Chapter 34

Chapter

Thirty-Four

DAPHNE

I snuggle up next to him the next morning after wine-infused sex that blew my mind as every time with Apollo does of late, wondering if I should seduce him and go for round two. I don’t want to wake him… Okay, I totally want to wake him. But will he be mad if I do?

My answer comes when our lips meet, a pull neither can resist any longer. Our hunger is never satiated. His heart beats against mine as he arranges my body closer. The single kiss has the power to forever bind. The kiss is the exclamation mark to the sentence. One kiss speaks volumes of what is meant—a demand, a command, an order of love and passion.

I want him.

I want him this very second… again.

Now.

Apollo sucks my breast, then moves to the other to give it equal attention. Lowering his hand to my mound, damp with fresh arousal, he dips a finger to my clit and applies pressure as he rouses an overwhelming longing that has me gasping for air. Moving from my clit, he presses his fingers past my folds and pushes one, then two digits into my sex. I force my hips up to drive them inside my pussy even deeper. They aren’t enough. I want to feel the small bite of pain as his cock stretches me as he claims what is now his. I want to feel him so badly that the hunger changes who I am.

I am an animal .

I am a stalker in search of its victim.

I am a woman who needs to be fucked hard by her man. Her man who has been missing in most of our marriage but now is found.

Not being able to hold back the fever that scorches me, I beg, “Please, Apollo. Please…”

“Please what?” he asks as he dances his fingers inside my core. “Say it, Daphne. Tell me what you want.”

“I want you,” I pant, desperately wanting to feel the orgasm that rests just beneath the surface, begging to be set free. But I need Apollo’s cock to make that happen.

“Say it, Daphne. Say what you really feel.”

“Fuck me!” I blurt out as a moan follows my command. “I want you to fuck me hard and make me remember the feeling between my legs for days. Make me sting. Make me hurt. Fuck! Fuck me!”

I am absolutely desperate at this point as his fingers hit a spot inside my pussy that has me gyrating uncontrollably. I need more! I need him so badly that I could lose my mind in a wild thirst for more if he doesn’t mount me and take me right now.

Merciful as he is, he does just as I need. Feeling his weight on top of me, I’m soon rewarded when his cock presses up against my opening and easily slides in with the aid of my wetness. Wrapping my legs around him, I hold on in fear that I’ll cede complete control over to the lust.

I am so hungry.

I have such a craving and an urge that only he can quench.

And with a forceful shove of his hips, he drives his thick cock all the way in, claiming me completely. Yes, yes, yes… I am his.

In and out he thrusts, deeper and deeper with each pounding action. My moans blend with his as our bodies merge as one. He is my commander in this war of lust, and my body will forever be his to order, to master, to lead toward completion.

“Fucking mine,” he groans as he powers into me, his muscles taut, his eyes glazed over. “Cry out for me, princess,” he demands. “Cry, princess, cry.”

As if I need the command, like a dutiful soldier, I do just as he ordered. A wave of warmth that has rested on the cliff since he took my nipple into his mouth finally releases. Pure carnality shakes through my body as I cry out his name… crying in the only way I ever want to cry again.

Tears of lust rather than tears of pain .

Moaning with each pulsation of decadence that attacks my pussy, I truly melt into an abyss of sexual heaven. With a few more thrusts, Apollo adds his own pleasurable moans, and he, too, joins me in our own utopian paradise.

Slipping my arms around his neck, I pull away enough to stare into his eyes. There is so much I want to say. So much I want to tell him. But right now, right this second, I enjoy the silence.

Apollo’s phone vibrates on the nightstand…and then again.

This time, he doesn’t ignore it, but reaches for it with a groan.

“I need to call my father,” he says as he flings his legs over the bed. “He’s been trying to reach me, and his patience is going to only last so long.”

My heart sinks. I want more cuddle time. I want more of him. “It’s Sunday. Can’t you take one day off from Medusa? Maybe we can go into town for shopping and lunch or something. I’ve never been to any of the little shops on Main Street. It’ll be weird to go inside with the ability to buy something and?—”

“I can’t,” he says, walking toward his closet as he reads the text on his phone. “I need to deal with some business. Why don’t you go do that with your sister?”

I don’t like his answer. I hate his answer. It’s reminding me of our life before. Before the accident. His father always came first, Medusa came second, and everyone else besides me came next.

“My sister will be fine. She’s still recovering and has visible wounds to her face. She won’t want to go out in public for a while. But I do. Please? It’s sunny out. And you said a storm is coming soon, so shouldn’t we go out and enjoy the nice day while it lasts? We may be cooped up inside for a while.” I lower the blanket to reveal a breast on full display to tempt him. “Apollo,” I say as he turns to look at me. “Come back to bed. Let’s play.”

It’s completely unlike me to be so flirty and sexually open, but I’m having fun with it. The man turns me into an animal.

Apollo looks away, as if my tease does nothing. He pulls on his pants and pulls a sweatshirt on as if I’m not lying here naked in bed, willing and waiting. His attention is back to his phone as he texts something urgently with a scowl.

“Apollo…”

“Daphne,” he snaps, walking toward the door. “I need to go deal with this. I’m sorry.” Without saying another word, or even walking over to the bed to give me a simple kiss goodbye, he leaves and heads to the study…again. Just like every single damn day of our marriage before we came to Olympus Manor.

The pang in my heart from his hasty rejection quickly turns to anger. The anger turns to rage. The rage turns to defiance.

All right, fucker! You don’t want to go into town, then I’ll go by myself!

