Sensing as well as hearing the desperation in the younger mother’s voice, Imani gave a patient nod.
“I’m sorry, so, so, sorry for all of this and I know that’s weak considering what happened. It was never my intention to hurt or deceive anyone, especially Hill I-I don’t expect you to welcome me with open arms and understanding but I needed you to know that, for me, it was only ever about protecting the girls.” She grimaced. “A need brought on by my own fear but...that’s what it was.”
Imani took both Persephone’s hands then. She gave them a casual shake and then looked up at her. “Do you love my granddaughters?”
“Yes, yes they’re my life. I’d die for them a thousand times.”
“And my son? You still love him.”
Persephone’s nod was a rapid, eager one. “I never stopped loving him. I’ll never stop I-I think it’s physically and emotionally impossible for me to.”
Imani nodded, looking pleased and not at all surprised by what she’d heard. “I believe you already know this, but I’ll tell you anyway. The lengths one will go to protect the ones they love- especially when those ones are children...they stretch beyond infinity. There’s no action too outrageous or too desperate. All we ask is that you include some of us in your planning next time. There’re a lot of people who love you and those little ones. Fair enough?”
Persephone’s sigh was a relieved one that time. “Fair enough.”
Imani gave into a sigh of her own. “So glad we got that out of the way. I think we’ve all had way too much drama. Roman and I always hoped for at least one girl, now we’ve got two...thank you Persephone.” She closed her eyes to tamp down any resurging tears.
“Anyway, we’re way too
excited about getting to know our new babydolls to deal with
drama,” Imani pulled Persephone into a tight squeeze and kissed her
cheek. “Now you relax. I expect dinner to be quite the
occasion.”
***
Persephone figured she’d spend another hour or so mulling over what had happened or what was to come, but that wasn’t the case. Imani’s words seemed to have had some effect on her. Her worries; while not fully removed from her consciousness, had eased off to the part of her brain that housed those things she would come to accept.
The bed was a decadent king. The mattress was softer than her own, but she had no complaints. It felt as though she were settling upon a cloud and she eased into unconscious bliss seconds after tugging the covers beneath her chin. She hadn’t planned to sleep long and utilized the specially designed pulse sensor wristbands she wore when traveling alone in order to rouse herself. Alarm clocks and wake up calls had no effect on her brain dead slumbering.
Imani had promised dinner would be quite the occasion, but she’d said nothing about when the occasion was set to begin.
Persephone wanted to have time to languish in the supreme pampering experienced the shower promised to be. While the entire bathroom promised such an experience, the shower was such a work of exquisite art, it deserved its own share of praise.
Occupying the entire back wall of the bathroom, it was an expansive rectangular presence sealed behind thick, tinted glass. Jets were built in at varying intervals along the black marble back, sides and at two spots in the floor. The jets could be set at intensive levels to water heat and massage by using the silver controls in the center of the wall.
Closer to the jets near the master controls, the flooring was treated to provide traction to guard against a slip or fall. The rest was an immense space of onyx marble that tempted one to take a load off and enjoy a bit of luxuriating lying prone against the wet smooth surface.
Persephone had no intention of denying herself such an experience. She had, with a measure of pride, believed her bathroom suite to be at the heights of technological advancement, but this place… She could tell the Tesanos took home pampering seriously.
That was a plan she could certainly get with and; following a lengthy gloriously massaging shower, she took time to let the water spray pummel her body while she lay flat against the sleek marble. She was rested enough that she didn’t fear falling asleep there in the midst of such shameful decadence.
Regardless, surprise sent her enchanting gaze flaring and her heart launching into a mad beat when she felt her ankle being taken prisoner. She found Hill occupying her oasis with his larger than life presence.
He was kneeling near where she lay. Persephone said nothing. Neither did Hill. There was no need-they both knew what this was.
Persephone pampered herself then with a deliberate survey of his bare, darkly bronzed form water-slicked and rigidly muscled. Hill moved to partially cover her. Persephone was almost totally boneless from the water and feared the sight of him would send her even further under.
She wouldn’t allow that. It was definitely no time to float off into some semi-conscious state and miss...this. She remembered her earlier words then...it was emotionally and physically impossible for her not to love this man.
