Fallen (Daughters Of The Gods Book 3) Read online

  It wouldn’t do either of them any good to become involved. Just being here put her in danger and that he’d never intended to do. When he’d first seen the farmhouse, he’d assumed that the owner’s had left, moved on or were selling up. He hadn’t expected a long lost granddaughter to return and want to clean up the place.

  Not that it was really in very bad shape. The crops were well tended. Only the garden showed the lack of care it had obviously once had.

  “It’s a riding lawn mower. It cuts grass.”

  He grunted, but didn’t reply. The contraption actually looked a little amusing. “Do you need anything mowed?” He turned to look at her. No longer wearing pyjamas, she now wore a pair of shorts with a loose fitting blue top that brought out the color of her eyes.

  “You can mow the lawn if you like. It hasn’t been done in a long time, so it may take a few hours. I’ll be able to water it tonight if you do.”

  “Sure.” The words came out before he even knew they would. Now he was going to mow her lawns? What next? Make her dinner? Clean the house? The heat from the sun was obviously making him senile. A divine being didn’t sully his hands with mere menial work.

  “Thanks so much. I’ll have this place cleaned right up with your help.”

  “What do you plan on doing once it is? Where do you live normally?” And why did he care? She shaded her eyes as she looked up at him. Hermes took a deep, calming breath. There was something seriously wrong with him. Now he couldn’t even talk to the woman without thinking what it would be like to see her naked, her delectable lips sighing in pleasure, as he tasted every delicious feature of her form.

  Perhaps his time with the assortment of women he’d enjoyed over the years had caused him to become the type of man who was never satisfied unless he was cock deep in a female.

  “I had an apartment in Aspen Creek, but not anymore. I work as a librarian.” She grabbed a discarded cloth and started to dust down the lawnmowers seat. “What about you? Where do you come from?”

  He chuckled to himself, wondering if he should actually tell her the truth. If he did, she’d run a mile for sure, which was probably best considering the fact that Zeus loved to use others to seek revenge.

  “Los Angeles.”

  “Really? You don’t seem like you’d fit in there.” She threw him a curious look and he wondered what the hell people who lived in California looked like.

  “Are you going to sell this house eventually, or move in here permanently?”

  “I’ll never sell this place if I don’t have to. I lived here with my Gran after my parents died in a truck accident. It would kill me to see it go out of the family.”

  Hermes could relate to this. He’d also thought family was the most important thing in his life, until he’d gone and fucked his up. He should never have played with fire and ruined the bond he’d had with his father. A bond he was likely never to recover.

  “Are you okay?”

  He shook himself out of his musings. “Of course. Now, if you’d show me how to start this lawnmower and get it moving in a forward direction, I’ll get on with my next job.”

  ***

  Sara sat on the porch swing seat and listened to the sound of the crickets hidden in the grass. The cool night air was settling in after a hot day and the smell of damp earth and dust, a familiar and welcoming scent, filled the evening air.

  She breathed deeply and looked out over her grandmother’s land. Now her land, if she had enough guts to stay here. For the little bit of work they’d done today, already the yard and house were looking a lot less neglected.

  Her farmhand walked from the shed, dressed in clothes not made for him. The shirt was a little tight. The contours of his chest were visible and with every move he made it pulled against his skin showing how toned he was. Sara’s fingers itched to feel if those pecs were really as hard as they looked.

  She’d cooked dinner and invited him over for some. He’d worked hard all day, without a word of annoyance about any of the jobs she’d thrown at him. And she’d thrown a lot, even if to only watch him bend, stretch or pull on various mechanical and natural items.

  “Good evening, Sara,” he said, coming to stand at the base of the porch steps.

  He’d showered since she’d seen him last and the scent of soap wafted toward her. Images of him naked, sliding soap across his body, made heat pool at her core. She shook the thoughts aside and forced herself to focus on something other than his form. “Hello,’ she said. “Have a seat. I wanted to ask you a couple of things I’m curious about.”

