Fallen (Dark God Saga) Read online

  Although she’d given him her business card and the rest of the digits, Simone had expected him to wait at least two days before calling her because wasn’t there some rule that stated that? She’d just settled in, and had been petting an obviously lonely Misty, when her cell rang. That call had resulted in the dinner date that she was anticipating.

  “What is so lovely about your Windows screensaver?”

  Jack’s voice pulled her from her thoughts and she turned to find him staring at her with a raised brow and an ‘I always knew you were crazy’ look.

  “Nothing. Did you get my sub?” Simone asked, feeling her stomach grumble. Except for the minor minutes spent daydreaming about Thanatos, she’d had a pretty busy morning. She’d been interrogated by Johnson from the moment she’d arrived at eight fifty seven. He’d gone over her story, had mentioned disappointment about the fact that her wires had not worked—thank god—and the fact that she only had one picture, of the outside of the old plantation. But overall, he’d been pleased, smiling ever so often as he read through her story.

  “Well hello to you to you, biatch,” Jack muttered, which only made Simone grin. Reaching into the paper bag, he handed over her sub and dragged a chair into her cubicle.

  “So, are you going to tell me why your wires malfunctioned?” Jack deadpanned, which made Simone’s grin fade and his appear.

  He took a bite of his sub and Simone replied, “Don’t know what you’re talking about.” She didn’t know why it malfunctioned, but was damned glad it had. If it had worked, she would have had to destroy them herself. Maybe throw water on them or something. There was no way anyone was going to hear what had happened between her and Thanatos.

  “Oh please, you’ve been smiling like someone officially petted your kitty since you came in here this morning,” Jack whispered, a wink his blue eyes.

  Except for almost choking, Simone had little reaction.

  “W-what!”

  Jack cast her a glare before saying, “Simone, I’ve known you for years, and I’ve never seen you smile like that. So, you either won the lottery or you got your aha petted. Since you showed up for work, the lottery’s out, which leaves—.”

  “Got it,” Simone quickly said, looking around as if she could see through the cubicles to who was eavesdropping on their conversation.

  “So you gonna tell me who did it, and how he did it, or am I gonna have to get louder in here?”

  “Jack!” Simone scolded, rolling her eyes, but giving him a good-natured smile. Was she that obvious?

  He grinned. “Oh come on, you know you want to share. Plus, I have no life since the divas are being silly queens. I’ll let them ignore my for the rest of the week, and live vicariously through you.”

  “God forbid,” Simone muttered.

  ***

  As Thanatos sat in the sleek, leather-lined interior of the black Maybach parked outside Simone’s Park Slope apartment, he decided that there were too many rules for dating a human.

  Hypnos had run through a list longer than the newspaper. Most of them were common sense but other things reaffirmed Thanatos’s belief that the human population was at times...idiotic. Supposedly, according to his twin, humans went on dates to get to know each other. Proper human females did not kiss on the first, and at times, second dates, but the third—that was for kissing...perhaps? Since he and Simone had gone past kissing, he dismissed that rule from his thoughts. There would be lots of kissing tonight. His cock hardened as he remembered how good she felt wrapped around his finger, how she tasted against his seeking tongue.

  And there was the sex rule. Hypnos mentioned that proper females varied on when they thought sex appropriate, but one thing was certain, no sex on the first date. Which told him nothing of when it would be acceptable to bury himself in her. Two dates was what Thanatos decided on.

  A flash of green to his right had him looking from his window and witnessing Simone approaching him. She wore a silk, green top with a square cut neckline, and tight, black jeans that showed off long legs. He knew if she turned around, and that black wool overcoat wasn’t there, he’d glimpse her shapely ass.

  He’d behave for two—at least one—date.

  She stopped, looked at the luxury car, before her eyes narrowed and she looked around again, searching for something else.

  With a smile, Thanatos stepped from the car. Simone seemed bit hesitant but she returned his smile and stepped forward. Unsure of whether he should hug her, like Hypnos had recommended for the first date, or kiss her like he wanted to, Thanatos settled for telling her she looked beautiful when she stepped into his arms, her lips brushing the side of his cheek.

