IMPORTANT: So, I originally posted this chapter around 1 at night and wattpad was acting freaky. It wouldn't let me and kept saying some shit, but it published it nonetheless. Only around 40 of you saw this chapter when I woke up which was unusual and it showed me nothing else. It was screwed up in my works and all, so I unpublished it. Now I'm posting it again.

I've basically chopped this chapter up into two because of the length and I haven't even finished it. I'm hoping to get the next chapter out soon enough which will continue this. Maybe tonight, if not, then tomorrow for sure. To the very few of you that read this earlier, I made subtle changes. Enjoy this chapter and point out my errors. ❤️

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(Athena's POV)

My insides are dancing in absolute titillation, and my heartbeat is anything but normal after that man kissed me like he was molting us together into something more beautiful and exquisite. He made me feel wanted and loved in that very moment, and that sensation is still roaming through my veins like a rogue coyote as I exit the elevator after taking several minutes to calm my frenzy nerves and tone down the grin plastered on my face.

I walk through the foyer and hear giggles in the living room area where I find Addy painting Edith's nails. "What a slumber party!" I exclaim stoically and stride past them toward the hallway that leads to my room.

My ears pick up on nimble footsteps faintly tapping behind me, and I don't even bother looking back. "Damn, you look like hell." Addy jerks me around by my forearm and forces me to face her. "What the fuck happened to you?"

"Mr. Azallion and I went to his place to talk."

"You mean to fuck," she cuts me off smugly, eyeing my attire that is covered in sprinkles of blood, mud, and outright filth. "And damn, you got down dirty."

"We did not fuck," I emphasize whilst shaking my head. "We just talked as you suggested, and now we're on good terms. But I got ambushed by a bunch of street thugs."

"Are you hurt?" she asks with concern creasing her forehead.

Lifting my right palm, I flash my wound in her face. "Just this."

She takes a close look and hums. "Eh. You'll be fine."

"I know." Rolling my eyes, I saunter toward my room once again.

"After you clean up, come sit with us. Mama is really fun, ya know." Addy's voice is chirpy and full of joy at our mother's presence as I continue walking in revolt. "We'll have dinner together and talk just like old times."

"Ah," I laugh to myself while opening the door to my room. "Old times, huh?" I spare her a glance. "We're only missing Fabian now."

Her happy face morphs into a murderous scowl at my crude and unnecessary comment. "You know what, Athena? Go fuck yourself."

With a vicious smile, I slam the door shut behind me and drop Jackson's suit jacket to the floor. Removing each clothing item from my body, including the pair of shoes, I throw them in a bin and start a bath. All I want to do is relax and unwind all the stress settled in my muscles. As I sink into the tub and submerge underwater, I can't help but think about Eros as the hollow echo drums in my ears with that exceptionally alluring man being the ringmaster to all the giddiness in my stomach. His touch, his lips, everything about him has me going utterly and irrevocably wild.

The bubbles lapping over my skin from the bath make me wonder how his smooth lips trailing over each inch of flesh on my body would make me feel. The sensation he'd ignite. The fire he'd burn in me. The passion he'd evoke out of me. Fantasizing indecent thoughts of him forces me to clench my thighs together and squirm a bit. Damn it!

After a while, I abandon the lukewarm water and wipe my body and wet hair. Slipping into my panties, I brush my teeth before taking Tylenol to ease the dizziness in my head and the ache in my hand that I patch up with bandages. I leisurely walk into my closet in slow, uncalculated steps, and throw on a pair of comfortable black satin shorts and a black lacey bralette that I can easily sleep in, but I find myself also putting on a baggy hoodie to cover myself up a bit in order to leave the confines of my room.

Taking a look in the mirror, I ruffle my damp hair a bit and notice the unnecessary flush in my cheeks before I take a breath and smile to myself like a little schoolgirl with a crush. Disgusting! The vodka that is still circulating in my system has me thinking like a fool and playing filthy tricks on me.

