Lexi's Undoing

~50~

"Yes. Like that. Don't stop."

Lexi struggled to express herself with words as her brain sent all its electrical stimuli to that miraculous spot under Hades's finger, and a moment later, her body expressed it for her as she came ferociously, clenching around him like a vise. His thrusts became more forceful then, causing his hips to slap her backside as he rode her like a man lost to his urges. The pleasure she felt at his frantic possession was impossible to describe.

"Oh... Lexi..." Hades drew out her name as he leaned over her back, his finger never losing contact as he shuddered through his release. This was the epitome of decadence. This was heaven.

As the frenzy subsided, Hades kissed the back of her neck, heaving a guttural sigh against her skin. He sounded like a man being tortured. Finally, he withdrew and discarded the condom in the trash. Then he handed Lexi her pants before tucking himself in. Afterward, he embraced her, nuzzling his nose in her hair and pampering her head with kisses.

"I am dreading the moment we have to part," he said. "You have me reevaluating everything I thought about loyalty."

"Loyalty? What do you mean?"

He pulled away, but only far enough to gift her with his beautiful gaze. "You said something on the way back from our river expedition, something about my loyalty to Persephone and hers to me. Do you remember that?"

Lexi frowned, wishing he hadn't chosen to bring up his mate during the afterglow. "How could I forget?"

Hades softened his expression, the flush of arousal still coloring his cheeks. "I know it's difficult for you to comprehend the lives of the gods. You probably wonder how we find happiness in our relationships when we shun monogamy. I have to agree with mortals on this. The emotional pain of knowing another god is taking pleasure in someone I hold dear is not something I relish, and your comment about loyalty shocked me. Not only did it have me revisiting that pain, but I also admired your desire to make sense of it."

"I want to understand, but I don't think I could ever live like that. Even now, after the short time we've known each other, I feel nauseous when I think of you...taking pleasure in Persephone. Or anyone else for that matter. I knew I was opening Pandora's box when I decided to let you in, but now I'm facing the ugly truth that it will all be over after today, and it hurts like hell."

"It doesn't have to be over, Lexi. You asked me how we can keep our affair going, and I was prepared to offer suggestions...before you distracted me."

His comment had Lexi grinning. "I don't think it was me distracting you."

"You don't have to do anything to distract me." He brought his fingers up to trace the contours of her lips. "Just being in the same room is enough."

Although Lexi enjoyed the sensation of his fingers as they tickled her skin, she wanted to hear his thoughts before he got distracted again. "So, are you going to share your suggestions?"

Hades stepped back, glancing at the floor as he dragged his fingers through his hair, ruffling it on one side. He didn't seem very confident in his ideas, and it had her stomach lurching. "Well, I could come to you in disguise. As I mentioned before, I can take the form of a dog. I use this method when I need to mingle with mortals who are familiar with my face and don't wish to see it."

It didn't take long for Lexi to shoot down his first idea. "That sounds like a handy trick, but my school doesn't allow dogs on the property, so you would either get chased off or hauled to the animal shelter. And if you tried that at the estate, you would only attract attention. If you haven't noticed, we live in the middle of nowhere. I'm sorry, Hades. Try again."

"Okay. How many school breaks are you given? You could take a solo trip and we could meet at a neutral location."

Lexi's eyebrows rose without being prompted. "You've met my parents, right?"

He offered a frustrated nod, rubbing the back of his neck and looking more uncertain by the minute. "You could follow me to the underworld and see if it suits you." 

Hades bit his lip, a move she had not seen him make, and she squinted at his sober expression. Was he asking her to give up everything to spend eternity in...hell?

"Are you suggesting I disobey Zeus?"

Hades shook his head vigorously, and he started circling the laundry room. "Forget I said that. It's too soon. I want it to be your idea, not a desperate measure."

As Hades paced, Lexi opened the laundry room door, and her muscles relaxed when she found the hallway empty. She'd half expected to find Zeus listening in. Lexi turned and reached for Hades's arm, stopping his incessant circling. His skin felt clammy and hot, as if he suffered from a fever. When their eyes met, she saw desperation there. "I want us to happen more than you know, Hades. Just tell me what you want, and we will try to work it out together."

Without taking his eyes off her face, Hades brushed a strand of hair behind her ear, leaving a wake of chills. "I want more than half a future. I want to extinguish the loneliness that haunts me. I want a mate who will never abandon me. You are more than I imagined, Lexi. You have conjured a need in me no mortal has ever evoked, but that is where the difficulty lies. Immortal blood runs through your veins. You have so much more to offer, and it would be dishonorable of me to ask you to disregard your destiny to spend your eternal life with a god who caters to the dead."

As Lexi watched the fire in Hades's eyes shrink, she felt as if her heart was being pummeled by Chef Pastille's mortar and pestle. Was this really the fate of the god of the underworld? To live alone among the souls of the deceased? Surely, he spent time with Hecate and Melinoe. What about Charon, the ferryman? That guy probably had interesting stories to tell. And he had Persephone during the winter months. Hadn't they created little gods of their own? Or, had Hades's offspring abandoned him for Olympus? Was that what he meant by half a future?

"This may be somewhat premature, but I'm willing to consider your proposition, if that's what this is." She closed the distance between them and gifted him with a soft kiss. "Is that what this is?"

His respirations stilled as he breathed the word, "Yes." Then he claimed her lips, taking his fill like he might not have another chance. Lexi had a lot to think about, and having Hades's tongue exploring her mouth definitely helped his case. But how long would this passion fuel them? Eternity was a very, very long time.

PLAYLIST SONG: Ecstasy by Vast