Felicity

I wake up suddenly in the dead of the night.

Something’s wrong.

It’s not the arm wrapped around me. Ares being here with me is so right it should be terrifying.

But that’s not the problem.

Something’s wrong in the air.

I blink in the darkness.

Loki’s staring at us.

Sitting on Gammy’s nightstand.

Watching us sleep.

Okay, creepy.

But it’s not until the hall light flips on outside the bedroom that I realize the monkey isn’t what’s bothering me.

“Fecility,” my brother slurs two seconds before he lists into my doorway. “We talks to gots.”

He has the beginnings of a black eye, a split lip, and a cut across his cheek. Even without the slurred speech, I’d know my brother was six sheets past the wind.

He has that glassy-eyed, crooked smile, and his shirt’s on backwards.

Which is fucking impressive, considering it’s a collared polo.

I leap up, realize I’m naked as a jaybird, and slap one hand between my thighs while the other shields my nipples. “Get out,” I hiss.

I try to slam the door, but Ares is stirring behind me, and even Drunk Nick recognizes what’s going on.

“Fuck. The. What?” he slurs at me.

He shakes his head.

I slam the door, but it bounces off his foot, then crashes wide open as he tears into the room.

“What the ever-loving fuck, Berger?” he hollers.

Yeah.

Stone-cold sober now.

I’m still just standing around in my birthday suit, barely able to cover all the vital needing-to-be-covered parts.

“Stay,” I order Ares.

He’s climbing off the bed—without the boot—and I’m going to fucking kill both of them if Ares hurts his ankle more right now.

Nick’s quick, but I’m legitimately sober, so I manage to get a grip on the pressure point in his shoulder before he can leap.

He stumbles to his knees, and I adjust to get a tighter hold.

“Sit. Down,” I order Ares.

His gaze shifts between me and Nick.

I growl.

A ghost of a grin teases his lips, and he sits.

Pulls the covers over his stick and pucks too.

“Fucking ow, Felicity.” Nick tries to jerk away, but I hit the pressure point on his other shoulder too, and he sinks closer to the floor.

“I swear on Gammy’s ghost, if you don’t pull your head out of your ass and stay the hell out of my love life, I will decimate you and everything you’ve ever loved,” I hiss in his ear.

“Decimate? Who the fuck says decimate?”

I dig my fingers deeper.

“Ow ow ow!”

I could seriously go for some clothes right about now.

Ares meets my gaze. Didn’t know I was getting a show tonight, but I like it.

“You. Be. Quiet,” I order.

He purses his lips together.

Clearly holding in a smile.

I shouldn’t be turned on by him being amused at watching me naked wrestle with my brother, but an intrigued flush is creeping over my skin.

“I’m ordering you a Lyft,” I inform my brother. “You’re going home. You’re going to sober up. You’re going to issue a public apology for overreacting about my love life, and you’re going to fucking find a way to behave yourself or I’m calling Gracie and we’re releasing that picture of your dick that you had printed on all those cookies on my lawn. Understand?”

He doesn’t answer.

He’s having a stare-down with Ares.

Apparently not a very effective one, because Ares isn’t even trying. There’s no heavy determination, no terrifying focus, not even half-hearted concentration.

As far as Ares stares go, this one’s so weak it could use mouth-to-mouth resuscitation.

That has to be pissing Nick off.

Not that I care.

Though I am in favor of mouth-to-mouth.

Ares gives good kisses.

“I told you to take care of her,” Nick growls.

Ares lifts a brow.

And not a yeah, you should’ve seen how I took care of her when I made her vagina explode brow.

Huh.

No, that’s an and what have you done right in trying to help take care of her?

Have I ever slept with a guy who would’ve passed up a chance to brag about his orgasm-inducing powers?

I don’t think I have.

Which is interesting, because I’ve never had an orgasm quite like—

Ares cuts a glance at me, and there’s the ego.

You have to look deep—under the not the time, Felicity look, and under the my monkey’s getting an eyeful of your naked breasts look, and under the you’re about to lose your grip on your brother so he can pounce on my injured ass look—but it’s there.

Along with a hint of that’s right, and I’ll give you another one as soon as your dumbass brother leaves.

I think.

I hope.

Fuck, I’m a mess.

And I’m so glad Loki doesn’t have a camera.

I press harder on Nick’s shoulder, because Ares is right. I’m letting my guard down.

“What’s your problem with Ares?” I ask quietly.

“He fucked you.”

“And?” I prompt.

Without rolling my eyes. I deserve a fucking trophy for that.

Nick’s chest heaves. His shirt gapes open in the back where his collar opens. “And I don’t like it,” he grits out.

“Tough.”

Loki throws Gammy’s black book at him.

“What—”

I reach over and snag it, because I didn’t want to know, and Nick certainly doesn’t either.

Nick starts to lunge for Ares, but I tackle him at the knees, and he flops, face-first, into the side of the bed.

“Fuck,” he mutters.

“My hero,” Ares says to me.

I stare at him for a second, and I burst out laughing.

He grins.

Warm, amused, affectionate.

How could anyone object to Ares?

He’s fucking awesome.