Mortal Temptations Read online

  She remembered stupidly telling him she loved him after the first time, but she did not want to take the words back. Even if the feelings didn’t turn out to be real, they were real enough now.

  She touched Nico’s face, loving the strength of him. He didn’t wake, didn’t even stir in his sleep. His body was relaxed, wings still, feathers warm.

  She heard a growl. “Nice.”

  Patricia looked up to see Andreas standing over them, gazing at the pair of them in approval. He was dressed in jeans, his hair wet as though he’d just finished a shower. He smelled of soap and shampoo, and his feet were bare.

  Nico’s eyes slid open, but he said nothing and didn’t move. Andreas laid his hand on Patricia’s ankle, then smoothed his way up her leg to her thigh.

  “What are you doing?” she croaked.

  Andreas’s grin widened. “What you want me to do.”

  “I don’t want you to do anything. I thought you were out looking for Dyons.”

  Andreas parked himself on the edge of the bed and rested his hand on her sheet-covered hip. “Patricia, I wouldn’t be here if you didn’t want it.” He touched the chain around his neck. “You start wanting me, I respond. That’s the way it works.”

  Patricia remembered Nico’s look as he wove his fingers together. “Tangled,” he’d said.

  Nico lay quietly beside her, his arm heavy on her abdomen, waiting to see what she’d do.

  “The solution is simple,” she said to Andreas. “I’ll tell you to go away. If you have to be my slave, then this is what I’ll ask for: you in another room.”

  “It doesn’t work quite that way. You crave the greatest pleasure. Now I crave to give it to you. You can’t tell me you haven’t been looking at me and wanting me inside you.”

  Patricia wanted to deny his accusation, to tell him to get out, but she fell silent. She knew she’d been fantasizing, in the back of her mind, about him doing more to her. Nico had told her that last night.

  “I don’t know what I really want.” She propped herself up on her elbow and looked at Andreas. “I don’t know.”

  “Go ahead, Patricia.” Nico said from beside her. “This is what we’re here for. To indulge your fantasies.” His eyes were warm.

  “I meant what I said before. That I—”

  Nico’s finger on her lips stopped the words. “This isn’t about what you said before. This is what I am here for, why I’m bound to you.” He smiled a little. “I’m not worried you’re going to run off with him or anything.”

  “He likes to insult me,” Andreas said. “He thinks he’s so subtle I don’t understand.”

  Nico ignored him. He stroked Patricia’s hair, waiting for her to make her decision. Something stirred in her belly, a dark excitement she’d never experienced.

  “Damn,” she whispered.

  She lowered the sheet from her body. Andreas grinned, his smile hot and wide. He stood up and shoved off his pants, revealing his tall, naked body and very needy cock.

  Nico’s expression remained controlled, but she sensed his growing excitement.

  “Let me see you, too,” she begged.

  Without changing expression, Nico shoved the rest of the covers from the bed, revealing his strong, thick cock standing up from a thatch of black hair.

  Andreas’s was a little longer and a little less thick, his hair dark. He held himself, lifting to her, showing off for her.

  He caught up the lube Nico had left on the nightstand and squeezed a bit into his hand. He rubbed it on his erection, stroking up and down until he glistened and gleamed.

  He poured more on his fingers and gently rolled Patricia onto her stomach. She hugged the pillow, her face in the warmth of the blankets. Air hissed through her teeth when she felt the cool of the lube against her anal star.

  “You ever done this before?” Andreas asked.

  “Not that.”

  Nico chuckled. “Well, there’s a first time for everything.”

  Andreas’s skilled fingers smeared the lube over her star, then began to press her gently, relaxing her. Patricia had never had anyone touch her there before, and she had no idea what to do.

  Nico got out of bed and came around to stand beside her. “Look at me,” he told her. “Enjoy looking at me and let him get you ready.”

  She did enjoy looking at Nico, and this view was particularly nice. His hair curled crisply at the base of his penis, the organ jutting out dark and dull red. She loved it.