  He sat on the steps and met her gaze. “Such as?”

  He grinned and for a moment, her brain went blank. “Hermes is an odd name for a child. Do you know why your parents chose it?”

  “They were into all things mythological. I suffered the consequences,” he said.

  Sara frowned not having expected that reply at all. “Like as in the Greek god, Hermes? You were named after the son of Zeus?”

  He shrugged. “Yes.”

  “That is so strange, because I study all things mythological. Greek mythology has always fascinated me, ever since I was a child.”

  Hermes came to sit beside her on the bench and Sara shifted over a little. His size, broad shoulders and muscular legs weren’t exactly what she needed to be next to right at the moment. He was just so masculine and in all the right places, too.

  “Why study Greek gods? It’s not like they exist.”

  She shrugged. “Perhaps, but who am I to say they don’t exist, or never have? My grandmother was always adamant that they’d survived beyond the myths of man. She was a bit of a neo-worshipper.”

  Hermes laughed and started to rock the chair with his foot. “What would you say to one, should you ever have the opportunity?”

  He smiled at her and Sara wondered what he found so amusing. “You think my family’s mad, don’t you?”

  He shrugged. “Not necessarily.”

  Sara looked out over the newly cut lawn and thought about just what she would ask a Greek god, should she ever meet one. “I’d probably ask what Mount Olympus was like. Was the city really as beautiful as it’s always been portrayed in mythology?”

  “It is magnificent.” Hermes met her gaze, then backtracked. “I mean, I would imagine the city was everything it had ever been made out to be.”

  Sara sighed, thinking of a realm that she’d never see or ever prove really existed. With all her research, it was always hearsay, stories passed down through generations and generations of people. Nothing concrete. Only last year, when she’d been in New York, had she seen something that didn’t fit into the laws of physics. That had been one of the reasons she’d started her research up again.

  “I saw something a year or so ago in New York City that made me question if we’re really alone, as much as we think we are.”

  Hermes stopped rocking the chair and turned to face her. “What did you see?”

  “I was walking along a street, having just met some friends for dinner. I was returning alone and not far from my hotel, when I saw a woman walking toward me. A woman who was so ethereal and beautiful that she literally took my breath away. I stopped dead on the street and just watched her. She’d just walked out of a bar, a self-satisfied smile on her lips and disappeared.”

  “Around a corner or something?” Hermes said.

  Sara shook her head. “No, she just disappeared into thin air. One moment, she was on the street. The next moment, gone. Poof! Like magic.”

  “Perhaps you blinked and she ducked into a coffee shop or something?”

  “Maybe, but I don’t think I blink that slow.” The timer on the oven sounded and she stood up. “Dinner’s ready. Come inside and eat. We have another big day ahead of us again, tomorrow.”

  Hermes inwardly groaned and followed Sara inside. He watched her hips sway in her beige shorts. She had lovely legs, athletic, but not stick thin. They would wrap nicely around his waist…

  “Would you like
a beer?”

  “Thanks,” he said, taking a seat. She’d set the table out nicely, a white table cloth and what he assumed to be her best china. It was a little basic compared with the magnificence to which he’d been accustomed, but then, he no longer had the authority to demand only the best.

  She placed a meal of meat and pasta before him, with green salad on one side. It smelt delicious and considering he hadn’t eaten much the last two days, anything placed before him was going to look like a feast.

  “I hope you like lasagne. It’s the only decent meal I can cook. I’m not very handy in the kitchen otherwise.”

  Hermes took a bite and groaned his delight. “It’s delicious. Truly. Thank you for the meal.”

  She shrugged. “It’s the least I could do, since you’re helping me.”

  They ate in silence, both, he assumed, lost in their own thoughts. Hermes wondered what was happening back on Mount Olympus. Was Zeus still looking for him? Had his father killed or imprisoned Hera? Not that he truly cared what happened to his father’s wife. His sister, Hebe, had set them up to be found in a compromising position.

