Love's Forge Page 3

  “I’ll always love you. You do know that, don’t you?” she said as she stood and turned into his arms. She brought her lips to his for a heated kiss. She rubbed against him and ran her hands down his back.

  He kissed her back as his cock responded to her touch. He broke free of her embrace and pushed her back against her dresser and hiked her skirt up. He ran his fingers up her thighs. She sighed and leaned back, propping her perfect ass on the edge. He stroked her through her panties before pulling them down. He spread her legs farther apart as his tongue explored. He avoided her clit, which soon made her squirm. He loved teasing her. It always made her so horny. He was about to give in and lock his lips on her clit when she pulled him up by his collar and threw him toward the bed. He laughed as she came toward him, stripping as she did so. He groaned when she removed her top and bra, and then ran her hands over her luscious breasts.

  “You don’t want to play?” he asked, knowing how she’d react.

  “Oh, I do,” she said as she stepped out of her skirt and grabbed him by his belt. She whipped it off and made short work of getting his pants off before pushing him onto the bed. He shed his shirt as she moved toward him. She stroked his cock and then dipped her head to run her tongue over the tip.

  He moaned and tried to push her head down farther, but she pulled away. She leaned over the footboard and ran her hands over her ass. She let two fingers stray to her pussy. He slapped her ass and grabbed her by the hips. She sighed when he rubbed his cock against her entrance. She was very wet, and he wanted to taste her again. He slid a finger into her. She was so hot inside. He licked his finger, and then pulled her closer. He kissed her neck as he pushed his cock into her.

  “Hard and fast, baby. I need you to fuck me,” she whispered.

  She didn’t have to say anything else. He took her completely, sliding all the way in. Her contented moan drove him on. He slammed into her over and over again, her sweet pussy driving him mad. He needed to come, and he was so close, but he loved feeling her come. He leaned back to change angles, and her cries told him he’d found the right spot. He slowed his strokes, but as he did so he pulled out more, nearly exiting her completely and then pushing all the way back into her. She pushed back against him, and then he felt her coiling around him. Her pussy convulsed around his cock, squeezing him just right. He held her close to him as he continued to pump into her. The look of sheer pleasure on her face made him come in a quick burst. The ecstasy of his orgasm was heightened by her moans and the feel of her hot skin next to his.

  He withdrew and pushed her down onto the mattress, kissing her soundly as his fingers tangled in her hair. “My sweet queen,” he whispered as he trailed kisses down her neck to her breasts. She moaned deliciously when he nibbled on her right nipple.

  He cursed when someone banged on the door.

  Hera looked up. “Everyone knows not to disturb us here. It must be important.” She stood and put her robe on to walk to the door.

  Zeus held in the words he wanted to shout and wrapped the sheet around his waist. “This better be important.”

  Alala, who in a week’s time would be their son’s wife, stood there looking distressed. Zeus pushed his anger away.

  “What is it, Alala?” he asked. “Are you all right?”

  “No. Something I don’t understand is going on.” She didn’t seem embarrassed to have interrupted them having sex, so he knew something bad had happened.

  “What?” Hera asked.

  “Hephaestus sent me a note, and I’m not sure what it means.” She held it in her hand. “He says Ares has betrayed me. He says—” She paused to look at the note. “He says ‘this scoundrel and my cheating wife are going to get what they deserve’.” She looked at Zeus and a tear finally fell from her eye. “What does he mean?”

  Zeus felt everything around him fall away. “Wife? He said ‘wife’?”

  “What? He’s not married!” Hera exclaimed.

  Alala began crying. “Yes, he is, Hera.” She looked at both of them. “Aphrodite told me. They’ve been secretly married for years.”

  The idea of Hephaestus still being in love with Aphrodite had occurred to Zeus. Interestingly enough, it had occurred to him when he’d been trying to discuss the identity of Hephaestus’ mystery love with Ares, who had acted nervous and then cut off their conversation very quickly. He now regretted not pursuing the subject as he looked at Alala. She’d never done anyone any harm. She was sweet and patient and far too good for his son.

