The Mammoth Book of Hot Romance Page 16

  “You’ve left your old law firm and struck out on your own.”

  It wasn’t a question but she answered him anyway. “Yeah, I did. After you left, I threw myself into my work. When the Anderson case was done, I expected a promoton. Instead, the new son-in-law of one of my bosses got promoted. I got a pat on the head. I realized then I’d given up any semblance of a life for nothing. They were never going to promote me. I quit and started my own firm. But you already know that.” She pushed back and gave him a questioning look.

  “Don’t blame Joyce. I called her and begged when you didn’t return my calls. It took a while, but she finally started giving me updates about how you were doing.”

  Audra was stunned. All this time, Tyson had been asking about her. “I don’t understand.”

  He rubbed his hands over her arms and cupped her shoulders, easing the tension from her limbs. “Easy, babe. I finished my contract with my company and have gone freelance. From now on, I decide which contracts I take and where.” He paused and cupped her face with his hands, staring deeply into her eyes. “That is, we will. If you’ll give me another chance.”

  Her heart jumped and happiness soared. But it was quickly dampened by reality. They hadn’t made it before, so what made him think they could make it now? She hadn’t realized she’d voiced her concerns aloud until he answered her.

  “I’ve lived this past eight months without you, babe, and nothing is worth that. I missed you every single day and every long, miserable night.” His dark eyes were steady as he continued. “We’ve both changed these past months. I know what I want and am willing to do whatever it takes to make it work.”

  “I am too. Oh, Tyson. I missed you. So much.” She captured his face with her hands and held him as she peppered his forehead, cheeks and chin with kisses. “When everything fell apart at the firm and I was left with nothing, I finally understood what really mattered. But it was too late.”

  He shifted and she noticed his erection was growing harder with each passing second. She squirmed and they both moaned. No doubt about it. All Tyson had to do was breathe to turn her on. But it went much deeper than that.

  Taking a deep breath, she threw caution to the wind. “I love you. I never said it before because I was holding back. Protecting myself. Maybe if I had said it then, things might have been different.”

  He gave her a sad smile. “Maybe we weren’t ready then. But we are now.” He found her hands and held them, locking their fingers together so their palms were touching. “Marry me, Audra.”

  Stunned, all she could do was stare at him, her mouth wide open.

  “I love you and I want to spend the rest of my life with you.”

  Hope and happiness bubbled up inside her, cracking through the hard, cynical shell she’d been building ever since he’d left. Did she dare take a chance? Did she really have a choice?

  “Yes,” she whispered, barely able to believe she was actually agreeing to marry Tyson. Less than twelve hours ago, she’d been trying to get over him. After tonight, she knew that would never happen. He was the man for her.

  “Can you handle being married to a lawyer who works long hours?” She was still building her own practice and knew it would be a while before things settled down to anything resembling a normal schedule. “I promise to have at least several nights a week totally free.” That was very different from when they were together before.

  “As long as you come home to me.” He chuckled. “I figure if we’re married and living together, we’ll at least see one another in bed at night.” He sobered. “Can you handle me travelling from time to time? It won’t be as far away or for as long as I used to.”

  She smiled at him, feeling her entire body heating, as she mimicked his words. “As long as you come home to me.”

  “That’s a promiseBute kissed her then, a deep passionate embrace that was steeped with all the loneliness of the lost months. Tongues twined, teeth clinked and deep moans echoed in the room. He cupped the back of her head with his broad palm, tilting it to the left so he could get better access to her mouth.

  His shaft swelled inside her, filling her core. She lifted up on her knees and slowly lowered herself over his thick shaft. He cocked an eyebrow at her. “Again?”

  She gave him a sexy smile. “Again and again and again.”

  Tyson threw back his head and laughed. “Never let it be said that I wouldn’t satisfy a lady.” His hands closed over her breasts. “My lady.” Leaning down, he lapped at her distended nipples, wringing a whimper of pleasure from her.

  “Oh yeah,” he encouraged. “Moan for me again, babe. Move over me. Take whatever you want, whatever you need.” His low, husky voice sent shivers from the roots of her hair to the tips of her toes. And she did as he asked.

