Page 88 of Ares

“I made a mess. I think I might need to clean you.” He smirks. Shower time with Ares is never a simple shower, and I’m not about to turn that offer down.

With my hair wrapped in a towel and a fluffy dressing gown tied tight around my body, I walk out of my bedroom and headstraight for the kitchen. I need coffee. As much of a wake-up call Ares and his orgasms are, I still need my caffeine.

“Busy morning?” I jump at the sound of Constance’s voice.

“Shit! You scared me. I thought you would be gone by now,” I tell her, my cheeks heating a little.

I tried to get my dad to allow me to move into the university dorms, but it was the one thing he and Ares actually agreed on. I think they might have even bonded in their joint endeavour to make sure I didn’t end up in a dorm room. I did, however, compromise and got my own apartment close to school and made Constance move in with me.

Ares wasn’t impressed by my choice of roommates. He wanted that spot to be his. I told him we needed to live all the steps of our relationship and not just move in together straight away. He responded by buying the apartment next door. He also had Spencer move in with him.

Although I’m not sure what the point of separate apartments was. Either I’m in his bed, or he’s in my bed.

“I bet you did.” Constance raises a brow. “I want to be in the room when you have to explain to your dad why you need a handyman to fix the holes your bed has created in your walls.”

“Pfft, as if I’d let my dad find out about that. I’ll just have Ares fix them.”

“Sure, because he’s so good with tools.”

“I don’t know… He’s pretty damn good with his hands.” I laugh.

“Gross.” Constance shakes her head. “I’m about to leave. There’s some fresh banana bread in that container for you.”

“I love you,” I moan as I open the lid of the container. Then I drop on the bench and smell the fresh-baked goodness.

“Love you back,” she says. “Ares, do better. I didn’t hear that bed banging the wall for very long. Don’t leave my girl hanging or I’ll have to step in and make sure she’s satisfied.”

My eyes widen. Constance loves to stir Ares up. She does not have any kind of feelings for me other than friendship. But it never seems to fail to get on Ares’s nerves that she says she’ll steal me out from under him.

“Do you know how long it takes for a body to bleed out when it’s hung upside down… with the smallest cut to the throat right here?” Ares points to the side of his neck.

“No,” Constance tells him.

“I do,” he says, “but I’m more than willing to make sure my number is accurate. I just need a test subject.”

“Okay, Ares. Stop threatening my friend. And Constance, just… stop,” I groan.

When Constance leaves, laughing her way out the door, Ares turns to me. “What are your plans for today?”

“Um… I have two classes, and then I have to go to my dad’s office. What are you up to?”

“Skipping class this morning. I’m heading out to the distillery. I might be back late. Call me if you need anything.” He leans in and kisses my forehead. Then he steps back. “You good?”

It’s something he asks me daily. His way of checking in with where my mind is at. I’ve learned to be honest with him. I think other than my therapist, who I still talk to at least once a week, Ares is the only person I’m truly honest with. I trust him in a way I never thought I’d trust anyone. I don’t lean on him to make me feel better, though. That’s not his role. It took a lot of therapy for me to learn how to use other coping mechanisms and not make Ares my main mode of emotional regulation.

“I’m so good.” I smile at him. “Be safe. I love you.”

“Always love you, P. Call me if you need anything,” he says as he walks out of the apartment.

Taking my coffee, I sit on the sofa and look around. Sometimes I’m still in awe that this is my life. That I’m here andI’m happy. It’s not always this good. But when it is, it’sreallygood.