He Who Choose to be Himself

"Why did you bring me here?" I asked.

"I wanted to talk to you with no' eyes looking at either of us. This…" he raised his hand to indicate the place where we were. "And this is the safest place for us."

"Define safe?" I asked.

"The kind of safe that no' one will see me doing things to you," was his reply, the sexy grin spreading across his lips.

I paused and looked at him. My eyes suddenly widened when I realized what he was talking about.

"Oh no, Duncan, you are not going to…"

The rest of my words were swallowed by his mouth as he kissed the heck out of me.

Gads. He was the most intoxicating man I have kissed. The way his mouth devoured mine was like a representation of what he really wanted. His tongue sought mine and made sure he swiped it several times, then coaxing it to be inside his.

I lost all my muscle movements and just melted against him. One of Duncan's arms was around my waist while the other held my face as we exchanged heated kisses one after another.

I should stop him but I can't. A part of me longed for this man's intimate touch. His touch felt so different. It felt arousing, disorienting, and caring, and at the very least, I felt that I was loved.

The only movement of his hands was to caress my cheeks as he kissed me. When our lips parted, I could feel that my lips were swollen. I was thinking he would stop, but he didn't, he kissed my cheek, dragging his lips downward till they reached my jaw.

His breath was so hot, I moaned his name. It was impossible not to. The way he was making me feel was too much for me to handle. The way his lips lingered at the pulse of my neck made my body shudder in unexpected heat that was so new to me.

"Duncan," I called his name and he was too busy sucking the licking the pulse on my throat. I felt that he was trying to mark me. As possessive as it sounds, his actions turned me on so much.

I pushed him away from my neck and he had to look up at me. I gasped when I saw how his eyes glowed. So this was what he was trying to hide. I remember now. Each time we got too intense, he would close his eyes, and take deep breaths.

I thought like any other man, he was trying to control his desire. I guess I was wrong. Now that I knew who he was, he could be him.

I let my fingertips glide and shaped his eyes, His eyes reflected their need to be with me. He was not holding back that was for sure. I smiled which made his right eyebrow raised in question. I dropped a kiss on his forehead because I wanted to.

I was expecting him to follow his kiss, to continue. He didn't though. He took a deep breath and tried to normalize his eyes.

I was in awe. The way the glow slowly faded was like watching the sun sink on the horizon. When it was done, his normal gray-green eyes winked at me.

I had to shake my head. Charming. And he knew his effect, because he too, dropped a kiss on my forehead before whispering. "I can smell your desire, lass. I am being a gentleman and not doing anything to you in public. We may be hidden, but knowing some of the people, they would be popping out of nowhere…"

"MOMMY!!!"

To say I was shocked was the understatement of the year. My kids were here. In this place, only Duncan and the other gods can visit.

I turned to look at Duncan and he was massaging his forehead like he suddenly had a headache. I raised my hand and combed his hair using my hand and slowly massaged it.

Duncan sighed in relief. The sudden appearance of the kids must have been something he was not expecting. I suddenly felt what he was feeling. But I merely shrugged and waited for the kids to run to where we were.

Fall was the first one to reach our side. By that time, a scarf with dark green, navy blue, yellow, red, and black colors magically appeared around my neck, hiding the mark he gave me. Fall immediately sunk his big body next to the table and closed his eyes.

Nicole came in next. My little girl's hair was in disarray and her little cheeks were red. There was a twinkle in her eyes that made my heart swell with love. And when Claude joined her, wearing the same happy look, I vowed there that I would do anything in my power to keep them happy.

"MOMMY!!! UNCLE DUNCAN!!!"

They screamed when they both saw us.

I am eternally grateful that Duncan knew how to control his body's reaction because when he stood up, the kids ran to him and the force was too much that they almost fell onto the ground.

Was I worried not the slightest, why? Because Duncan made sure the kids were safe.

Looking at them made me realize how much they needed a father figure to look over them. Their dad had not been in the right state of mind. He wasn't ready to be a father in the first place.

What about Duncan? Was he ready to be one? I asked myself.

He was a god. He is a king, not just a laird, but a king of a whole pantheon. The weight he carried on his shoulder was too much. Would adding kids to the mix be even advisable?

"You should probably stop whatever is inside that lovely head of yours. No of us can read your mind, but that doesn't mean that we cannot read you," Thor said.

"The fak Thor! The hell are you~!"

"I just followed the scent of cake," he replied. "Nice colors. He doesn't usually use the official color of the clan he adopted. This however changes everything."

"You really should be telling me where you are going, T," Duncan said.

He was still sitting on the ground, but the kids were behind him, and they were looking at Thor with suspic ion.

"They saw you pop out of nowhere, T." He wearily added, "Claude just asked if you will be taking their brains."

"Wait, what?!" There was a confused look on his face that made me laugh out loud. Thor looked so comical, as he looked at the children in horror.

"Why would I?~"

All I could do was shake my head. My kids had decided to 'vanquish the man who popped'. They descended onto Thor like they were Vikings. Thor, on the other hand, played along.

I could feel myself relaxing for the first time since I have been alive.

Looking at the two most powerful gods playing with my children made me realize that I have never let my guard down. Call it a defense mechanism, but it had been part of me for so long that I instinctively do it.

It doesn't matter if the people I am with have been my friends for a long time, my guard was still up. Yet, with these people…

I could feel Duncan looking at me, those piercing grey-green trying to read what was inside my head. Instead of ignoring him, I looked back at him and smiled.

His luminescent eyes glowed back this time. I knew that whatever he was thinking, I wouldn't be able to escape him.

Not now, not ever. Then again...should I?