  “Hephaestus won’t have to punish Ares. I’ll do it myself.” He touched her shoulder. “Please don’t cry, Alala. I won’t let you be dishonored this way.”

  She shook her head. “That’s not what I want. I don’t want to be avenged. I want it to not be true.”

  Hera finally spoke. “Zeus, this cannot be true. Ares loves Alala. I know he does. I know my own son.”

  “He’s my son too, but maybe he gets his cheating ways from you!”

  Hera slapped him, and he staggered back a few steps. Her eyes flamed at him. “I have two sons! The one who has a father is yours, and you know it! You have hundreds of mortal and immortal children. You’ve fucked more women than I care to count. And you dare, after all these years, to ask me not to ever have another lover?”

  She was referring to a conversation they’d had weeks ago. She was right. He had asked her to stop sleeping with other men because, with so many other immortals finding love, he’d realized he didn’t need any other woman but her. He regretted his rash words, especially since he was angry with Ares and not Hera. Not only did he agree that Ares did love Alala, but also it seemed he might now have sabotaged his own happiness for a very long time.

  “I’m sorry, Hera. I am. I believe he loves Alala too, but I’m trying to be rational. I’m sorry for the cheating remark, all right? I merely meant I know how he and Aphrodite were at times. I overreacted. Why would Hephaestus falsely accuse him? How could he win Aphrodite that way?”

  “Married? That’s what she told you?” Hera asked.

  Alala nodded. “Yes. He asked her to marry him, but she refused. He chained her up and said he’d release her once she exchanged vows with him. She did. She still wears the ring, but she uses a glamour to keep it hidden. He left her alone for a long time, but not too long ago he came to her and told her he wanted a true marriage. At the time she told me, she was considering it. That’s as much as I know.”

  Hera looked up at Zeus. “Do you believe he did that? Would my son do that?”

  Her anger had faded, and she looked on the verge of tears. His instinct was to hold her, and he did, glad when she did not pull away. “Men in love do the wrong things at times. Seeing her with Ares for so many years might have driven him a little mad. I don’t know, Hera. I don’t know.”

  She pulled and wiped at her eyes. Hera could rarely be made to admit she ever cried for any reason, and she seemed to be putting forth a great deal of effort to stop doing so now. Zeus didn’t say anything though. Now was not the time to discuss how she expressed her feelings.

  “How could they do this to me? Both of them?” Hera asked.

  “Hephaestus has always kept to himself,” Zeus said. The fact hardly needed to be pointed out, but he didn’t know what else to say.

  “But how could she keep this from me? It’s a great challenge for her to keep any secret.”

  “Your closeness has always been something that…varied…from time to time. Perhaps it hasn’t been that long.”

  They both looked at Alala.

  She shrugged, and then shook her head. “I can’t be sure. She said ‘years,’ and that was all. If she said something more specific, I think I missed it because I was so surprised. It was before Eros was born though. She was with Ares when he was conceived because she was mad Hephaestus refused to release her. They stopped talking when she was pregnant because, to Hephaestus, his wife was carrying another man’s child.”

  “Before Eros was born? That was ages ago. When did she te
ll you?” Zeus asked.

  “After Persephone was kidnapped. I wanted her to know we weren’t angry with her because of the spell on Ares.” When she said his name, her expression grew sad again. “Please help me.”

  “She’ll pay for this, for toying with both of them,” Hera said quietly. She looked up and met Zeus’ gaze. “You think she was married to him the last time she fucked you? When was that?”

  “Hera, stop it.”

  Alala, who had only been with two partners, looked at them both uncomfortably before glancing away. Zeus didn’t feel like discussing his and Hera’s sexual history with Aphrodite. It was part of the past. He’d fucked her many times, sometimes with Hera watching and occasionally with her participating. The present was what mattered.

  Hera didn’t answer. She walked away from both of them.

  “Alala, will you go home and wait for us?” Zeus asked.

