Chapter 47
Chapter forty-seven
ILIANA
If she lived long enough to enjoy this again, she’d never challenge Thanatos about his ability to make her scream.
Holy hell.
Iliana trembled while the aftershocks of her second orgasm rolled through her bones. She fisted Thanatos’ hair and tugged him away from her oversensitive core. “No more, Than. I can’t,” she panted, wrecked and breathless.
His chuckle was low, rumbling out of him as he let her guide him away. But not before he licked his lips and gave her a smug, devastating smile, making her core clench.
Gods help her.
“Should I leave you to rest?” he asked, his eyes smoldering with satisfaction.
Iliana squinted, trying to glare, but there was no heat to it. He knew exactly what he’d done to her, reducing her to a quivering mess, and he was proud of it.
He placed his hands on either side of her shoulders, hovering over her. He was powerful and controlled—like a predator holding himself in check. Exactly what she expected from a god.
His gaze betrayed him, though. He drank her in as if he were parched. Despite that look, he tenderly asked, “What do you need, Iliana? I can give you a break…”
Her heart stumbled at his consideration. That was new. Her past lovers had never asked what she needed. Not like this—especially not after giving her everything. And not when they clearly wanted more.
She caressed his cheek, smiling. “Right now, the only thing I want is you. Inside me.”
Relief crossed his face, as if he’d been holding his breath, waiting for her answer. He lowered himself, careful not to put too much weight on her.
The kiss he gave her wasn’t hungry this time. It was reverent. Worshipful. She tasted herself, the tang mixing with his earthiness—intimate and intoxicating. She moaned, wrapping her arms around his broad back and pulling him closer, wanting to feel his weight.
He stubbornly held himself just above her, refusing to rest his body fully on top of her. “I do not want to crush you,” he said against her lips before kissing down her neck slowly; deliberately.
She pouted but didn’t get the chance to argue; not when he nipped the delicate skin at her shoulder and rolled his hips. His cock slid through her slick folds, the thick head teasing her clit. She gasped, her back arching involuntarily off the bed.
Gods.
Her body trembled at the overwhelming sensation, but she was desperate for more. She angled her hips as he rolled his again, his cock pushing into her slightly, the tip stretching her entrance.
He froze, looking at her, making sure this was truly what she wanted and giving her one more chance to change her mind.
Like hell. She wasn’t done with him yet.
“Yes,” she agreed, needy and certain. “Yes.”
Thanatos moved. Not a single powerful thrust as she’d expected. Instead, his steady movements sparked her senses to life as he slowly worked inside her, inch by delicious inch.
“Are you okay?” he asked, concern leaking through the restraint. She could see the effort it took him to hold still and wait, veins standing out on his neck.
She swallowed. He was larger than she was used to—thicker, longer—but there was no pain. She loved the feel of her walls stretching around him. “Yeah, just move slowly, okay?”
The care and patience he showed her made her want this moment to last forever.
Thanatos nodded and brushed a soft kiss to her lips. “Of course.”
He kept his promise. Every inch of his slow thrusts was deliberate, letting her feel every part of him, how his cock reached places inside her she’d never felt before. Despite the pleasure clear on his face, his restraint made her ache.
When he fully sheathed himself, his hips flush against hers, he trembled, forcing himself to stay still while she adjusted. Her hands finally relaxed on his back, the tension drained away. She felt complete.
“You can move now,” she said, breathless.
The smile he gave her was warm and a little stunned, as if he couldn’t believe this was real. Something inside her softened at that look.
Then he moved. Slowly at first, each deep thrust coaxing moans from her lips before he stole them with kisses, swallowing the sounds.
Their pace built gradually until she matched his movements, her legs wrapped tight around him, her heels digging into his lower back.
The friction caused her pleasure to spiral higher and higher, building toward something explosive.
Her third orgasm hit, fierce and blinding. It pulled her taut, every muscle in her body stiffening as she cried out, shattering beneath him.
Thanatos grunted when she squeezed him, her walls gripping his cock as if never wanting to let him go. His thrusts turned desperate, losing the careful rhythm as he chased his own release with single-minded focus.
“Iliana,” he ground out, her name wrenched from him. His hand moved to her ass, angling her hips higher and driving deeper. The new position drew out her orgasm until she thought she might die from the pleasure.
With a final growl, animalistic and desperate, he buried himself inside her as deep as possible, spilling into her warmth with a groan that sounded like her name and a prayer tangled together.
He shook above her, pressing his face into her neck. His breath was hot and ragged on her skin, his heartbeat against her chest so hard she could feel it.
“I want to keep you.” He tensed, as if he hadn’t meant to say that aloud, before relaxing into his statement.
Iliana lay beneath him, dazed and boneless. She lazily ran her hands down his back, tracing his muscles, feeling the dip of his spine. His weight was grounding. Anchoring. She loved the feeling of his body pressing her into the mattress.