  She felt herself relax and open, then Andreas slowly slid a finger inside.

  She gasped and tensed, but as he worked his finger around, she suddenly grew warm all over. She found herself relaxing, feeling herself opening to him.

  Andreas didn’t rush her. She kept gazing at Nico, taking in not only his penis but all of him, a tall, powerful man. His hips were narrow, his thighs strong, his hands large and sinewy, fingers brushed with wiry black hair.

  “Why not feathers?” she asked in a dreamy voice as Andreas filled her with a second finger.

  Nico looked bemused. “What?”

  “You have wings. Why do you have hair instead of feathers?”

  “Because I’m only half a winged creature. I don’t even look like this when I’m with the gods at Olympus. But I can exist in the human world like this, with part of my otherworld self that I can hide if I need to.”

  She remembered the incredible light that surrounded him when he’d rescued her from the Dyons, the divine power shining from him. Would she be able to see his true form at all, and would she understand that it was Nico? She wasn’t sure. She liked him as he was, a gorgeous man with wings.

  Andreas’s hands warmed her buttocks, squeezing them gently, then parting them. She’d taken two of his fingers, and now she felt the soft bluntness of his cock.

  She moaned, sure she couldn’t do this. Fingers were one thing, but Andreas was huge.

  “It’s all right,” Nico whispered. He brushed back her hair, his fingers warm and gentle.

  Behind her Andreas pushed the slightest bit in. His hot weight covered her back, his cock so big and pulsing that she cried out.

  “Shh,” they both said at the same time. Nico stroked her hair, and Andreas pressed quiet kisses to her spine.

  “I want you.” Patricia reached for Nico and pulled him to her by his cock. He came willingly, bumping his tip against her mouth.

  “That’s it, sweetheart,” Nico breathed. “Suck me while you let Andreas in.”

  She resisted one last instant, then suddenly her body relaxed. Nico slid into her mouth while Andreas entered her ass.

  She gasped with joy and found her mouth full of Nico. She suckled him, reveling in the unique taste of him, the feeling of his pulse beating under her tongue.

  Andreas filled her. His cock was just as huge as Nico’s, and she imagined her ass welcoming him as much as her quim had welcomed Nico last night. Andreas stretched and warmed her, her hips moving of their own accord to accommodate him.

  Andreas leaned to her, his arms coming down on either side of her to enclose her against his body. His chest was damp with sweat and his shower, his hair dripping to her back.

  It felt so . . . different. She shivered but was hot, wanted to scream and yet wanted to enjoy in silence.

  She nearly did scream when Andreas pumped once.

  It felt as good as regular sex, and then again, better—no, not better, different. It was warm and loving, hot and exciting. She wanted to thrust her hips back at Andreas, have him ride her fast and hard, and at the same time she loved the feel of him simply inside her.

  Nico groaned softly, and she realized she was suckling him with all her might. His hands curled, one coming up to play with her hair.

  “She’s tight,” Andreas said. “She’s so fucking damn tight.”

  “Do her,” Nico urged. “Pump her.”

  Patricia didn’t know whether to cry yes or no. Andreas laughed, a feral sound, and suddenly he was riding her as she longed him to, his cock sli
ding in and out of her, the lube and her eagerness smoothing the way.

  She realized a long time later how much he could have hurt her. He was a strong man, and he could have taken what he liked no matter what she felt.

  But Andreas didn’t. He slid in and out, going hard and fast, but never so hard that he caused pain. It was delight, not hurt, a feeling of fulfillment she’d never had in her life.

  Nico pumped a little into her mouth. She used her lips and tongue on him, wanting to give him as much pleasure as she was getting. She loved him for letting Andreas do this; she loved him for getting excited with her.

  I’m in a threesome, she thought, suddenly wanting to laugh. She wanted to shout her sheer joy and delight that she, Patricia Lake, had two beautiful men making love to her at the same time.

  Andreas slid his hand between her legs and pressed his fingertip to her clit. Hot liquid poured out of her, wetting her thighs and Andreas’s hand. Almost at the same time, Nico squeezed his hands shut and groaned his release, filling her mouth.

