Chapter 181: Wounded Puppy Ares grasped my neck and pressed his lips into mine in a speedy, hungry kiss, that got us moaning like animals in heat. I could tell he was trying to convince me to take back my safe word. He pressed into me so I could feel him on my abdomen, and God, his pants were wet. I pushed against his chest to get him off me, breathing as if I had run a race. How much I want him to fuck me against this wall and every spot in this barn, but I knew if I let him, I’d break that fucking rule and go down on my knees and take that monster between his legs until my name flies from his lips. He won’t be the dominant one anymore. "We shouldn’t be late for breakfast..." I said, running down the stairs. I fix my hair and shirt, zipping up my shorts as I step out of the barn. I should probably change, too, because my shorts were ruined, and my nipples were so hard and painful. I’m not wearing a bra, and my babies are begging to be sucked. "Hey!" I stopped abruptly as Tom came towards me with a bouquet. Holy shit! "Surprised to see me?" Tom asked with a broad smile "Y-Yeah, I am... shocked. What are you doing here?" "I took my eyes off you for a minute and found you gone." My mouth hung momentarily. "About that... I was feeling under the weather, so..." Concern morphed on his face. "Are you okay?" "Yeah, better. Just had to zoom off before everything started spinning." "Well, good thing I brought flowers." I eyed the bouquet of roses. "Rose?" "You don’t like them? I just took a wild guess because your hair reminds me of them." "That’s a pretty awesome guess." "Really?" "Yeah!" He nodded as his eyes dipped. Crap! I snatched the flowers from him and pressed them to my chest to keep my nipples hidden. "T-Thank you." "You’re welcome. So we didn’t have a chance for that dance." "Dance?" I blinked. "About coming back an hour later and hoping you say yes?" "Oh..." "Is there still a chance for it? I mean, the reunion is over, but that doesn’t mean we can’t." "A-Are you asking me out on a date?" "Yeah, in fact and..." He trailed off and looked behind me. I turned, and in that instant, Ares took my chin and held it captive. "You shouldn’t have run off when I’m not done with you yet." My cheeks turned hot, and when I tried to take a step back, he closed the space, but he didn’t kiss me. "Let’s finish what we started. My cock inside you." OH MY GOD! I break from him, looking at Tom, who looked baffled. "Tom, it’s—" Ares took the flower from me, eyeing it like trash. "I don’t take kindly to those who bring flowers to my wife." "W-Wife?" Tom’s eyes flickered to me like a wounded puppy. "You’re married?" I tried to speak, but the words got stuck in my throat. "I should um go..." he said, forcing a smile. "Tom!" He was already leaving. "Why did you do that?" I snapped my rage at Ares. He tossed the flower to the ground and pinned me with those cold eyes. "I should ask you that same question." "I accepted the flowers as a kind gesture..." "Flowers weren’t the only thing he came for." "So?" Ares blinked. "Yes! We’re in a contract with no third parties involved, but by the time it all ends, none of this will matter, would it? And hell, there will be third parties!" I turned on my heels and left. When I got up the stairs, I saw Tom driving away. I didn’t like the way this played out; it felt as if I had hurt him in some way. I would have declined his offer civilly if Ares didn’t instill chaos. UGH! "Catherine?" Granny opened the door, smirking before looking at the car driving out of our farm. "Who was that?" "Doesn’t matter anymore..." I walked in, folding my arms, and Gramps was in the middle of reading a paper. "There were people this morning who came to cater to the farm." He set the paper down. "Do you know anything about this...?" "Walt, take a wild guess. It must be courtesy of Ares." "I never asked for his help." "Don’t be rude!" "It’s actually part of the benefits," I spoke up. They turned their attention to me. "Benefits?" This was the only way to get Gramps to agree to this; knowing how stubborn he was, he would probably send them running when they came tomorrow. "Yes, from my paycheck too. Don’t worry, it doesn’t take too much." Gramps sighed, and I could tell he wasn’t happy. Granny rubbed his shoulders. "This is too much for you as it is... I can’t let you—" "Gramps, it’s okay, really. I’m fine, and everything is fine." "Are you sure?" No. "Yes..." I smiled. ~☆~ My eyes were on the window, watching the clouds, which looked more beautiful, and I couldn’t take my eyes away. It was hard saying my goodbyes to Granny and Gramps. I have always hated goodbyes. I shifted my attention to Ares, sitting at the opposite end of me. He hadn’t taken his eyes off me the entire flight, and unlike how I was usually unnerved by it, I was more neutral. I reached for my purse and took out the ring, making sure he watched as I slid it onto my finger. "Back to pretending..." I said, rubbing the big diamond. A choking silence lingered until we reached Midnight. It was dark already, and when we walked close to the car, I got in, but Ares didn’t. "I have business to take care of. Julian will drive you to the penthouse." I only offered a nod and faced ahead. When he closed the door, I shut my eyes, releasing a breath. But I couldn’t help looking out the window. The door was open for Ares, but he threw a look over his shoulder. My entire body screamed at me to go to him. I was this close to opening the door and throwing myself in his arms. However, when he got in the car, the spell was broken, and the sensation of jumping out of the car stayed until he left. A crushing feeling drowned me as we drove out. I heard my phone, so I pulled it out, sniffing as I unlocked it. Jenna? She sent me a text. She hadn’t since our last meetup. I thought she said she wasn’t going to bother me anymore. What does she want now? I opened the message box and saw a photo loading, when it finally appeared, horror filled my lungs and my phone slipped from my grip.