"I am not sleeping with you in that bed."

Ares grunts throwing a pillow and blanket onto the floor, "Fine, if you are going to deny your feelings then I will sleep on the floor."

"I have no feelings, and until that damn contract goes into effect, I don't have to pretend either." I hear a low growl come from deep in his chest, my eyes going wide, "Are you okay?"

He clears his throat pulling back the covers for me, "Yes I am fine, just trying to understand what you aren't feeling. Do you not have the pull? The electric touch? The anything?"

He feels it too? My mind isn't making up crazy moments to make this seem more sane, or put myself into a world that isn't real. Those sparks that cover my skin when he touches me are understood on both ends.

"I have no idea what you are talking about."

He pauses what he's doing, walking over to stand right in front of me. I take a step back, my body pressing against the door I was standing in front of, "Pardon my tongue, but I call bullshit."

My breath starts to slam, less and less being taken in as my heart hammers against my chest. His beautiful honey eyes come close to mine, staring deep into my confused gaze. One hand is placed flat against the wall, the other wrapping around my hip. His mouth drops to match with mine, my lips desperate for his. I feel the crack of electricity between us ever fiber of my being wanting to lean into him and close the distance. His thumb starts to rotate in small circles on my waist, I take the time to suck in a deep breath and control the heat that pools at my core.

Our breaths mix together, chest to chest, eye to eye, time slowing as we take in each other. Just do it, Vee, you know you want to. His brindle hair falls forward, covering parts of his eyes, tangling with his eye lashes. I flex my hand to keep it at my side avoiding the need to fix it so I can see his irises better.

"Touch me, Veronica." His voice is barely above a whisper, his mouth moving to my ear. My body works against me, lifting my hand to lay it across his tattooed chest. My pointer starts to trace his traditional ink, his breath halting from the moment I begin my movement. I follow the black as far down as I can, the band of his pants stopping me from going further before I work my way up the next one. My other hand stays flat against the door, the cool of the wood reminding me to center myself.

The mind finally catches up. I snatch my hand back settling it on my chest. I close my eye looking towards the ground, my forehand against his comforting chest. I can't do this. I can't let him rule me.

"Please. Step away from me." My voice is the spoke with the confidence of a mouse. The strength this man has against me has been proven time and time again, while I wish I could just run and leave him, the control he has taken and how I let myself sign my life to him is... is unreal. I know I did wrong, I know I shouldn't have done such a thing, and yet, here I am wishing that these complications didn't exist so I could lay him down.

"You say you hate me, that you feel nothing, Veronica," My name on his lips sends a shudder through me, "But the way your body reacts, the way your eyes follow me from across the room... tells me much different." He places his hand that was against the wall on the side of my neck turning my eyes to look into his once more. The amount of safe I feel under his touch is alarming, but then again, how is anything about this predictable.

"Step. Away." I take a deep breath for confidence, "Please."

And he does.

Ares runs his hands through his hair, breathing heavy when he walks back to his make shift bed. I take a moment to pat myself and confirm what just happened, and that I am still alive.

"If you would like to take a shower, the bathroom is through that door."

"I would rather grease up your pillows than take a shower in the same room as you." I snap walking over to the bed to tug all the pillows and blankets to one side.

"One day you will beg for my touch darling, sooner than you want to admit."

"Oh please."

"And please you I will."

I can't help the red blush that comes over my cheeks. The thoughts of him over me as I lay beneath him are so addicting that I have to physically think about goats jumping over a fence to calm the itch under my skin.

"Just stay on the floor. Okay?"

"Of course, darling."

~

The sunlight breaks through the room, the beams breaking through my pleasant sleep to drag me back to hell on earth. I shift in the bed, my body halted by another. Ares.

"What the fuck?" I slap at his arm, his body shooting out of the bed to hold over me on all fours, my back flat against the mattress. He looks left and right checking all parts of the room before looking down at me with a sleepy expression.

"You can't do that love, I thought it was something serious."

"Why are you in this bed?" I squirm out from underneath him tugging the sleep shorts out of the cracks of my body before crossing my arms.

"You had a nightmare and called out for me, I couldn't resist you."

"I did not call for you." The nightmare however, is a high possibility.

"While you might not admit it to yourself, you are mine darling. I am here as your comfort, your strength, and your provider. The sooner you realize that the easier this transition will be."

"Transition?"

He cusses under his breath, hand going over his face to slide down and scratch at his stubble, "My apologies. That is a conversation for another time. Being awake hasn't caught up with me yet."

"Do you plan to elaborate on that? What transition? Moving to the land?"

"Get ready, we are dropping you both off at the apartment at seven thirty with plans that you have your first shift at nine today." Complete evasion.

I strut up to him, Ares now standing on the side of the bed as well. He watching me walk up to him, my body language saying more than words could. I lay a hand on his chest, running my thumb back and forth before I look up to him with the eyes, "Ares, what are you talking about? What is this transition?"

He quivers under my touch, his body stilling at my movements anticipating more, "Darling, what are you doing?"

"Baby," Lay it on thick, "Please, tell me what that was about."

"Mother-" He groans stepping away from me, his eyes finally open the gold the brightest I have ever seen it, flakes of black swirling within, "Do that again, and I will bend you over my knee."

"And what? Spank me?" I taunt, his hands opening and closing before he turns to walk into the closet.

"I will make you eat those words Veronica Smite."

Please do.