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Hi everyone! Welcome to Tuesday Tales! This week we have a picture prompt. So today we are with back with Demeter and Freddy in the third Gods of DC book. Click here to check out the other amazing Tuesday Tales. **Warning - there are adult situations and language.**  He led her from the pub out onto the streets of London. They took their time getting back to his car, exchanging kisses as they strolled along. Each one was deeper, hotter, more passionate. By the time he opened the passenger door of the car for her, she was clinging to him breathless.
Freddy ran the pad of his thumb over her lower lip. “Do you want to go back to the club for a night cap? I’ll get us Ares’s private VIP room and make you a cup of tea.” Demeter smiled at him. “I’d like…” Her words died on her tongue as she caught sight of something outside her window. An arc of electricity snapped between a dim sconce mounted to the wall and the live wire next to it. It was just coincidental. It struck again like lightning across the sky. The sight froze the blood in her veins. “Maybe you should take me to my hotel, please,” she muttered. His hand slipped from her face. The warm purr in his voice was gone. She could hear a hint of confusion. “Okay. If that’s what you want.” Demeter watched the traffic blur past her window as they drove in silence. She scanned the sky. Why? Why did he always get in the way? Freddy’s kisses ignited a desire in her that she hadn’t felt in hundreds of years. More than that, his touch made her feel cherished, needed. Tears burned her eyes. She swiped at one that escaped down her cheek. She had been alone for so long that she forgot what it felt like to be wanted by a man. So what if her and Freddy weren’t meant to be? They could at least have one night, couldn’t they?
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 Hi everyone! Welcome to Tuesday Tales! This week’s word prompt is “greasy”. So today we are with back with Demeter and Freddy in the third Gods of DC book. Click here to check out the other amazing Tuesday Tales. **Warning - there are adult situations and language.**  They were shown to a booth in the corner of the warm, dark pub. Demeter glanced around her. It reminded her of the taverns in Ireland that Persephone would drag her to. There was laughter and a little singing. Everyone in the place seemed happy. It was the perfect place to spend the evening with Freddy.
She caught the sight of his furrowed brow across the table after she placed her order. She took a sip of the wine the waitress had brought her then cocked her head. “What?” He shook his head. “Not what I expected the goddess of the harvest to order.” She laughed. “My diet does normally leaned towards vegetarian. But I can appreciate a good, greasy cheeseburger every once in awhile.” He chuckled with her. “Then you won’t be disappointed. Their burgers are worth going to war over.” “That’s good to know.” Demeter paused. “So your mother makes shepherd’s pie, huh?” “Every once in awhile. It’s an old family recipe,” Freddy answered. “Do you see your family much?” He shrugged. “Not really. My job is pretty much twenty-four hours and day, seven days a week. I’m lucky if I get to sleep some days.” She frowned at his confession. “What exactly does my nephew make you do?” “I’m his right hand. I’m at his side in battle. I’m sent to instigate conflict. And when I’m not off having that fun I run the bar for him. Or, as you understand it, tend to his temple. It’s a far cry from what my grandfather had to do. No more lighting incense and leading prayers. Now I mix drinks and keep shit from hitting the fan.” She pursed her lips together as she watched him take a sip of ale. “You don’t sound happy with your job.” “I am. It just doesn’t leave much time for other things I want.” His stare met hers. The intensity sent a shiver through her, silencing her. She scooped up her wine glass and hid behind it as she took a bigger drink than she meant to. He reached over to wrap her hand lying on the table in his. “What would you like to do after dinner?” “I thought we were just getting dinner before Persephone arrives tomorrow,” she countered. “And you go home.” He spat the words out like they were bitter. “You act if you don’t want me to go.” “I don’t. At least not until I see what is happening between us. I’m not ready to let you go yet.” Her heart stampeded in her heart. “Freddy, you’re so young and handsome. There are lots of girls your age.” “I know. I watch them in my club as they get drunk and crawl all over anything that moves. I don’t want them. I want you.” Demeter opened her mouth to object but clamped it shut as the waitress set their meals in front of them. She gazed at Freddy as he dug into his pie.  Hi everyone! Welcome to Tuesday Tales! This week’s word prompt is “bracelet”. So today we are with back with Demeter and Freddy in the third Gods of DC book. Click here to check out the other amazing Tuesday Tales. **Warning - there are adult situations and language.**  Juliet’s eyes widened. “So you do have a thing for Freddy.”
