A Familiar Love Story Pt. 01

Apparently, I was still more than a little drunk because the only thing I could do was sit there with my mouth hanging open. "I'm just so tired," I managed to say between sobs and laughs and hiccups.

"Then get some sleep. I can take the floor. I know you don't want to be anywhere near me."

"But the problem is that I do want to be near you," I wailed.

"So, the problem is that we are stuck in a room together with only one bed, and we both want to be close to each other. Trying to figure out what's wrong is making my head hurt, beautiful lady."

"I just-I'm not thinking straight. I don't want to do something I'll regret in the morning."

"Then how about you come over here and lay down," he suggested. "And I will be a perfect gentleman. We can talk more in the morning when you're feeling better." I just stood there. "If nothing else makes you feel safe, just know that your daughter could cover me in honey and drop me in a vat of fire ants if she wanted to." He shivered. "And seriously-Never again do I want that."

"Again?" I asked, slowly moving towards the bed.

"It's a long story as to why, but some giants-" He shivered. "Actually, I'd rather not talk about the rest. I'll just say, having every inch of my body stung by ants was most pleasant part of that adventure."

If the point was to make me feel sorry for him, it worked. Even though he had probably done something to deserve it.

"Fine, I'll share the bed with you. But just to sleep. Or fire ants!"

"Yes ma'am."

He pulled down the blankets and moved over. I had a full-sized bed, so it would be cozy. Whatever. I got in and scooted back until we were spooning in bed, because at least then I didn't have to look at him. He didn't say anything, just took a deep breath with his face buried in my hair, I could feel his erection growing against my backside.

"Just sleep," he said softly.

I floated to sleep on a gentle, fluffy cloud. When I woke up the next morning my head was on his chest in a small puddle of drool. He chuckled when I moved quickly to wipe it away.

"Ruby, you might be the only being I know who looks cute when drooling," he said.

"Now I know you're full of it. No one looks cute when they drool," I said.

Under the blanket, my leg was tangled up with his and my hand was resting on his stomach. I should have gotten up or kicked him out of the bed, but he was warm and it was unnaturally cold in the room. Likely the temperature was an unintended side effect of the spell.

Based on the blanket tent he was making, it was obvious what he was thinking about. But he was behaving himself like he promised. It seemed like he was trying not to move at all, even taking very shallow breaths.

"I would have said the same thing before I saw you this morning," he said. "But it doesn't surprise me. So often you come home from work clearly having run a gauntlet of some kind, and even then, you're gorgeous." I didn't answer him, but I also didn't move away. "So, what did you do for so many hours yesterday and the day before?"

"Delivered four babies. After delivering two singles in a row, I was tired. Then I got the call that a set of twins was on the way. I didn't have any other choice and it all turned out fine, but a long, complicated birth was too much. Even I have a breaking point."

"It must be beautiful to see new life entering the world," he said with interest.

"Would you like to see one?"

"Yes." His smile was quick and genuine.

It had to be the weirdest idea I'd ever had, bringing a war god who had probably killed thousands—maybe even millions—of beings to see a baby be born. But if he was going to be my bodyguard I would have no choice, so at least he seemed genuinely interested.

"I will likely have to put you to work, though."

"As you wish. To change topics, however..." His voice sounded strained. "I will do as I promised and be a gentleman, but you are making it nearly impossible."

As we talked, I had absently been tracing circles on his stomach with my hand, which of course led to me playing with the waist band of his boxers. For some reason, I could never leave the edges of clothing alone, and that was apparently enough to make him very happy to see me.

I couldn't resist slipping my hand inside of his boxers and wrapping my hand around it, gently exploring the entire length. He still didn't move, but finally took a deep breath.

"Your speed, my lady. I do not wish to push you, so if you wish to go any further you will have to take the lead."

He raised his arms and crossed them underneath his head. The problem with that plan was that I had absolutely no idea what my speed was. It was ridiculous at my age, but the only man I'd ever been with was Rob, and he'd always been the one seducing me not the other way around. It was like asking someone who had barely made it through running the mile in high school to choose what speed to run a marathon.

"The problem with that is that I don't know what my speed is."

He, of course, thought that was hilarious and laughed one of those deep, rumbling laughs that made me want to have an orgasm and cry and slap him at the same time. Good lord, what if he expected kinky stuff? I mean, after two thousand or more years of sex you'd have to get bored enough to try things. I had never been in enough of a relationship to learn how to spice things up. I certainly wasn't opposed to it, I just had never gone there before.

"I didn't mean to make you nervous," he said. "Should we just go slowly together?"

Instantly, I was as calm and relaxed as could be, and I nodded. He slowly removed my hand from his boxers and placed it on his chest before rolling onto his side so that we faced each other in the small bed.

"How about we start with a kiss?"

Kissing. That I knew how to do. I buried my hand in his dark hair and guided his lips to mine. He was even more delicious than I remembered, so delicious that my brain melted. I forgot to be self-conscious or afraid.

