He glanced toward the table above her head and chuckled.
“What’s so funny?” She twisted so she could see what had captured his attention, then gasped.
The table lay in pieces on the floor, the lamp shattered against the hardwood.
She whipped back to face him. “Did I do that? Oh my gods, I don’t remember that. I’m sorry.”
His grin widened. “Why? I like a female who can relinquish control so completely and forget about everything around her.” He pressed his lips against hers and rocked his hips, proving he liked it a lot. He was already growing hard again inside her. “I like it so much, I want to make you do it again.”
Oh... She wanted that too. Right here. Right now. Every day for the rest of her life.
“I’m the last person who should ever touch you.”
His words echoed in her head. Groaning, she lifted to his kiss and lost herself in him all over again. He was wrong. He was the only person who should touch her. The only one who made her feel alive.
And somehow, she promised herself, she’d find a way to make him believe it too.
CHAPTER NINE
Ari lay in bed, his arm wrapped around Daphne’s back, her naked body draped over his as she trailed her fingers along his ribs. Firelight from the hearth flickered over the ceiling in his bedroom, and he watched the shadows dance and move as he played with the ends of her hair and tried to convince himself keeping her with him was not a bad idea.
Nymphs were highly sexual creatures, free with their bodies in ways other races weren’t. He wasn’t stupid. Sex with Daphne would have been mind blowing regardless of the situation, but the fact she’d shared her feelings made it all the more sweet. Nymphs weren’t known to declare their emotions. Penelopei hadn’t once told him how she felt, and they’d been together for months. Then again, Penelopei had been manipulative and selfish, and Daphne wasn’t. Even though Daphne had trained with the Sirens, she was the most selfless person Ari had ever met.
She rolled her luscious body on top of his, rested her palms on his chest, and looked up. “You’re awfully quiet, Mr. Argonaut. What are you thinking?”
She was also highly perceptive. Something that struck him as odd because Penelopei hadn’t once keyed in to his moods in all the time they’d spent together.
He brushed the hair over her shoulder so it ran down her sexy back in a sleek mass. “Sorry. I was thinking about home.”
“Argolea?”
He nodded.
“You miss it, don’t you?”
He toyed with the ends of her hair. “Yes, I do. I miss the mountains and the ocean and the white marble of Tiyrns. But mostly I miss the people.”
“Silas said you have a son.”
“Cerek.” His chest pinched with a familiar sense of guilt. “He’d be about a hundred and twenty-five years now.”
She pushed up on his chest and stared down at him with wide eyes. “Good gods, your son is a hundred and twenty-five? You must be ancient.”
Smiling, he rolled her back in the pillows and kissed her neck. “That’s right. I’m older than dirt. You just got fucked by a senior citizen.”
She giggled and slid her fingers into his hair. “Thank the gods your ass isn’t saggy. How old is dirt, anyway?”
He moved to her earlobe. “Really old.”
“Give me a number.”
He stilled against her ear. She was only in her twenties. Nymphs had long lifespans, but not as long as Argonauts. Even though they both had roughly five hundred years left to live, he didn’t want to shock her.
He also didn’t want to lie. Not after the way she’d been so honest with him. He pressed a kiss to the soft skin behind her ear. “Two hundred and twelve.”
Her hand shoved against his shoulder, knocking him back into the mattress. Sitting upright, she stared down at him with even wider eyes. “Holy Hades. It’s a wonder you didn’t break a hip with that last acrobatic stunt you pulled.”
She had an adorable way of lightening the mood. One that put him at instant ease. Tugging her down onto his chest, he wrapped one leg around hers, locking her tight against him. “I have a stockpile of acrobatic stunts saved up.” He lifted his head and kissed her. “And I heal fast. So if you break my hip, little nymph, I’ll be good to go in only a few hours. Don’t worry.”
Laughing, she relaxed into him again, then laid her head back on his chest. “No wonder you’re so attracted to me. You need someone to keep you young.”
He sifted his fingers back through her hair and realized she was right. Isolating himself the way he’d done had only aged him beyond his years. Every day he felt the weight of loneliness wearing on his body and mind. He hadn’t realized how much until Daphne had come into his life like a breath of fresh air, reminding him he was still a relatively young male.