  And then Andreas. He shuddered against her, his seed scalding, filling her and trickling from her to mix with her own juices.

  “Oh, damn, that was good,” Andreas moaned. He bit Patricia’s neck, not hard, then licked it.

  “Did you like it?” Nico asked Patricia. He’d withdrawn from her mouth and wiped her lips clean with the sheet.

  She tried to say, Oh, yes. Let’s do it again, please. Please? but she could only make a noise of exhaustion. She dropped onto the bed as Andreas slid very slowly and carefully out of her.

  Nico laughed. “I’ll take that as a yes.”

  Behind her, Andreas stretched, letting out a groan of satisfaction. He bounced off the bed, still full of energy, and patted her lightly on the behind.

  “I told you, you have a great ass, Patricia.”

  He scooped up his pants, slid them on, then, whistling, waltzed out of the room.

  “Is he always like that?” Patricia asked sleepily.

  “Afraid so.” Nico stroked her hair once, then came around the bed and climbed back in.

  His wings slid across her, and she leaned back into him, so in love with him that tears flowed from her eyes and wet her cheeks.

  REBECCA woke to hear someone running the shower in her bathroom. Weak sunlight trickled through the windows, London cloudy and foggy, which went with her mood. She hated taking sleeping pills, because she always woke up groggy, and this morning was no exception.

  She shoved her hair from her eyes and sat up, memories of the night before floating to her. She and Patricia had survived being kidnapped and nearly killed, but that was not what made her heart sink to her toes.

  She’d lost every bit of the translation she’d done on the ostracon and the photographs of the thing itself. Not to mention her expensive laptop and all her notes on it.

  She supposed they could call this woman Mrs. Penworth and have her take more photos, but she hesitated, not wanting the Dyons to harm anyone else over this.

  She remembered enough of the strange inscription that perhaps when she saw the other two fragments of the text, everything would make sense. They could take photos of the pieces and then visit Mrs. Penworth again when they went back to Manhattan and take another look at the third. Nico and Andreas could protect them all from Dyons while Rebecca worked.

  She threw back the covers, noting she was in her underwear and nothing else. She vaguely remembered peeling off the tattered remains of the gorgeous clothes Patricia had made her wear, and felt momentary grief. She’d been sexy and pretty, if only for a few hours. Now she felt fusty and needed a shower.

  The shower was running full blast when she entered the room, filling the room with steam that filmed the mirrors. She’d expected to find Patricia, but Andreas stood behind the opaque glass door to the shower, his large body naked, his head thrown back in enjoyment, as hot water poured all over him.

  ANDREAS felt someone looking at him. He turned his head, wiping water from his eyes, and saw Rebecca, her flyaway hair a mess, her half-nude body still.

  He smiled at the same time he felt the bond between them snap into place. Good thing he’d had so much fun with Patricia this morning, because he wouldn’t be going back to her now. She’d never fully engaged him; her longing was for Nico.

  But Rebecca’s longing had touched him more and more, and now it was certain. He felt the lock around his heart and felt a mixture of dismay and excitement.

  He opened the shower door, letting water rivulets run all over the floor. “Come in.”

  She stared at him, her eyes dull with induced sleep, her face creased by the pillow. Andreas reached out and dragged her into the shower, underwear and all.

  Rebecca made a muffled shriek. She blinked up at him as the shower got her panties sodden.

  Andreas hooked a finger on the waistband and dragged them down over her ankles. He threw the panties over the top of the shower stall, and they landed with a wet splat somewhere on the floor.

  Rebecca’s mouth was still open, so Andreas slanted a kiss across it. She tried to step back, but the shower was too small.

  “Don’t kiss me, I’ll taste nasty,” she said.

  Andreas laughed. She’d never taste bad to him, his shy academic. Not shy, really; she’d had the balls to work her way up to what she was now, and she’d go further still. But she was hesitant with men who noticed her sexuality.

