Page 357 of The First Taste
And then I pull away, my chest heaving, pushing her back a step.
“What the fuck?” I ask. “No. That’s not… I shouldn’t bekissingye.”
I catch a glimpse of her face. She wipes her lips and looks at me out of the corner of her eyes, bewildered. Her expression slips into a careful mask, giving nothing away. She watches as I redress, buttoning my shirt and yanking my pants up my legs.
I clear my throat, feeling that it is stuffed full of that same dark, needy, unnamed tangle of emotions. Persephone pushes out her bottom lip and considers me after I get my shoes on.
“Hades.”
I glance up at her, a sigh on my lips. “Aye.”
“Thank you for…” She gestures, looking for the right word. “Trusting me. To touch your back, I mean.”
I shoot her a tiny glare. “I dinnae trust ye, Persephone. I dinnae trust any woman. Ye all lie. Ye all manipulate. Ye all act innocent when ye know yer at fault.” I finish tying my shoe and rise, pulling myself to my full height, stepping toward her. I stand over her, making myself the dominant one once more.
I pin her to the spot with only my prickly stare. “Ye just happened to walk out here at the right time.”
She looks up at me, swallowing thickly. Showing signs of nervousness, which is just what I wanted. Her mouth twists with a mote of displeasure.
“I see you, Hades. It’s taken me a while, but I can make out your angles and corners now. Don’t think I haven’t seen you looking at me with a longing expression when you think I’m not paying attention.”
My answer is a derisive huff of laughter. “I haven’t been longing for anyone. I dinnae long.”
The tiniest smirk crosses her expressive mouth. “I’ve got your number.”
Rolling my eyes, I shoot her a final glare. Then I bump her shoulder with mine as I stalk back toward the house.
Persephone
“Where are your brothers?” I shade my eyes and pin Hades with a look.
He squints across the water. “They are catching a plane to London, I think.”
“Ah. So where are we going?” I ask, squinting into the bright midday sun. Usually with the sun comes heat, but not right now.
No, the breeze coming off the water is actually pretty brisk, no matter how bright it may be. We are on an incredible glittering mega-yacht, cruising steadily away from land. The island is somewhere behind us now, almost out of sight.
We’ve been on board for a couple of hours, each luxuriating in the privacy that the yacht affords its extremely wealthy clientele. Everything I have laid eyes on so far is teak and marble, accented with what I’m fairly certain is real gold. I counted eight fully made up, pristine king sized beds in eight gleaming bedrooms. Each one has its own full bathroom, too. I’m talking marble soaking tub, curtains drawn back to show off the ocean view, and gold-finished fixtures everywhere I look.
There must be so few people in the world who can afford to travel in this sort of… extravagantluxury. Perhaps Hades is even richer than I thought. That, or he knows someone who just has a ship like this lying around.
I grew up solidly wedged in the middle class. The product of a flighty, at times manic painter and a stoic, married local politician who carried on an affair discreetly for almost fifteen years. My brother and I were kept quietly out of the way; everything was provided for us and in return, we took my mother’s surname of Corbin.
So, the view from the top deck of this freaking ship? It is honestly breathtaking.
Hades turns from the railing, eyeing me. “We have a plane to catch in a few hours.”
I shoot him a glare, sipping the drink that the waitress brought me. “That doesn’t even vaguely answer my question.”
He cocks his head, his gaze cool and calculating. Ever since he left me on the beach a few days ago, he has been distant.
Cold, even.
I can only think of his hot mouth pressing against my lips, his tongue stroking mine firmly. The little growl of satisfaction that buzzed in his chest and excited me like nothing ever has before.
Adding all of that to how he’s been behaving only makes me feel confused, honestly. My cheeks burn faintly as I feel his disdainful stare.
He quirks a brow. “We’re heading to Valencia.”
