* Steamy Content *

Despite the extra weight, Jackie O kept up her urgent pace after they left the woods, jostling Lexi in the saddle as she navigated roots and potholes. Lexi knew her horse hated riding in the dark, so she kept her complaints to herself. It was the biting wind that annoyed Lexi more, and she shivered even with Luke's godly heat at her back.

Sensing her needs, Luke snaked his arm further around her waist and tucked her in, bringing his chin to her neck and warming her with his breath. A violent shudder overtook her, which she knew had been triggered by his closeness, but she used the wind as an excuse to snuggle closer.

"I'm sorry you heard the truth about your parentage this way," he said. "Z is as stubborn as they come, and he likes to have the last word on everything. But, to his credit, he never condemns without due cause, even if he is the only one who believes in the cause. With a little patience on both sides, the damage can be repaired and you can move forward with your relationship."

Lexi tried to focus on the meaning behind Luke's words and not the sensation of his lips moving against her ear, which had her groin clenching. "He has a lot of apologizing and kissing up to do before we can move forward. He's insane for wanting his own daughter to serve him. Or am I overreacting? Is this how all gods behave?"

"You've read the stories, what do you think?"

Lexi didn't have to dig hard to recall some of the greatest hits, like Zeus throwing his father into the pits of Tartarus, and the battle between Ares and Athena during the Trojan War. Those were gods behaving badly. "I still haven't wrapped my head around everything, although now that I know Uncle Z is my birth father, it kind of makes sense why he always sticks his nose in my business."

"His business is to know everyone else's business."

"Well, it's annoying. And he's been a real lunatic this weekend."

"What did he say to you in the study? If you don't mind me asking."

Lexi remembered the conversation and how it detoured to a poorly-timed confession on her part, which had her thinking about her groin again. "He asked me to stop cavorting with you."

Luke chuckled. "Cavorting? Was that his word or yours?"

"His. Why is he so adamant about keeping us apart? Why does he hate you?"

"Oh, he doesn't hate me. He has a misguided opinion of me and the world I live in. Z doesn't believe any goddess should spend eternity in the underworld when she has been given the privileges of Olympus. It has been an ongoing issue between us."

Lexi felt an opportunity open-up as Luke filled in some plot holes. If she wanted answers to the questions she'd been avoiding, now was the time. But, first, she needed to stop focusing on her crotch. "Is Persephone the only goddess who lives in the underworld with you?"

"Yes, although she is with me only three months of each year. Hers is a special case, as you well know."

"So...is she your mate? I was just wondering if the books got that right."

"Yes. The texts are correct in that respect."

A twinge of jealousy hit Lexi when she pictured Luke's arms around another woman. It was pretty clear he and Persephone loved each other, but the gods were a horny bunch, and she had to come to grips with that if she was going to continue cavorting with him. Wasn't she a goddess, herself? This could be her fate if she chose to embrace her future as the daughter of Zeus. She also needed to start calling Luke by his real name.

"There's something else I've been wondering...Hades. How many consorts do you have, other than Persephone?"

He sighed against her neck, probably wishing she hadn't asked about his many love interests. Or, maybe, he was reacting to her calling him Hades.

"You don't have to answer if the question is too personal," she added, feeling a little bit sorry for him.

"It's fine. Your question is well justified. I would want to know the same thing if I were in your place. There are a handful of goddesses who enjoy my company and agree to meet me in neutral territory. As the god of the underworld, I am forbidden from entering Olympus. And not many gods are interested in visiting the underworld. One has to wade through a lot of horseshit before... Well, the situation isn't ideal for lovers. As far as mortal consorts, there are three at present. Mortal females aren't usually interested in long term relationships based solely on sex."

As Hades spoke, his hand moved gradually lower until his fingers grazed the flesh of Lexi's inner thigh, and the shiver that followed was definitely not caused by the breeze. Was he trying to distract her? She still had one more important question to ask.

"Are you interested in adding to your collection of consorts?" Lexi bit her lip as the words tumbled forth. She wasn't sure why she needed to know, other than morbid curiosity, but now that it was out there, she was eager to hear his response.