“Juliet, please.” “Why would that be wrong? He definitely has a thing for you.” Demeter stared at her as her mouth gaped open. She did her best to pull herself together. “He does not.” “He’s charming, Aunt Dee. But he’s not that charming. He’s the high priest of the god of war. He doesn’t have a lot of time for chit chat. I’ve never seen him stop and talk to someone for longer than five minutes much less a full day.” Demeter smiled but then shook her head. “It wouldn’t work.” “Why not?” Demeter gestured towards the hall that Freddy slipped into. “He’s in his what? His mid-twenties? Look at me. I have grey hair and wrinkles. Even if something were to happen between us, he’ll wake up someday and want someone younger. It’s inevitable.” “So that means you shouldn’t try?” Demeter pursed her lips together in silence. She couldn’t come up with a counter no matter how hard she tried. “Can I ask you something?” Juliet questioned. Demeter took a sip of tea. “Sure.” “You aren’t the oldest of your siblings, are you?” “No. Hestia is. I’m second oldest.” Juliet paused. “Why do the rest of them, including Hestia, appear to be ten years younger than you? Are they changing their appearance? Or are you?” “If I looked like them, I would look like Persephone's older sister, not her mom.” Juliet laid a hand on Demeter’s arm. “Zeus looks the same age as the rest of them. And he’s her dad.” Demeter shook her head slightly. “Please let it go, Juliet.” Juliet pulled away then took a sip of her drink. “Okay.” Demeter spun on her stool at the melodic clatter of glass striking each other. Freddy shoved a two wheel cart stacked with boxes across the wood floor towards them. He had discarded his shirt somewhere along the line. His muscles rippled as he nudged the cart behind the bar. Demeter swallowed hard as she caught sight of the ink etched into his rib cage. It was a colorful display of what she guessed was Celtic symbols. Guys with tattoos never did it for her. This one did. She needed to get out of there before she melted into the stool. Juliet hopped off her perch and scurried down the hall out of sight. Demeter looked away at the cage as she played with the leather bracelet on her wrist. This was the worst time possible for her niece-in-law to bail on her. She glanced back Freddy to find him watching her, a crooked grin on his face. It look in his eyes gave her the shivers. The last time she saw something similar to it was a wolf in her woods staring down its prey.  Hi everyone! Welcome to Tuesday Tales! Happy New Year! This week’s word prompt is “year”. So today we are with back with Demeter in the third Gods of DC book. And today we get to know her mystery man! Click here to check out the other amazing Tuesday Tales. **Warning - there are adult situations and language.**  He glanced over his shoulder before he filled the kettle with water and set it on the stove.
Demeter’s head tilted slightly as she took in the club around her, her hands folded in front of her on the bar. Freddy sucked a breath in between his teeth. He tried to will his thundering heart back to a steady beat. She was out of his league. She was a deity for fucks sake. He knew full well who Persephone's dad was. He didn’t stand a chance with her. He reached for the ornate metal tin on the shelf above his head and popped the lid off. He scooped a few of the leaves into a diffuser and set it in one of the mugs kept by the stove. Once the water inside the kettle rumbled, he picked it up and poured it into the same mug. After doctoring it with a squeeze of lemon and a drop of honey, he scooped it up and took it out to her. Her gaze never left his as she cradled the mug in her hands and took a sip. She smiled. “You are right. That is the best cup of tea I’ve ever had.” “I found the leaves last year in a little shop in China. I wish I could say it was a business trip.” He shrugged to end his point. Demeter frowned. “China?” Freddy leaned his elbows on the polished wood. Anything to get a little closer to her without being obvious. “It was more of a fact finding mission. When conflict brews on a world wide level, Stella, Athena’s priestess, and I are sent to stir the pot, so to speak. We don’t start anything. We just instigate.” Demeter set the mug on the bar as she but at her lower lip. It set off an urge deep in him to kiss her. She looked away before she spoke. “So do you travel quite a bit with Stella?” Freddy grinned at her. As the high priest of the god of war, he was attuned to certain emotions from others. One of the strongest he sensed was jealousy and it was coming off the goddess in waves. “We go as much as Stella’s girlfriend allows and as our bosses demand.” Demeter looked back at him, her eyes wide. She picked up the mug in a hurry and hid her face behind it while she took another sip. A moment passed between them before she spoke again. “For being British, your accent is not.” “Because I’m not from England.” “I can’t detect an accent at all.” “With all the travel I do, I managed to lose it. I get mistaken of being American all the time.” “I bet that drives the ladies wild. And your girlfriend must love it.” He leaned even closer to Demeter. “No girlfriend. No lover. The girls who come here do nothing for me.” “But you’re so young. How old are you? Twenty-five?”  Hi everyone! Welcome to Tuesday Tales! This week is a picture prompt. I’ve hit a little snag with The Bulldog and need to do a little more research. So today we are with back with Demeter in the third Gods of DC book! And as I said a couple of weeks ago, you’ve already met her guy in both Blood Lust and Love and War. Click here to check out the other amazing Tuesday Tales. **Warning - there are adult situations and language.**  She hurried up the stairs to her bedroom then threw open the door to her walk-in closet. She rustled though her clothes as she thought. London wouldn’t be much warmer than home. She plucked a couple of sweaters and T-shirts from their hangers. She scooped up the handle of the duffel bag lying on the floor beneath the clothes then hauled them out to her bed. Despite the urge to toss them inside in a heap, she carefully folded each item and set it inside.
