CHAPTER 9
Ted shook Kevin’s hand, struggling to see past the façade that he wore like his well-fitted suit. Mikolas had been right. Looking at him, he was a seventy-something older man, but his handshake and the glint in his eyes hinted at something more.
“Thanks for coming in,” Ted said. “Mikolas will be down in a few minutes.”
Kevin took off his coat and laid it on the back of the chair before taking his seat. “I admit I’m intrigued. After our dinner the other night, it seemed apparent that Mr. Leandros didn’t want to discuss the Order.” He tipped his head, a hint of a smile on his face. “At least not with me.”
“There have been some developments that have warmed him to the idea. I’m hoping you can help us with a…situation.”
His silver brows arched. “I’m going to earn my way into the Order of the Titans?”
Before Ted could come up with an answer, the door opened. Mikolas entered, and Kevin started to stand back up.
Mikolas crossed to him and offered his hand. “No need to get up, Mr. Elys.”
“Call me Kevin.” He shook Mikolas’s hand. “I understand I might be of assistance to you?”
Mikolas glanced at Ted and back to Kevin. “I hope so.” He sat down, his expression grim. “Ted mentioned you were extremely knowledgeable when it comes to Greek mythology.”
Kevin chuckled, but he didn’t deny it. “Is there something you can’t look up on your Internet?”
“Humanity as a whole considers mythology to be folktales.” Mikolas opened his hands. “The gods have become fictional characters in this world.”
Kevin drummed his fingers on the arm of the chair. “I’m aware.”
Ted leaned against the edge of his desk. “I’ve met someone who proves that theory wrong.” All eyes were on him. “There are photos of a woman in my father’s files that are sixty years old, but this woman hasn’t aged a day since then.”
Kevin smirked. “Is her beauty a problem?”
Ted stared at Kevin for a second. He’d never seen this side of him. Was he…annoyed? “No, but she’s a loose cannon. If she exposes the Order, we’ll never be able to free Kronos from Tartarus.”
Mikolas shot him a glare, silencing him. He turned to Kevin. “I’m not sure how much Ted has told you about the Order, but we honor the Titans as protectors of mankind.”
Kevin looked at each of them and finally rested back in his chair. “I share this belief, yet you hesitate to accept me into your Order.”
Mikolas shrugged. “Until I can get this situation controlled, I can’t guarantee your safety.”
“As I see it, if you need my help, you’re going to have to trust me.” Kevin crossed his arms. “The choice is yours.”
Mikolas stood. “An immortal walks among us. I’ve read everything I can and while I’ve found mentions of her, I can’t find a weakness.”
Kevin glanced at Ted. “Do you know her true identity?”
Ted nodded slowly. “Her real name is Philyra.”
For a split second, Ted caught a flash of recognition on Kevin’s face, but it was gone so fast, he was already doubting what he’d seen.
Kevin got up from his chair. “She has a weakness.”
Mikolas turned his full attention to their guest. “We have the capital to get whatever we need.”
“Money won’t help you, I’m afraid.” He chuckled. “You’ll have to find Rhea.”
“Rhea?” Ted frowned. “As in the wife of Kronos and Mother of the Gods? No one has seen her since the gods retreated from this world.”
Kevin tipped his head. “Ah, but that doesn’t mean she isn’t here. She just doesn’t wish to be found.” He walked to the door.
“Wait.” Mikolas followed. “I thought you were going to help us.”
“Let me know when you find Rhea.” Kevin peered over his shoulder. “Until then, there’s no way to stop Philyra.”
Without another word, Kevin left the office.
After the tour of the two bedrooms, one bathroom, and the cozy kitchen, Mason went to take a shower and Clio pulled out her phone. She pressed Callie’s name. The Muse of Epic Poetry resided inside Callie’s five-foot-tall, Tinkerbell body. Her size was no reflection of her fiery personality or her commitment to their mission, though. She was their leader on their quest for inspiration, and now that they had another Guardian on their team, Callie needed to know.
In her day job, she was a well-respected psychologist specializing in treating PTSD, which had come in handy more than once since the Order of the Titans had begun targeting them.
“Hey, Clio. What’s up?”
Clio glanced down the hallway toward the bedroom. She could hear the shower beating down and tried not to imagine Mason naked.
Too late.
She bit her lower lip. “Have you talked to Trinity?”
“Yeah, she told me you were moving in to her place today, right? How are you feeling? You didn’t overdo it, did you?”
“No. Mason did most of the work.” She grinned, grateful no one could see her. “He’s my Guardian.”
“Seriously?” Callie clucked her tongue. “That’s how he broke down the door of the theater. I should’ve guessed.”
“I thought it was just adrenaline at first, but it turns out his gift is super strength.”
“Handy.” She paused. “Have you told him everything?”
“Yeah, he knows. He was actually already tracking Pamela. That’s why he’s in Crystal City.”
“He’s tracking Pamela? Why?”