Why the hell am I getting ready to go see him anyway? He's probably exhausted and so am I, yet I'd rather lay with him and sleep in his arms with a sense of protection, comfort, and... love. Is this what this strange emotion feels like? Passionate, joyous, giddy, hot, yet raw, aching, daunting, and lustful? Ugh! This may be a mistake, but to hell with it.

I stride out of my room, my heart pattering faster with each step as I near the opening of the hallway only to get on Addy's radar. "Where are you going now?"

"Down to Mr. Azallion's apartment," I answer without giving her anything else.

"He's here?" She shifts in her seat by the kitchen island sitting next to Edith.

"Ye-"

"Who's she?" my forgetful mother asks out of curiosity, cutting off my response.

"That's Athena, my bitchy sister." Addy darts knives at me with her mere stare. "And she's going downstairs for a quick fuck."

Flipping her off with a sardonic smile, I walk toward the elevator as her laugh echoes through the large penthouse. The metal containment descends me down to the floor below my ballroom which encases Eros' apartment. After running a perplexed hand through my hair, I arrive at his door and press my hand against the scanner tied to the apartment which unlocks the door for me.

Almost immediately, my ears are swarmed with profanities and physical struggle, forcing my eyes to the source of it all. Mr. Azallion and another man are brawling it out on the living room floor, breaking and destroying everything in their path like little kids. The scene is laid out in sheer chaos with the relentlessly barking dog and the loud music blaring from the speakers. Rome is leisurely munching on some popcorn, enjoying the wrestle as the little dog wobbles over to me and tries to climb up.

Lifting and cradling the little animal in my arms, I grab an antique vase that can probably be sold for ten grand easily and smash it on the floor to gain their attention. The men stop fighting instantly and turn to me while Rome haphazardly cranks down the music.

"What the hell is going on here?" I stare at Mr. Azallion and the bloody-nosed man mounting up to their feet.

"Bitch boy just started going at Roland," Rome takes it upon himself to speak up for the two.

"What land?" I query with a cocked brow.

The Azallion brothers laugh at my question while the other man scowls, wiping the blood from his nose with the back of his hand. "It's Roland," the man quips.

"I don't care what land you're from, just tell me what the hell is going on here?"

"He's our older brother," Rome answers again. "Eros is pissed because Ro left unannounced and then came back recently."

"How the fuck are you not mad?" Mr. Azallion turned to his younger brother in sheer rage.

Rome shrugs nonchalantly, tossing a popcorn into his mouth. "He's back. That's all that matters."

Mr. Azallion gawks at his older brother angrily. "I need you to get the fuck out of here and go back to wherever the fuck you were for all those years. I don't need you in my life, and neither does Roman."

"I own this place," I voice myself, grasping their attention. "I'll decide who gets to stay and who doesn't." They all look to me for a decision, Mr. Azallion a bit hopeful than the other two. "How many rooms are here?"

"Four," Rome informs with a smile.

"Ah, plenty!" I exclaim. "Land, how about you take a room?"

"Ay, that's my girl," Rome laughs, calling his dog over after I drop it to the floor.

"You've got to be kidding me." Mr. Azallion stares at me flabbergasted as I smile at him pettily before he glances at his two brothers. "You all can go fuck yourselves." Infuriated beyond belief, he stomps past me toward his room.

The oldest of the Azallion brothers gazes at me with a distinct smugness lifting his muscled shoulders. He looks nothing like his younger siblings though. His eyes are brown, unlike his brothers who inherited the blue eyes genes. The only things they have in common so far are the abundance of tattoos and nice jawlines. All three are good-looking men indeed, but the only man I want right now is a bit pouty.

"Goodnight, boys." I wink at them before sashaying down the hall to the room Mr. Azallion disappeared into. Closing the door softly and locking it, I saunter further into the nicely furnished space and notice a big suitcase sprawled on the bed with clothes jumbled up inside.

Walking around the large bed, I take a seat on the edge of it with fluttering insides that I just want to remove altogether in order to not deal with this uncharted emotion coursing in my bloodstream and eliciting impulsive acts such as this. Me sitting on the man's bed while he showers away his anger. I have to admit, seeing him all red and fuming like a raging bull at that moment erupted tingles that targeted my precious part down there. All the butterflies in me are unexplainable, but they are very much there, ramming into each other and gnawing away at me.