She crossed her room to grab a couple pairs of blue jeans and several delicates then tossed them in her bag. Once it was zipped up and secure, she stopped to think. She could ghost, as the younger gods and goddesses put it, and get to London in a matter of seconds. Yet Zeus forbade all of them from it, Her face fell as she thought about her king. There was more than met the eye between them and she planned to keep it from everyone, including Persephone. It had been thousands of years since Zeus enforced his will on her existence. But the look he still gave her made her blood run cold. She couldn’t shake it. It made her choose this illusion she wore like a second skin. She couldn’t risk love again not after what Zeus did to her betrothed. He might be married to her sister but he made it clear as crystal he felt he possessed her too. She glanced out her bedroom window at the rolling hills and forests of trees that surrounded her home, the grass and leaves still a weak pale green as vegetation balanced between the seasons. Maybe Dottie, her high priestess, was done feeding the horses and could drive her to the airport.  Hi everyone! Welcome to Tuesday Tales! This week's word prompt is "blade”. Today we are with Nic and Casey in the second book of the Fighting the Odds Series, The Bulldog. We'll be checking in this these two for the rest of December then heading back to Demeter. Click here to check out the other amazing Tuesday Tales. **Warning - there are adult situations and language.**  Nic cursed under his breath as he wove through the thick Las Vegas traffic. His mind kept processing what Jace told him. The words mob and mafia ricocheted around his brain. This was Casey. Sweet, timid-until-her-button-was-pushed-then-wild-in-the-sack Casey.
There was no way she could be this Annabelle Jace was talking about. But however many times he tried to convince himself she wasn’t, the truth hammered itself home. She was. He turned a sharp left into the parking lot of the motel on the slip Jed wrote for him. The Jeep shivered in protest. He pulled into first spot he could find and killed the engine. With a growl he hopped out and stalked towards the office. He threw open the door then froze. Casey stood at the check out window, talking softly through the plexiglass window to a man with long, thinning hair. His scraggly beard looked like it hadn’t seen a razor blade in three years. “Casey,” Nic called out. He watched her whole body stiffen. He even caught the attention of the man behind the glass. She didn’t turn around. She just kept talking. The room wasn’t that big. There was no way she missed what he said. He snarled. “Okay, Annabelle.” She spun around at him. “How do you know that?” He stalked across the room until he hovered over her, meeting her wide-eyed gaze. “I told you. I have friends in high places. So, care to explain why you took off this morning? Or why you lied to me?” She raised herself on her tiptoes until the tip of their noses nearly touched. “To save your life.” “You don’t need to protect me. I can take care of myself. And you.” She shook her head. “You have no idea what you’re up against. The smart thing for you to do is let me go.” He hissed at her. “So all I was good for was a one night stand? I was just someone for you to fuck?” He could see the shimmer of tears glisten in her eyes. “No. You’re much more than that. Please, Nic. I’m begging you. Let me go. If he catches you, there won’t be anything left for Jed to bury. Don’t do that to your brother and your friends. They love you.” “He who?” Nic demanded. She didn’t answer. She shoved past him and bolted for the door. She was gone before he could flinch.  Hi everyone! Welcome to Tuesday Tales! This week's word prompt is "crazy”. Today we are with Nic and Casey in the second book of the Fighting the Odds Series, The Bulldog. We'll be checking in this these two for the rest of December then heading back to Demeter. Click here to check out the other amazing Tuesday Tales. **Warning - there are adult situations and language.**  Nic slowed his pace as they reached the rail of the observation deck away from the rest of the people. He let go of her then leaned against the railing.