  And Hera had only made the situation worse by laughing, not even bothering to deny what her husband had discovered. His father’s rage had known no end and Hermes doubted it ever would. He’d been lucky to escape alive. As it was, he’d had to exile himself on earth. With neither power, nor authority, not to mention wealth nor family. He had nothing.

  “I do apologize for breaking into your home, Sara. I should never have scared you like that.”

  “It’s okay. Although at the time you frightened me senseless, you seem harmless enough now.” She smiled as she took a sip of wine. A droplet of red sat on her lip and never in his very long life had Hermes felt such as he now did desire to lick that drop of wine off her lip. To taste that sweet nectar, mixed with the woman’s own.

  She would taste delightful. Fresh, youthful and vital. Her tongue came out and licked the droplet away and he tightened uncomfortably in his restricting pants. He mentally swore and tried to shuffle into a more comfortable position. With one drop of wine, she’d made him harder than he’d ever thought possible.

  She was a temptress and she didn’t even know it!

  “I thought you could clean out the stables for me tomorrow. Would that be okay?”

  Hermes would clean anything she asked, if only she would grant him one kiss. “Of course. Whatever you wish.”

  He couldn’t stop staring at her. There was something oddly familiar about her features and yet at the same time, he got the impression that she was an honest soul. Certainly not like his own race. Fickle and not the least honourable at times. Although his half-sisters, the two who had chosen another way of life besides the one on Mount Olympus, showed such qualities within themselves. Perhaps that was why he felt drawn to Sara. She reminded him that there were good beings left in the universe, the mortal as well as the immortal ones.

  She nodded and stood. “Excellent, then.” She collected her plate and took it over to the sink. “Well, I’m tired so I think I’ll call it a night. I’ll leave the dishes until tomorrow morning.”

  Hermes stood. “Thank you again for dinner. I’ll see you tomorrow.”

  He left and strode as fast as he could toward the stables. At the stable door, he looked back toward the house and watched an illuminated shadow undress in the upstairs room. He rubbed his jaw and stared transfixed to the image.

  He would not succumb to her charms, whether she was open to a tryst or not. He could only cause her pain and bring danger into her life. And no god, no matter what his two sisters thought, should dabble with humans. Not that Cat had run off with a human. No, she’d run away with a Titan.

  Hermes rolled the small stable door closed and headed to bed. Perhaps a good night’s rest would clear his head. Either that or he was doomed to suffer in pain for however long they were going to be living near each other.

  He swore and flopped on his cot and stared at the cobweb-covered rafters. His body hummed with need for the woman, lying only a short distance away. She’d be in bed by now, laying, tossing and possibly unable to sleep, just like him. Was she, too, just as frustrated as he was? Did she yearn for his touch? The slide of his hands over her body? His tongue against her flesh, bringing her to orgasm after orgasm?

  Hermes sat up and rubbed his face. Perhaps he should ask her if she was open to a liaison. Nothing ventured nothing gained. And if he didn’t relieve himself soon, his balls would explode.

  He stood. No time like the present.

  Chapter Three

  Sara gasped and sat up in bed when she realized Hermes stood at her bedroom door, as if her sin-filled thoughts had conjured him up to be here in the flesh. “What are you doing here?” Her voice came out breathless and she cleared her throat.

  “I couldn’t sleep.” He stepped into the room and ripped off his T-shirt, exposing the muscular frame she’d been admiring these past few days. Her mouth felt dry and she bit her lip as he continued to come toward her.

  “And so coming here is going to help you sleep?”

  “I was hoping,” he said, kneeling on the bed and crawling over her body, “that you could help me in that respect.”

  “As in?” she moaned as Hermes ran his tongue up her stomach, his wicked mouth pausing at her breast to pay homage to her erect nipple through her silk nightgown. She bit her lip when his hand slid between her legs and two fingers delved into her wet, needy core.

  “With me and you like this. Enjoying each other.”

