Cole

"What's your name?" I asked. I didn't know how long we'd been sitting here holding each other. Long enough that my voice felt loud in the quiet room even though I'd been speaking softly.

He chuckled, and the sound sent a shiver through me. "Ares."

I leaned back just enough to see his face, though I didn't leave his arms. "Like the Greek god?"

"My parents had a sense of humor," he said wryly. I didn't get the joke - what was so funny about naming your baby after a god of war? But looking at him - at Ares - I could see how it suited him. There was a kind of confidence bordering on arrogance in the way he carried himself, not to mention the obvious power in his body. And I'd never seen anyone as well-muscled as him, not in real life.

"Will you share your name, little wolf?" Ares asked with a hint of amusement lacing his voice.

"Cole," I said, but my voice cracked. "Um, Cole."

"Cole," Ares repeated. He slid one hand up my torso to rest gently on my neck, his thumb lightly stroking my jaw. "It is a pleasure to meet you."

Chills ran through my body at the reminder of pleasure.

"We should try to get some sleep. Is there anyone who will miss you?" Ares asked.

I checked the clock on his wall and groaned. One AM. Dad usually liked to wait up for me when I went out. He was overprotective in that way - not trying to monitor me or tell me what I could and couldn't do. Just making sure I got back safely. "One sec."

I had to run to the bathroom to dig my phone out of the pants I'd left in there. And, yep, Dad had texted and called me. I sent a quick text to him ("Staying with a friend tonight") and returned to Ares.

"Thanks for the reminder," I said. The last thing I needed was my dad getting all worried and missing sleep. I'd already waited too long to message him.

"Of course," he said. His eyes swept down my body wistfully. "I'm perfectly happy going to bed like this, but would you like anything to wear?"

I shook my head no. "But I'd love a toothbrush if you have a spare?"

Ares led me back to the bathroom and showed me where he kept spare toiletries. "Help yourself."

And then we stood there, both of us ass naked, flossing and brushing side by side. The mirror in his bathroom spanned the whole wall and left absolutely no room for dignity. I tried to keep my eyes fixed on my own reflection, but I couldn't help glancing over at him every couple of seconds. Ares didn't seem to mind. He wore a little smile on his face.

Once we were both finished, I said, "This is crazy, right?"

I was rewarded with a warm chuckle. "I suppose it is."

He supposed? I didn't know anyone who had a mate bond develop so quickly and with so little knowledge of each other. It wasn't totally unheard of, but I certainly never thought I would experience it.

"What were you doing at the club, anyway?" I asked as he took my hand and led me back to his bed.

Ares seemed unusually hesitant. "I was looking for company."

I laughed, unoffended. He was looking for a hook-up, he meant. "Ah."

For once, Ares was the uncertain one. "That doesn't bother you?"

"Why should it?"

Ares hummed in agreement and leaned back in the bed. His arm wrapped around me and pulled me in closer. That gesture, along with his closeness, made my heart beat faster. I wasn't sure it would be possible to sleep so close to him. How could I calm down enough to sleep?

I nuzzled my face against his chest, causing goosebumps to erupt over his skin. His hand stroked the back of my head and I felt all the tension I usually carried melt away. Oh. Maybe I could sleep with him, after all. I could hear his heart beating and I let the sound wash over me like white noise. Drifting to sleep was all too easy.

--

In the morning, I woke up in an unfamiliar bed. Usually, I moved like crazy while I slept and ended up losing my blankets at some point during the night. I was used to waking up cold. Today, though, I was enveloped in warmth. The newly-established mate bond anchored within me was a pleasant accompaniment, and it felt like it was glowing. I knew without opening my eyes that Ares and I were entirely wrapped up in each other. I did my best to hold very still and keep my breathing even - anything to try and prolong the moment.

It wasn't long before Ares started shifting. "Good morning," he said in a voice still gravelly with sleep.

I finally let myself stretch, groaning with relief. Ares sat up and stretched his arms back, which showed off how toned his pecs and biceps were. It wasn't fair, how good he looked.

Ares caught me ogling and smirked. "See something you like?" he asked.

My ass reflexively clenched as my mind immediately filled with enough fantasies to last us the whole day. I wanted to play it cool like him, but all I could manage was a stupid, enthusiastic nod.