  “I’ll just lick your skin instead,” he said, and proceeded to lap his tongue along her neck and shoulders, working down to her breasts.

  She held on to him, raking her fingers through his hair as he suckled first one nipple, then the other. He had to bend his knees and push her breasts to his mouth, but the awkwardness made it more exciting.

  Andreas lifted her in his arms and wrapped her legs around his hips. His cock still hung outside her, but it was nudging her sweet quim.

  Eons ago, before Andreas had been caught in Hera’s revenge, he would have simply slid into Rebecca and pumped until he was satisfied. Now he had to make sure she was the one pleasured, not himself, but somehow he didn’t mind having to. It was something he would have chosen anyway if he’d come upon her.

  Rebecca tried to look so dowdy, but the reality of her body was lush and lovely. He slid his hand between them to massage her clit, liking the way she jumped.

  “Feel good?” he asked.

  “Why are you doing this?”

  “Why not?” He continued to stroke her, moving his fingers around her quim. She was wet from her come and shower water, a fine combination.

  “Patricia is prettier than me.”

  “That’s what you think.”

  She moved her hips, her body loosening and liking what he did. “I had the feeling you were being pulled to her, you know, because of your curse.”

  “A little bit. But you pulled me harder, Becky.” He grinned. “So here I am.”

  “Why do you call me that? Everyone calls me Rebecca.”

  “That’s why. I want something special, so you’re Becky to me.”

  She smiled shyly but with apprehension in her eyes. “I don’t want you to be here because of some compulsion by some goddess. If it isn’t real, then please go away.”

  Andreas slid a finger inside her, and she broke off with a gasp. “This is real,” he said. “You don’t want me to go.”

  “No,” she whispered.

  “You believe the story, then? About Hera and the curse and our enslavement? Patricia said you were skeptical.”

  She shook her head, her hair plastered to her face. “Stories can be powerful. I know all about stories as an Egyp—oh—tologist.”

  He’d slid a second finger into her. Her quim gripped him, pulsing, and he knew she hadn’t released in a very long time.

  “That’s all right, Becky. I’ll take you over the top.”

  Rebecca tried to answer, but her excitement was getting the better of her. Her head rocked back, right in the stream of the shower, water sliding ov
er her face.

  He rubbed and tickled, smiling at how very wet she was. Her legs clamped hard over his buttocks, and he held her with one hand planted on her sweet ass, the other fingering inside her. She was light in his arms, like she was made to be there.

  “Oh, God, I love it,” she moaned.

  “You should do this every day,” he murmured. “Every day let me release you. You’ll be so relaxed.”

  Her fingers furrowed his hair. “No, I’d never want to do anything else.”

  “And that would be bad because . . . ?”

  “So many reasons.” She gasped and moaned as he slid in a third finger. “I can’t remember any of them.”

  She squeezed him hard, harder, and suddenly she came beautifully, her body jerking, her cries incoherent. She was warm and lovely, and his cock wanted her so badly.

  Slow. Don’t scare her.

  “Do you love it, Becky?”

  “Yes. Yes.”

  She was laughing and shaking her hair in the water, splashing it all over everything. Andreas kissed her, drawing her hot excitement into him.

  He felt his anger at the curse and Hera and the Dyons receding as he got lost in her kiss. Something inside him tried to fight it, knowing that pain was going to hit him hard.

  But that something was far away now, and his heart warmed as Rebecca kissed him sloppily back, humming in satisfaction. He liked that he’d made her happy, and he wanted to do it again.

  Andreas snapped off the water and carried her out of the shower, with her still wrapped around him. She laid her wet head on his shoulder and gave a little sigh of contentment.

  He took her out to the bedroom and set her gently on the bed. She unwound her arms and legs from him with reluctance, then yawned and stretched. He liked that the look of stark fear she’d had last night had vanished. When he’d found her with her clothes all torn, he’d burned with rage and enjoyed snapping the Dyon’s neck.

  “I didn’t find any more Dyons last night,” he assured her. “I hunted them, but they are gone. They did what they came to do.”