  A kiss was a kiss no matter where it was placed, and hence, playing by the rules was off. Everything Hypnos had told him about kissing and sex was dismissed. There were a few pointers that he kept, but he was going to do this his way.

  Wrapping his hands around her back, Thanatos hauled her against him and attached his lips to hers. A startled sigh told him she didn’t mind before she parted her lips and pressed closer, moaning as they greeted each other. His erection throbbed, and he made a valiant attempt to ignore it. When Thanatos pulled away, she was looking at him with glazed, brown eyes.

  “You look beautiful,” he said honestly, placing a chaste kiss at the side of her kiss-swollen lips before trailing his way across his cheek to her ear. She had put on some type of ladies perfume.

  “Thanks,” Simone replied on a husky note. “You look very handsome.”

  Thanatos had allowed his brother a minor say in what he wore. Along with his black sports jacket and trousers, he wore a light grey button down shirt—Hypnos’s input—that was slightly undone at the top.

  “Where are we going?”

  “It’s a surprise.”

  Her face lit up in excitement, and Thanatos decided that his brother was right on a few things. Women liked surprises. Surprise Simone. Check.

  Chapter Five

  He took her to an intimate restaurant with the outward appearance of an abandoned building. There was no sign, nothing that marked it as a restaurant. Just a bleak wooden door, and dark dome shaped handles. The first thing she saw when they entered was security. Two bulldozer sized men wearing black, and cream earpieces, stood some feet in. One of them had a list, and upon seeing them, asked their names. Once that was cleared, they moved further into the building, through a softly lit passage and around a back corner. Simone gasped as the true entrance to the restaurant came into view. Two open glass doors, both with the golden inscription “Château du Arnaud” stared back at her. As soon as they stepped through, they were approached by the maitre’d.

  “Monsieur Aeron,” the maitre’d, a short and thin, older man, greeted him with a smile and familiarity that told her Thanatos was a frequent visitor.

  “How are you, Edmund?”

  “Very well, Monsieur.” Edmund passed her a glance and his smile seemed to widen. Simone smiled at him. “Your table is ready. Please follow me.”

  They were led through the throng of tables already filled with couples, to a corner table with candles and a single rose in a tall, thin white vase. The tablecloth was an eggshell color with a swirling pattern etched into it.

  “Alicia will be your waitress tonight,” Edmund said, lifting a hand to someone behind him. Not moments later, a younger woman approached their table and offered them menus. Two things registered instantly. Everything was in French and there were no prices after the selections.

  “Welcome to the Château du Arnaud. Would you like to hear the Chef’s special for tonight?”

  Simone nodded. Maybe she could get the special instead of figuring out what was in the menu from her limited knowledge of the language. Or she could ask Thanatos to order for her.

  Alicia went through the special, and Simone was fascinated to hear that jambalaya was a part of it. She’d never thought that an upscale restaurant, like this one obviously was, made things like jambalaya.

  The special sou
nded heavenly, Porterhouse Steak with a small serving of jambalaya and mashed potatoes, so she ordered it. Thanatos ordered something from the menu and Simone had to restrain herself from staring at his lips as he spoke fluent French to the waitress. She might have restrained her eyes, but her body reacted like a fuse had just met a lit match. As her center throbbed, she clenched her legs and willed it to behave.

  When the waitress departed, Thanatos gave her his full attention.

  “You speak French,” she stated.

  He nodded.

  “What else do you speak?”

  Thanatos seemed to consider that for a moment before he smiled, revealing beautiful white teeth. “I pick up languages quickly so I speak...many.”

  “Many like three or four or many like over ten?”

  “The latter.”

  Simone blinked hard. Was he serious?

  “Does that upset you?” Thanatos looked concerned.

  Immediately, she shook her head. “No—God no. I’ve just never met anyone who can speak over ten languages fluently.”