  She nodded and turned away from the door. She walked down the hall very slowly.

  Zeus turned back to Hera. “You do realize that if this is true Ares is as much to blame as Aphrodite. Either way, Hephaestus’ behavior is not acceptable. All I ask is that you calm down until we find out the truth of what is happening.”

  “How can one woman cause so much strife?” she asked.

  “It’s not always her, not entirely. Let’s find out what has actually happened. Hephaestus obviously believes Ares and Aphrodite are still having an affair.”

  “Married? They’re married?”

  Zeus remembered Hephaestus coming to talk to Hera weeks before. He’d said he was in love, but that he wanted their blessing without knowing who the girl was. He said they could meet her on their wedding day.

  “It seems they are. Perhaps it would be better if they didn’t stay that way. It doesn’t seem like it has made Hephaestus happy.”

  “I don’t believe he did that to her. The way Alala described? I can’t imagine him doing that.”

  “Maybe he loves her that much. He refused to take no for an answer.”

  Hera sighed. “I wish he’d told me he was in love with her.”

  “We can’t change that now. It all happened so long ago. I don’t blame him for wanting to settle it once and for all. Let’s go see him.”

  Hera nodded and walked to her closet. Zeus went through a side door to his own bedroom while she dressed. He didn’t understand what Hephaestus had done. As good as she was in bed, Aphrodite didn’t seem like wife material. Of course, most would say he and Hera were far from ideal as spouses as well. Aphrodite had never managed to drive him mad because his heart had always belonged to Hera, but he knew she could drive men wild with every emotion. She’d certainly made Ares’ life hell for a long time. Was she still doing that? Was she the one to blame? Like Hera, Zeus believed Ares truly loved Alala. He was starting to worry another one of Aphrodite’s spells had somehow backfired.

  As scary as that thought was, anything was better than believing his son Ares had really betrayed Alala in such a cruel way.

  Chapter Two

  Aphrodite woke up when she felt water hit her skin. She opened her eyes and found herself in a large bathtub. It was completely encircled by a small ledge, and the bathroom was more extensive than she’d remembered. Hephaestus had obviously redecorated. Had he done that for her? The enormous mirror and long countertop covering an entire wall seemed designed to please her. The tiles were a soft, dusty pink. Very feminine. She began to move, but her arms were secured to the sides. The thin silver chains weighed nothing yet felt incredibly strong. She knew she’d be unable to break them. Anything made by Hephaestus was unbreakable. The tub was filling with warm water quickly, and it did feel good. She wasn’t sure how long she’d been stretched out on Hephaestus’ bed. She turned to look around, but she didn’t see him.

  “Hello?” she called. He had to be close by. Or could one of his servants have been told to do this? He had two servants, a man and a woman, both living statues of iron who didn’t talk and always did what they were told. He’d never been fond of having real servants, so he’d made the living statues years ago. At least, that’s what he’d told her. She’d many times joked he could make himself the perfect woman, but he’d always said he didn’t need to because he had her.

  Had he meant it? Had he meant all those things? That he loved her so fiercely? She knew he did love her. Her own powers told her that. They always had. Sometimes she wished her powers away, wished to be someone and something else instead of the goddess of love. Her life would be so much simpler.

  Hephaestus emerged from the shadows and turned the water off. The tub had filled enough to cover her breasts as she leaned back to consider him. He didn’t look angry. He looked very aroused.

  “Thank you. I’ll feel better after a bath,” she said. Arguing and unkind words would get her nowhere. She shifted her legs upward to partially cover her breasts. “It’s going to be hard to bathe though.” She wiggled her fingers to emphasize her point.

  “I know. I’m going to bathe you.”

  She hadn’t expected that. She’d thought he would insist on watching so she couldn’t try to get away. “I’d rather do it myself.”

  “I want to do it.” He pulled his shirt off, revealing a chest far more tanned than she’d remembered. Every inch of his body was chiseled, and the sight of his smooth, bare chest made her remember how good it felt to touch him. He looked twice as powerful as Hades or Zeus, and he was more muscular than Ares. His dark gaze smoldered as he looked at her. He seemed pleased as she admired him.