His smirk grew into a smile and he held his arms open for me. I gladly accepted the invitation and climbed up on his lap. I could feel his dick hardening underneath me, and it sent my body into overdrive. I scanned him, trying to decide where to focus first. Only, Ares seemed to have other ideas. He reached over to the nightstand for the trusty bottle of lube, pouring some on his palm. I was about to protest - I definitely wanted to wash up before we had sex again - but it was unnecessary. Ares braced his clean hand on my hips and guided me back, simultaneously shifting under me so that our dicks were lined up. He gripped them both in his lubed fist and started pumping.

My mouth fell open and I gaped at the sight. His hips started working with his hand, and I shut my eyes as the slide of it made this feel even better. I experimentally thrust and felt tingles in my core that warned me I wouldn't last very long. It felt too damned good.

Ares seemed to know exactly what I needed. He set an irregular rhythm, and not knowing exactly what was coming accelerated my pleasure. Soon, I was panting and clenching my muscles, trying everything I could to prolong this. I made the mistake of meeting Ares' hot gaze, and that was all it took to send me shooting off. Luckily, he wasn't far behind.

Once we were both spent, I collapsed onto his chest, heedless of the mess. "Shit."

Ares chuckled and rested a hand on my back. "Better?"

I nodded, still breathing hard, and he laughed again. His arms looped loosely around my lower back as I relaxed into him. We laid like that for a while before Ares sighed and said, "We should talk about what happens next."

Something about the tone of his voice had me sliding off of him and sitting up on the bed so I could see his expression better. He looked guarded and was watching me closely. "What do you mean?" I asked.

Ares sat up too and seemed not to care at all about his nudity as he settled with his legs crossed under him. "I'm going to be away for a few days."

I frowned at him. "Why?"

"My work sometimes requires me to be away. In the future, I'd like you to come with me, but there are some arrangements I need to make before that can happen."

I didn't like this. "I have a job, too, Ares. I can't just travel all the time."

"I have a solution to that. Give me a few days," Ares said, his tone assured and leaving no room for argument.

Too bad for him, I wasn't the type to take orders. "What solution?"

Was I imagining the irritation in his eyes? "Can you trust me for three days? It will be much easier to show you than to explain."

Could I trust him? On the one hand, he was a stranger. On the other, he was my mate. I didn't understand why he couldn't just explain himself, but he hadn't given me any reason to doubt him yet. If I wanted a relationship with a foundation of trust - which I definitely did - then one of us would need to take the first step. "I can give you a few days," I decided.

Ares leaned forward and pressed a sweet kiss to my lips. "Thank you."

I knew I was pouting at him, but couldn't seem to stop. "When do you need to leave?"

"The sooner I leave, the sooner I return. Can I take you to breakfast first?" Ares offered. The offer made this suck a little less.

See? He does want to spend time with me.

"I'd like that."

"Good. I'm going to shower before we go. Would you like to join me? Or you can shower separately, if you wish," Ares offered.

Showering separately would probably be smart, but... "Together."

It wasn't really a choice. If I could be near him, then I would be - especially knowing he would be away for a while. Ares smiled at that and said, "Meet me in the bathroom. I'll bring you something to wear."

I raised my brows at that, but went along with it. I knew the coming separation would feel better if I was wrapped in his scent. I used the toilet and brushed my teeth while I waited and Ares came in as I finished. He set a tall stack of clothes on the counter and turned on the shower, keeping a hand in to judge the temperature. When he judged it was ready, he gestured for me to go in.

It was a standard shower/bath combo but with a glass wall that was meticulously clean. I knew from experience just how hard that could be to maintain and thought it said something good about his cleanliness. There were several bottles lined up on a built-in shelf in the wall.

While I looked around, Ares poured soap onto his palm and started washing my back, rubbing in small circles that felt really nice. I expected his hands to move lower, but instead he washed up and over my shoulders, then down to circle my nipples. My dick, though spent and satisfied, twitched in interest. Ares washed my whole body like that, tantalizingly thorough but not overtly sexual. When he finished, he pressed a kiss to my forehead and guided me under the stream of steaming water. His hands gently traced my skin, ensuring all the soap rinsed off.

I was trembling at that point, desperate for something I couldn't define. Connection, maybe? Or just him in general? "Can I do you?" I asked breathlessly.

