Page 57 of A Crown of Hopes and Sorrows

He followed me to the bed and dropped with me onto the mattress. His mouth found mine again, his touch holding an edge to it. He shoved me down against the blankets, but I flipped him over and shook my head. “Oh, no, this isn’t how this is going to go.”

His eyes flashed. “It’s not?”

I traced my finger along his jaw, down his neck, over the sharp line of his collarbone. Gods, was he beautiful. And him wanting me so desperately was twining in with my desire and love for him, fueling it. “You came into my room seeking me out.” He parted his mouth, but I pressed my lips to his to stall his words. When we peeled apart, I cocked an eyebrow up. “You’re in my domain, Apollo. And you’ll follow my desires or not at all.”

His heartbeat pounded against my skin. “And what is it you desire, Your Highness?”

I grasped his jaw and kissed him once more. “It’s been a few days since I’ve had a deity on his knees before me.”

His eyes darkened, and he kissed me hard again before rising off the bed and kneeling on the floor. He gripped my hips and jerked me forward. A grin slashed my mouth, and I ran my fingers into his curls.

He pulled the remaining fabric from both of our bodies and began kissing my ribs, his tongue trailing my skin like fire burned down me, his teeth nipping and causing me to gasp. He trailed down my body, exploring every ridge, his rough hands drifting behind, scraping against my flesh.

I stroked my hand over his hair, and his voice rumbled, vibrating against me. I gasped and kicked my head back. He took me into his mouth, and my mind blanked. My fingers gripped into the blankets. For five minutes, every thought swarming through my brain disappeared.

Right as my muscles all tensed and I sucked in a sharp breath, Apollo eased back from me, his lips glistening in the firelight, his eyes holding their own flames. I snagged his arms and pulled him up, shoving him against the mattress and straddling him, his legs banging against mine.

I traced my thumb down his chest. “I should return the favor, don’t you think?”

“Yes,” he whispered. “I’m inclined to agree with that idea.”

I laughed against his hip bone.

And I returned the favor. Right to the detail of pulling up short just as his face crumpled.

He groaned and dropped against the bed. “Damn it.”

I chuckled and rose along his body, kissing him hard. “Not enjoying the dish you love to serve up?”

“Hmm,” he hummed into my mouth. He gripped his fingers into my shoulder blades and rolled me over, every inch of our flesh sparking against each other. Our hands and mouths and bodies grabbed at the other. We tumbled around the bed, wrecking it, like a flame slowly consuming hay, licking up wood, building into an inferno that no amount of water could extinguish. We kept drawing each other to the point of release only to pull back, passion sweeping over us in waves, rising higher with each crest until we couldn’t hold back, and we finished like a hurricane smashing cliffs, our cries echoing against the ceiling.

After, we glistened with sweat, and the blankets and pillows lay in heaps on the floor. Apollo tucked into my arm, resting his head on my shoulder, and I pressed my lips to his forehead.

“Feel better?”

He moaned his response.

“You know I only desire you, don’t you,”—I grinned—“golden boy?”

“No nicknames right now,” he breathed, his words mumbling together.

I kissed the top of his hair. “You should return to your room before anyone realizes you’re missing.”

“Don’t ask me to leave, Cyn. I want to sleep by your side.”

“If you get caught—”

“I’ll pull a veil.”

I sighed but tucked in closer to him. I wanted him to stay as well. “And if someone notices that you aren’t in your room?”

I could practically feel his eyes roll. “They already assume gods are assholes and won’t be surprised at all that I’m out doing what I wish instead of what is expected.”

I chuckled and kissed his temple. Several moments passed, our heartbeats slowing. The fire had burned down to a burgundy glow, shadows flickering along the walls. Apollo’s shoulders rose and fell in slow undulations, and I whispered in case he’d gone to sleep. “Apollo?”

“Hmm?”

“You know I wouldn’t cheat on you, don’t you?”