Casey leaned against him as she took in the sight below. The distant mountains were a dark shadow in the twilight. The rainbow lights of Vegas spread out below them. “This is beautiful,” she murmured as she hugged his arm. She looked up to find him gazing at her instead of the city. “I’m glad you like it. Jed used to bring me up here all the time after Mom died. He used to let me scream my heartbreak over the city. He would let me go crazy. No one could hear me from up here over the ruckus of the amusement rides. It helped.” “I’m sorry about your mother.” He shrugged. “It was cancer. She’s not in pain anymore. I haven’t been here since I moved to Dallas but it’s the best view of the city.” She cocked her head at him. “I noticed you didn’t pay. Should we expect security to throw us out, bad boy?” He chuckled. “I’m flattered you think I’m some devious character but no. I sort of have a life time free pass here.” “Wow, you must be one hell of a fighter to get carte blanche to a place like this.” “More like got beaten down by the head of security for most of my life. Jace Whitman? That guy from the gym with the champion belt who hangs with my brother all the time? Head of security at the Stratosphere. And Jed’s best friend since high school. He’s been a big brother to me for years so I get some of the perks from being picked on. So I’m not so much of a bad boy. More like I have friends in high places.” She ran her thumb across his lower lip. “Oh, I don’t know. You’re not like the guys I normally associate with.” His breath hitched at her touch. “And what kind of men are those.” “Business minded. Laser focused. Dedicated to a profit.” “So rich.” “Yes.” “Fuck, baby. You’re downgrading.” She caressed his cheek then dropped her hand to his chest. She trailed a finger across his shirt. She felt him stiffen at her touch. “I think I’m upgrading. There isn’t enough money in the world that compares to how you make me feel when you just look at me.”  Hi everyone! Welcome to Tuesday Tales! This week's word prompt is "potshot”. Today we are with Nic and Casey in the second book of the Fighting the Odds Series, The Bulldog. We'll be checking in this these two for the rest of December then heading back to Demeter. Click here to check out the other amazing Tuesday Tales. **Warning - there are adult situations and language.**  Photo courtesy of Valeria Boltneva https://www.pexels.com/photo/close-up-photography-of-wine-glasses-1123260/ Casey sucked in a nervous breath as she settled into the chair Nic pulled free for her. She felt like a girl on her first date. The butterflies threatened to escape from her belly. She had been on plenty of dates to higher class places than this. For reasons she didn’t understand, this fighter undid her. The whole concept terrified her. She had enough on her plate as is.
She took the menu offered to her and hid behind it to get a second or two to calm her nerves. She glanced around it to see Nic studying his. The waitress stopped and smiled at them. “Can I get you something from the bar?” “A merlot,” Casey answered, her voice just a squeak. “What do you have on tap?” Nic added. Their voices were a buzz to Casey as the two of them discussed craft beers. She set her menu down on the table then knitted her fingers together as she gnawed on her lower lip. Her whole body stilled when a warm hand encompassed hers. “Is everything okay?” Nic questioned. His amused smile from earlier was gone. “It’s nothing. This is perfect. You’re perfect. I’m afraid of screwing the night up.” “Beautiful, there is nothing you could do to screw this up.” She smirked at him. “Aren’t you a sweet talker? Do you say that to all the girls you wine and dine?” Nic clutched his hands to his heart in such a dramatic fashion that it should have won him an Academy Award. “Was that a potshot? I am wounded that you would feel that way about me.” His comment broke the tension springing tight through Casey. She laughed as she tossed her napkin at him. He caught it in midair. “Right. Sexy fighter like you? I’m sure you have women banging down your door.” He grinned at her as set the napkin beside his on the table. “You think I’m sexy, huh?” She shook her head exasperated. “You’re incorrigible.” “Yes, I am. But to be honest, I don’t remember the last time I was on a date. I didn’t date in Dallas. I didn’t have time between working and training. So my womanizing days are behind me.” Casey winked at him. “So you admit you were a womanizer.” Nic’s cheeks pinked a little as he looked away. “Yes. When Reese lived here before he moved to Iowa. But that was a long time ago.” “Reese? That guy at the gym when we were…” Her voice trailed off as she felt her cheeks flame hot. It wasn’t the only part of her anatomy getting warm. The memory of him bring her to such a all-consuming rush made her crave to do it again. “One and the same.”  Hi everyone! Welcome to Tuesday Tales! This week's word prompt is "thanksgiving”. This not the story I wanted to share. I have a book due before it but the prompt wouldn’t fit. So, here is Demeter in the third book of The Gods of DC Series! And her man? You’ve met him before. 😉 Click here to check out the other amazing Tuesday Tales. *Warning - there are adult situations and language.**  Photo by Bich Tran from Pexels https://www.pexels.com/photo/writings-in-a-planner-636246/ It should have been a time of Thanksgiving. It really should have.