  Taking control, she moved over him with a sensual roll of her hips as he continued to pleasure her breasts. He nipped and licked and sucked at her sensitive nipples before sliding a hand between her spread thighs and finding the little bud of nerves at the apex. He stimulated and petted her clit until she was writhing with need.

  His cock pulsed hard and hot inside her. She felt his shaft quiver and thicken. Knew they were both close. Audra squeezed her inner muscles tight, flexing around his thick length. He yelled her name and she felt the hot flood of his release. It set off her own orgasm, not as explosive as the last one, but somehow more fulfilling.

  She slumped against his chest and they both lay there for a long time. When she tried to sit up, it took some effort. Their skin was stuck together with sweat. Tyson laughed and lifted her off him before hoisting her into his arms and carrying her towards the bathroom.

  Audra wrapped her arms around his neck and smiled, feeling happier than she had in a long time. Second chances didn’t always happen. They were lucky to have gotten one. Or maybe luck had nothing to do with it. Tyson had obviously worked hard to make this happen. He’d always been determined and focused when he wanted something. That was just one of the many things she loved about him.

  And to think she’d almost said no to Joyce. “What would you have done if I’d said no to the blind date?”

  Tyson paused just inside the bathroom door. “You wouldn’t have gotten away from me that easily. I probably would have showed up at your front door and begged you to talk to me.”

  She snorted. Somehow she couldn’t imagine Tyson begging and told him so.

  He set her down on the counter and began to run a bath. “Don’t kid yourself. I was desperate.”

  Any lingering concerns she had quieted. They’d both made mistakes and were ready to do what it took to make their relationship work. She smiled as he sauntered over to her. Every time she looked at him, she was seduced anew by his dark good looks. No doubt about it, her man was a hottie. But it was what was inside him that made the difference.

  She linked her arms around his neck and dropped a quick kiss on his sexy mouth. “You can tell me how you would have grovelled while we take a bath.”

  He scooped her into his arms and carried her to the tub. He stepped inside and sat with her still in his arms. “I can think of better things to do.”

  She reached down between his legs and gave his testicles a squeeze. “I think I can too.”

  Hell’s Fury

  Jackie Kessler

  With all that power, Alecto murmured in my mind, you’d think the Light Bringer would be taller.

  Or brighter, said Tisiphone.

  My sisters were both crazy, but I made sure not to share that thought. Alecto equated strength with physical presence, but Lucifer Morningstar didn’t need to tower over others to prove he was one of the most powerful entities in all Creation. And whether Tisiphone was speaking of Lucifer’s luminescence or his intelligence, it didn’t matter – she was wrong.

  He was perfect.

  I slid my gaze his way, once again drinking in his form – first, the obsidian darkness of his thick hair, begging for me to run my fingers through it. Next, his spring-green eyes, which
were narrowed as they focused on my liege lord. And then, his lips, which would have been sensually full if not for the way they were pressing together into a firm line, as if to trap words from escaping his tongue. Such tethered emotion; such careful restraint. Oh yes, this was a creature who knew the importance of patience. Considering that he could destroy most everyone in the room, that was extremely impressive.

  Not that the other beings gathered here would ever admit such a thing – they all believed they were omnipotent. Gods tended to be deluded that way.

  It had been quite the surprise to find that the Light Bringer had managed to persuade so many deities to come to Hell to negotiate treaty terms. It’s difficult to get members of different pantheons together even for celebrations; there’s simply too much rivalry among them for the gods to tolerate one another’s presence. Humans may be fruitful and multiply until they fill the world, but there’s only so much belief to go around – and a god without believers is nothing more than a name forgotten. To have two different pantheon members together in the same place takes quite the feat. Three is rarer than a phoenix. Four is all but unheard of.

  More than twenty is unthinkable … and yet, here we were, representatives of various pantheons, from the Aztecs to the Zoroastrians and nearly everyone in between, in a large room deep within the Light Bringer’s palace in Hell. Somehow, Lucifer Morningstar had convinced them all to come in person, to discuss Jehovah’s proposed treaty. Lucifer had to have a honeyed tongue to accomplish such a thing; gods were notoriously difficult to persuade.

