He dipped another piece, then turned toward her. "Would you like some?"
She nodded. He held it for her to take a bite. Artemis opened her mouth. As he set the bread on her tongue, she licked his fingers that were delicious. Salty and sweet, they whetted her appetite for more.
His eyes darkened, causing a wave of desire to flare deep inside her. He dipped his fingertip in the honey, then outlined her lips before he pulled her close for a blistering kiss. The taste of him combined with honey was more than she could stand.
Pulling him toward the bed, she lay down and tugged his hand until he was on top of her.
Acheron growled at the sight of Artemis underneath him. "You are so incredibly beautiful."
Artemis couldn't respond verbally. She was completely captivated by the look of tenderness on his face. No one had ever looked at her like this. And when he buried his lips against her throat all rational thought was lost to the fire inside her.
She'd never been completely naked with anyone. But as he unfastened her gown, she didn't protest. With an excruciating slowness, he slid the cloth down her body until she was bare to him. He made no move to remove his own clothes.
Instead, he lifted her foot to nibble her instep. Biting her lip at the exquisite torture, she watched him as he worked his way up her body.
He paused as he gently licked the inside of her thigh. "Do you want me to stop?"
Artemis shook her head. "I love for you to touch me."
His look scorched her before he nudged her thighs farther apart and touched the part of her that ached the most for him. She sank her fingers in his hair and fisted her hands.
Acheron pulled back with a hiss as if she'd hurt him.
She frowned. "Is something wrong?"
"Please don't grab and pull my hair. I hate it when people do that."
"Why?"
"It makes me feel like I'm garbage."
There was no missing the raw pain in his voice. "I don't understand."
"People snatch at my hair to control me or to hold me down at their feet. They yank it while they violate and humiliate me. I don't like it."
Artemis stroked his cheek, wanting to soothe him. "I'm sorry, Acheron. I didn't know. Is there anything else you don't like?"
Acheron froze at her question. No lover had ever asked him that question before. He still couldn't believe he'd told her that he didn't like having his hair touched. It wasn't something he'd normally do, but since she'd asked, he felt compelled to tell her. "I don't like anyone breathing on the back of my neck. It reminds me of being a slave with no will of my own and it makes my skin crawl."
"Then I shall never do that to you."
Those words touched him so deep inside that it brought tears to his eyes. He swallowed the lump in his throat before he nuzzled her. There was nothing he wouldn't do to please his goddess. Artemis was all that was kind. He couldn't imagine why she wanted to befriend something as low as an ex-slave, but he was grateful to be with her.
Wanting to please her not because he had to but because he wanted it, he took his time teasing her body until she screamed out his name. True to her words, she didn't grab his hair as she came. She sank her nails into his shoulders.
Grateful that she'd kept her word, he crawled up her body and pulled her into his arms.
Artemis sighed as she lay against him. He was still fully clothed. "Why do you never take anything for yourself?"
"I don't find real pleasure in sex."
She frowned at him. "How can you not enjoy it?"
He couldn't even begin to explain to her that nothing about sex made him feel good. He liked to touch her, but he didn't have the same reaction to her touch that she had to his. Orgasms were pleasurable no doubt. He just didn't care whether or not he had one.
"I enjoy it," he lied. It would make her feel good to hear that. He would keep the truth of it buried inside him. Honestly he loved being with her. When they were together he felt like a man with no past. She saw him as her friend and if a goddess liked him he couldn't be as repugnant as his father and brother made him out to be.
She rubbed herself against his body.
Acheron closed his eyes and savored the sensation of her warm body next to his. "I wish I could stay here with you forever."
"If you were female you could, but only my brother is allowed in my temple. No other male."
"But I'm here now."
"I know and it's our secret. You can never tell anyone."
"I won't."
She lifted herself up to give him a stern frown. "I mean it, Acheron. Not even in your sleep are you to breathe a word about me."
"Trust me, Artie, keeping secrets is the one thing I learned early in my life. I know when to keep my mouth shut. Besides no one really talks to me anyway."
"Good. Now it's time for you to go home."