In that moment, though, she had to admit that it was primarily about the physical. Big and sleek, he was undeniable...undeniably unreal. His hair gleamed like thick, jet ribbons as they were thoroughly doused by the water pulsing all around. Moisture dripped from his locks and his lashes were inky black spikes transformed by the water as well. His face...his face was a study in wicked bewitchment.
And he’s yours… She wouldn’t let herself be side tracked by questions of whether or not that was true.
There was no time for thinking anyway. His nose was skimming her knee cap, while his thumb languidly massaged the dip behind the other. All the while he spread her legs wider to accommodate him.
Persephone called out, moaned out-she didn’t know which. He was suddenly tending the spot behind the knee he’d just skimmed beneath his nose. The flesh there got the benefit of a thorough tonguing and her hips began to rock against the marble in a silent, insistent plea for more illicit attention.
Hill ignored her of course and Persephone bit her lip to somehow stifle the uncontrolled clenching of her inner, intimate muscles. It didn’t work, not when he traded tonguing the flesh behind her knee to suckling it instead.
Persephone cried out again. She didn’t give a damn about the volume. Besides, the water was a roar in the room-an effective sound muffler. Her hips swayed with more insistence. Still, Hill seemed quite content with his current activities. He did take pity on her following another few moments of the sensuous torment.
Persephone felt it was only torment of a more excruciatingly sensual kind. He soothed some of her intimate aching by thrusting a thumb deep into her core. He thrust slowly and in a way that had Persephone arching her back like a bow, her lips parting to emit ragged whimpers of approval.
Need slammed her relentlessly as it targeted her core being gloriously mastered by his thumb. She trekked trembling hands through her soaked, dark waves as her hips arched from the slick marble and she squeezed his finger in a mindless hunt for release.
He must have known she was almost there, Persephone thought when the heavenly claiming stopped mid-thrust. She opened her eyes to find him once again kneeling close and watching her with the sly, knowing grin he’d perfected. She only rolled her eyes and turned her face into the water that still sprayed hot and invigorating from the jets.
Hill’s smile changed minutely when he saw Persephone’s lashes settle over her electric eyes. He knew what she was doing-pleasuring herself on the memory of where his finger had been. He’d seen her do it before and imagined he was the only one who could guess the tells that betrayed the moments of bliss she indulged in whenever desire struck and she thought she could get away with it.
“None of that now…” the grave rumble of his words were decipherable over the water. He lay flat on the marble then too, pushing her thighs wider where his tongue trailed a moist line along the lush flesh there. Then, he was using his fingers to spread the silky folds that concealed the part of her that he was close enough to see contracting while she mentally stimulated herself.
Persephone winced, ripe approval curving her mouth when he used the very tip of his tongue to stimulate her clit just briefly before dragging it down to fill her. She had planned on his guessing at her play for self-pleasure and had hoped he’d stifle it.
The pounding water, his talented tongue, the sheer wonder of him was just too much stimuli. For one insane moment, Persephone considered pushing him away to regain her wits. Quickly, she disabused herself of the idea. This was no time for wits, but to give herself over to the brilliant insanity of mind numbing pleasure.
Delight began its insistent tickle in the middle of her belly when he switched gears, no longer sweetly exploring her labia but repeatedly spearing his tongue hard, fast and deep as though he were thirsty, famished for her. His fingertips dug into her upper thighs in a manner that secured as well as massaged.
Again, Persephone neared the heights of release. Again, Hill denied her the experience, withdrawing the oral treat his tongue provided. He was shielding her beneath him before she could hit him in retaliation. His mouth came down ruthlessly over hers and she forgot her upset. Immediately, her legs were locking around his wide back and her head was lifting off the shower floor to respond to the kiss in want and abandon. Her fingers tangled in the wet, dark of his beautiful hair and then she was dragging her nails across his slick back, over his perfect ass cupping it to draw him to the place that needed his attention most.
When he didn’t take the hint, she moved her hands, nails grazing his lean hips before disappearing between their bodies to seek out the thick muscle she wanted. Hill growled a protest, easily snagging her wrist and pressing it back to the floor while he deepened the kiss.
Persephone arched in a wordless message that Hill was content on ignoring. She kissed him with heightened eagerness that spoke of desperation. She was shaking with need for him and; in an attempt to relay mounting frustration, she used just the slightest pressure to bite down into his lush bottom lip. The action only earned her a rich chuckle.