They were getting close to a line Clio wasn’t going to cross, not even for Callie. Mason had asked her to keep his family history between them, and she intended to do just that.
“I’ll let him explain. Can we get everyone together sometime soon? Maybe tomorrow at the theater jobsite?”
“Sounds good.” Callie chuckled. “We had another Guardian right under our noses, and we didn’t even realize it.”
“I was thinking the same thing.” The shower turned off in the other room, and Clio rushed to end the call. “Text me later to let me know when we’re all meeting.”
“Will do.”
Clio tucked her phone in her pocket and slipped out onto the deck. She sat in a lounge chair overlooking the cove, drinking in the sunshine. She closed her eyes and smiled, sending a silent thank-you to the gods for Mason.
The door opened, and his footsteps echoed across the redwood deck. He stopped behind her, and she tipped her head back as he leaned forward to see her. His hair was still wet. He had on a dark-blue polo and a pair of clean jeans.
And already her heart was racing.
He smiled and came around to sit in the chair beside her. “Now that I’m cleaned up, where did you want to go?”
She reached for his hand. “I was thinking maybe we should stay and watch the sunset on your deck since you haven’t seen it out here yet.”
He brushed a kiss to the back of her hand. “Sounds good to me.”
They sat in silence, but it didn’t feel awkward. The sky turned a brilliant orange, darkening into pink and red hues like a god’s canvas being unveiled before them. Mason held her hand, his thumb caressing her knuckles. The tender touch sent warm waves of desire through her entire body.
Sex had been a curiosity with her in college, but right now, he was stoking a slow burn inside her, an awareness and a hunger she’d never known before. It wasn’t about wanting to experience something or even an itch to be scratched. This was an ache, a yearning, a need he’d awakened in her with his patient attention.
She tightened her crossed legs, pressing her thighs together as the sun dipped lower in the sky. Mason leaned in, his breath hot on her ear. “If the sun doesn’t set soon, I’m going to have to kiss you anyway.”
Her lips curved into a smile as she turned to him. “There will be other sunsets.”
“I like the way you think,” he whispered, his eyes searching hers.
And then he kissed her. She moaned into his mouth as his tongue parted her lips. She slid her fingers into the back of his wet hair, wishing she could get closer. As if he could hear her thoughts, Mason turned in his chair and took her into his arms, pulling her up to her feet as he stood.
He rested his forehead against hers, his chest heaving. “Tell me what you want.”
Before her brain could engage, she kissed him again and whispered, “You. You’re what I want.”
Without a word, his lips fused to hers, and she was weightless in his arms as he carried her back inside the cabin. He laid her down on his bed, his mouth trailing hot kisses down her neck. His hands moved under her shirt, sliding up her abdomen to cup her breasts over her bra.
“Too many clothes,” she whispered against his ear.
He chuckled against her skin and lifted his head. “I’ve waited a long time to finally have you in my arms. I want it to last.”
Not that she’d had many lovers but she’d never been with a man who wasn’t eager to race for the finish line. “Oh, okay…”
He ran a finger along her jaw. “Talk to me, Clio.”
She met his eyes, suddenly completely unsure of her sexual prowess, as if she ever had any. “I’m not a virgin, but I thought…”
“We should just get busy and get it over with?” His eyes were kind, genuine. He wasn’t making fun of her. She definitely had never been with a man like Mason Knowles.
She reached up to caress his cheek, breathing him in. “I don’t want to disappoint you.”
He shook his head, pressing a kiss to her palm. “Impossible.” He carefully removed her glasses and then folded them and set them on the nightstand. “You know that even if we fumble through this, fall off the bed, and pull a muscle, it won’t matter. I’ll still want you as much as I do right now. Probably even more because I’ll want to be sure we try again until we get it right.”
Her heart fluttered as she tried to process the acceptance he offered. “Why?”
His gaze held hers. “Because from the moment I met you, I felt whole. And with every second I spent with you on the jobsite and at rehab for your ankle after the fire, the more I was yours.”
Her lips parted, but she couldn’t find words.
His voice dropped to a whisper. “Until the other night, I didn’t think you even noticed me.”
“You could have anyone. I just figured…”
“You’re the only one.” He shook his head slowly. “I would die for you, Clio. And it has nothing to do with my birthmark and everything to do with you. Your laughter heals the darkness in me, and your wisdom guides everyone around you.”
She stared up into his gorgeous eyes, without her glasses as a barrier to protect her. Had her glasses always been that? A way to hide? She swallowed the lump in her throat. “When I’m with you, it’s like I’m alive and in the present for the first time. I can’t control these feelings. It’s terrifying.”
He chuckled. “You’re not the only one in this room who’s afraid.”
She swallowed the lump in her throat. “I want our first time to be perfect.”
“Perfect by whose standard?” He stroked her hair back from her forehead. “I want our first time to be just that, the first time. And with luck, we’ll get a second, and third, and—”
She pulled him down to her, kissing him with all the emotion he kindled inside her. This was destiny, precarious, breathtaking, and beautiful, and for once, she surrendered.
