Page 76 of Heroes & Hitmen
Ares turns to look at me, his eyes darkening. “You think anyone else in this bar could handle you, babe?”
My mouth runs dry.
I open it to speak, but nothing comes out, so I close it again, pressing my lips in a tight line.Real smooth.
The heat from Ares’ touch has turned molten, spreading through me like wildfire as his hand inches higher up my thigh. He knows exactly what he’s doing– and worse, I’m letting him, leaning into it like this all won’t come back to bite me in the ass.
Will catches the shift in the air between us and thankfully cuts in before I combust. “Alright, I’ve gotta know… what’s it like?” he asks, leaning forward eagerly. “Were there any signs of the fated bond before it locked in?”
“Definitely,” Ares answers without hesitation, those dark eyes still fixed on me. “I knew there was something special about Mileyfrom the first time I laid eyes on her. It was like a switch flipped, and suddenly everything before was just… irrelevant.”
I know this is all performative, but dammit he’s a good liar. His words hit like a blow to the chest, my heartbeat kicking into overdrive. I can’t tell if it’s the liquor, my starry-eyed inner wolf, or the way he’s looking at me like I’m the only person in the room.
Probably all three.
I’m suddenly too hot, my head fuzzy, my entire body buzzing with a restless energy that I can’t shake. My hand drifts down to his knee, resting there just long enough to send a signal. Ares glances down at it, then back up at me, his smirk deepening.
The lines we drew are blurring. Hell, maybe they’d already blurred and I’m just now noticing. This all started as a lie, but if you tell a lie enough times, it starts to feel like the truth.
“To fated mates,” Will says, dragging me out of the spell I’m under. I whip my head in his direction to find him smiling back at me, beer raised. “May we all be so lucky.”
Clearing my throat, I reach for my drink and clink it against his, draining the rest of my sugary cocktail. My empty glass hits the table just as Ares leans in, his warm breath rasping against the shell of my ear.
“You about ready to go home?”
My stomach swoops and I nod, unable to force words past the lump in my throat.
He shifts beside me, thigh pressing tight against mine as he pulls out his wallet. He tosses a wad of bills onto the table– more than enough to cover the tab– then downs the last of his beer in one swallow and pushes up to stand.
“We’re gonna head out,” he tells Will. “You good?”
Will gives him a lazy smile, lifting a hand to offer him a fist-bump. “Yeah, man. We’ve gotta do this again sometime.” He swings his gaze over to me, blue eyes twinkling. “It was really nice meeting you, Miley.”
“You too,” I say with a smile as I allow Ares to pull me up from the booth. His arm slips around my waist, warm and solid, and it’s almost enough to make me forget that this is all just a game. That tomorrow, we’ll be back to plotting escape routes and lying to everyone we know.
I toss Will a wave over my shoulder as Ares starts steering me toward the exit, leaning down to murmur in my ear again, voicelow and full of mischief. “So, are we really heading home, or did you wanna check out the back alley first?”
I choke on a laugh, elbowing him in the ribs. “What is it with you and public indecency?”
“Kinda thought that was your thing,” he drawls, hand tightening on my waist as he flashes me a grin. “Among others.”
“Stop,” I warn, even as a traitorous smile tugs at my mouth.
A chuckle rumbles in his chest as he pulls me in tighter until my side is flush against his. His lips skim my temple, all heat and intent. “If you really wanted me to stop,” he murmurs, “your delivery would need to be a hell of a lot more convincing than that, babe.”
I shoot him a mock-glare, not bothering to respond. Because we both know I don’t want him to stop, and I’m officially done pretending otherwise.
Twenty minutes later, we’re stumbling into our apartment like a pair of drunk teenagers, Ares quickly locking the door to seal us inside. The solid thud of the deadbolt sliding into place signals that we’re finally alone– no more prying eyes, no more putting on a show for the pack. It’s just us.
Not that Ares seems to notice the difference.
His hands are still on me, fingertips skating across my lower back, tracing the waistband of my skirt. I manage to slip out of his grip just long enough to toe off my heels and set down my purse, but then he’s right behind me, arms caging me against the wall as I flick on the lights.
“What are you doing?” I ask breathily, glancing over my shoulder to meet his gaze.
He leans in close, the heat of his body wrapping around me and the fire in his eyes threatening to set me ablaze. His mouth curves with the kind of confidence that should be illegal as he replies, “You know.”
Oh, Ido. All too well.
