Hecate’s hands flew to his hair, and she gripped the mess of dark curls, finally finding some purchase and using it to grind against his face. Her heels curled around and dug into his muscled back, their bodies nearly slipping against one another from sweat. Aeëtes only let out a dark laugh in response, the vibrations shooting up Hecate’s spine and down to her feet. Her whole body felt like lightning as he nipped her thigh.
“Use me, Goddess,” he encouraged Hecate, his hands now rubbing almost soft circles on her. “I told you I’d take whatever you had to give me. Ride my face until you only remember my name.” His tone switched from playful to commanding, and he bit her thigh a little harder.
Hecate let out a wanton moan, feeling sweat drip down her back as she pushed Aeëtes back towards her center.
One of his hands released its grip, and as Hecate was about to cry out at the loss of it, Aeëtes sucked her clit into his mouth, rolling it between his tongue, and curved his fingers into her. Hecate released a shattering cry as he worked her over with a near deadly precision, his tongue and his fingers alternating so she didn’t get a moment’s reprieve, just a constant barrage of continuous sensation that worked her higher and higher.
“Fuck me!” Hecate screamed, the last of her inhibitions gone as she gripped Aeëtes’s hair even tighter. He laughed again from between her thighs, picking up his pace.
“There we go,” he sounded nearly chuffed about the onslaught of Hecate’s hysteria. “That’s it.”
Aeëtes’s voice was now like spiced honey, rough and smooth all at once, gently pushing her to the edge while he never stopped his perfect rhythm. Hecate was utterly incoherent now, her voice a mottled mess of consonants and sounds. She was unable to string together even a coherent groan between gasps.
“Let it all go.” Aeëtes nodded, pulling away from her as his thumb replaced his tongue on her clit. “I want to watch you when you come, Hecate. I want to see you ruined for me.”
“I—fffuu—Aeëtes!” Hecate cried out, nearly in pain with overwhelming need.
“That’s perfect.” Aeëtes grinned, unable to look away from her as she writhed from his touch, the infamous Goddess of witchcraft panting forhim.“Don’t stop now, let it happen. You’re doing so well, my little witch…”
Hecate nearly screamed as he curled his fingers inside of her, grazing that one spot which only she had previously been able to find. Aeëtes picked up the pace as he drew circles around her clit and pumped his fingers, hitting it over and over again…but something was still there, tethering Hecate’s control, and that just wouldn’t do. A wicked thought crossed Aeëtes’s mind, and as he leaned forward towards her center, he commanded her.
“Come for me, Hecate—now.”
As soon as he said it, he pressed his lips to her clit and sucked, curling his fingers at the same time. Hecate’s whole body spasmed as she nearly fell off the barrel, Aeëtes’s hands going to her waist to keep her from falling. Her legs spasmed around him with the strength of her orgasm while Hecate started to scream so loudly that her voice cut off.
Aeëtes was transfixed, finding himself suddenly fighting his own release, too. She was so stunning when she lost control, bent over the back of a wine barrel in the bottom of a ship, no less; he nearly came from the sight alone. He didn’t know how long he sat there, running his hands over her thighs and her belly as she came down. Her eyes stayed closed as her breathing slowly returned to normal.
“Hecate?” Aeëtes whispered gently, standing up and wincing at his own nearly painful hard-on.
No response.
“Witch?” He leaned over her, a soft smile lighting up his face. Aeëtes realized that she had passed out, and was now sound asleep, with likely no chance of waking her. His whole chest was ready to burst with male satisfaction as he gently collected her into his arms. She stirred slightly, making a muffled sound of assent.
Aeëtes quickly and quietly rearranged Hecate on the bed, adjusting her himation so she wouldn’t feel confused or self-conscious if she woke up half-naked. He stood and paused for a moment, feelings of inadequacy creeping in from the wings as he looked at her sleeping face. She was stunning, relaxed, and breathing deeply.
All Aeëtes wanted to do was to prove himself worthy of climbing in next to her.
Soon.He pushed away the most deprecating of his thoughts and refused to think of anything but how intoxicating Hecate tasted.Soon.He allowed himself one last look, and quietly saw himself out of her cabin, making sure the door locked from the inside behind him.
18
The next morning, Hecate stirred in her bed and blinked her eyes open. The bright, shining rays of Helios were already streaming through the porthole, letting her know that it was barely past sunrise.
I’m already cleaning up your messes, Helios.Hecate nearly snarled at the sun as if he could hear her.The least you could do is let me sleep.They were really in their current predicament because of Hera. This early in the morning, however, Hecate couldn’t be blamed for shifting the source of her ire to the sun.
All at once, the memories of the night before came rushing back to her. Hecate stifled a gasp, rolling over and burying her head in the pillow as she shook her head.
Oh gods…what did wedo?Hecate was never one to feel ashamed after a tryst and she wasn’t going to start now…but this was larger than that. This wasn’t about feeling embarrassed or cautious after crossing a line with someone or a one-night stand. This wasAeëtes.He had consumed her thoughts ever since that kiss on Aeaea.
Last night was…fuck.Hecate turned over and stared up at the ceiling, trying to straighten out her thoughts before she got out of bed.It can’t go any further. Even if it’s just sex, I don’t think I can havejustsex with Aeëtes.The thought alone made a sick feeling sink in the pit of her stomach, and that did fill her with shame. She would never forget the look on his face when she told him that she only wanted sex. He had laid everything out for her, and she denied him, claiming that the only thing she wanted him for was physical.
It’s not like I didn’t want him for that.Hecate continued to try and rationalize with herself, as if she could find an angle to look at the scenario that didn’t make her feel terrible. There wasn’t one. As she twisted around in the thin sheets, Hecate found herself on a delicate precise. On one hand, she had seen the hurt in Aeëtes’s eyes when she told him that anything between them would be purely physical. On the other hand, there was simply…no way that she could believe he felt that way about her. She wanted to believe it—she had heard his voice when he told her, and he had backed off the topic of his feelings just as quickly. He knew this would be her response, but it was as though he needed to say it anyway, even if partially in jest or even if it would fall on deaf ears. Gods, how she wanted to believe it. As soon as she could see herself trusting him, accepting that that was truly how he felt, Hecate would feel her walls slam up around her.
It was as though there was some invisible tether that kept jerking her back, keeping her from believing it. No matter what she told her mind to do—and she tried as she tossed back and forth—she couldn’t just…accept it.
Men are fickle. They only care about their freedom, and in the end…that won’t mean you.Her thoughts were quick and sharp, her wounds always poised like arrows to hit the target of her deepest insecurities when she least expected it.
Finally, without any resolution, Hecate stood slowly. She readjusted her clothing and retied the braid in her hair, praying that she didn’t look as discombobulated as she felt—and she felt like she had been taken apart and hastily put back together again.