A couple minutes later, the man walks out soaking wet, water cascading down the tattoos decorating his smooth and sculpted chest. The towel around his hips doesn't hide the v-line that leads to his manhood straining against the drying material. A quick glance is all I get from him as he rummages through the suitcase I'm sitting right beside.

After pulling out a pair of boxers, he looks at me and our eyes lock in place. Without faltering and unhooking from the intense eye contact, he drops the towel and slides on the boxers, and I don't even sneak a peek at what he's packing.

"What are you doing here?" he asks, lifting his suitcase and dropping it off all the way in his walk-in closet, not bothering to nicely fold his clothes and hang the others.

"Can I sleep here for the night? I really don't want to sleep alone," I confess, but deep down, I desire something more.

"Fine," he breathes out forcefully, turning his back to me.

Huffing out in annoyance, I cross my leg over my other knee and shake my head. "Are you mad?"

"Yes," he quips, walking to the closet in leisure steps.

"What's the big deal anyway?"

"The big deal is that you fucking let him stay just to piss me off," he spits, venom dripping from his voice and raging heat radiating off his half-naked body. "Congratulations! You fucking succeeded."

"Why, thank you!" I smirk smugly, rising up from the bed and striding over to him by the entrance of the closet. "Are you going to be a baby for the rest of the night?"

I trail a nail up his jaw, but he smacks it away. "Don't touch me."

Turning around, he starts walking into his closet, but I halt his stride by grabbing his hand. "Oh, c'mon. I'm going to be sleeping next to you. Let's not make it awkward."

Removing my hold from him, he towers over me with his impressive height and gets dangerously close, his breath fanning over my lips. "It's going to be awkward nonetheless, whether we sleep or not." He leans forward, forcing me to step back. "Because I want to kiss the shit out of you." I trudge back several steps this time, and he doesn't miss a beat to match my movement either until my calves hit the mattress, compelling me to stumble back and land on the edge of the bed. He places each hand on either side of my thighs and bends over to incline his head with mine. "And I'm afraid I won't stop there."

"Who's asking you to stop?" I whisper.

"What?" He seems a bit taken aback by my unexpected response which slightly parts his mouth.

"What?" I feign ignorance with a knowing smirk.

He narrows his blue eyes at me with a smile before chuckling and stepping back. "I'm gonna get pizza. You hungry?"

He saunters into the closet while I answer, "No."

I hear him shuffling for a minute in there before he walks out in sweats and a hoodie. "I'll be back in five. You'll be fine?"

Cocking a brow, I purse my lips into a thin line. "I'm not going to die, so move along, Mr. Azallion."

A smile graces his face as he exits the room and leaves me to myself with all the daunting and breath-suppressing thoughts overpowering my torn soul itself. My chest feels heavy, my lungs clogging, and my mind is anything but sane at this point. My throat is parched, jammed with forbidden emotions that I try extremely hard to crush beneath my foot, but they are too damn strong. What he and I have is a mere blissful fantasy right now, and no matter what, my heart knows it'll never lead to anything; I will never allow it to lead to anything. However, the chunk of muscle beating right below my ribs would like to differ. Ugh!

I pace around the room and finally look out the glass wall at the bustling city. Bright lights illuminate the night sky under the thick fog of clouds. Flurries of snow begin descending from above and land on the glass only to disappear immediately. Such beautiful and awe-inspiring little things they are, yet they disappear quickly just like happiness. It's quite funny how one tragedy will stick and leave its gut-wrenching residue with you that even the mere thought of it can break you years later, but joy only lasts for a few ecstatic moments before fading away and never leaving the same long-lasting effect on you. Why so discriminatory between the two emotions? They're equally strong, however, poles apart.

"You okay?" Mr. Azallion comes up behind me and strokes my arms up and down in a loving manner before kissing the back of my head and inhaling my scent.

"Mhm," I hum in response, basking in a few more seconds of the plush white snow before turning around to face him.

"Let's eat." He tangles his fingers with mine and pulls me to the bed with him around the box of pizza.

