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Interesting.

Her fingers trailed down his chest, trying to get a feel for the muscles through his clothing.

She’d seen them last night, seen how flat and fascinating his abdomen was. How it had rippled with muscle as he’d moved.

Her hand strayed lower, almost moving between them, to where his enormous erection

cradled against her sex. She wasn’t looking at him—wouldn’t look him in the eye—but she was curious if he’d remain calm beneath her if she touched him there.

And if she was honest with herself, she really, really wanted to touch him and explore what his cock felt like.

So she did. It overflowed her hand. She wrapped her fingers around the girth, trying to determine how big it was. Underneath her, his breathing was harsh, but he said nothing. He didn’t move, either.

She could explore him however she wanted, then. He wasn’t lying to her. For some reason, that made her like him very, very much. A smile curved Rose’s mouth and she gave him a shy look, meeting his gaze for the first time since she’d climbed onto him.

The look in his eyes was intense. Hot need and possession were there, so fierce that it took her breath away and made her wet between her legs.

She couldn’t help but ask. “Does it feel good when I touch you there?”

His gaze fell to her mouth again, as if he wanted to kiss her fiercely. “More than anything.”

Her hand caressed him through the thick fabric of his robes. “It felt good when I touched myself,” she told him with a shy voice. “I think you liked it, too.”

“I did. There is an entire world of pleasure to explore if you stay with me.”

For a moment, she wanted this quite fiercely. She reveled in these freedoms that he gave her.

In the decadent nature he was showing her. In the hot intensity of his gaze. And though she was a captive in his world, she had more freedom with him than she did above ground, under

Demeter’s thumb.

But these were things she was not allowed to have. Not yet. She had to find that stupid flower for Muffin. And even if she wanted to stay with him… she couldn’t. The goddess of spring could not remain with the lord of the underworld. They were not compatible.

But… he could show her things while she was here. They could have a little fun exploring each other.

Rose leaned in, ever so slightly brushing her lips over his in the barest graze of a kiss. She trembled with anticipation, but he only parted his lips against hers, allowing her to lead.

That was… disappointing, in a sense. Was he not going to kiss her back? Did people on this plane kiss differently? Was she doing it wrong? She didn’t know what to do.

So she pressed another chaste kiss on his mouth and then sighed. “I have you at my mercy and I don’t know what to do with you.” She tilted her head, studying him. “It would be more fun if you would participate.”

“I’m holding myself back for your sake.” His voice definitely sounded quite strained.

She brushed her fingers over his lips and said softly, “Don’t hold back.”

Arms wrapped around her waist suddenly. Lips crushed to hers and she almost gasped in surprise, except that his tongue stroked against her mouth. Startled at the sensation, Rose stiffened, only to feel his tongue against her lips again, as if trying to coax them apart. Her nipples tightened in response. and she wondered what would happen if she parted her lips for him.

So she did.

His tongue swept into her mouth, stroking deep in a motion that made her ache between her legs. Her pulse seemed to throb there and she moved her hips, feeling the oddest need to rock them.

He groaned against her mouth, his lips on hers, and his tongue stroked against hers again.

This time, when he stroked into her mouth, his hips rose on the chair, bucking up against the vee of her sex, and it caused a jolt of pleasure to course through her. Oh, gods above, but that had felt too good.

She whimpered.

“Persephone,” he rasped, sucking at her lower lip. “Ah, gods, you’re so sweet.”

She leaned into his kiss, transfixed by his mouth against her own. It was drugging, this kissing. And the way he rocked and bucked against the vee of her sex, it made her feel all tense and edgy like she had last night when she was touching herself.

And he was doing this to her this time. And it felt more intense than last night, even. She wanted more.

When he thrust up against her again, she rubbed her breasts against his chest, enjoying the way the fabric felt against her nipples. They ached, they were so tight. Her hips were constantly rocking now, along with his, and she slid up and down in his lap, rubbing against the thick length of him.

His hand moved to her breast, cupping it, and she gasped against his mouth at the sensation.

