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Chapter 3
Ares
Iarrived at the training center on Tuesday in my workout clothes—sweats and a T-shirt that I’d get to throw off once I started practicing. I shoved on the wraparound sunglasses I’d bought at a store for a ridiculous amount of money because they made me look good.
And I liked them. I enjoyed being the badass, the cool guy, the man all the girls stared at when they strolled past me. If I really intended to, I could get so much ass down here.
But there was only one ass that held my interest and she flooded my thoughts.
Saying it that way made me sound like a dick. The truth was, Elyse was more than just a piece of ass. Although that body of hers was a fucking orgasm waiting to happen. But she was someone who cared about others and who’d stick it out when shit got tough.
There weren’t a lot of those kinds of people or gods around. And even though the other gods thought I was a coward who didn’t bother what the fuck was going on, I cared. Elyse and I had a hell of a lot more in common than she’d admit.
Which made me even more interested in spending time with her, discovering who she really was, and what I could do to bring out her smile.
When Heracles called and asked me to step in to help her practice fighting, I’d jumped at the chance. Even if it was none of my business where she worked out and why. Zeus was the one who gave Heracles the job of training Elyse and her family, but I’d do anything if someone explained she needed me. Pathetic, but true. This was my chance to show her the real me.
Besides, Heracles said that I was the best fighter of the lot, and he wanted me on the case. A little ego stroking never hurt anyone.
Elyse was growing strong. I hadn’t seen her before she died that first time. I’d only come toward the end to help out because Heracles had asked Zeus for backup. And the fucker sent me. Maybe it was some sick joke, and it pissed me off.
But now I was glad he had. Because I’d seen her fight and she was as lethal as she was hot. A real femme fatale. And after she killed herself to outsmart X, dying a second time, her power intensified again. I hadn’t seen her in action yet, not against anyone who mattered. But if the rumors about her family were true—and it looked like they were—she’d practically be hell on wheels right now.
And I wanted a piece of that. Hell, I craved her. I was the God of War and being able to fight, having that skill and putting it to use to help others, was the kind of thing a man like me craved in a woman.
I couldn’t remember the last time I’d actually desired a certain woman this much. And not just for sex, but for more. Until now, it had been all about having a fucking good time.
Pun intended.
But love? No thanks. Only someone like Elyse might change my mind.
She was already at the training center when I arrived, her car parked in the dark lot. I spotted two dead pigeons nearby. Fuck, Chicago was infested with those things. The sun hadn’t risen yet, night still hung thick in the air, and it was that rare time of morning when people from the night shift and those getting ready for the day shift actually crossed paths.
Elyse was dressed in pants so tight they looked painted on and a top that barely covered her breasts, keeping her strapped in. Her rock-hard abs and her sculpted arms showed, her skin pale and perfect. Her hair was back in a braid, swinging from side to side as she used the jump rope, warming up. There was power in her hair. I didn’t have to touch it to know that.
Everything about this woman was riddled with magic that drew me in like a magnet. I was attracted to her with a kind of heady trance that drew bees to nectar. She was a reliable person whom I’d trust to watch my back. Not many gained that status in my book. I yearned to stare into her chocolate eyes and run my hands over her soft skin.
I watched her for a while before announcing myself. Her body jiggled while she jumped, but there wasn’t much excess fat on her. It was muscle trembling as she exerted herself, pushing harder and harder.
I’d tap that. Any day. In fact, I nearly had.
We’d fought, Elyse and I. At first, we sparred. But there’d been anger, both from my side and hers. And then the fiery lust had grown from anger and our close contact. Her lips had tasted like sweat and I sensed her desire for me. I’d been more than happy to oblige.
She’d stopped herself, and I respected her, so I stopped too.
But God, I’d dreamed about that moment so many times. My body ached for more—my dick twitched with need. I could have gone out there and found some human to fuck every time I thought about her and fulfill the need. But I didn’t.
Elyse deserved more than that. Even if it wasn’t like I owed her any kind of exclusivity. We were fellow warriors. Nothing more.
Yet I didn’t want to do something filthy when she was so pure. She was the embodiment of everything good in the world.
Cliché? Absolutely.
I’d give Apollo’s poetry a run for its money if I allowed myself to get serious about what I thought of Elyse. And I’d stared at her long enough, so I cleared my throat. She didn’t hear me, too caught up in what she was doing, focusing on her form, no doubt high on the adrenaline that ran through her system. I knew what that felt like. Heart pumping, lungs bursting, and muscles screaming for more.
So, to announce myself, I walked around to approach her from the front.
She stopped jumping, breathing hard, her surprised face morphing into a frown at seeing me. The rope hung limply to the ground.