Scrunching my nose, I crisscross my legs and sit beside him. "I'm not eating pizza. The amount of calories in one slice is ridiculous."

"When was the last time you had pizza?" he queries out of curiosity whilst opening the box to reveal pepperoni and sausage topped cheesy pizza.

"A very long time ago."

"I'm offended," he declares, turning the box toward me. "You're finishing this with me. Take a slice."

"No," I rebel.

"I'm betting you haven't eaten much all day," he guesses, hitting the bullseye on that one. "I'll forcibly shove an entire slice down your throat, so I suggest you eat."

I can't help but laugh at his cute little threat, daring to defy him again. "No." Hooking an arm around my waist, he drags me across the bed and positions me between his legs with my back slammed against his chest. "Is this supposed to scare me into eating?" I laugh at his pathetic attempt. He then tries to tickle my sides which is to no avail as well. Another miserably failed attempt. "I'm not ticklish," I inform as solemnly as possible, looking over my shoulder and back at him.

"Everyone has a tickle spot." He smugly snakes his fingertips along my legs in slow strokes that cause the hair on the back of my neck to stand erect.

Our eyes fixate on each other while his cold hands slip further down my crossed legs until they reach the soles of my feet and start tickling. "God!" I let a few barks of giggle escape my mouth as I swat his sneaky hands away. "You idiot! Don't do that."

He laughs at my squirming legs. "See, everyone has a tickle spot." He nicely situates me between his sprawled out legs while mine crisscross in front of me again. Leaning forward, my body stretches just like his as he pulls the pizza box closer. "Now eat."

Grimacing a bit, I gingerly pick up a slice of pure calories and take a little bite. To be honest, it tastes incredible, but it also screams unhealthy from all angles without a doubt. One cheat day won't harm me, right?

"Good?" he mumbles next to my ear with his mouth full. Unlike him, I nod as an answer to his question.

Swallowing the chunk in my mouth, I peek over my shoulder. "There's this place in Mexico that has the best street food." I moan softly, my mouth watering at the thought of the heavenly tacos. "Although I'm not one to eat such things, it's a risk worth taking. You and I should go there someday."

He smiles, munching. "That good?"

"Trust me, it's paradise," I smile back before continuing to eat.

We talk, laugh, and enjoy each other's company thoroughly. The warmth from his body blankets me in a bubble of perfect bliss that I don't want to pop anytime soon. This feels normal and so easy that I can't help the worrisome thoughts flooding my mind. Easy and normal isn't something I've had since I was a little girl, and he's igniting the same feeling that got lost over the years. The sense of safety with nothing to worry about, and I can't appreciate it enough; can't appreciate him enough for making me smile and... happy.

"How the hell do you stay in shape after eating all that?" I shake my head, staring at the empty pizza box. Two slices are all I had while he finished off the rest.

"I burn a lot of calories at the gym." He stretches his body behind me, and I can practically sense the smugness protruding off him. "And I have a lot of sex, so I burn quite a few there."

"Ah, no shit!" I exclaim, rolling my eyes as a bark of laughter emits from his rumbling chest.

Wrapping his strong arms below my breasts, he pulls me further back against his chest and rests his chin on my shoulder. "Jealous?"

"Of your sex drive?" I snort, patting his cheek. "How about no?"

Kissing my cheek from behind, he plays with my fingers in my lap. "When was the last time you had sex?"

"Willingly?" I laugh when his body stiffens, but still decide to answer his question despite the harsh truth. I've promised to try this with him, whatever this may be, and it can only happen if I tell him about myself. "Never."

Silence creeps into the room like daunting spiders, stiffening us and thickening the air. Without a warning, he envelops me in a tight embrace, kissing the back of my head. "I'm so sorry, peaches," he whispers softly against my hair, the imprisonment of his arms not faltering.

My hands stroke his around my chest, a meek smile feathering my lips. "It's in the past now." I unhook his one hand and bring it up to my lips, pressing a light kiss. "Don't worry about it."

"Are they all dead?" he asks, hint of anger spiking his voice.

"Fabian is the only one on the list I haven't gotten my hands on."

