Chapter 2

CHAPTER TWO

—Duncan—

The city lights spilled into my penthouse like liquid gold, casting long shadows that stretched and twisted with the rhythm of the night. Yet, no glow or glitter could match the fire burning inside me—the fire that Aphrodite ignited every time she stepped into my world.

She was unlike any woman I’d ever known. More than just a name, more than just beauty—she was an enigma wrapped in silk and temptation, a goddess whose body and mind were locked in a struggle I couldn’t begin to understand.

The first time she came back to me that night, it was like a storm breaking through a fragile calm. The door opened, and she was there—bold, fierce, irresistible. Her dress hugged her every curve like it was painted on, black silk shimmering in the dim light, falling just enough to tease and reveal. Her eyes held a fire that matched the wild hunger in mine, but behind that blaze, I caught a flicker of something else. Something darker. A shadow that didn’t belong to the goddess everyone else saw.

Without a word, she crossed the room and pulled me into a kiss so demanding and fierce it stole my breath. Her lips were soft yet commanding, her tongue exploring mine with a hunger that matched my own. I let my hands roam, memorizing the curve of her neck, the slope of her shoulders, the swell of her breasts beneath the thin silk. Her body pressed against mine like a live wire, every inch sparking with electricity.

I lifted her onto the cold marble countertop, the sharp contrast between the chill beneath her and the heat radiating from her skin driving me wild. She didn’t resist as her dress slipped down her arms, pooling around her waist, revealing skin so flawless it was almost unreal. I traced my fingers along her collarbone, down the slope of her breasts, feeling her shiver beneath my touch.

"I want you, Duncan," she whispered, her voice thick with need and something unspoken—fear, maybe? Or defiance?

"I want you too," I growled, capturing her mouth again.

Our kiss deepened, urgent and wild. Her hands tangled in my hair, pulling me closer, as if she wanted to fuse us into one. I slid my hands lower, caressing the softness of her waist and hips, feeling the silk fall away to reveal the smooth expanse of her thighs. Her legs wrapped around me, a promise and a challenge all at once.

I lowered my mouth to her neck, biting and sucking gently, marking her as mine. Her breath hitched, a soft moan escaping her lips as I traced a slow path down her stomach, finally reaching the apex of her thighs. The scent of her arousal was intoxicating—musky, sweet, utterly addictive.

I parted her legs wider and flicked my tongue out to taste her. Her gasp was music to my ears, fingers digging into my scalp as I licked and swirled, drawing her closer to the edge. Her hips lifted, pressing into my mouth, desperate for more. When she shattered, her cries echoed in the room—raw, beautiful, consuming.

But I wasn’t finished.

Sliding two fingers inside her, I curled them deep, driving her wild. Her nails raked down my back as I increased the pace, hearing her breathless moans turn into cries of release. I pulled up to her lips, kissing her fiercely. She wrapped her legs around me, pulling me inside with a force that left me gasping.

Our bodies moved together in a savage rhythm—hard, fast, relentless. The slick sound of skin on skin filled the room as we chased the storm of pleasure. Her moans grew louder, voice trembling with need, and I gripped her hips tighter, driving her over the edge again. When we finally exploded together, it was like the world caught fire.

Collapsed in a tangled heap on the marble, sweat-slick and breathless, I traced lazy circles on her back, desperate to memorize every inch. But beneath the heat and passion, I saw it again—that shadow in her eyes. The secret she carried. Someone was controlling her. Someone powerful enough to bend the goddess of beauty herself.

Who was he?

What did he want?

I didn’t know yet, but I was going to find out.

---

Days passed, each one heavier with longing and frustration. Aphrodite was a storm I couldn’t resist, but she was also a puzzle I couldn’t solve. She came to me in bursts of fire and passion, then vanished like smoke whenever I tried to hold on.

Her teasing smile would haunt me, those deep brown eyes flashing with a secret she refused to share. I could see the walls she built—impenetrable, cold, designed to keep the world out. But I wanted to be the one she let in.

