The rest of the day goes by quickly, and before I know it, it's time for lunch. Most of the team has ordered food, but I wasn't here when they made the lunch order. Beth apologizes profusely, but I tell her it's okay and I don't care to grab something. But as I head to the elevator, Shane calls for me.

"Hey, Emma!"

I turn to see him holding a food container.

"I ordered an extra, in case you needed it. I wasn't sure if you'd have time to grab anything. You're welcome to it if you want."

I smile, my stomach growling at the sight of the food. "Thank you. That's really nice of you."

"No problem," he says, handing the food to me. "Enjoy."

"Thanks again," I say, taking the food.

As I turn to join the others, Shane's next invitation pauses my steps. "Would you want to come eat with me? We can talk about how your day is going," he says, a hopeful look in his eyes.

"Um, yeah, sure," I say, not wanting to turn him down.

We walk to his office and he closes the door behind us instead of leaving it open. The space is large and well lit, with a big window overlooking the city. There's a couch in the corner and a small table.

"Have a seat," he says, gesturing to the couch.

I sit down and open the container of food. It's a chicken Caesar salad, and my stomach growls at the sight of it.

"So how's your first day?" Shane asks, his sandwich in hand, his attention fully on me. It's a simple question, but the way he looks at me, with a focus that feels both intense and gentle.

"It's going really well," I say, smiling. "Everyone's been really nice."

"That's good to hear," he says, returning my smile. "I hope you stick around. We could use a smart, hardworking girl like you around here."

The compliment, coming from Shane, holds a weight that feels significant. It's more than just a welcome; it's an acknowledgment, a recognition of my potential contribution to the team. Yet, there's an undercurrent of something personal in his words, a hint of something beyond professional admiration. It's subtle, but it's there—a slight shift in his tone, a lingering look.

Shane's eyes meet mine, the look in them sending a shiver down my spine. It's intense, almost too much, and for a moment, I wonder if I imagined it.

I finish my food and stand up, my heart pounding. "Well, I should get back. I don't want to keep Beth waiting," I say, my voice wavering.

Shane stands with me. "Of course," he says, his smile not quite reaching his eyes.

I walk out of his office, my mind racing. What was that? Why did he look at me like that? Am I imagining things?

The rest of the day passes by in a blur, and before I know it, it's time to leave.

I walk to the elevator, my mind still reeling. As the doors close, I take a deep breath, trying to calm my nerves. What happened earlier, the look that Shane gave me, the way he was acting. It didn't feel professional at all. But then again, I could just be imaging things.

As I walk out of the building, I decide that I'm not going to read too much into it. He's just a guy who's being nice. Besides, I'm here to learn and to get experience. That's all that matters.

The drive home is quiet, giving me time to decompress. I learned a lot today from Beth and I'm excited to come back.

The house is quiet when I get home. My mom and Archer are out, probably still at work. I text Ares to see what he's up to.

Me: Hey, what are you up to?

Ares: Pulling into the driveway now.

Me: Perfect.

When Ares walks inside he pauses. "Anyone else here? Or just you and me?"

"Just me." I can't help the flirty smile that forms.

Ares closes the distance between us, pulling me into his arms. He kisses me hard, his hands gripping my hips almost painfully tight, like he never wants to let go. I moan, pressing myself against him. I need him so bad right now.

He pulls back, a smirk on his lips. "How was your day, baby girl? Did you learn a lot?" He asks before he kisses me again.

"It was good. I got a lot done," I manage to say in between kisses. My hands are all over him, pulling his tucked in shirt out, letting my hands glide across the warm skin of his stomach.

"That's good. I'm glad," he murmurs, placing a soft kiss on my lips. His hand slides up my body until his fingers are wrapping around my throat. The pressure is light, but it sends a wave of heat through me.

"I don't know how long we have, but I need to be inside right now," he growls, his free hand unbuttoning my pants.

"Yes," I gasp, my need for him overtaking my senses.

He pushes my pants and panties down and lifts me onto the island. He drops his pants, his hard cock springing free. He grips the base and lines up with my entrance.

"Not here," I gasp out a little too late, his cock already sliding into me. It feel so good that for a moment I don't care that we could get caught.

"Fuck," he groans, his hands gripping my hips. "I just..." He thrusts into me a couple of times, like he can't help himself, before hoisting me off of the counter. He carries me through the house and up the stairs, his cock never leaving my pussy.

I squirm against him as he walks, able to move just enough to get the friction I need.

His steps falter a few times before reaching his room. He kicks open the door and tosses me onto the bed. His body covers mine in a split second, his cock buried deep in me once again.

"Fuck, you feel so good, baby girl," he growls, thrusting into me.

His thrusts are sloppy, uncoordinated. It's like he isn't in control of himself, his body trying to move of its own accord. I love seeing this side of Ares. He is always in control. Of himself, of me. But right now, his need to be inside me, to fuck me, is overpowering even his own control. He's coming undone.

"Oh god," I moan, my hands gripping the sheets. I will never get over how amazing it feel to be filled with him. His cock was made for me.

"I need you, baby girl," he groans, his hands moving up my body. "I've needed you so bad today. I couldn't stop thinking about my perfect girl and her perfect pussy."

His words send a wave of heat through me, and I can't help but cry out, the pleasure overwhelming. I've needed him too. It's like this throbbing, needy place inside me. A need that only Ares can sate. My nails claw down his back and I swear I bring blood.

