glowered at Hermes as he made his way to the bathroom. When he returned, Hermes clapped his hands.
“Perfect! You’re ready to bake!” Then the god shook his head. “I never thought those words would come out of my mouth.”
Hades pulled at the shirt, and Hermes swatted his hands away. “Stop! You don’t want Sephy to know I dressed you, do you?”
“Sephy?”
“What? It’s her nickname.”
Hades wasn’t sure how he felt about the fact that Hermes had a nickname for his lover.
“Go before Persephone thinks you changed your mind!” Hermes said. “Oh, and I’ll take payment in cookies!”
He sung the last word before vanishing, and Hades had never been so glad to be rid of a god in his life.
***
Hades appeared outside Persephone’s apartment door and knocked. It opened immediately, and he wondered if she had been standing on the other side, waiting for his arrival.
She offered him an appraising look, but her eyes quickly narrowed.
“Did you own those before today?” She pointed to the sweatpants.
She knew him well, and he grinned, admitting, “No.”
She stepped aside, and he squeezed through the door. It reminded him of how he was not made for mortal dwellings. The doors were too short, the walkways too narrow, but he didn’t mind the closeness with Persephone so near. She stared up at him, almost like she couldn’t believe he had shown up.
“What?” he asked.
“Nothing.”
She gave a quick smile and stepped around him, taking his hand in hers and dragging him into the living room, where her best friend, Lexa, sat on a couch with a man Hades did not know.
“Um, Hades this is Lexa, my best friend, and Jaison, her boyfriend.”
Jaison waved. Hades could sense his unease and awkwardness, but he was a good enough man, gentle and unassuming—the opposite of Lexa, who was bold and energetic. She approached him fearlessly and threw her arms around his waist in a hug.
“It’s nice to meet you,” she said.
Hades wrapped an arm around her shoulders.
“Very few have ever spoken those words.”
But he appreciated them.
“So long as you treat my best friend right, I’ll continue to be happy to see you,” she said with a grin.
“Noted, Lexa Sideris.” He grinned and bowed. “May I say, it is a pleasure to meet you.”
Lexa blushed and cleared her throat, glancing at Persephone before exclaiming, “So! Are you all going to make cookies? That’s not code for something, is it?”
Hades hoped it was code for something.
Like sex.
But Persephone was quick to dash that hope by rolling her eyes. “No, Lexa, it’s not code from something.” She took Hades’ hand and pulled him toward the kitchen. “We better get started!”
It occurred to him that she had gotten more comfortable touching him, and he wasn’t sure at what point that had begun, but he liked it.
Persephone’s kitchen was small and bathed in fluorescent light. She had already prepared a few things—bowls, a set of mismatched measuring cups, and a cookbook. Hades glanced at the page.
“We will be making sugar cookies?” he asked.
“My favorite,” she said, pulling her bottom lip into her mouth. He really wished she wouldn’t do that. It made him hard, and that kept him distracted.
Maybe he should tell her.
Except she was perfectly oblivious and instructed him to retrieve a list of ingredients. Despite the lack of storage, she had everything organized and directed him easily, like she was used to getting her way.
“Why do you put everything up so high?” he asked.
“It’s the only place it will fit. In case you haven’t noticed, I don’t live in a palace.”
He was well aware, thinking that he would very much like to see her bake in the Underworld kitchens.
Once she had everything on her list, he grinned proudly.
“What would you do without me?”
“Get it myself.”
Hades snorted. He would like to see that; she would have to climb the countertop, which would give him a great view of her ass.
“Well, get over here. You can’t learn from there.”
He pushed away from the counter where he was leaning and approached, bracing his arms on either side of her body, trapping her against the counter. He didn’t lean into her, but he thought about it. His dick was hard, and it would fit perfectly against that ass he’d just fantasized about. Instead, he pressed his lips to her ear.
“Please, instruct.”
It took her a moment to speak, and Hades smirked. He hoped she was just as distracted as him. What fantasies did she get lost in at night or at work while they were apart?