One evening, she arrived unexpectedly, her presence filling the room like a charge in the air. She moved toward me, slow and deliberate, her bare feet silent on the hardwood floor.

“I’m tired of hiding,” she said, voice low, vulnerable.

I cupped her face in my hands. “You don’t have to hide from me.”

Her laugh was bitter, a sound that didn’t belong to the goddess I adored. “You don’t understand. There’s someone… someone who holds me. Who knows things I can’t risk anyone else knowing.”

I swallowed hard, heart pounding. “Who?”

She looked away, biting her lip. “I can’t tell you. Not yet.”

The tension between us thickened, the unspoken words hanging like a blade.

I needed to break through her walls, but I knew it wouldn’t be easy.

Instead, I pulled her close, running my hands along her bare back, feeling the heat beneath her skin.

Our bodies pressed together, hungry and desperate.

Her lips parted in a sigh as I trailed kisses down her neck, across her collarbone.

She moaned softly, arching into me.

I lowered her to the floor, the silk of her dress brushing against the cold wood.

My hands roamed every inch of her, committing her to memory—the dip of her waist, the swell of her hips, the curve of her thighs.

I kissed a trail from her stomach to the apex of her legs, tasting her skin, savoring the sweet salt of desire.

Her fingers tangled in my hair as I flicked my tongue over her clit, teasing, coaxing her higher and higher.

Her moans grew louder, breath ragged.

I slid two fingers inside her, curling them in slow, deep strokes that made her shiver and gasp.

Her hips lifted, pressing into my hand, desperate for release.

When she came apart around me, her cries were fierce and wild, shaking the room with their intensity.

I rose, capturing her mouth in a deep, possessive kiss.

She wrapped her legs around me, pulling me inside her with a force that stole my breath.

We moved together, slow at first, then faster, harder, chasing the fire that burned between us.

Her nails raked down my back as she clung to me, voice breaking with need.

When we both reached the edge again, it was with a scream—a promise, a confession, a surrender.

---

But just as dawn crept through the windows, painting the room in pale gold, Aphrodite pulled away, slipping out of my arms like a ghost.

“I have to go,” she whispered, eyes dark with secrets.

“Don’t leave me like this,” I demanded, voice raw.

She shook her head, stepping back, her gaze unreadable.

“I’m not yours,” she said simply.

Yet I knew that wasn’t true.

She was mine as much as I was hers—tied together by a desire that neither of us fully understood.

As she disappeared into the night, I vowed to uncover the truth behind the man who held her in his grip.

Because no one controlled Aphrodite—not even her.

---

The days that followed were a relentless dance of passion and distance.

She appeared when she wanted, vanishing before I could claim her fully.

Each encounter burned hotter than the last, the sex between us raw and urgent—a clash of wills, bodies, and emotions.

One night, after a party that left the city buzzing with gossip, she came to me drenched in sweat and perfume.

Her eyes were wild, dangerous.

She pushed me against the wall, lips crashing onto mine with desperate hunger.

Her hands roamed fiercely over my body, pulling me closer, claiming me.

I lifted her, pressing her back against the cold marble.

She wrapped her legs around me, dragging me into a frenzy of need.

Our bodies moved in perfect chaos—thrusts deep and fast, moans mixing with the sound of skin against skin.

Her nails dug into my shoulders, marking me, owning me.

I bit her shoulder, tasting the salty heat of her skin.

We lost ourselves in each other—nothing else existed but the fire between us.

When we came together, it was an explosion—a perfect storm of pleasure and release.

Afterward, she traced lazy patterns on my chest, her breath warm against my skin.

“I’m not free,” she said quietly, eyes locked on mine.

“Who holds your chains?” I demanded.

She closed her eyes, pain flickering across her face.

“I can’t tell you.”

But I would find out.

I had to.

---

That’s the woman Aphrodite was—seductive and untouchable, fierce yet fragile.

And I was obsessed with every part of her.

With her body, her secrets, her soul.

No matter what it took, I would claim her.

Because Aphrodite wasn’t just a goddess of beauty.

She was a goddess of fire.

And I was ready to burn.