Aaren spluttered. “In thesame bed?!”
And now Hades was wearing a shark’s smile. “That would be the ultimate Fuck You, wouldn’t it?”
“But what if he wakes up?”
The alpha barked a laugh. “I notice that you’re not turned off by this. All you’re worried about is being caught.”
The heat on Aaren’s cheeks intensified. “I, um.”
“Be honest, sweetheart. You want payback, don’t you? You want him to suffer like you have been.”
“You can’t know that,” Aaren mumbled. But deep down, he knew Hades was right. Too often, asshole alphas never got the payback they deserved. They always claimed that they hadn’t done anything wrong, or that their actions were justified, and people would believe them.
A slow, knowing smile spread across Hades’ lips. He looked into Aaren’s eyes, leaning in so their mouths were a hairsbreadthapart. “You, Aaren Miller, have a drop of darkness in your heart. It sings to me.”
“I’m pure!” Aaren protested. “I’m as pure as the driven snow!”
Hades laughed and cupped Aaren’s ass with both hands. “By ‘snow’, do you mean your ass? These cheeks are very soft and very... pure.” He squeezed them. “But I have also taken the liberty to plow this snow. It parted easily for me.”
“Oh gods,” Aaren whispered, amazed and turned on. “That was a pickup line.”
Hades’ eyebrows rose. “It was?”
Aaren nodded eagerly. Then he rememberedhispickup lines, and looked around in case they were within reach.
They weren’t.
He sagged in disappointment. “They’re just like Emmy’s lines. I wanted to read a pickup line to you! But mine are in my jeans pocket.”
“Why don’t we get them?” Hades said, sitting up with Aaren. With his hands bracing Aaren’s ass, he rolled off the bed and onto his feet, carrying Aaren across the room. His knot jostled Aaren’s insides with every step. Then Hades crouched next to Aaren’s clothes, and his knot ground so hard against Aaren’s sweet spot that Aaren cried out and came.
“Mmm. Which pocket?” Hades rummaged through Aaren’s pants. “Here.”
Aaren unfolded the order sheet when he’d recovered, reading the first line. “‘You are my puffy-cake sunshine. When your asscheeks clap together, mine clap too. This means our cheeksare talking through an ass-soul bond. To make our mating official, we should do an ass-clap dance so our butts can proclaim their love for each other.’”
Hades blinked and stared. He wet his lips. “That’s... certainly a unique pickup line.”
Aaren nodded eagerly. “Did it make you want to date me more?”
Hades laughed. “I already want to date you a lot, sweetheart. The pickup lines will make everything more... interesting. I’m not opposed to hearing another.”
Aaren beamed, his heart swelling.
He was about to read another line when a car door slammed.
It sounded close, too close. Like it had come from right outside the house. Under him, Hades stiffened. “Do you think...?”
The front door lock clicked, too loud in the silence.
“Oh crap,” Aaren whispered, his pulse ramping up. “He’s home.”
10
SCRAMBLE
For a frozen moment,Aaren could not move.
Oh no. No no no. He’s going to catch Hades in here.