Mason couldn’t get enough of her, but he wanted even more. He confessed more of his feelings than he’d intended to, but he embraced the fear. This was the first woman he’d ever truly revealed himself to and shared himself with. She could wound him, hurt him spectacularly, but he’d been the one to hand her the dagger. He willingly gave her the power because he trusted her.
Laying all his cards on the table was new for him, risky, and it heightened his yearning for her. This was more than finding her intelligent and sexy. This was aching for an intimate closeness he’d never known in his life.
He pressed hot kisses along her collarbone as he unbuttoned and unzipped her jeans. He slid his hand inside, his fingers exploring the juncture of her thighs. Her back arched until she was writhing under his touch, guiding him until her breath caught. He found her lips again, enjoying the sound of her throaty moan as he moved his hand faster, coaxing her higher. When her hips bucked he couldn’t take it any longer.
He needed more.
He freed his hand and pulled her pants down and off, dropping them to the floor. He kissed his way up her inner thigh, watching the passion on her face. He licked her core, and she shivered, her fingers tugging his hair, encouraging him. He devoured her, his tongue and lips aching to please her. Her hold tightened until she was pulling him back.
“Mason, wait. I’m too close.”
He lifted his head, unsure why she was stopping him. “That’s the point. Just let go.”
“But I don’t want it to be over yet.” Her face was flushed with color. So damned sexy.
“Who says it’ll be over? We’re just warmin’ up.” He ran a finger along her opening.
She trembled, her voice a breathy whisper. “I can only come once. And I want you inside me when I do.”
He raised a brow. “Only once?”
“I told you I’ve had sex before.”
“Then they didn’t know what they were doing.” He shook his head as he lowered it slowly. “Trust me. You can come more than once.”
Without another word, he sank into her again, his tongue working faster until she finally surrendered, calling out his name.
He damned near came in his jeans. Mason took off his pants and tugged his shirt over his head, tossing it aside. She stared up at him with a sexy, spent smile. The smoldering hunger in her eyes had his erection pulsing in anticipation.
He lay beside her, running his hand up her abdomen. “You’re overdressed, darlin’.”
She nodded. “I’m too exhausted to move.”
He grinned, trying not to be too pleased with himself as he bent to kiss her. He had her shirt and bra off in record time, and he pulled her into his arms, savoring the way her naked body felt against his, their legs tangling together. It was as if she was made for him.
Rolling them over so she was on top, he whispered against her lips. “Condoms are in the drawer.”
She reached over, opened the nightstand, and took out a foil packet. Her eyes were on his as she tore the packet and scooted down his legs. She ran her fingers along the length of his erection, circling her index finger around the tip until his hips rocked in answer.
“I’ve never put one of these on before.” She rolled the condom over him so slowly he almost lost it again.
“Can’t take much more teasing,” he growled.
She straddled him, hovering just above his shaft. He gripped her thighs and guided her down onto him. Clio closed her eyes, moaning as she took in every inch of him.
His hands trembled. Dammit, he’d never been this turned on. He was suddenly a seventeen year old struggling not to come on impact. The heat of her body, tight around him, made him ache to thrust into her as fast and hard as he could. Having her on top forced him to take it slower.
Clio leaned forward, lying over him, the tips of her taut nipples brushing his chest. “You feel amazing.”
He kissed her, his teeth grazing her lower lip as he slid his hand between their bodies. He fingered her core until he found the spot that made her gasp.
“Got more for me?” he hummed into her mouth.
Her gaze locked on his as she struggled to catch her breath. “I… Feels so good.”
He loved that she couldn’t even complete a sentence. She ground her hips into his, and he rubbed her a little faster. He brought his other hand up to the back of her head, his tongue parting her lips. His pulse raced as the realization hit that he might never be able to get enough of this woman.
Clio threw her head back and sat up over him. Seeing her naked and riding him, he couldn’t hang on much longer. “Come with me, Clio.”
He thrust his hips up once more, and her inner muscles tensed around him. He erupted deep inside her as her fingernails dug into his chest, her entire body trembling.
She collapsed onto him, struggling to catch her breath. He held her tight in his arms, closing his eyes and breathing her into his lungs. When she finally lifted her head, a crooked smile on her face, his heart warmed.
“It was even better the second time. I had no idea it could be like that.”
He caressed her cheek, stroking her soft skin with his thumb. “You are so damned beautiful.” She laughed, lowering her eyes, and he caught her chin, waiting for her to look at him. “I mean every word, darlin’.”
It was as though she stared directly into his soul—terrifying and exhilarating all at once. She traced his eyebrow to his temple and down his jawline until her index finger caressed his lips. “You make me feel beautiful,” she whispered. “I guess I’m used to hiding behind my glasses and my books. Feels weird to have you see me, if that makes any sense.”
He rolled her underneath him. “You’re safe with me. I will never hurt you.”
She smiled up at him. “I know.”
He kissed her again, running his hand down her body to see how many more times he could make her come.