Pleasure coursed through her, the intensity becoming almost too much to bear. “Hades,” she breathed. “I—”

“Say my name again,” he commanded her.

Hips rocking against him, she breathed the word against his mouth. “Hades.”

His fingers skimmed her nipple and she cried out. That had felt incredible. Her sex felt hot, her legs tight, and she needed something. She was close, too. She whimpered again, hoping he’d understand her distress.

“Kiss me back, Persephone,” he told her, his thumb circling her nipple.

She wished it was her name he spoke. “Call me Rose.”

“You are a lovely flower,” he told her. “My beautiful rose.”

Close enough. Rose wrapped her hands around the back of his neck and pulled his mouth to hers, her lips parting against his like he’d shown her. Her tongue stroked into his mouth tentatively, almost delicately, and was rewarded by his tongue rubbing up against her own.

Just like his thumb continued to rub against her nipple and his hips rocked against her sex.

She cried out, so close to what she needed, and his thrusting grew fiercer, his other hand locking on one of her thighs and forcing her down harder against him. She could feel every inch of his cock outlined through the now-wet fabric, damp from the oil on her skin and the slickness of her sex. And he was pushing at her, rubbing up and down against her sex, and all the while, his thumb continued to stroke and circle her nipple, teasing the aching peak beyond bearing.

And it exploded within her. Her entire body quivered, her sex clenching, her thighs gripping him tightly. It seemed to go on forever, this intense burst of pleasure, and her eyes nearly rolled back in her head with the ecstasy of it all.

“That’s it, lovely Persephone. Come for me. I can feel your body shaking with need. Gods, you’re gorgeous.”

She clung to him, making small whimpering noises until the intensity faded, and she was left straddling his lap, panting and exhausted.

And wrung out with pleasure.

He kissed her mouth lightly, his tongue just barely teasing at her lips. “Did you enjoy yourself?”

She nodded, not trusting her voice. Enjoyment was an understatement. That had been…

shattering.

“I would show you everything if you would stay with me, Persephone,” Hades promised her in soft words, lips moving against her own. Kisses mixed with his whisper. “Together we would explore pleasure every night and every day. You would make this kingdom of mine worth being in if you were at my side.”

Again, she felt that odd twinge of envy. She couldn’t stay. But what would it be like if she could? Would she truly be lavished with attention like this every day by him? Would it be just as enjoyable after the newness had worn off?

She gazed at him, his mouth wet from her kisses. His dark gaze was just as possessive as ever and filled her with the same thrill.

Yes, she suspected. Life with Hades would never be dull or routine.

And for a moment, she wished some other woman was the goddess of spring so she could

stay here in the underworld and accept what he offered her.

But she slid from his lap and picked up her discarded shawl. “I should bathe.”

Rose was sleeping on her couch when she heard her name called.

“Rose! Rose! Hello? Is there anyone there? Is this thing on? Hellooo?”

She bolted upright on the couch and stared blearily at the muted light in her room. Water trickled from a nearby fountain set in the stone wall, the sound soothing and relaxing. That was the only sound in the otherwise empty room. Had she imagined it? She stood, adjusting the modest hem of her chiton, covering both breasts. “Hello?”

“Over here, in the water.” Something bubbled and sounded suspiciously like Muffin.

She raced over to the fountain’s edge and gasped at the sight of her fairy godmother’s face reflected in the pool. “Muffin!”

“Oh, thank heavens.” The reflection on the water fanned herself. “For a minute there, I thought you were in another coma. You sleep like the dead, girl! No pun intended.”

Rose skimmed a finger over the surface of the water curiously. “What are you doing in my fountain?”

“I can’t come to the underworld, dingdong. Why else would I send you to get a flower?” The face in the water wavered into something that looked like a grimace but was probably a smile.

“How are things going?”

“Well, I’ve been kidnapped—”

“Right on schedule.”

Rose glared down at the fountain. “You could have told me about that.”

“What, you didn’t read up on your Greek mythology when you were in high school? Not my fault you’re illiterate.”

She sighed, tempted to splash the reflection away. “Gee, thanks.”

