Chapter 7 Josie
As Ares steered them out of the Christmas Market to his car, Josie leaned on his arm for support.
She could pinch herself, because how was this real? Not that Ares Montague’s arm wasn’t a great place to be. It was, and her heart pounded with the exhilaration of this moment and the high of the night.
But she shouldn’t hold on to him as a mobility aid. After the full day of work and all the walking of the Christmas Market, fatigue descended on her.
Josie didn’t want this evening to end…not yet.
“Here you are.” Ares held the car door open.
“Thank you.” Josie fastened her seatbelt as Ares walked around, resting her head against the soft creamy buttery seats of the expensive upholstery.
“Hi.” He slid into the driver’s seat.
“Hey.”
“I want to kiss you.”
“I want you to kiss me.”
Why did this man make her feel brave? Being with Ares made her feel more confident than normal.
Confident enough to lean forward, to meet his gorgeous lips, to put her hand on his shoulder, as she lost herself once more in him.
He tasted sweet from their dessert and fresh.
His tongue stroking hers sent shivers down her spine.
The kiss energized her, dispersing her fatigue.
“That was a good first date.” He cupped her cheek.
“I agree.”
Meeting Ares’s green eyes, she laughed and his lips twitched. It felt familiar between them and it made her relax. Though there was no denying the heat between charged with anticipation.
Ares navigated out of downtown easily, not complaining about the traffic or the crowd.
“You don’t mind driving in the traffic?”
Ares shrugged. “I can’t do anything about it, so I don’t see the point in complaining about it.”
A car swerved and cut him off, and he didn’t even utter a curse under his breath. Josie reached across and placed her palm on his thigh. Ares’s hand rested on top of hers.
“My ex hated traffic,” Josie exhaled as she said it, realizing she had tensed up, bracing for road rage.
“Yeah?” Ares squeezed her hand.
“Sorry, I shouldn’t talk about him,” Josie lifted her hand off of Ares’ lap, looking out the window.
“You can talk about anything you like, Josie. I’ll listen to you all day.”
“I’m not that interesting. I should be asking you about your business or project or something.”
Ares laughed, a light rippling sound that filled the car. “Everyone asks me about that. Ask me something else.”
Josie bit her lip, worried that Ares would think that she was interested in his bank account. His warm, strong hand closed around hers. He brought her hand back to the top of his thigh.
“I asked you out. Several times. I’m here with you because I want to be, okay?” His rich, deep baritone made her squeeze her legs together.
“Okay,” Josie grinned. “If you weren’t living here, where would you live?”
“Lots of places make me feel sentimental, but honestly, I love it here. The only other place I would live is wherever Xander did. Is that going to be a problem for you?”
His smile disappeared, like a shutter closing, and Josie shifted on the seat. “What do you mean?”
“Women I’ve dated have had a problem with how much I am “tied to Xander”,” Ares used one handed air quotes. “But he and I are a team. We didn’t have a happy childhood and no matter how much we’ve grown away from that or how much money we have, I will always consider myself my brother’s protector.”
“It’s not like he controls your life. Like, if Xander didn’t like me, would you still be with me?”
“It’s more complicated than an opinion. If he found something in your background that he considered to be a risk, he would dissuade me from being with you, yes. Xander doesn’t like too many people.”
Josie chewed her lip, spinning the possibilities through her mind. She could understand fierce protective love, but she didn’t want to say anything else without understanding how much Xander’s influence mattered to Ares.
“That makes sense from a self-protective point of view.”
“Yes, but that might be hard to accept. We are very much an entity. Xander, Harper, and Logan are my world, and I won’t let anything intrude on the happiness we’ve finally found.”
“I’m not out to destroy happiness,” Josie squeezed his hand.
She understood that kind of loyalty. It was only her and her mom; her father left when she was a baby.
Lots of people made comments about her still living with her mother, but why wouldn’t she want to live with family, the only person who’s ever had her back?
It wasn’t the same as Ares protecting an empire, but she understood fierce love.
He flashed that quick smile at her and her fears eased.
“I want to move, though.” Ares stopped the car in front of a pair of black iron gates and tapped a button that she didn’t notice above his mirror. The gates swing open.
“Why?”
“This house was never my pick. I want trees around me and I don’t want to have to keep adding privacy fences because of the neighbourhood’s increased density.
