Chapter 10
E’s breath left her like she’d been hit hard in the chest. Partially from the surprise of Plutus showing up in the cool, dark spiral staircase when she didn’t expect him to be there. Partially because he was so damn beautiful.
Even human, he looked intimidating, with that bronzed skin, height, and bulk. He loomed in the tight space, but the cocky smirk on his lush mouth made him less frightening. She looked over this face, a part of her sad because she missed the golden cast of his skin and his horns when he hid himself.
“E?” He asked, concern melting over his face as she looked at him like some star-struck dummy. He reached out, hands moving to her waist as if to steady her or pull her close. She wanted both. The jolt of his hands on her, the now-familiar zap and pull of him, helped her once again find her voice.
“I’m good, Plutus. Just a little startled. How did you find me?”
The smirk came back, slow and sensual as he looked her over. “Were you trying to hide from me, little one? Not going to work. I can find you anywhere.” She opened her mouth to ask more about it, but he held up his hand. “Are we playing our question game?”
E quickly shook her head. She’d done enough research she now had a basis to form some real hard-hitting questions for him, so she wasn’t about to waste one when she didn’t know where it might lead.
He chuckled. “Thought not. Come.” He dropped his hands from her waist after a quick squeeze and grabbed her left hand. Her palm fit perfectly in his, and she thought next time he was in his true form, she wanted to hold his clawed hand and see if there was a difference.
“We are going to…” She trailed off to make it ambiguous. She didn’t want him smacking her with a question tax for something so basic.
“Back to your apartment. I’m making you dinner.”
At the mention of food, her tummy rumbled, loud as any growl she’d heard from Plutus. She blushed in embarrassment as Plutus cut hard eyes back at her, not minding the twisting stairs at all but keeping his feet steady. “Did you eat lunch?”
“Are we playing our question game?”
They reached the bottom of the stairs and he tugged her arm hard. Not enough to hurt, but enough to send her off balance, tumbling into his tight arms. He held her close, and with one large hand tilted her chin up so she could look into his brilliant, serious eyes. “You will take care of yourself.”
“So bossy,” she groused, but it was hollow. Mostly because she was panting at their closeness, even in public.
His hand moved from her chin to her cheek then into her hair, tilting her head back more and giving a delicious tug. “I can show you bossy if you like.”
Her legs nearly buckled at the steel of his deep voice and she found herself whispering “yes” before she realized it. It was like her mouth, or more likely her pussy, bypassed her damn brain.
Plutus smiled then, big and wolfish. No smirk in sight. “As you wish, little one.” He steadied her on her feet before grabbing her hand once again and leading them out into the bright light of a Sunday afternoon in the Village.
Plutus cooked her dinner, as promised. E did nothing, which was nice.
Plutus brought her a glass of wine so red and smooth it had to be expensive as hell, but she refused to ask.
If she didn’t know for sure, she couldn’t feel awkward about it.
She’d managed to not admit she’d been wrong that morning about things, mainly because she’d kept her mouth mostly shut.
He’d taken off his necklace once they were inside, so he was in full monster form. E giggled a bit when she noticed his tall horns almost skimmed the ceiling. And Lisa had high ceilings.
Her giggle made Plutus cut his eyes to her. She pointed to the top of his head. “You’re almost too tall.”
“We need to spend some time in my apartment,” he muttered. “I have much higher ceilings for this very reason.”
She froze, thinking about being in his space and what she might learn there without even having to play their little game. He took her silence as a question. “I have an apartment in the building we went to the other night. Which is how I got us the reservation. No magic required.”
She spun back around on the couch, facing away from him, and took a big old gulp of her wine.
That small section of the city, where huge skyscraper apartments faced Central Park, was known as Billionaire’s Row for a reason.
Maybe he’d magicked ownership of the apartment, but it didn’t even matter.
He had it. Owned it, likely. Which meant he was property rich to an extent she couldn’t even imagine.
And she lived in a one-bedroom second floor walkup in Greenwich Village.
