Chapter 20 Josie
The look Ares sent her, filled with simmering lust made her toes curl.
“Hurry back,” she giggled, not believing she just said that. Ares gave her an exaggerated wink, and left.
The man does have a nice ass.
Josie snuggled down in the blankest, basking in the afterglow of their play and the sex...the sex that made her insides quiver, that stole her breath. She’d never experienced a connection like this before and it almost scared her with how easy it was between them.
Noticing how achy her hips were, she needed to move. Throwing off the blankets, she got out of bed and wandered into the bathroom.
Passing the walk-in shower, she started the tabs on the free-standing tub.
While the tub was filling, she sponged herself off.
Seeing the bite mark left by Ares sent blood rushing to her face. She gently traced over the teeth marks left on her skin, it hurt a smidgen but never had a man left his mark on her like that before and she loved it.
“There you are. I brought us red wine and snacks.” Ares proffered her a tray and Josie giggled.
“You’re a very sexy waiter.”
“Thank you,” Ares bowed and took out a folded wooden stool from the closet.
“You eat in your tub?”
“I think it came with my bathroom redesign.” he set the tray and wine down and then reached into a cupboard under the sink. “Here, I have a bunch of bath stuff from my travels. This looks like salts of some kind and this is oil with petals.”
“I’ll get all slippery.”
“You were gushing moments ago.” He placed his hand on her back, caressing her ass. “You’re okay with everything that we did tonight?” The tenderness in which he touched her, the concern in his voice, made her melt. She was halfway in love with Ares Montague and the thought made her throat grow dry.
“I loved what we did tonight.”
“Me too. We’ll have to repeat it. Here let me help you step in,” Ares offered her his hand. Josie took it and sighed as the hot water eased some of her muscle strain.
“You are always offering me help without making it a big deal.”
“Why would it be a big deal?” Ares knelt at the side of the tub.
“Sometimes when people offer me help, it's help I don't need or they do it without considering that I am a person who can make my own decisions.”
“Is that what Carter did?” He tilted his head to the side, giving her a small smile, like he knew he was pushing but was determined to do it.
“Yes. He and his friend wanted to increase my productivity at Josie’s Plates or something. It doesn’t matter.” She didn’t want to think about it.
Ares leaned forward, dropping a kiss behind her ear. “Do you think he’ll drop it? Are you concerned about working there?’
“Yes, I do think he realizes he overstepped. His mom is a friend of my mom and I don't think he’s going to do anything to rock that boat. From what I know, his parents gave him the money upfront for his restaurant. Can we talk about something else?”
“As long as you’re sure he’s not going to bother you. I know the next two weeks are going to be busy. Still on for Club Bandit’s holiday party?”
Her heart gave a leap at how his eyes raked her over. “Yes, I can’t wait.”
Ares chuckled. “Good. Do you know when I saw you in here, getting your bath ready, you took my breath away?”
“Ares…”
“It’s true,” he passed her a glass of wine. “You weren’t just lying there, waiting for me to come back, though you could have. You’re incredible.”’
“Because I turned on some taps?”
“Because you don’t let your sore legs and hips stop you. Because you have a fierce determination that’s sexy as hell.”
His words soothed the need she had for validation that she tried to keep buried
“Some people haven’t found that attractive.” This man had to stop making her cry. She wiped her eyes with her palm.
“I find it very attractive. I find you very attractive.”
“Right back at you, Mr. Waiter.”
Ares’s palm was warm against her cheek as he turned her head to him. He leaned over the tub, his lips met hers and he kissed so forcefully, it made her clit throb with want.
“I have this vision in my head that grows each time we are together. Want to hear it?” Ares rested his elbows on the edge of the tub.
The seriousness in his voice made Josie sit up a little straighter, sloshing water over the rim of the tub. “Yes.”
“I’ve just come back from a work trip. Maybe I was gone for three days or a week?
And I walk into our house and something smells amazing.
Cinnamon buns? Apple pie? I set down my briefcase by the front door and I walk through the long hallway to the kitchen.
And there you are, dancing as you finish whatever it is you're going to serve, your curls are bouncing and you turn around. And I can’t wait to get you in my arms. So, I run over to you, pick you up and kiss you. ”
Our house? Did he just say our house?
She smiled so huge her cheeks ached.
Ares took her hand and brought it to his lips and kissed the back of her hand. “What do you think?”
Her heart was in her throat. She squeezed his hand. “I think I like that vision of yours. Want to hear mine?”
“Yes, I do, precious girl.”
