Of course he built something like this. Of course he pours his heart into strangers but won’t let anyone return the favor.
Ares: Not sure if you’ve looked her up or not yet, but Artemis the goddess had a thing for nature. Seems it’s something my brother inherited.
Ares: Rumor has it, my big brother bought himself a new house up in Wisconsin. Ranch style, with a wraparound porch, in the burbs. With a couple dozen acres of protected forest attached to the property.
My chest constricts. I’ve been here twice and never really taken in my surroundings. It’s about twenty minutes from town but given that we’re in Wisconsin and woods are standard ‘comes with the house’ around here… it makes sense. And sends a shot of lust straight to my crotch.
If Artemis’s hand wasn’t still on me, I’d get up and look out the window. Did he really buy a house with some forest attached to chase someone through the trees?
Not someone.
Me.
To chasemethrough the woods.
He’s not seeing anyone else in Wisconsin, right?Right?Shit. My hands shake so hard I struggle not to wake him anddemand answers. What if he is? Do I have enough of a claim on him for that to mean something?
He bought his own forest, twenty minutes from the hockey house. That’s definitely giving maximum, feral millionaire stalker making-a-claim energy.
My brain flashes a National Geographic special titled, ‘Gay Hockey Player Hunted In His Natural Habitat.’
My pulse kicks. Hard. My dick twitches like it heard its mating call. I’m suddenly sweating. Why am I sweating? Oh right—because he bought a forest to ruin me in. His eyes stay closed, voice gravel-deep from sleep. “Stop thinking so loud.”
I freeze. “Was I?—?”
He makes a low noise, somewhere between a chuckle and a groan. “Your heartbeat woke me up.”
Liar. Ridiculously charming, adorably cute when he wakes up, and also devastatingly handsome liar.
I try to roll away—bad idea because everything inside me shifts, and I wince. Not because it hurts, because it’s a reminder of everything he did to me, everything I let happen, everything I wanted.
Artemis’s hand slides from my stomach to my hip, steadying me like he’s been touching me for years. “Easy.”
I swallow. “I’m fine.”
He hums. It’s a warm, deep, lazy sound that slides down my spine. “You’re sore. And freaking out.”
“I’m not?—”
He raises a brow without opening his eyes.
“Okay maybe a little. Soreandfreaking out.”
A smile curves his lips, it’s slow and sinful.
“Andyou’reproud of yourself.”
“Obviously.” His fingers trace my hipbone like he’s petting a nervous creature. He finally opens his eyes. He’s still half-asleep, softened at the edges, but locked on me like I’m the only thing he wants to see. It does terrible, wonderfulthings to my chest. And my heart threatens to make a bid for freedom right out of my ribcage.
“Good morning,Duende.” His voice is a caress, it’s a replay of every filthy thing he whispered in my ear last night. It sends waves of goosebumps over my skin.
My cheeks burn. “Morning.”
There’s a beat of silence, then his thumb sweeps my lower lip, he’s slow and deliberate, like he’s remembering how it felt to kiss me.
My body answers first—heat curling low. My mind answers second—panic, confusion, longing all tumbled together. But myheart? My traitorous, inconvenient bastard of a giant heart crammed into the bone-cage of my ribs? It whispers yes, do it, run toward him, grab the giant ice prince with both hands and never let him go.
He sees it. I know he does. His brows pull together in that soft way he gets when he’s feeling something he doesn’t want to name out loud.
