Wrath of the Gods (Magic Blessed Academy 3)

“My dad was a total hard ass. He hated every single one of my tattoos, he hated the music I listened to, and he really wanted me to become a doctor. But when I decided I was going to give music a real go, he was the one who bankrolled my first album. It took me a long time to realize why he gave me such a hard time when I was younger, but now I think he was just trying to make me into the best version of myself. And when he saw that my best self wasn’t quite what he’d envisioned, he supported me anyway.”

I turned to look up at him, and he cocked an eyebrow as he tilted his head.

“Sometimes you gotta give people time to show you who they really are,” he murmured. “Give Ryker a little time; don’t dismiss him yet. He saved our asses, and he’s risking starting open warfare with the leader of gods—and he can say whatever he wants, but I’m pretty sure he’s doing all of that just for you.”

I made a soft noise in my throat, my thoughts drifting back over everything Ryker had said and done. “I dunno. Maybe.”

“And besides,” Trace added, his lips tilting up into a grin, “even if Ryker lets you down, I promise you there are three people who won’t. Lachlan, Merrick, and I will be here for you no matter what. You know that, right?”

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Something almost painfully sweet swelled in my chest, and I pressed away from the table, turning back to step between Trace’s legs. My arms wrapped around him, my hands splaying over the defined muscles of his back, as I looked up into his eyes.

“I love you.”

This time his smile was as slow and beautiful as a breaking sunrise. “I love you too, Snow. Always will.”

When our lips met, there was nothing hurried or desperate about it. It was a physical expression of the words we had just spoken, a perfect encapsulation of love.

It was desire and comfort.

Need and support.

It was everything I needed in that moment, despite the earth-shattering news I had just received, despite the horrors of the Gods’ Challenge and Omari’s proclamation.

For just this moment, with Trace’s lips pressed against mine and his tongue tangling with my own, none of that existed. None of it could harm me or any of the people I loved.

His breath was warm, and a faint taste of peppermint lingered on his tongue. Rising up on my tiptoes, I delved my fingers into his hair, running them through the short strands at the nape up his neck before fisting his dark hair close to the roots.

He groaned appreciatively when I did that, so I did it again, pressing my body full-length against his.

Lachlan was the burliest of the three men who had become mine, but Trace and Merrick were far from small. As he pressed away from the table, Trace reached down to wrap his hands around my upper legs, lifting me in his arms with ease. My legs wrapped around his waist as his large palms made their way to my ass, groping me shamelessly as he kept kissing me like it was what he’d been born to do.

Like most things between Trace and me, it only stayed sweet for a little while. It wasn’t long before I was sliding my body against his, using the leverage of my arms and legs wrapped around him to grind against his cock.

The sweetness was a manifestation of our love, but this was too.

Palming the back of my head to take our kiss even deeper, Trace pivoted, turning back toward the large metal work table. I gasped as he set me down on it, every bit of skin that wasn’t covered by my tank top prickling at the feel of the cold metal.

He broke our kiss and pulled back, grinning mischievously when he noticed my nipples had peaked at the sudden chill.

Still settled between my legs, he dropped his head and bit down on one of the peaked buds through the thin material of my tank, making me yelp and grab fistfuls of his hair again.

He chuckled, his teeth closing just a little bit tighter around my hard nipple. “Shh, Ari. People are sleeping. We don’t want to wake them up.”

“Then stop pressing all my wake-up buttons,” I shot back, arching my back in a way that suggested if he actually did stop, I’d kill him for it.

He must’ve read between the lines, because he didn’t stop at all. Instead, he transferred his attention to my other breast, hesitating for a brief moment just before his mouth closed around my nipple. The anticipation made every nerve ending in my body scream, and when he finally bit down, I tilted my head back, panting out a breathless cry.

As he drew back, his blue eyes gleamed in the dim light of the kitchen. He straightened, tugging my tank top off and looking down at me sprawled on the table before him, my legs wrapped around his waist and my chest heaving. His thumbs found my nipples as he massaged my bare breasts, making me think I’d go out of my mind from an overload of sensations.

I’d never known I could come just from nipple play, but it was about to fucking happen.

Before I could hurtle over the edge though, he pulled his hands away. Then he carefully unwound my legs from his waist, stepping back. He turned and strode toward the large freezer on the other side of the room, and my jaw fell open.

What the hell? He wants a snack now?

I was pretty sure the appliances in the Magic Blessed Academy building were run by a combination of magic and technology. I still wasn’t exactly sure where in the world the academy building was actually located, but I highly suspected it was very far off the beaten path.