I want a break from work and being here, I feel like I don’t always have that.
I want my home to be a retreat, and this is more like a mausoleum.
” Ares drove past a square fat building, a guesthouse, to a wide paved driveway, and a garage.
The garage opened automatically. He parked, shut off the car, and came around to open her door.
He offered his arm and walked her to the front steps, past a garden and a fountain.
“Its…big.” Words failed her on how to describe the towering house that was before her, up many concrete steps.
“Yes, it is that.” Ares pulled her close and started to climb the step.
Josie hesitated. She could do it; she absolutely could climb these steps, but her body was already sore from the physicality of the night.
“Do you want to see the pool? We can go through the patio doors.”
“I would love to see your pool,” Josie swallowed past a lump in her throat.
Ares didn’t make it a big deal or comment on it but he recognized the issue and offered a solution.
Taking her arm in his, he guided her to a path that led to a fence that opened to a large covered pool, dim lights and a garden.
“Hot tub in the corner,” Ares gestured to a small pagoda.
“I’d love a hot tub,” Josie murmured, thinking of much relief that would give her sore aching muscles.
“We’ll make use of it,” Ares pulled her against him, wrapping his arms around her and she rested her head on his chest.
“This feels good,” Josie whispered.
“I could stand outside in December on a starless evening with you all night long.” His breath tickled the side of her neck.
“I am getting a little cold.”
Ares chuckled. “Let’s move this inside.”
The sultry way he said inside made her pulse leap again.
What was she doing here, at this gigantic mansion with this man who could have any woman he wanted?
She pushed those thoughts away as Ares took her hand and led her inside to an anteroom, where they took off her shoes and Ares took her jacket, then laced his fingers with his, bringing her through a pair of wooden double doors.
She focused on the feel of his hand in hers and felt like she was floating.
“Welcome to my home.” Ares held the door open for and with her heart in her throat, she stepped into an open plan room, the massive kitchen to the left. A hallway to the right. The kitchen was like what she dreamed about and she couldn’t help running her hand along the marble counters.
“I know it’s a lot to take in,” Ares came up beside her.
“It’s a lovely space.”
“But it’s not what I would have chosen.” He took her hand in his, guiding her into the vaulted ceiling front room.
“Is that a stripper pole?”
“Yes it’s Logan’s. It was the first thing he had installed when he moved in.”
The white couches and chairs, though elegant, made the place look very austere. Though there were colourful cushions on the chairs.
“What kind of place would you choose?”
“Something smaller, with clean lines and nothing white. Wood with lots of colour to the place. These stairs lead to my part of the house.”
Josie stared at the wide staircase, and above it to what looked like an open hallway. “This is colossal. I’ve been in museums that are smaller than this place.”
“I know. I would love to show you upstairs after I show you downstairs?”
Josie hesitated. The stairs were hardwood, and there were more of them than there were outside.
“Let me show you the dungeon, then you can decide.”
“Sounds perfect.” Josie’s heart skipped a beat as Ares took her hand and lead her past the kitchen and turned so they were walking down the hallway to a small staircase. To the left was a closed door, a sign on it said, “Logan’s Laundry Room. Not Logan? Keep Out.”
“What’s that about?” Josie couldn’t help giggling.
Ares flashed her a glimmering smile. “Never a dull moment around here. Logan is a bit of a control freak when it comes to laundry.”
Past another closed door, down a smaller hallway to a wooden panel door.
“Ready?”
“Yes,” though the swarm of butterflies in her belly didn’t agree.
Ares tapped in a code in a lockbox beside the door. It flashed green, then he opened it to reveal a long room, with a set of doors leading to the outside at the back. He flicked on the lights.
“This is…wow,” Josie took two steps in, trying to get her head around what she was seeing. She thought of how thrilled Cecilia would be that she was standing here and grinned.
“Do you like it?”
“It’s not scary. The floor is gorgeous.”
The floor was hardwood inlaid with two tones of wood. She stared at the floor, mentally tracing the pattern.
“Josie?” Ares grabbed her hand, holding it to his lips. “Look at what’s in the room.”
“Okay,” she lifted her eyes from the floor and yep, she was standing in a beautiful room with a leather table in front of her and a cross in the shape of an X on the far wall.
A hook suspended from the ceiling to the left and she couldn’t stop her thoughts from churning up ideas of what that was for.