"I'm going to fucking mutilate him," he seethes, tightening his hold on me.

"Get in line." I slap his arm with a chuckle and break from his hold to close the empty pizza box.

Rising from the bed, he delves into his pocket and pulls out my medicine. "Here." He hands me it with a glass of water. "Got it from Jackson on my way back here."

My pathetic heart swells at his little gesture. "Thank you." Throwing the pill into my mouth, I gulp it down with the water and rest the glass on the bedside table as he leaves the room to discard the box. He locks the door on his way back and turns to face me. "I'm curious. Were you going to have sex with me on your birthday when you took me to your little room and tied me up?"

"No." I move up against the headboard as he removes his hoodie and chucks it away to reveal the artwork hidden underneath. "I just sexually tortured men up there by not giving them what they wanted the most. Never had sex with any of 'em, and I wasn't going to with you either." I shrug leisurely. "Oddly enough, they liked it and kept coming back for more. I guess the thrill of being teased got them fired up and begging for more."

"Fascinating," he chuckles, coming forward and sitting next to me. "Sleepy?"

Nodding, I lie down, facing away from him as he snuggles up behind me. Only our breaths are audible among the silence scattered in the room minimally lit by the lights protruding in from the city right outside. His hand laying on my waist plays with my fingers as my eyes stare out the glass wall at the cotton-like little snowflakes falling from the sky. My heartbeat is racing, and sleep is nowhere near my grasp. All of my senses are on high alert at this moment. His warm breath prickles the back of my neck, his almost inaudible racing heartbeat faintly thumping in my ears and his eyes that I can sense baring holes into the back of my head.

Unlike previous times that we've slept together, this time it's vastly different. The eerie stillness between us is daunting, and trepidation of it all constricts my chest with each passing second. This time our feelings are out in the open and are playing with one another. The desire striving to burn my walls down isn't helping either. They're crumbling, and they're breaking down quicker than I can build them back up. My feeble attempts to restore them are to no avail. Damn it!

He distances himself a bit but doesn't uproot his hand from me. Perhaps he's experiencing the same emotions as me. The strong need to touch him, kiss him, and... Oh, God! The volcano bubbling up in me is on the brink of exploding, and if I don't do anything about it soon enough, I think my heart will give out.

"I can't sleep," he rasps out all of a sudden which finally allows me to take a much-needed breath.

"Neither can I."

Tossing on my side, I face him slowly. His eyes are a bit hooded, gazing into mine, his mouth slightly parted. I close the gap between us by pressing my body against his without breaking our eye contact. He gulps and so do I. The air between us is anything but natural. It's heavy with emotions, hefty with the lust swirling in our eyes. His fingers caress my jaw in nonchalant strokes as I curl my lips into my mouth.

"Athena," he husks out, his voice groggy and dense with sexual ardor.

"Eros," I whisper back before passionately slamming my lips to his with sheer hunger.

Clutching my waist, he grinds me into him against his hardened member. The cruciality of the kiss is so fierce that the friction of it liquefies my insides in seconds. His leg over mine traps me against him, and I wouldn't have it any other way. My hand grabs his face to push out any other doubts from my mind. Every nibble, every caress, every pull on my lips is warm, comforting, and passionate, yet wild, crazy, and possessive at the same time.

"Fuck!" he lets out a hoarse growl from his chest, biting my lip. "Um," he pulls back a bit, his nails digging into my waist and then releasing. "Do you want to do this?" His eyes are soft, caring and considerate of what I want, and all I want at this moment is him. Every single part of him.

"You promised me something good." I peck his lips tenderly and gaze at him, my fingers playing at the back of his neck. "Show me what you got."

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Yay or nay?

I'll be posting Chapter 41 hopefully soon so KEEP AN EYE OUT FOR THAT. Last time when I did this, many people clicked on chapter 19 and didn't read chapter 18 that I posted seconds before it. It was frustrating 😂 So don't do that because both chapters are important.

What do you guys think will happen next?

What do you guys think Roland is doing by coming back into their lives all of a sudden? Is Eros being a dick by not even giving Roland a chance?

Much love ❤️
~Reet