Innocence (Tales of Olympus #1)(33)

But Marcus’s lips on her felt real enough. A shudder wracked her body at his touch. Gods, the way he made her feel. He still had his pants on but he was kissing her and she was happy to let him take the lead.

As much as she hated to think of him with other women before her, it meant he was the one who knew what he was doing.

And now he’s yours. Only yours.

She grinned and dug her hands into his hair. Gods, she loved his hair. It was so thick and dark. Their children would have gorgeous dark hair. Would they get his gray eyes or her blue ones? They hadn’t even talked about children other than Marcus asking for her to get the birth control shot a month ago. There was so much they still didn’t know about each other.

But they had their whole lives to learn. Starting tonight.

Cora’s stomach flipped in joy and pleasure as Marcus reached beneath her and unclasped her bra.

When he pulled it off, she waited in anticipation for him to touch her breasts. Her nipples had hardened into little nubs and she was suddenly aching for him to touch them.

Instead, Marcus lifted her arms above her head and continued to kiss her.

He climbed off of her and moved up the bed.

“What are you—” she started to ask but he cut her off.

“Do you trust me?” His gaze had never been more solemn and intense. It made Cora want to cover herself again but she swallowed. She’d be brave. Because yes, she did trust him, and she told him so.

“Yes.”

He gave her the half grin she loved as he pulled one of her arms up and outwards. Tension rippled through her as he lifted a silk scarf she hadn’t seen that was already tied to the bedpost to wind around her wrist.

What was he—? She lay still as he tied first one wrist, and then the other, to the bed. She tugged against one experimentally and even though it was silk, the way he’d knotted it, it didn’t give an inch.

“Marcus,” she said, brow furrowing. “I don’t know about this. It’s— It’s my first time, you know.”

“That makes me very happy to hear, goddess,” he said, moving back down the bed to kiss her deep again.

His drugging kisses soon had her forgetting all her objections. Especially when he kissed down her neck and kept going. When his mouth closed over her nipple finally, she arched up into him and let out the most embarrassing moan. But gods, she couldn’t help it, it felt so good.

He wasn’t done with teasing her, though, apparently, because he continued kissing down her body. Down to her belly button. Lower.

When he got to the hem of her white lace underwear, he dragged them down with his teeth. Cora gasped and her chest heaved as warring emotions fought for dominance—fear, exhilaration, but above all, desire.

Desire for her husband, the man she loved. Dear gods but she loved him.

It was on the tip of her tongue to confess it as he tugged her underwear and slid it down her legs, baring her to him completely.

She wasn’t embarrassed or ashamed.

Because she loved him.

She wanted to whisper it in his ear. She wanted to scream it from the rooftops.

She was in love with this god of a man and she wanted the whole world to know. She grinned at him as he massaged her calf and looked up at her body.

He wasn’t smiling. He looked pensive, like he was deep in his head.

“Marcus?”

He didn’t answer as he pulled off her thigh-highs, then tugged on her ankle and—

Her forehead furrowed when he pulled yet another red scarf from the foot of the bed.

“Wait, Marcus.” She tried to draw her leg up but he pulled her leg back flat to the bed with his inexorable strength, massaging her calf as he went.

When he looked up at her, his eyes were stormy. “You said you trusted me.”

And what could she say to that?

So she let her leg go limp as he tied one ankle and then the other, until she was spread out on the bed like a virgin sacrifice.

She expected Marcus to climb up and cover her, to warm her with his body and soothe her discomfort at the position with his drugging kisses.

But instead, he left the bed. Glass clinked. Cora craned her neck. Marcus stood at the sideboard, pouring himself a drink.

“What are you doing?” She tugged at her bonds. Glass in hand, Marcus moved to the end of the bed, his face half in shadow. In between sips, his sculpted lips were set in neither a smile or a frown.

“Marcus,” she called, breathless. “Please. What—”

“If only Demi Titan could see her little girl now.”

What? How—

Goosebumps pebbled all over Cora’s skin. She’d never told Marcus her mother’s name. Much less her mother’s married name. Mom had gone back to using her maiden name, Vestian, after they moved to Kansas.

But for Marcus to know—

He stepped into the light. His stone expression turned Cora cold. “Surprise, little wife.” He took a long pull of his drink. “You’ve just married the big bad wolf.”





Nine





No, no, no, no, no. This was all some big mistake. Or she was dreaming. Yes, that had to be it. It was still the night before the wedding and she was having a nightmare. This was pre-wedding jitters and her brain was conjuring the worst thing it could imagine.

“Hey,” Marcus ran his fingertips up her inner thigh. “Stay with me. This is important. Don’t want you to miss a thing.” His lips twisted as he leaned over her. “Breathe. You gotta remember to breathe.”