“Any luck with that flower? You don’t have much time. A week, maybe less.”

“A week? That’s it?”

“Are you eating or drinking anything down here? How long do you think you’ll last

without?”

“Good point. But I haven’t seen a single flower here in the underworld. I don’t know that they grow here. There’s no sunlight.”

“There’s only one kind of flower that grows in the underworld,” Muffin told her. “It’s a manifestation of Hades’s power. All the Titans have one.”

“They do?” She hadn’t known that. “What about me?”

“You’re not part Titan. They’d be too dominant if they internalized all their magic. It has to be stored somewhere, so they have secret objects that store and hold power for them until it’s needed.”

“Even Zeus?”

“I’m told Zeus has a field of lightning bugs hidden away somewhere on Olympus. Each of them carries a piece of his magic, just like the night flowers carry a piece of Hades’s power.”

And so this flower that she was stealing wasn’t an ordinary flower. “So basically you want me to steal some of Hades’s magic from him? Is that what this is?”

“Bingo. You got a problem with that, kid? ’Cause I can pull the plug at any time—”

“No, no,” Rose said hastily. “Where’s he keeping these flowers, then?”

“Probably in his chamber. They’re usually tightly guarded. Probably some sort of magical hexes or something guarding them. I think Hades has a witch or two on the payroll.”

“So I have to get to his chamber.” That wouldn’t be too hard. He was hell-bent on seducing her.

And, gods help her, she thought of his hands on her and desperately wanted that seduction.

“I’ll see what I can do, Muffin.”

“Good. You get that flower and bring it to me on the surface.”

“On the surface?”

“Hello, dummy.” The water splashed her in the face and Rose gasped, wiping her eyes.

“What part of ‘I’m in the fountain because I can’t go to the underworld’ was hard to

understand?”

“You’re kind of rude for a fairy godmother.”

“Quit being so dense, then, and just get the flower! I have a tight schedule.” The water wavered and the reflection disappeared.

Rose sighed. This was feeling more and more like a devil’s bargain. What would Hades think when she stole from him and then disappeared?

It wouldn’t be anything good.

~*~

She was coming around to him. This pleased Hades, almost as much as it made him yearn for her.

Persephone would be his. He would not think otherwise.

He knew that the stubborn goddess had not eaten or drunk anything since he’d abducted her.

Every day, he had servants bring her food and wine. Every day, they were returned, untouched.

She was clever enough to know that partaking of the underworld meant she could never leave.

And it was obvious to him that Persephone still intended to leave.

This frustrated him.

He could not keep her here forever, not if she was determined to starve. The human half of her had not shown any frailty yet, but how long could she last with no food and no drink in her?

It would destroy a human. He did not want Persephone hurt.

Not when she was starting to respond so sweetly to him.

She still amazed him at every turn. It was like his Persephone had a complete change of heart. A change of heart that made her lush and seductive… and fascinated by him.

Hades was still hard thinking of the night before when she’d entered the judgment hall, seeking him out. Her tanned skin had been oiled from her massage, the barest hint of a flush on her cheeks. Not a flush of embarrassment at her half-clothed state, but of desire. And she’d climbed atop him and rocked herself to orgasm.

That had only intensified his need for her. That she wasn’t afraid of him was incredible. That she was so unabashed in her sexuality was tantalizing. He knew Demeter had tried to stamp out her daughter’s sensual nature. She’d been such a timid creature before. He’d barely thought of her, and when he’d looked in her direction, she’d cringed away from him as if he were repulsive.

His Persephone wasn’t that meek, frightened creature of Demeter’s. He didn’t know what had changed, but he liked it. She was bold now, different. She took to pleasure with an almost ferocious hunger.

She would make an amazing queen. An incredible partner for him. He wanted no other at his side.

Tonight, then, he’d have to show Persephone everything that he could offer her. And if she declined him, if she would not bend, he’d have to consider sending her home.

And the thought made his fists clench.

~*~

Hades sent a servant to her that evening with a message—her presence had been requested by the lord of the underworld, who had a surprise to show her.