Lexi's Promise

~72~

Hades smiled. "I'm glad you're finally admitting to them, but I can attest that you utilize your gifts with skill and grace." Hades walked Lexi to their bed and pulled her down to sit next to him. "Have you given more thought to where you would like to have our wedding?"

"I have not. There's too much going on right now. I don't know how I would plan it."

"Why don't you ask Hera. I am sure she would be happy to take the reins."

Lexi nodded, grateful for Hades' unfailing insight. "I will. Thank you."

"Do you wish to tell me what you and Hermes discussed earlier today, or is it a secret?"

Hades raised his eyebrows and Lexi felt her cheeks flush with heat. "I'm sorry. I meant to tell you, but I got distracted by the babies."

"Babies tend to do that."

"I talked to Hermes about reclaiming his position as guide of the dead," she said as she took Hades' hand in hers. "I believe the trouble with Gaia may have started all those years ago when the two worlds were severed. I plan to suggest the council consider reopening the port in an attempt to restore balance."

Hades' eyes brightened like a fire that had just been stoked, and Lexi recognized the look. It was the one he wore when his mind was working on an idea or when he wanted to have his way with her. "That is a very bold suggestion, Lexi. You realize the council members will have a great many arguments for you."

"Yes. I'm quite familiar with their arguments, and I am open to any counter suggestions, but not a single god has come up with one yet. The situation has reached an unacceptable level. It is time to take bold action." She only gave him a moment to crack a smile before she continued. "How many gods used to visit the underworld before the port was closed?"

"I couldn't say. There were not as many gods back then, but each was allowed full access. My parents spent a fair amount of time at the palace before the war, and we would occasionally get ships docking in port, enough to make it feel like a port and not a waystation for the dead."

"Were the gates of Olympus built after the Titanomachy to keep the riff-raff out? I've often wondered why we need Heracles there if nobody but gods use the entrance."

"The gates have always been there, but the rules were put in place after the two worlds were separated. And, yes, this was done to protect the inhabitants from the monsters of Tartarus, or the riff-raff, as you so eloquently put it."

"But, without a password, the monsters are trapped in the underworld like everyone else."

"The council believes the monsters would use mass destruction to get what they want, which they are perfectly suited for. And they could take hostages. Our numbers are small here, but every god in the underworld plays an important role. The loss would be great." Hades leaned into Lexi's mouth and kissed it. "Why don't you save the rest of your questions until after you have rested."

"I'm not tired, but I will agree to rest if you do something for me." She leaned into his lips and trailed her tongue across them. "My fire still burns for you, my lusty prince."

The spark in his eyes flared at her innuendo. "Anything, my lady."

"You know my limitations, and you know my preferences. It is your choice."

With reverent eagerness, Hades took the reins, dipping into her neck to pepper her skin with soft pecks. Kissing always preceded love making, and a kiss from the lord of the underworld was like being swept away on a cloud. Poetry often accompanied the experience as well, slipping in through whispers. This was the place Lexi coveted.

Hades stood and divested himself of clothing, letting each item fall into a pile at his feet. Lexi gazed at him in awe. She would never tire of seeing Hades in the nude. His tight musculature belied his true age, and the radiant glow of his skin exposed the passionate heat beneath it. Lexi touched him where she knew it mattered; his chest, his hips, his magnificent ass, focusing on the pleasure of pleasing her lover. Hades pulled on the ties of her bodice, gaining him access to her breasts, which nearly burst from their restraints. This prompted a seductive epithet about being granted a wish, and he leaned in to kiss a trail across her chest.

Lexi let him take his time, knowing he took pleasure in her surrender. He slid his hand behind her head, taking possession of her mouth, dipping her over the bed and extending the moment until she felt the familiar ache between her thighs, the one that had nothing to do with giving birth to twins. This was his pleasure – seduction. Raw and luxuriant. He made her ache for him. To want nothing more than him.

With a gentle nudge, Hades tugged her off the bed until she was kneeling before him, locked in the high beams of his eyes. He stroked her hair as if every strand was precious, and she parted her lips, licking them as she took his manhood into her hand. Meanwhile, her fingers traveled up his stomach, inching higher. He caught them, bending over to press a kiss onto each pad as Lexi invited him into her mouth.

The strength of his desire filled her completely, plush on the tongue and sweet to the taste, and his hips moved rhythmically as he gave her license to enjoy him. Soon, the poetry began, and his words enchanted her while his hands encouraged her where they rested at the back of her head. Nothing else mattered when Hades took pleasure in her, and Lexi savored him as she listened to his romantic sonnets, submitting to his pleas to take him deeper. But she was already there. Completely, madly, deeply.