But then, his words penetrated her post-orgasm haze.
I want to keep you.
The words shouldn’t have affected her so much. They’d just had incredible sex—passions running high. But something about the way he’d said it, raw and possessive, made her ache separately from the pleasant soreness between her thighs.
It provoked something she didn’t want to examine too closely. Because if she did, she’d have to acknowledge that she wanted him to keep her. She also wanted Anubis to keep her. Maybe even wanted someone else entirely…
And wanting that much when she might not survive?
Terrifying.
Thanatos lifted his head and moved to lie at her side, and she immediately missed the solid press of him. He scanned her face. “What is it?”
She tried to find the words. “What did you mean by that?”
He looked hesitant as emotions flashed across his face. Confusion. Concern. Then amazement. And finally knowing. He smiled tenderly at her. “Does knowing how I feel make you uncomfortable?”
She rolled her eyes, but her blush betrayed her. “No.” That was the problem. She didn’t feel trapped. She felt wanted.
But she also wanted them. Both of them.
“Ah.” Thanatos’ expression turned thoughtful. “I think I know what you are wrestling with.” His knuckles caressed her arm, following the path with his eyes. “And I do not have a problem sharing you with Anubis.”
Her brows furrowed. “You…don’t?”
“I see the way he looks at you and the way you look at him.”
She groaned, hiding her face in her hands. “This is unfair.”
Thanatos’ fingers wrapped around her wrists, gently removing her hands from her face. “Unfair? You are assuming we have not considered it. That we do not want this too.”
Her lips parted as she looked at him. “Wait.” Had they discussed this? She sat up straight, and he released her wrists. “I need to understand what you’re really proposing.”
Thanatos propped himself up on his elbow, giving her his full attention.
“Are you saying you and Anubis have talked about sharing me? Like, I’m some arrangement you two came up with?”
He looked guilty. “We have talked, yes. But—”
“Without asking me how I felt about it?” The words came out sharper than she’d intended.
Not because she didn’t want it—she wanted it so much it hurt.
But because, once again, decisions about her life were being made without her.
“I appreciate that you don’t have a problem with it, but shouldn’t I have a say in how this works? ”
He grabbed her hand quickly, threading their fingers together.
“We discussed this to prevent any jealousy or rift in our friendship.” He seemed to choose his next words carefully.
“The truth is, I have never felt this way about anyone. Never wanted to keep someone before. And the thought of sharing you…” He met her eyes, letting her see his vulnerability.
“It should bother me. Logically, I know that, but when I see the way Anubis looks at you, and the way you look at him, I do not feel jealous. I feel relieved.”
“Relieved?” That wasn’t what she expected.
“Relief knowing you will have someone else fighting for you; protecting you. Caring for you, if you let us.” He caressed his thumb over the back of her hand. “Our agreement was based solely on whether you wanted us. Both of us. But I should have talked this over with you before now.”
The tension eased from her shoulders. They weren’t deciding for her; they were waiting for her choice. That knowledge soothed some of the discomfort, and she settled back down, offering him a small smile.
“What do you need?” he asked.
Biting her lip and worrying the flesh, she looked up at the ceiling and let out one worry she’d been holding onto. “I don’t want to become a wedge between the two of you. Your friendship.”
“It will not change anything between us,” he said with certainty. “We both want you to be happy.”
“But I’m only one person. And what about the curse? What if something happens to me and—” Her thoughts evaporated as he rolled on top of her again, pinning her beneath him with nothing but his gaze.
“We will not let anything happen to you,” he promised.
Iliana’s heartbeat raced wildly as he lowered himself, the press of his body grounding and arousing in equal measures.
She believed him, even though she shouldn’t.
Promises couldn’t stop fate. Then he shifted, his erection pressing hard against her thigh, and another wave of heat rolled through her. Thanatos grinned.
Before he could make another move, something distracted her. Her nose twitched, catching a scent. “Is the food burning?”
He froze above her. “Shit. Yes. Such a waste.”
She playfully patted his shoulder, fighting a smile. “It’s fine. There’s more food out there.”
Growling, he dipped down to capture her bottom lip between his teeth, then sucked on the abused flesh, soothing it with his talented tongue. “I was not talking about the food.” He rolled his hips to make his point.
Iliana giggled as she watched him pull away, muttering curses as he teleported out of the room. She stood from the bed on shaky legs, stretching with a satisfied sigh, planning to clean up—
Familiar arms wrapped around her waist from behind. A very naked, thoroughly aroused Thanatos materialized, pulling her flush against him. His cock pressed insistently against her lower back, hard and ready again.
Warm lips moved against her neck as he spoke. “The food is ruined.”
She angled her head, exposing her neck as she surrendered to him.
“But I think,” he said, placing a kiss just below her ear, making her moan. “I found something better to sink my teeth into.”
He was right. Dinner could wait.