She glanced away from him, not wanting to see his expression. “I’m in a kitchen, and I have three pots on the stove. I'm making notes and I pause and glance out the window. I see you, playing with our dog in the yard and it makes me so happy.”
“A dog, eh?” Ares grinned so wide it showed his dimples.
“Yes. Like a goldendoodle or something.”
“Why are you making notes?” he squeezed her shoulder.
She swallowed, afraid to say the words out loud. Maybe it was because she was so relaxed after their night, sitting here in this luxurious tub that her mind allowed her to think of a new possibility.
“You make lots of notes when you develop recipes.”
“A recipe developer?” His tone was soft, coaxing.
“Yeah. I don’t know where that came from. We didn’t talk about getting a dog.”
“No, we didn’t. I’ll get you whatever kind of dog you want.”
“Okay.” She felt like she was going to cry.
“It’s okay to change your dream. You’ve proven to yourself that you’re a good chef, Josie. You could pick something new.”
“Would you be a landscape architect?” She sloshed the water up to the side as she reached for his hand.
“A long time ago, my brother and I had a dream. We wanted to help people. We wanted to get new technology to market. We’ve done that. I want to try for a new dream.”
“Yeah?”
“Yes. All of my dreams going forward will include you.”
Tears welled in her eyes. She couldn’t speak. Ares’s green eyes blazed, making her burn with need.
This had to be a dream. Some wild, down the rabbit hole dream that was swirling through her head.
“I want to dream with you.” The words were so cringey, she blushed as soon as she said them. “I mean, I want to sleep with you tonight.”
Ares stood, that pure grin on his face that made his green eyes shine. “Wasn’t planning on sending you home tonight. But I have a meeting tomorrow.”
Josie lifted herself up, and Ares was right there to give her a hand. He helped her out of the tub. “I wasn't planning to stay all day.”
“You’re welcome to, if you want.”
It wasn’t the first time he had extended the offer but with Xander, Logan, and Harper here she sometimes felt like she was an unwanted guest. Or she felt like she was sneaking around with her boyfriend. She snorted.
“What’s so funny?” Ares held out a fluffy white towel, she reached for it but he kept it in his hands.
“It’s nothing.”
“You can tell me.”
“I just thought of you as my boyfriend.”
“That’s funny?” His tone was cool. He paused with the towel between his hands.
“No. I mean, yes.”
“I’m not boyfriend material?” He raised his eyebrows.
Josie brushed her hand along Ares’s arm. “You are totally boyfriend material. Didn’t a magazine even call you one of the city’s most attractive bachelors?’
“That’s a bachelor not a boyfriend. Would you like me as your boyfriend?” His tone sent shivers up Josie’s spine.
She wrapped her arms around him, pressing her cheek to his chest. “It made me laugh because boyfriend seems so immature compared to whatever this is between us.”
His breathing slowed, he ran his hand over her back, holding her close.
“This is us, Josie and you’re right, it’s beyond boyfriend and girlfriend status,” he kissed the top of her head. “Now that you’ve made me wet, give me your arm.”
She obediently held out her arm, the man dried her off, very thoroughly, stopping to kiss her neck, between her breasts, behind her ear.
“I’m not getting dried.”
“Are you complaining about the service?”
“Yes, you could be quicker.”
“Oh? The beautiful woman wants me to pick up my pace. I can do that,” Ares pressed the towel against her breasts and rubbed in a circle, aggravatingly slow.
“Not what I meant.”
Ares chuckled, sweeping the towel over her a few more times, then hung it up. “There, dry. Let me put some ointment on that bite.”
He took down a tube from the cabinet, spun her around so she was facing the mirror. “Does it hurt?” He squirted ointment on his fingers and gently rubbed it over. She closed her eyes against the sensation.
“Only a little.”
He rubbed it in and nibbled her neck. She laughed. “I just got clean.”
“Let’s do this sleep thing. I want to do more than sleep.” He pulled her close to him.
Josie leaned against his strong chest.
“I might be up for that.”
“I most definitely am,” Ares wrapped his arms around her, she swayed against him. He was a cocoon of safety, and she could stay in his arms forever.
Laughing, Ares walked her into the bedroom like that, gently pushing her on the bed. The lights dimmed, and he tucked into bed beside her.
She loved the warmth of his body next to her. She snuggled next to him, curled on her side, with him being the big spoon. He pressed a kiss to her neck, his hot breath set off a fresh wave of desire.
Need, hot and insistent rose from her core, so intense it made her ache. She wanted to be filled by his cock. She wiggled against him.
"Does my girl want something?”
My girl.