Seth shifted his arms and his elbows dug into the mattress as his large hands cradled the sides of my face. Deep inside me, only his chest moved against mine and only his thumbs glided over my cheeks. Tears burned my eyes, but not from pain, because it really wasn’t that bad. Oh no, there was a deep and tender emotion swelling in my chest.

“Josie?”

Throat dry, I swallowed and opened my eyes. My breath caught again at the sight of him. His face was tense and those amber eyes were luminous, so bright they’d outshine any star in the sky. He was waiting for me, making sure I was all right, and nothing could set me more at ease. “I’m okay.”

“Thank the gods,” he grunted, voice strained.

Seth began to move then.

He flexed his hips, pulling out slowly. The pull, the friction of the act, sent my pulse skittering. My muscles locked up. He smoothed his thumb along my lower lip. “Relax. I need you to relax, okay?”

“Okay,” I whispered, forcing myself not to be so . . . so stiff.

He pushed in again, seated deep, and I was pretty sure my nails were scratching his skin. With a moan that sent shivers down my spine, he lowered his mouth to mine. He held himself still again as he parted my lips. The kiss started out slow, leisurely, as if he had all the time in the world, and I got a little lost in that kiss. The burn eased off, but the pressure increased, becoming a pulse that demanded more.

I tentatively wiggled my hips, stopping when a harsh groan brushed my lips.

“You don’t have to stop,” he said. “You want to move, agapi, you move. You do exactly what you want, because there isn’t a damn thing you can do wrong.”

Agapi.

Love.

A word I wouldn’t have understood before the demigod abilities had been unlocked, but I did now.

The endearment warmed me, and I did want to move. So I did. I arched my hips, moving them in a small circle. The act sent tiny coils of pleasure radiating out from my core, and Seth remained still, his forehead against mine as I grew accustomed to the feel of him.

Growing bold, I dragged my hands up his back and down, over the tense muscles of his lower back and further south. He made that sound again, and when he tilted his hips, it was my turn to moan.

Seth shifted his weight onto one arm as he moved his hips, sliding back and forth slowly and then faster, deeper. His hand cradled my hip, steadying me as he thrust forward, eliciting a sharp cry of pleasure from me.