  “You’ve never met me before,” he replied, lids lowering as his eyes smoldered from under them.

  Simone had contemplated not wearing a bra with her silk shirt, but was glad she’d listened to common sense instead of being reckless. Her nipples just turned to stone.

  The waitress returned with a trolley holding two chilled bottles of red wine and poured for both of them. When she left again, Thanatos lifted his glass and smiled at her, as if he knew exactly how much he was affecting her and liked it.

  Clearing her throat, Simone lifted her own wine glass and took a sip.

  “How did you hear about this place?” It was good to talk about trivial things, to keep her mind off of his body.

  “A friend of mine owns it,” he replied, in a vague way she was coming to associate with him.

  “Is he the chef?”

  “No, his wife is.”

  “Oh.”

  “How’s your wine?” he asked softly.

  It was good. She was no wine connoisseur , but this one wasn’t as sour or dry as the rest.

  “Good. Yours?”

  “I’d rather be tasting you.”

  Her jaw slackened. Wetness pooled between her legs instantly and Simone squeezed her thighs together. It was a good thing that she hadn’t been drinking the wine when he said that.

  When she lifted her eyes to his, it was to find him watching her intensely. He leaned forward, his massive shoulders rolling forward under his shirt, and asked, “Do I make you uncomfortable, Simone?”

  “No—er—yes—I mean, no.”

  He smiled, and reached across the table for her hand. Turning it over so that palm was exposed to his fingers, he began to trace the indentations. Her mother had told her they were ‘money lines.’ Simone never thought something as innocent as touching someone’s hand could be erotic. She was proven wrong. The things he did to her hand...and the things that did to her body.

  By the time their food arrived, food was the last thing on both of their minds.

  ***

  After dinner, which was as amazing as she’d known it would be, the head chef stepped from the kitchen to greet them. She was a beautiful, dark skinned woman, tall and graceful, with an old world look about her even as she looked to be in her mid-twenties. Thanatos had said he was friends with her husband, but he obviously knew her well. The woman pressed her flawless cheek to the side of his and stepped away. The two began talking, the woman laughing at things Thanatos said as he smiled in return. Her name was Penny. It was probably “Penelope” but Thanatos was such a close friend, he introduced her as “Penny.”

  She was jealous. Simone knew when she was being irrational and this was very irrational. The beautiful chef with her small, perfect face and tall, graceful body, had done nothing but give Thanatos a friendly, uninterested kiss, and here she was—horny and stupidly emotional—getting jealous.

  Simone was glad when they stepped into the frigid air outside. What she needed was a cold shower and her bed, or a bed and Thanatos Aeron. Both would ease her frustration, but she was leaning more to the latter.

  She released a groan and Thanatos shifted closer to her. They were in the car again, and she guessed he was taking her home. From the moment they’d entered the car, they hadn’t exchanged one word.

  “What’s wrong?” He only made it worse. His voice, the darkness of the car and the slight privacy afforded them.

  “Tired,” she lied.

  “Really?”

  She nodded.

  “So you’re not considering jumping onto my lap as I’m considering pulling you onto it?”

  A shocked gasp left her and she turned to him. He was staring ahead, a smile on his lips. Thanatos turned to face her. The grin disappeared. Put on display by street-light, his eyes looked black from the amount of heat reflected in them.

  He cupped her cheek, before tracing down to her neck. “I want to kiss you, Simone.” Her lips parted of their own accord. “I want to teach you the pleasures found between a man and a woman.” Her nipples tingled. He leaned closer, until he was barely an inch away. His breath tickled her face as he spoke. “I want to bury my cock so deep inside you there is confusion as to where I end and you begin.” Her clit throbbed. Oh. God.

  Thanatos leaned forward and kissed her soft before moving down to her neck and brushing his lips across her rapidly beating pulse. His free hand slipped under her shirt and made its way to her bra. He easily pushed it down and freed her breasts, tweaking the already hard nipples.