Demeter stared at the calendar hanging from her kitchen wall, the mauve flowered wallpaper a stark contrast to the photo of orange calico kittens frolicking in a basket. She gripped the red marker between her fingers a little tighter. There were only three more weeks until her precious daughter, Persephone, would be home. There were already signs of the seasons changing every time Demeter thought about it. The temperatures peaked above freezing when Demeter planned out Persephone’s homecoming, taking particular care to avoid pomegranates. The fruit had been a touchy subject between them for thousands of years. It was best to ban them from the house altogether. If that wasn’t enough, the Pantheon had been blessed with the birth of two new demigods and Demeter was a great aunt once again. Annabella was the first to arrive, her near black hair and big, dark eyes made her a miniature image of her mother, Juliet. A little over a month later, Marcus followed her. He was the hairiest baby Demeter had ever seen but also the happiest. It was easy to see he got his looks from his father, Mack. His demeanor? Not so much. Yet all the joy fell from Demeter’s heart and tension returned when she discovered that Penelope was not in the Underworld ruling as its queen like she was supposed to be. She was in the mortal world at her husband’s side while Hades set up his new mixed martial arts promotion. And it wasn’t a rumor. She heard it directly from Ares, Hades’s partner, during her last visit to see Annabella. In fact, it was the first time she had seen her nephew since the little girl had been born. Persephone was in her world and she had no idea. That bastard, Hades, kept her to himself and didn’t bother to let Demeter know. The last she heard, the promotion was just some ideas on paper. In reality they were in the final planning stages of their first show. The marker in her hand bowed dangerously against her grip. Hades. Ares. Mack. She spit the names like curses. They were all neck deep involved with this charade. They all could have called her, shot her a text or sent an e-mail. All she wanted to do was see her daughter. Was that so wrong? Demeter sighed as she stepped away from the calendar and set the marker on the counter. The last she heard, the three of them set up shop in Ares’s fight club in London. That’s where Persephone would be. That’s where she was heading now.  Hi everyone! Welcome to Tuesday Tales! This week's word prompt is "suddenly”. We’re jumping ahead in the second book of The Gods of DC Series, Love and War. Athena and Mack will be hitting the virtual shelves on Christmas Day! Click here to check out the other amazing Tuesday Tales. *Warning - there are adult situations and language.**  It was then that Athena told Mack about their lunch date with the king and queen of the gods. Mack’s warm, tender embrace turned hard and cold in an instant. It grew even more frigid when she suggested he wear a suit.
Of course he didn’t own one. She glanced at them as they reached the cement staircase that led to the front door. She just hoped the magic she cast to make him one held out. It was real fabric but that didn’t mean that it wouldn’t suddenly disappear. Her wits weren’t exactly about her when she conjured it into existence. Artemis ducked around the two of them then pressed a knuckle to the doorbell. Despite how dressed up Mack and Athena were, Artemis chose to wear her usual black outfit. And she bitched the entire time they got prepared about going in the first place. “Little eager, are we?” Athena teased. “The faster we get in there, the faster we get this over with,” Artemis muttered. “I agree with her,” Mack added as he pointed to the goddess of the hunt. Athena rolled her eyes as the large front door opened. A butler scanned each of them with a critical eye before he gave a huge sigh. “Senator and Missus Lynch are in the dining room waiting for you. Don’t dawdle.” The three of them scuttled away across the foyer away from the ancient servant. Artemis tossed a dirty look over her shoulder. “Dawdle? Does that son of a bitch understand who he’s talking to?” “He does,” Athena chided. “He’s been tending to Dad since we were on Olympus. And he’s not wrong. When it comes to Zeus and Hera, we’re known to try to avoid the inevitable.” The three of them came to a stop when they reached the dining room doors. Zeus stood at his place at the head of the table, the large paned glass window leading to the garden illuminating the room behind him. Hera sat at his left, a wine glass already to her lips. The bottle it came from was half empty beside her plate. “It’s good for you to join us,” Zeus greeted, the hint of frost in his voice. Athena and Mack took to the right side of the table while Artemis sauntered to the left. She plopped into a seat leaving an empty chair between her and Hera. Hera glowered at her before taking another sip of wine. Mack held out a hand past Athena and offered it to Zeus. “Mack Bradshaw.” Zeus stared at it for a long moment before he shook it. “Alastair Lynch. This is my wife, Elizabeth.” “Dad,” Athena interrupted. “He knows who you both are. You don’t need to put up pretenses.” Zeus snarled. “And why does he know that?” “Because the demon he’s about to fight revealed it,” Athena replied as she fought the cringe building up inside her. |
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