Ares' lips twitched and he looked pleased. He handed me a bottle of soap, the same one whose scent I now wore, and nodded. "Please."

I did my best to make it nice for him, but my fingers trembled as I traced and learned his body. His muscles were truly a sight to behold. So big and defined and hard under my hands. He was like a sculpture. The more I saw and felt of him, the more I realized how perfect his physique was. He had to work out for hours a day to have a body like this.

I imagined tracing over his whole body just like this, but with my tongue, and got painfully hard. "Ares?" I asked, hardly knowing what to ask for but knowing I needed something.

And then he shocked me by kneeling on the floor, heedless of the water splashing his face, to engulf me in his mouth in one smooth motion. I could feel his tongue swirling around me, and one hand reached behind to tease my entrance. I leaned back against the wall and tried not to embarrass myself too badly, but I couldn't seem to help the gasps and moans. I threaded my fingers through his hair, keeping a gentle grip so I wouldn't impede his motion, and somehow holding him like that while he took care of me made this so much hotter.

"Ares, I'm gonna..." I tapped his head, trying to warn him, but he just kept going and it felt so good and I came in his mouth. He didn't complain, though. He kept the bobbing and suction up until I was spent, and when he pulled off, he licked his lips.

Oh, hell.

No one had ever done that for me before - I was used to the people I slept with pulling off at the last second. I felt weirdly touched that Ares hadn't.

"You didn't have to swallow," I said.

His eyes met mine and he wore a lazy grin. "Yes, I did."

My heart flip-flopped in my chest. "Thanks."

Ares turned off the water and gently patted me dry with a towel, then wrapped it around my waist before doing the same for himself. I never thought of myself as the type who liked to be taken care of, but when it was Ares taking care of me, I loved it.

After we stepped out, he passed me some clothes. When I put them on, I found that they were exactly my size. Ares would never fit in these. Why did he have them? Were they some past lover's? I brought my arm up to sniff the sleeve. It smelled clean and there was no hint of anyone other than Ares himself.

"I had those brought here for you last night," Ares said.

Then wouldn't they smell like whoever brought them? I knew he hadn't had time to do laundry, and I was fairly confident he hadn't snuck out of bed last night to run errands. I studied Ares' expression. He looked like he was telling the truth.

Trust, I reminded myself. I'd trust him until he gave me a reason not to. "Well, thanks," I said.

"I can bag your clothes or you can leave them here and I'll ensure they're cleaned," Ares offered.

"Um, yeah, if you don't mind."

"Not a problem."

As we headed out, I took the opportunity to look around his home. It was like a showroom. Nothing was out of place, and it all looked both intentional and expensive. "What do you do for work?" I asked, following Ares outside and watching him lock up the house. When he was done, he reached up and put the key on top of a little ledge that held up the awning. Maybe someone was house-sitting for him while he was out of town.

"I run a security firm. You?"

I felt awkward walking with him. How close was too close? What was I supposed to be doing with my hands? After all the different ways we had touched each other over the last ten hours and with the mate bond pulling us together, it felt weird not to touch him in some way. At the same time, I was painfully aware we didn't really know each other at all. Reaching out felt awkward. I realized the silence had drawn out too long and answered, "Um, I bake."

Ares held the passenger door open for me, closing it once I was settled in. I should probably do things like that for him, too, sometimes. It shouldn't be only Ares acting like a gentleman. Once he had reversed the car and was driving forward again, he offered his hand over the center consol. I released a breath I hadn't been aware of holding and took it gratefully.

"Do you have any preferences or restrictions for breakfast?" he asked.

"No, I'm good with whatever."

Ares nodded and seemed to know where to go. While he drove, I studied his profile... until he glanced at me and smirked when he saw that I was already looking.

Embarrassment crept up. "You're really beautiful, you know?" I said complainingly. It wasn't my fault he was so nice to look at.

His answering laugh was rich and warm. I wanted to hear it again and again. "I much prefer your beauty," he said, and his thumb stroked my hand.

That delicious warmth I was coming to associate with my mate filled my chest again, and I didn't try to hold back a wide grin. For a little while, I let myself forget that there was a lot I didn't know about Ares and his life, and that he was leaving for a while. Instead, I enjoyed the ride.