Had seen Lisa and her parents spend money in a way she found uncomfortable.
Because she’d never been comfortable with money.
Then here was Plutus, throwing around money and magic for her.
Giving her so much so quickly while also short-circuiting her body with his tingles and tongue and lovely monster peen.
She took another deep drag of wine, draining the glass this time.
Thankfully, Plutus gave her room to think, humming softly to himself as he sautéed something in her kitchen.
E knew her reactions were based in trauma, in a life where monetary survival hung by a thread at times.
Like when she called up Plutus to begin with.
He offered her all she needed. Wanted to give her so much more than she needed.
Hard to trust, though, when she’d never been able to rely on someone to offer her security in this way.
Not her family, not even herself. It was an odd, warring mix of shame, hyper-independence, and desire for what she’d never had that made her hesitant with Plutus.
At least with her feelings and needs. E’d given her body, and would again.
She didn’t know if she could give more, and with all Plutus was offering, she wasn’t sure if it was fair.
Plutus rumbled from the kitchen, “Dinner will be ready in five. Set the table, please.”
Thankful for a task to take her out of her heavy thoughts, she jumped up and scooped up the plates, linens, and silverware he’d piled up on one of the counters.
She looked it over as she set it. E’d asked Lisa how to set a formal table.
She’d been to a few formal dinner parties with the department and wanted to make sure she didn’t embarrass herself.
Lisa’d gone out and bought all these trappings, which they really didn’t need, just to help E understand and feel better.
She’d been choked up when Lisa came in with huge, heavy bags from the West Elm a few blocks over.
Thinking back now at the generosity she struggled with when it came to her best friend, she could see how she was doing the same to Plutus, though she was a little more aggressive with it.
Both deserved better than her, with all her hangups.
“Hey,” she heard whispered behind her before large, clawed hands hugged her belly from behind. E breathed deep, in and out, and shook her head.
“Sorry. Lost in thought for a sec,” she said, trying to ease the worry she heard in his voice.
He spun her in his arms, cocooning her in the golden muscles and claws so she felt warm and safe, and looked her over.
He nodded after a moment, likely not believing her but giving her the out she needed, nonetheless.
“I’ll be out with food in a moment,” he said. Then, he dipped down quickly and planted a firm, sweet kiss in the middle of her forehead. Her heart fluttered, but he turned away before she could say or do anything.
Sighing at the mixed signals her own brain was throwing at her, she set the table as Lisa taught her over a year ago, placing the last fork when Plutus came up behind her.
She looked up, a hesitant and expectant smile on her lips, and he said “Beautiful.” With his eyes trained only on her, she thought he might not mean the table.
“Thanks,” she said, not asking for clarification, because she had other questions.
Plutus plated their dinner, a beautifully cooked salmon with some type of glaze on a pile of veggies and fragrant rice.
They took their seats and Plutus explained it was miso glaze and jasmine rice.
Then silence fell for a few minutes as both dug in.
E wolfed down her food, the smells making her hungrier than she’d been all day.
Plutus ate slowly, more deliberately, staring at E across the table all the while.
When she shoveled half of the food in, her hunger eased and she was able to focus on conversation. After a large bite she asked, “Would you like to play twenty questions?”
He nodded and flashed his fangs. “Sure.”
“Okay then.” She steadied herself and went with her first question. She’d meticulously planned three questions to ask him this evening. “I’ll go first. How are you related to Demeter?”
Plutus set his fork down on his plate and leaned back in his chair.
“I see you did some research into me today. It shouldn’t be surprising, but I do wonder what exactly you read.
” There was a long pause as he looked down at his plate.
Seemingly making some decision, he nodded to himself and looked back to E.
“Demeter is my mother, as you probably found. Which means, yes, Persephone is my sister and Hades is my brother-in-law. They’re all far more famous than I am, especially these days, but they are my immediate family.
You likely also heard I have a son. However, he is my adopted son.
I’d very much like you to meet him, all of them, one day.
Along with my best friend, Boreas, who recently found his own ma– woman. ”