  Yes, a honeyed tongue, a silken voice, piercing eyes …

  My heartbeat quickened, and I forced myself to tear my gaze away from Lucifer. Pay attention, Megaera.

  But really, if you’ve heard one deity pontificate, you’ve heard them all. Gods were all the same – in attitude, certainly, even if their physical forms were different. They all had dressed to impress, and so they sat in their finery, attempting to be regal in their high-backed chairs, around a massive table in the centre of the room. Along with the numerous divinities, their various entourages stood sentry, or sat beside them, or sprawled at their feet, whispering and cooing and stroking them, as if they couldn’t get enough of their patron gods. As if they were lost without their touch.

  Idiots. The only reason gods needed so many hangers-on was to look more important than they actually were.

  Once again, I glanced at Lucifer. Although there were a handful of servants scattered through the chamber, Lucifer himself had no attendants. What was more, the Light Bringer was the sole representative of Jehovah’s pantheon; no other so-called archangels sat by his side, and no demons capered behind him, waiting on his commands. He clearly felt no need to display his might, here in the heart of his power.

  Or maybe he just didn’t care about such things. The ght made me smile.

  Utter nonsense, of course. He had to be just as arrogant as the other deities in the room; you didn’t challenge your patron god, as he was rumoured to have done, without being a pompous ass. Still, I rather liked the notion that Lucifer felt no need to have his people fawning over him as he led the treaty negotiations.

  I rather liked him, arrogance and all.

  My liege lord’s voice grew louder, until it was all but thundering in the large chamber. I checked myself from rolling my eyes. As usual, Zeus was overly dramatic. At least his breath didn’t reek of fermented grapes. (He wasn’t half as clever as he believed himself to be, and was more of a drunkard than was polite to acknowledge.) As far as gods went, Zeus wasn’t horrible; he appreciated the importance of vengeance, and he wasn’t a bad lover. (Usually.) What more could one such as I ask? Other than he not confuse me for one of my sisters, that is?

  Stop that, Megaera. Don’t complain about what you cannot change.

  I schooled my face to impassive blankness as Zeus prattled on. And on. And I stole glances at the King of Hell.

  From the little I could see of his body, which was swathed in an emerald toga, Lucifer was strongly built. More than the muscles of his neck and shoulders and arms, though, it was his skin that fascinated me. Given his title – which he still claimed, even though he no longer brought light to Jehovah’s Heaven – I would have thought his flesh to be like alabaster, possibly even golden. Instead, Lucifer’s skin was darker, swarthier … similar to my own. Though he sat in his chair with his back straight and his hands folded over the ends of the armrests, there was a restless energy about him, as if he couldn’t wait to move.

  I imagined him moving sinuously on a bed of pillows, the hem of his toga slowly riding up his thighs. And I imagined my hands on his thighs, stroking, working their way up to reach for what lay beneath his toga …

  Uh-oh, Alecto said. Megaera’s got that look.

  She does, Tisiphone agreed. Tell us, Meg. Which godling has drawn your attention?

  I bet it’s Thor, said Alecto.

  Oh, please, I said, flitting my glance to the Norse god. Thor thinks he’s skilled because he knows how to swing his mallet. If I want a thunder god, I’ll stick with Zeus. At least he knows how to plant his lightning rod.

  That made my sisters giggle. Our liege lord frowned at us, but he didn’t break from his painfully long speech. He simply couldn’t; once he stopped speaking, he would have effectively yielded the floor, and then it would be another god’s turn to explain to everyone why Jehovah’s bold proposal was insane.

  Then who? Alecto asked. Maybe Seth?

  I know! Tisiphone said. Yu-huang!

  No god of storm or sky, I insisted, shifting my gaze back to Lucifer.

  At that moment, the Morningstar looked over at us – no, at me. His green eyes flashed, perhaps due to wicked thoughts. I held his gaze, letting him know with only my eyes that I wanted to bed him right there in front of everyone. The corner of his mouth twitched almost imperceptibly before he glanced away.