  Simone’s moan was low and she thrust her breasts to him. The hand at her face moved to her jeans and opened them. Two fingers slid into her panties and she parted her legs wider and moaned.

  “Let me show you...” His voice washed over her as his fingers searched out her button and began to caress. Her jeans were snug, making it more difficult for him, but he found a way. Groping at her breasts and pussy, he leaned forward and buried his tongue in her mouth. Simone whimpered, returning his kiss and working her hips faster against his seeking fingers.

  “Let me teach you...”

  His finger dipped into her pussy, which caused her to cry out before biting her lip. The driver might hear. She came soon after, pussy clenching around his finger as she struggled and failed to control herself.

  ***

  Thanatos removed his fingers from her soft, tight clutch, ignoring the overpowering scent of her desire, and straightened her clothing. His erection throbbed and he repositioned it in his boxer-briefs.

  Simone closed the distance between them by sidling up to him. Shocked, Thanatos turned to her. She kissed him, soft and slow, before digging her knees into the soft car seat on both sides of his thighs and straddling him.

  “Show me,” she said breathlessly, her hips unconsciously grinding into his as she kissed him again. “Teach me.”

  ***

  The walk to her apartment was a blur of colors. Simone remembered nothing but the frantic make-out in the elevator, the groping and straining as she attempted to find her keys with him behind her running his palms over her ass and back, the rapid sigh of relief as the door unlocked and he swept her inside, kicking it shut with his foot.

  He stripped her quick, the heat in his eyes showing approval of her naked body. She led him to her bedroom, where she partially undressed him, trailing her fingers across tight and indented muscles, before kissing his hard, mouth-watering, pecs. She was going too slowly however, because Thanatos set her away from him and made quick work of removing his clothes.

  In a matter of seconds, she was on her back, staring into those liquidized grey eyes and briefly wondering if this was a good idea. When he kissed her again, she clutched at his back and snaked her tongue against his. It wasn’t a good idea. It was the best idea she’d had in a while.

  His cock grazed her puffy lips and Simone tensed. He was so big, and hard.

  “Relax, Simone,” Thanatos whispered softly, moving his cock u
p her slit once more. He swirled the head around her button and then he slid down, holding still when he reached her wet entrance.

  As he pushed forward, Simone felt a pleasurable sort of pressure and moaned. It felt like his finger, only much, much bigger. The pressure built, turned to pain. She whimpered. He murmured soft words in her ear, attached his lips to hers, and withdrew almost completely.

  ***

  With one quick thrust, Thanatos buried himself deep, knowing he’d hurt her, regretting that he’d had to, but not regretting being her first man. First, last, only. He didn’t know where the words came from, but Thanatos couldn’t focus on them right now.

  Simone looked beautiful with her teeth pulling at her bottom lip, her face contorted in pleasure mixed pain, and her lashes fanning her cheek. Lowering his lips to her neck, he kissed the soft skin gently, waiting for her to adjust to him.

  In that moment, Thanatos decided she would be his. Powers or not, human or not, he would be the only man to have her.

  “Is there still pain?” he asked when a soft sigh left her lips.

  Her eyes were big, and vulnerable as they locked on his. Simone licked at her lips, and swallowed. “It—I—it’s better.”

  His hips slid backward before coming into her again. Thanatos set a slow pace, leashing himself so as to not hurt her unnecessarily, which proved difficult. His powers, which were usually dormant, seemed to vibrate through every cell in his body.

  ***

  Simone watched him, watched the expressions flit across his face as his cock slid into her, over and over again. He lowered his head to her breasts and began to suck, keeping steady the thrusts of his hips, and Simone parted her legs wider and caught his head against her breast. His hair was so thick and silky. Her fingers caressed his warm scalp.

  As his thrusts grew more frantic, Simone lifted her hips to meet them. Despite the soreness, she could feel the approach of an orgasm.

  Reaching between their bodies, Thanatos’s finger found her clit, pressing and releasing. Simone gasped and clenched down on him. He grunted against her nipple, pushing into her with even more urgency.