"Yeah, that's it, baby girl," he murmurs, his cock hitting just the right spot. "Take it, take my cock. Show me how much your perfect pussy missed me."

My eyes roll back and I'm lost in the pleasure, his words only fueling the fire. It hasn't been that long since we've had sex, but my walls clench him like it's been years. I don't want to ever lose this feeling, of him filling me so completely.

He kisses me, his tongue moving against mine, and I lose myself in the moment. All thoughts of my mother, work, or anything else disappear as I focus on him, on the way he makes me feel.

He fucks me harder, like he's trying to get deeper, and I moan into his mouth. I wrap my legs around his waist, trying to pull him closer. I need him closer.

"Fuck, baby girl," he groans, his breathing getting heavier. "You're so tight, so wet. You feel so fucking good. Do you feel how you're clenching around me? Your pretty little greedy pussy trying to pull me in and never let me go."

"God, yes," I gasp, my nails digging into his back once again. "Don't stop. Please, don't stop."

He kisses me hard, his tongue moving against mine, and it's all I can do to keep from screaming. He feels so good, his cock hitting all the right spots, and it's not long before I feel myself on the edge.

"Ares, oh god, please," I beg, my walls clenching him.

"That's it, baby girl, come for me," he groans. "Come so I can fill you up."

I scream, my orgasm washing over me. My vision goes white and all I can feel is him, his cock throbbing inside me.

"Fuck, Emma," he growls, his cock pulsing as he spills inside me. The hot, sticky liquid filling me and spilling out of me. He thrusts a few more times, milking his cock, before collapsing on top of me.

I cling to him, my chest heaving, trying to catch my breath. We have had a lot of hot sex, and although that was a quickie in every sense of the word, it may have been one of hottest.

"I missed you," he murmurs, placing a soft kiss on my neck.

"I missed you, too," I whisper, stroking his back.

And I did. I missed him more than I realzied. I tried not thinking of him while at my internship. If I had, he would have been the only thing on my mind.

Ares eventually pulls out, much to my dismay. He quickly cleans himself and pulls his pants back up, before jogging to the kitchen to retrieve my discarded clothes. He tosses them to me and watches as I dress, his eyes full of desire.

Once I'm dressed, he wraps his arms around me and kisses me deeply.

"I don't want you changing out of those panties until after dinner when you shower. I want my come dripping out of you all night," he murmurs, nipping my ear.

I moan, his words sending a shiver down my spine. He's regained his control and he's back to making demands.

Ares pulls back and grabs my hand, leading me downstairs.

We settle on the couch and he turns on the TV for background noise. If Archer or my mother were to walk in right now, we would appear to just be having an innocent conversation. But I can feel Ares's come dripping out of me. My thighs are sticky with his release.

"So, tell me how internship went. How are you liking it?" he asks, his arm wrapping around my shoulder.

I slide out from under his arm, glancing back at the door. As much as I want Ares touching me, I can't chance my mom or Archer walking in. I can tell from the look on Ares's face that he's hurt, but he also understands.

"It's going really well. I'm learning a lot," I say, settling back on the couch. "Shane showed me around and then I shadowed Beth the rest of the day. I won't get to start on my own projects for a while, but I'm looking forward to it."

"Shane?" Ares asks, his brow furrowed.

"He's the head of the team. He's one of the guys who interviewed me," I explain.

Ares nods, but the furrow between his brows doesn't ease. "Good, I'm glad you're learning. And don't worry, I'm sure you'll get to start on your own projects soon."

I smile, appreciating his encouragement.

"Are you working tomorrow?" he asks.

"Yeah, but just half the day. I have class in the afternoon," I reply.

"What about the next day?"

"I'm at internship all day that day."

"What about the day after that?"

"The same," I reply, smiling. "Why?"

"Just curious," he says, smiling. "I miss you, is all. If we have any chance for alone time, it will be during the day while Archer and Julie are at work. Do you have any days this week that you'll be home? Or a day this weekend that we can sneak off?"

"Hmm... Let me think." I sit quietly, thinking through the next few days. I was eager for my internship, so I promised them all my free time this week outside of class, without even thinking. And this weekend I'm supposed to go with Skylar and Alex to one of Alex's away games. We were going to stay the whole weekend and go out. I would invite Ares, but I'm still not ready to tell anyone about us, even my best friends. Plus, I don't think it would exactly be his scene.

"I'll be here tomorrow, but just in the morning," I say. "Then I'm at internship all day Wednesday and Friday. Thursday is split between internship and class. I'll be with Skylar and Alex for the weekend out of town."

"Where are you three going? Is it close by?" Ares asks, a hopeful tone in his voice.

"They are driving upstate to a soccer game. They're staying the whole weekend and will be going out after the game. They invited me, and I'll be leaving after internship on Friday."

"I see." His tone is flat and I know he's not pleased with my response.

I get it, though. We spent a whole week, just the two of us, in a blissful illusion. We were able to do what we wanted and be together in every sense of the word. But now that my mom and Archer are back, and I've started this internship, we don't have the same amount of time that we had before. I can tell it's weighing on him.

I can't help but worry about how he's going to react when it's time for him to leave. How many stolen moments can we have before that? How will we both deal when it's time to say goodbye?

My heart breaks a little at the thought of it. I hate the idea of not seeing him, of not being near him. I don't know what to do, how to move forward. I wish there was an easy solution, but I know there isn't.