"I am always open to starting new friendships with engaging females, but not for the reasons you may think. Sex without a strong emotional connection with your partner takes its toll after a while, and I have been meaning to give up pursuing mortals for this reason. I still hold out hope I will find a long-term partner who is interested in a relationship based on more than sexual congress."

As he spoke, Hades's fingers traveled closer to the crotch of her panties, and her sex trembled in anticipation of their arrival, but she couldn't get distracted. She wanted to understand his relationship with Persephone and whether she needed to worry about the goddess showing up in a jealous rage and taking her out.

"Did you come here this weekend to find a new consort?" Lexi squeezed her eyes shut, hating herself for asking another question and not leaving it alone.

"No, Lexi. I did not."

Lexi wasn't sure if she felt relieved or disappointed by his answer. Maybe she didn't ask the right question. Could he be interested in her...long-term? Maybe she needed to leave it alone. "Despite the consort thing, I think it's a testament to your devotion that you and Persephone have remained loyal to each other all these years. Mortal women admire that in a man, even if it means she will never have him. It happens over and over in books."

Lexi wasn't sure why she continued to support the merits of monogamy when all she could think about was Hades mouth on her skin. Although her wanton thoughts might have had something to do with the location of his fingers as they teased the seam of her panties.

"Is that where you get your ideas about love and romance, from novels?"

"Pretty much. Where else am I supposed to get them? Not from life experience, that's for sure."

He nuzzled his face in her hair and purred into her ear. "I would love to show you what you've been missing."

Butterflies erupted inside Lexi's stomach as Hades took her chin in his hand, gently turning her head so he could access her lips. Her body flooded with lust at his possession, and she deepened the kiss with her tongue at the same time his fingers probed beneath her panties. The sensation thrilled her, and she moaned into his mouth as her skin slickened.

Lexi's mind slipped away from her, going numb like her muscles had done when she fell into the river, but this was much more pleasant. She pivoted her hips, urging him on, and he slid a finger into her, making her gasp. When she saw the lights of the estate coming into view, she wanted to turn back around, but that would only cause more problems for her. Reluctantly, she broke away from Hades's lips, but she let him continue his probing as she led Jackie O toward the stable.

By the time Lexi climbed out of the saddle, her whole body trembled with need. As for Jackie O, she was ready to call it a night, and she waited patiently while Lexi fumbled around the stable like it was her first day on the job. It seemed to take forever to get her horse bedded down, and as soon as she closed the gate, Hades's mouth was on her neck and his stiff arousal was at her hip.

"Damn, Lexi. I'm going to walk with a limp the rest of the night."

Lexi grabbed his pelvis, fitting their bodies together. "Then we should do something to remedy that."

Hades'a mouth twisted into a deliciously wicked smile as he backed her into the gate, kissing her like a man desperate to quench his thirst. He reached beneath her shirt, seizing her bare waist, and she took both his hands and nudged them upward, giving him permission to explore.

He cupped her breasts, kneading the soft flesh before taking a nipple between his fingers and rotating it gently. Lexi writhed under his teasing touch, a mix of pain and pleasure, and her sex throbbed with an impending climax. She wanted him so badly, she considered throwing him into the hay stall next door.

"Lexi?" Her dad's voice echoed outside the stable, slicing through her brain like fingernails on a chalkboard, and Hades quickly backed away, adjusting his crotch while she straightened her shirt. 

Lexi pretended to be closing the gate when her dad arrived, and she greeted him with a composed smile. "Hi, Dad. We were just about to head to the house."

"Good. Chef Pastille has kept your birthday dinner waiting." He gave Hades's bare chest an appraising look as he shrugged out of his jacket and handed it to Lexi. "Here, put this on. Your mom said you fell into the river."

"Guilty as charged," she said, snuggling into her dad's pre-warmed coat.

"Then you insisted on riding Jackie O back in spite of being soaked to the bone," he went on. "I hope that decision doesn't have you spending three days in bed with a cold."

"I'll be fine, Dad. Whatever consequences I end up facing, the ride back was worth it." Lexi grinned at Hades as she slipped her hand around his wrist and hauled him resolutely out of the stable. The night was far from over.

PLAYLIST SONG: Fade Into You by Mazzy Star

https://youtu.be/eTWGgXvJZl0