Yanking my own clothes on in a fury, not paying attention to what I actually put on, I then storm out of our room to go check on my sister. Peeking my head into her room, my anger dissipates a little when I see her tiny and beaten body in a deep slumber, sleeping away her nightmare. It doesn’t take long for my anger to return when I leave her room and head downstairs. Apollo hurt my ego, my feelings. I asked for one damn day off and practically threw myself on him, only to be cast aside for his damn father. The Godwin family always suffocates.

“We need to talk. Athena is on the chopper heading this way,” Apollo says as he comes out of the study with an empty coffee cup in hand.

Son of a bitch! Did he not even see that I’m mad? I don’t give a fuck who in his family is coming.

“Have fun visiting with her,” I snap. “My sister is still asleep, and I’m going into town before the storm comes in.”

“What?”

“Did I stutter?” I’m being a bitch, but I don’t care. My temper has blown and there is no pushing it back in once I get going on a rampage.

“What the fuck has gotten into you?” He takes a few steps toward me. “And you’re not going into town right now. It’s important you and I have a discussion about that text I got.”

“Oh, now you have time to spend with me,” I say, rolling my eyes. “I guess Daddy Dearest doesn’t need you any longer?”

“I don’t like how you are speaking or acting,” he says with warning laced throughout every syllable.

“Well, I feel the same way. I don’t exactly like how you’re acting either,” I counter as I put my hands on my hips and take a step toward him as a predator would slowly stalk its prey.

“And how is that?” he asks, pausing as if he’s genuinely baffled that I would be angry at all. “How exactly am I upsetting you? Because I said I had to do some work and respond to my father?”

I say nothing, but that is answer enough for him.

“I haven’t been in the office since we got here. I’m trying to deal with a shitload of work remotely, and my family is still reeling from the death of my brother and your?— ”

“Yes, I know! My betrayal! They want me dead?—”

“Yes. They do. For which I’m essentially buying us time to figure it the fuck out,” Apollo interrupts, acting much more calmly and in control than I am. “But that text that has you so pissed off was them telling me that they don’t feel as if I’m handling things any longer, so now they are sending Athena to take care of it.”

“We are all one big happy family now, right?” My stomach coils and I almost want to throw up. The truth of the matter is I hate this family. I truly do. His father interrupting our perfect morning is just a small taste of what’s coming the minute we reenter real life and have to live in Seattle again. “It doesn’t matter what you do or say. I’m the enemy now, and you know it. But I won’t sit here and think about that today. So, I’m going out. Your sister will just have to kill me on another day.”

Apollo storms toward me and grabs my arm firmly. “You are not going anywhere. So stop this nonsense before you piss me off.”

I snatch my arm away from him and take a few steps away. The pain in my gut nearly suffocates me when I realize he doesn’t even try to deny that his family wants me dead, nor does he try to reassure me that my life isn’t in danger. It’s what I feared. Apollo may have forgiven me, and my penance may be paid with him. But the rest of the Godwins will want vengeance.

“I know you were supposed to bring me to Olympus to kill me. And just because you changed your mind, doesn’t mean they have. It’s why we’re still here, right? You were stalling because you know it’s true. We can’t just return to Seattle like nothing has happened. And we can’t just stay here forever either. Athena isn’t coming to just have a chat with us, or to threaten me, or to just?—”

“Daphne, take a deep breath and calm down.”

I am out of control. I can feel it. But I don’t care anymore. My inner beast has been unleashed, and she is wounded and bloody and wants to flee. I have to protect myself. I’m not going to just let a Godwin kill me. I’m not going to just sit here as ready prey.

“My sister and I need to leave. I want to leave.”

“We’ll leave as soon as I can?—”

“I’m no longer talking about going to town or even going back to Seattle. I mean, that my sister and I need to truly leave. Leave Seattle, maybe even leave the country. We need to go somewhere where your family can’t find us,” I say. This is the first time since Apollo kidnapped me and took me to Heathens Hollow, that I’m actually coming up with an escape plan. An escape plan that doesn’t involve… my husband .

“Absolutely not.” Apollo never raises his voice once.

“You know I have to. You know Troy will kill me.”

Apollo shakes his head. “No, he won’t.”

I smirk. “You’re right. He won’t. But Athena will. That’s why she’s flying here right now. She has her marching orders. She’s the new hitman now that Ares is dead.”

“Neither one of them are going to kill you because I have a plan,” he says.

“A plan? What?”

He takes my hand and brings me into the study. He then walks over to the desk and pulls out a thin box and hands it to me. “It may be too soon. And maybe it hasn’t happened yet. But there’s a chance. And even if it hasn’t happened yet, we’re going to stay here at Olympus until it does.”

I peer at the box, not understanding why he’s handing me it, although my gut starts churning as if in preparation for the hurricane coming.

“A pregnancy test?” I croak out.

“We haven’t been using protection, and we’ve definitely been trying.” He gives a smirk, but I’m not finding this funny in the slightest. “So go see if you are.”

“Why?” I’m staring at the man but not seeing him. My knees lock so they don’t completely buckle as they’re threatening to do.

“Because if you’re carrying my child—a Godwin child—neither my father nor my sister will harm a hair on that beautiful head of yours. They won’t allow a Godwin to grow up without a mother. They will want the best for that baby. For the heir.” He points to the door. “Go take the test.”

I don’t know how I am able to will my feet to walk, or how I can steady my hands enough to take the test, but I somehow do. And as I walk back into the study where Apollo is anxiously waiting, I extend my hand to him with the test.

“Well?” he says, rushing to me to take the test to see for himself.

I don’t say anything. I need to see him read the results to make sure what I saw was correct.

“Two lines! Two lines means pregnant right?” He looks at me with a wide grin that shows off every possible laugh line on his face. “You’re pregnant!”