My hands boldly moved up his chest, over his shoulders, and down his strong back to squeeze that perfectly rounded rear end of his, first over his boxers, then under them, pulling his hips so tightly against mine that his hardness slipped between my legs. Only my underwear and his boxers were left between us.

He felt so good rubbing against me that I wanted more, but he stopped me when I started to slide down his boxers. Firmly he moved my hands up his body and pulled me close, burying his face in my hair and breathing in deeply.

"I thought you said my speed?" I asked.

"And I thought we decided to go slowly?"

The big bad god sounded as breathless and nervous as I had felt going in for that first kiss. Maybe, just maybe, this meant something to him.

"We did," I said in a frustrated tone.

"I'm glad you agree, because if you will allow it, I intend to take my time tasting every inch of you."

"I agree," I said.

He kissed me again, then pulled my nightgown over my head and tossed it to the side. The entire world disappeared other than his skin against mine and his hardness still rubbing against my most sensitive spot. My whole body was tingling and the ache between my legs screamed to be satisfied. He broke the kiss and stopped me again from sliding down his boxers, quietly laughing in the way that made my whole body tighten, squeezing him tightly enough between my thighs that he sighed and closed his eyes for a moment.

"I see what the problem is," he said. "You need to come. So come. Now."

My body recognized the last word as a command and I kept moving against his hardness as pleasure overloaded every one of my senses. After so many months of ignoring and denying how much I wanted him, the release was intense enough that it was nearly painful.

I didn't realize that I was holding my breath until Hoenir commanded me to breathe. I had never felt anything like it before. Every muscle in my body was overused to the point of not working anymore, or maybe just too shocked to function. It was like I had fallen out of a tree and had the wind knocked out of me. I definitely wanted more.

"Better," Hoenir said.

He smiled wickedly, then kissed me on the lips. As he made his way down my body every spot he touched came alive again. Even light kisses along the line of my collarbone made me moan with anticipation when the sensation followed a path down, feeding the ache between my legs.

By the time he had finished kissing and nipping his way down my neck and worshiping every inch of my breasts, I was tightly gripping his hair, trying to force his head lower. He just laughed under his breath and kept teasing my nipples until I was making frustrated sounds because I wasn't strong enough to force his head lower.

While he lingered on my stomach I was pulling his hair so hard that it had to be painful, but he ignored me and kept moving so slowly I wanted to scream. When he moved on to kissing and biting my thighs I gave up trying to force him anywhere and just gripped the metal bars on the headboard. I was out of my mind with no control of over my body. All I could do was moan and beg him to let me come.

He ignored my pleas and gently explored every fold between my legs. I had been dripping so wet for so long that I was soaking the sheets beneath me. When his grip tightened on my hips, I looked down and our eyes locked.

The first touch of his mouth was enough to make the world explode. Normally, when I came I couldn't help but close my eyes and let my head fall back, but I couldn't pull my eyes away from his. He was enjoying my pleasure as if it was his own, and there was something else there too-a connection so deep that it would have terrified me if I hadn't been too busy screaming out my pleasure to think straight.

As the waves started to fade, he didn't move his mouth. He kept going and slipped one finger inside of me, then two, encouraging me to move hard against his hand. My next orgasm was building before the previous one had completely faded, and that wasn't the last one before he finally let me pull his face up to mine.

"And what would you like now m'lady?" he asked.

In response, I slid my hands down his sides to his hips, and finally he let me slide his boxers off. He kicked them off the foot of the bed and in the blink of an eye he had rolled us both over so that I was on top of him, straddling his hard stomach.

"You. I want you," I said.

"I'm all yours." He lifted his arms above his head just like they had been when he was handcuffed to the bed. "Do with me as you please."

I wasn't going to waste any time thinking. I needed to jump off this cliff before I remembered why I had run away from it for so long. I buried my hand in the hair at the nape of his neck and pulled hard, forcing him to sit up and kiss me hard. Then we both forgot about kissing as I guided him inside me. We were close together, forehead to forehead. I loved hearing every sound he made, knowing that I was the one giving him that pleasure.

His first sound was a sharp intake of breath, then he held his breath for a long moment as I slowly guided him deeper. He didn't breathe again until he was as deep inside me as he could be, then let out in a low moan. His control was fading fast as I moved on top of him, trying out different ways of moving against him until I found the one that made me come. As the world was starting to come back together he grabbed my hips.

"I need-"

He was clearly going to say more, but when I nodded he didn't bother to finish. He started moving harder underneath me, his hands showing me how to move against him. The rhythm gradually got faster and harder.

"I'm going to-where do you want me to come?" he asked against my ear.

"Just like this," I said.

It wasn't like I could get pregnant again, and I liked having him this close. When he came I wanted to hear and feel every bit of his pleasure like he had mine, but he had other ideas. He shifted underneath me, and his next movement felt so good that I moaned loudly and froze for a moment.