  Had that been a hint of a smile? What would it take to make that smile bloom properly?

  Oh, Meg, squealed Tisiphone. Not the Light Bringer!

  I’ve heard he’s got some mortal woman, said Alecto. He turned her into a demon just so he could have her.

  Tisiphone snorted. So? As if our liege lord has never transformed human women when it suited him. Remember Io?

  He outh tw did that because he was afraid of Hera catching him, said Alecto.

  Which she did, anyway, Tisiphone replied with a shrug. So what if Lucifer has another woman?

  I had to agree; creatures like us didn’t worry about things like monogamy. Choosing to be with one lover for the rest of one’s existence? Why would eternal creatures limit themselves in such a way? Especially when gods were so fickle? And their talent beneath the covers so very limited?

  As my sisters gossiped about the Light Bringer, Zeus was finally getting to the point of his painfully long speech. My liege lord had just taken credit for bringing fire to humans, even though everyone knew that to be a lie – it was Prometheus who had stolen fire from Olympus to gift it to the hapless (and cold) mortals. But then, Zeus wasn’t ruler of his pantheon for nothing; no good deed went uncredited to him.

  Even when I brought him to orgasm, he acted like it was all his own doing.

  Lucifer looked like he wanted to say something – emotions flashed behind his green eyes, and his jaw clenched. Even so, he kept his mouth firmly closed. I had a sudden urge to kiss that mouth, to feel his lips on mine, to see if I could make him forget such restraint.

  As I pictured Lucifer’s tongue darting against mine, Zeus finally made his play. It was not enough to tell the gathering of deities why he disagreed with Jehovah’s proposition; Zeus aimed to become the new god of gods. He’d confided his plan to me before we’d travelled to Hell – locked in his embrace, smelling the sweat on his skin and old wine on his breath, I’d listened as he told me he’d convince everyone to bow to the Greek pantheon. I’d smiled blandly then, even as he’d called me “Alecto” … even as my sisters and I smiled now, as Zeus motioned to the
three of us standing deferentially behind him.

  Only the dim-witted entities in the room failed to understand what Zeus was actually saying: they must support Zeus as the Almighty – the one God above all other gods – or he would unleash we three Furies upon them.

  My sisters and I, ever the loyal pets, kept smiling.

  Gods usually don’t take well to being threatened. But then, most gods can smite the ones that threaten them without thinking twice about it. Only a bare handful of creatures were strong enough to destroy me or one of my sisters; none was strong enough to destroy all three of us. So no one challenged Zeus on the spot in answer to his arrogance.

  Disappointing. But not unexpected. Gods could turn self-preservation into an art form.

  Megaera, Alecto hissed. Keep smiling.

  Of course. I wasn’t allowed to show anyone how I truly felt. I smiled until my cheeks burned.

  Some of the entities in the chamber attempted to ignore us. Others, such as Quetzalcoatl and Brahma, appeared bored. Very few were openly afraid – in the Egyptian section, the cat goddess Bast stared wide-eyed at us, her fur puffed out. The other divinities, though, pretended that my sisters and I were nothing more than servants. Gods tended to wear pride like pearls, so the casual contempt in their eyes was almost innate – they were gods, after all, and used to being worshipped. They didn’t like reminders that they weren’t the strongest creatures in all existence.

  In that way, they were similar to humans. But mortals had a healthy respect for my sisters and me, even if they were completely terrified of us. Gods? They didn’t respect anyone, anything, other than themselves. Gods were self-interest personified. They disgusted me.

  I’ll have sex with them when I want to. And I’ll serve them when I have to. But I’ll never respect them, or consider them my equal. Certainly not my liege lord, whom my sisters and I were bound to for all eternity. Zeus might hold my loyalty, but no god could ever hold my heart.

  I darted a glance once again at Lucifer. He was no mere god, and not simply because he called himself an archangel. His power, like that of the divinity he served, was almost unrivalled. Surely, even one as powerful as the Light Bringer had a god’s shortcomings: arrogance, pettiness, depravity.