  She averted her gaze. Being nice was one thing. It might help her gain her freedom. Being encouraging might make him more determined to keep her.

  He laughed softly.

  “So glad I still amuse you,” she said when he sat down on the tile ledge by the tub.

  “You do lots of things to me, Aphrodite.” He touched her shoulder and pushed gently. “Lean back so I can wash your hair.”

  He moved to the wide ledge behind her and removed his pants. She didn’t know if he wore anything under them and didn’t look to find out. The tub was wide enough he could put his legs on either side of her in the water. “Come on. Lean back. I’ll support your head.”

  He used a cup to pour the warm water over her head. She relaxed a little as he massaged the shampoo into her hair. It smelled like jasmine. He rinsed her hair slowly, his fingers gently working through it and all too often caressing her neck. When he was done, he got up and moved beside her.

  “You’ll need to move up a bit now.”

  She didn’t look at him. The chains holding her slowly moved forward and she scooted in that direction slowly until her feet were about an inch from the other end of the tub. “This is a little undignified, you know,” she exclaimed hotly. She turned her head to glare up at him, and that was when she saw he was actually naked.

  He didn’t have an erection, but his cock was still startling. He was larger than any other man she’d ever been with. She’d told Ares he was to stroke his ego, but Hephaestus had an amazingly thick nine-inch cock. As much sex as she’d had, he still stretched her and pushed her to her limits when he was inside her to the hilt. She looked away and tried not to remember how amazing he always felt. Sex had always gotten her into trouble, so she had to resist now. However, his cock was going to be very hard to ignore once he’d climbed in behind her, which she could tell he was about to do. She had to be firm because he had to see that this behavior wasn’t the way to her heart, that she wouldn’t be his while he was holding her and Ares captive. She had to make every effort to help Ares.

  He moved behind her and stroked her cheek as he stepped into the tub. He settled in behind her, but she leaned forward so her back wouldn’t brush his chest.

  “Aphrodite?”

  “What?”

  “I’m not going to fuck you.”

  He reached behind him and took a sponge in his hand. He poured sweet smelling lavender soap onto it and worked it into a lather. He pushed her hair aside a
nd began washing her back. His movements were thorough and soothing. He held her right arm and scrubbed it just as thoroughly, and then did the same to her left. He used the cup again to rinse the soap from her body.

  He wasn’t trying to arouse her, but he was. She tried to keep her breathing regular.

  “Get on your knees.”

  Her eyes had been half closed, and now they flew open in alarm. “Why?”

  He laughed again. “So your torso will be out of the water and I can wash it.”

  She hesitated, and then she gripped the sides of the tub and moved onto her knees. She felt his cock floating near her ass as she shifted away. He still didn’t have an erection. She could hardly believe it, but a quick glance as she settled on her knees confirmed he was not aroused. That confused her. How could he not be aroused? Did he have that much control?

  He ran the sponge over her stomach first, and then he moved up. She closed her eyes, but that only made her focus more on his hand. Her nipples hardened, and he definitely noticed. He ran the sponge over them several times, leaving lots of suds there, and then he set the sponge aside. His hands massaged her breasts vigorously, and then his fingers rolled her nipples.

  She bit the inside of her lip, desperate not to make a sound.

  He stopped and poured water over her again. The water felt cool because her skin had grown so hot under his touch. He stood up. He’d aroused her just enough to make her feel frustrated, to make her long for him to continue. He knew her body as well as Ares did, but did he know her as completely? If he did, would he continue this teasing seduction? She didn’t know. She was far too confused herself.

  She wasn’t sure what he was doing, but then he took her hands and lifted her. The chains holding her detached as she stood, but then he placed her hands on a metal bar over her head. She looked up. That had not been there before, but now her chains were attached to it. She stood naked and dripping wet with him right behind her. He knelt down on his knees, and she felt his breath on her back.