my fingertip and thumb.
His tongue flicked over my skin, and I jerked my hand away from his mouth.
“No sexy fun,” I scolded.
He flashed me a quick smile and chewed his grape.
“I was showing you something fun that you might not remember,” he said after he swallowed. “I enjoy being playful.”
With a blend of humor and hunger dancing in his eyes, playful Hades was devastatingly handsome and absolutely not meant for me. But right then, I wished he was.
Tearing my gaze from him, I looked at my folded dress and cleared my throat.
“If we’re done here, maybe I should get dressed and—”
“Are you trying to escape me again?”
“No. But I’m realizing how uncomfortably naked I am.”
“Unacceptable. Allow me to cover you and make you more comfortable.”
I squealed then laughed when he plopped down on top of me, keeping just enough of his weight off not to smother me. He chuckled and dipped his head to kiss me quickly on the cheek before moving to lay beside me again. He fed me another grape then resumed caressing my arm.
In all honesty, I loved every bit of touching he gave. He watched me with an intensity that should have made me feel uncomfortable instead of needed and like I mattered.
“I don’t know what to do about this,” I said after I swallowed.
“About what?”
“The way I feel when I’m with you.”
“How do you feel?”
“Important. Loved.”
“You are both.”
I sighed and shook my head. “If you still think I’m Persephone, then I’m neither important nor loved. She is. Which means what I feel when I’m with you is a lie. I know I shouldn’t let myself feel it. I know I should get dressed and put some distance between us, but this is the first time in my life that I’ve felt loved like this. And I’m only human. Who am I to turn my back on a tempting god?”
His lips curved.
“You’re Ashlyn, the flame that lights the fire in my heart. The goddess I’ve wanted with every breath since being chained to this world.”
I reached up and ran my fingers along his jaw.
“What else do you like to do other than bathe and be playful?” I asked.