"Mmmm. I like that look on your face," he said, forcing me to start moving again. "You're going come with me," he said.

I had no choice but to comply. Just as he was starting to come, with one word he forced my body to do the same, holding onto him so tightly that my nails dug into his back. He let himself fall back onto the bed, pulling me with him.

As I tried to catch my breath, I wasn't quite sure which limbs were mine. Clearly it was going to take a little while for my brain to work again, but I didn't really care. All I wanted was enough energy to start all over again.

"Are all gods this good in bed?" I asked him.

"Why, are you planning on trying out any others?"

His tone of voice was teasing, but his body language was loud and clear. He really didn't like the idea of me finding another god to sleep with.

I shrugged. "Hard to say. You planning on sticking around?"

"Yes, I would like nothing better," he said very sincerely. "Are you?"

"Oh god, yes!" I said. "Ummm pun intended?"

Soon after that, a cell phone started ringing, blasting that "If you like it, put a ring on it" song. Since we had yet to get the gods their own cell phones, it had to be mine and Chloe must have changed my ring tone again. I wasn't sure what reaction I was expecting from Hoenir, but I wasn't expecting him to look embarrassed and a little guilty. I didn't answer the phone, and Hoenir didn't say anything until it had stopped ringing.

"Sorry, Ruby. I can change it to something else if you want. I got bored while you were sleeping and I like the song. And-I'm in love with you. Unlike most gods, I was never interested in chasing scores of women. I've only ever wanted to find the one person out there for me. It took far too many years, so now that you are in front of me I have no desire to let you slip away."

He was perfectly serious and perfectly ridiculous. I felt like an idiot because I wanted it to be true. More than anything, I wanted to fall in love with him and live happily ever. But what I wanted was impossible. Even if it started out well, no doubt it would eventually turn to elephant crap like every other relationship I'd ever been in. No mortal man wanted me for long, so I certainly wasn't going to believe that a god would be the one to buck that trend.

There was no way that I could let myself fall in love with him, but once my breathing returned to normal all I wanted was his hands all over me again. The only logical solution was to let him be my bed warmer until I got him out of my system or he got bored with me and moved on. It would be easy enough to just enjoy the orgasms and make sure that I didn't get attached.

It was exactly the same arrangement I'd had with Rob for so many years now, except Hoenir was an improvement over Rob in every possible way. That was the dangerous part, of course. I disliked Rob, but I had no reason to dislike Hoenir. He was just so far out of my league that I knew he would break my heart.

The landline started ringing downstairs, and eventually Chloe picked up and yelled up the stairs that someone was in labor. I needed to get out of this room to deliver a baby, but the spell hadn't broken yet. Great. I'd gotten it on with him, so I couldn't think of what else the spell could possibly want.

"What more does this spell need to let us out of this room? Do we have to summon a priest and get married?"

"You look darn cute when you're confused," he said with a grin. "Seriously though, Ruby, you are everything I want in a woman; you're smart, caring, kind, beautiful-and all of that even after working for more hours than any being should have to. So even if it's not today, I'll convince you to marry me eventually."

"Can I pick eventually?"

"Then you will allow me the opportunity to convince you?" he asked. "Let me be your—boyfriend?"

He was so sincere, like a big friendly puppy dog, except puppy dogs really weren't sexy. Never mind, he wasn't like a puppy. Not at all. He was just so genuine that it was worth giving him a chance.

"I'll let you try to convince me," I said. "So yes, boyfriend it is."

I felt a sudden pop, like the magical version of my ears popping from a change in altitude. The spell had been satisfied, and it wasn't the sex. We'd just needed to make an agreement with each other.

"I will have great fun convincing you."

He was using that chocolate cake voice of his, then he kissed me. Unfortunately, we were going to have to make it quick. A half an hour later, someone was pounding on the door.

"You have a baby to deliver! Don't make me open this door and blind myself," Gertie was yelling.

I knew she was right and forced myself out of bed. Babies arrived when they wanted to, and this one might not wait while we got it on for a third time this morning. Hoenir gave me a totally sexy smile from my bed. I hadn't left the house and I was already looking forward to coming home.

By the time I had successfully delivered the baby and returned home, my sex induced euphoria had passed. When I said he could be my boyfriend, I clearly hadn't been thinking straight. Best case scenario, he could go with Chloe to college after he inevitably got sick of me. Then I would only have to see him when I saw Chloe. The worst would be if Chloe stuck with her plan to have him be my bodyguard. A war god ex-boyfriend who had to guard my body. Yup, that sounded great.

It still wasn't too late for us to move on from this infatuation. Letting things go any further was out of the question. I just needed to put a stop to this in a way that maintained the peace. To do that, I would need to convince Hoenir that he didn't want me. Then I wouldn't even have to fend him off. I would just be hastening the inevitable.

To be continued...