  “Hermes,” she gasped, as he continued to tease her. “I want you.”

  He chuckled, the sound erotically charging every fibre of her being. “I want you, too.”

  She pulled him up to look at her. Their gazes held. Locked. He had the most beautiful face she’d ever seen on a man and she was left utterly besotted. Full lips, chiselled cheekbones and a straight nose gave him an air of perfection, but with his hair mussed from her hands and his lips reddened from her kiss, it gave him a roguish look that she wasn’t afraid to play with.

  But it was his eyes, dark and sinful, that bespoke of endless nights of pleasure in his arms.

  Oh yes…

  She took his lips in a searing kiss and welcomed the desire she seemed to spike throughout him. He lifted her leg and settled between her legs, pushing hard against her hot core. Sara wrapped the other about his back and gasped when he lurched into her.

  Their lovemaking was frantic, needy and deliciously dirty. Her body sang with need, a need that only he could fill. She gasped and he kissed her again, their tongues and bodies entwined, in a dance of desire.

  “Hermes…” She clasped his hair and pulled it a little.

  He nipped her lip and rocked into her, hitting that magic spot that only he could seem to strike. “Come for me, Sara. I want to feel you give yourself fully to me.”

  She closed her eyes and fought to make their time together last longer. She wanted to hold on to this feverish need, the point where she stood at a precipice just waiting to fall into the void of satiation.

  He rose a little and it was enough to send her falling over the cliff. She screamed his name and wave after wave of pleasure flowed throughout her body. Hermes pace increased before he too, came deep inside her.

  She kissed him and smiled. “If you keep doing that, you’ll become my addiction.”

  “You’re already mine,” he whispered against her ear, eliciting a shiver.

  Sara sat up in bed with a start. Her body, sweat-ravaged and tingling with the remnants of an overwhelmingly satisfying orgasm.

  What had just happened?

  Two days she’d known him and already she was having sexy dreams about the guy!

  She pushed back the quilt and jumped out of bed, before walking toward the shower on wobbly legs. The last thing she needed to do was dream about a man she would never have. He was a stranger, for heaven’s sake. A man who’d broken into her house, no matter how nice he now seeme
d to be. He’d scared the shit out of her.

  Sara turned on the shower and made the water lukewarm. It wouldn’t hurt to cool her ardour before she had to face him in the stable. She shook her head. At least he’d never know what she’d dreamed and what they’d done together. Sara wasn’t sure if she’d ever be able to face him again, should he ever find out.

  A little later, Sara sat at the table and tried to think of anything that would keep her from having to go out into the stable and help Hermes. After her dream, a dream that still haunted her body in all the right places, she didn’t want to have to face him again, so soon.

  Her skin felt warm and flushed. Her body still sizzling after responding to his every touch and wicked caress.

  She had no idea why this could be. She wasn’t a virgin. She’d dated a few guys in her twenty-three years, which gave her some insight into how the other sex worked. Okay, she’d only slept with one man, her now ex-boyfriend, but still, it wasn’t like she hadn’t orgasmed before in her life.

  But with Hermes! Sara took a deep breath. Holy smokes, even in her dreams, he was very well versed in the art of bedding a woman. He’d made her so hot!

  “Is it alright if I make a coffee? I tend to enjoy the brew.”

  Sara started, shuffled some mail that was on the kitchen table and couldn’t quite manage to meet his gaze. “Of course. I just made a fresh pot.”

  He walked passed her and the scent of soap wafted in the air. He’d showered… The image rose within her mind again of him naked, wet and sliding soap over his hardened, muscular frame.

  Sara swallowed and fought to calm her heartbeat. She was so screwed, or rather, would have liked to be.

  “Where would you like the old straw from the stables thrown?”

  She fought to bring her crazy mind under control. “There’s a compost heap down near the back fence, just dump it there for now.” She watched as his hand spooned sugar into his cup. It was absurd that every little chore that Hermes did was captivating.