Page 62 of Infinity Chronicles 1
“She and my fathers travel quite a bit. I suppose we will see them for Christmas if not sooner.” Reaching over he places some loose hair behind my ear, tracing his fingers over my neck when he pulls away.
Clearing my throat, I sit up. This is exactly what I was talking about. I’ve witnessed small touches between them, it’s completely normal for them, the same way they share food. I, on the other hand, take it to mean more. I want it to mean more.
Ares places his hands behind his head and stares up at the ceiling. “Now, tell me what’s bothering you.”
How am I’m going to tell him and what can I say that won’t make me sound like the hoochy Dante already thinks I am? Maybe he’ll be able to help me understand what I’m going through, maybe this is just part of being in an Infinity and I’m misunderstanding my emotions and attraction to them. My breathing is a little rough, like I’ve been running around the room instead of only lying next to him.
“Laura?” Ares’s voice is soft, he’s not demanding an answer, but he’s willing to listen.
“I’ve been feeling… strange.” I stumble over the words.
Ares adopts the same position I was in, on his side facing me with his head propped in his hand. “Strange how?”
Shrugging, I can’t meet his eyes. “Different, like I’m feeling drawn to you guys.” I feel the heat of Ares’s palm as he slides it over my back and shoulders.
“And that bothers you?”
Another shrug. “Shouldn’t it? There are four of you.”
Ares sits up, repositioning so our hips and thighs are touching. I swallow, he probably doesn’t even realize he’s doing it. “I think you’ll get more used to it, it feels completely natural to me. But I’ve known this was coming, or hoped it was for years. It might take you a little time to adjust to us.”
“What if I don’t? What if I always feel like this?” I can’t chance looking at him, he’s so close, and I still remember the way his lips felt on mine.
“Why don’t you tell me exactly what you’re feeling–are we smothering you, do you need more time alone?” His words are slow, like he’s trying to decide what and how to ask.
This is so fucking awkward. Pulling my feet up off the floor, I wrap my arms around my knees and rock forward and back a few times. “Well, I’m not used to all the casual touching.” I peek at him, wondering what he’s thinking.
Ares’s brow furrows, he removes his hand from my back, placing it in his lap. “I’ll talk to the others, but you might have to remind us.” He eyes are facing forward and his tone is a little flat.
I don’t like how what I just said resulted in him pulling away from me. Reaching over I start to put my hand on his leg, but think better, and place it over his forearm. His eyes jerk to mine. “I don’t think you understand.” I beg him with my eyes to see what I’m feeling. “I don’t know how to say this.”
Ares turns his body so he’s angled toward me, his hand finds its way to the back of my neck. Searching his eyes, I open my mouth to tell him how his simple touches affect me, how I never want him to stop, but a knock on the door, followed by someone trying to turn the knob, makes the words on my lips turn to dust.
Ares makes a growling noise from the back of his throat. “I’ll kill them,” he mutters. He storms over to the door, shouting, “What?” before jerking it open. A soft gasp of surprise has me frozen on the bed. Dante promised me she wouldn’t come here.
Searching the empty room, I finally find the only place I’ll be able to hide. I slink to the floor and crawl to the other side of the bed, flattening myself to the carpet. My heart is beating fast, my breaths coming out in a pant. Now I can only pray that Ares keeps her out of the room. A hot shot of anger filters through my blood just thinking of her in this room. But I’m the one who shouldn’t be here. I’m feeling the emotions she’s entitled too.
“Sorry, I thought you were one of the guys. Did you need something?” Ares’s voice is tight, will she know he’s hiding something?
A soft tinkling laugh fills the room. “With that reception I’m glad I wasn’t, are you already tired of being home?” Her words soften at the end, like she’s truly concerned he might be.
“No, no, nothing like that. I just have a lot on my mind.” Ares’s words ring true.
“Do you want to talk about it? I may not have been born into your world, but I’ve been with you for years, I understand all the pressure you put on yourself.” I want so badly to peek over the bed to see them. Is she touching him?
“Thank you for the offer, but I think I need a little more time with this on my own. Good night Mia.” The door clicks closed seconds after his words are uttered. Silence fills the space. If I didn’t hear his dismissal of her myself, I would think I was alone in the room it’s so quiet.
“Laura?” Ares’s voice is urgent, the one word somehow more animated than anything he had said to her.
I poke my head up from floor. Ares freezes when his eyes land on me. “What the hell are you doing?” he accuses, rushing over.
Flipping over on my butt, I scoot until my back hits the wall as he quickly approaches me. Ares’s posture stiffens before he resumes walking much slower. “I hid. I don’t think she saw me. I didn’t see her.” My words are rushed. My head tells me I should be feeling guilty, I’m alone in his room with him, but the rest of me is angry that she even knocked on his door, daring to interrupt us.
Ares extends his hand down to me; his brows raised in challenge when I don’t immediately reach for him. Huffing, I let him pull me up from the floor. “I didn’t expect you to hide Laura,” he says it like he’s talking to a child.
“Well how am I supposed to know? Dante just told her he was taking me home.” My voice is rises in agitation. Pulling my hand from his, I brush my shirt down. Ares doesn’t step back after releasing me. My hands go to my hips and I glare up at him, mad at him for all the wrong reasons. “Dante told me she wouldn’t be back here tonight, why was she snooping around?”
Ares crosses his arms over his chest, the left side of his lips tip up in a smug grin. “She was checking on me, I’m obviously in a delicate state.”
