Page 24

I barely paused for half a second, just enough to breathe before answering Helen’s question, but Adrian’s smooth, deep voice gave me reprieve. “We met at Lord and Lady Poseidon’s wedding,” he answered, just as we’d agreed to. “I knew about her before then, obviously. I’d always admired her work—and her beauty, of course,” he said, looking down at me with an intense expression. “And I knew, even before we formally met, that she’d disrupt my life.”

He kept my eyes locked with his as he said it and I hadto remind myself that this was all fake. But there was nothing fake-feeling about the way his thumb swept over my hip or the heat warming my stomach.

“And disrupt she has,” he finished, turning back to face the entire group. When I followed his lead and looked back at them, Helen and Chiara looked like they were about to burst with joy. And Carlos was looking at us with a hard expression—likely a mix of jealousy and disgust.

“Oh, that’s just wonderful,” Helen said, clasping her hands together under her chin. “And you, Reyna?”

I breathed in, pulling a smile to my lips that I hoped came across bashful and shy to spill myfeelingsfor Adrian to the group. But I was buying myself time to come up with something that seemed genuine.

“Adrian is,” I began, then had to restart. I looked up at him and just said the first thing that came to mind. “I’ve never had more fun in my life. I don’t think I could ever get bored of learning more about him.”

Based on the little squeeze Adrian gave my hip, he caught onto my double meaning. It was a game, really, trying to weasel my way past his walls. One that could easily be construed as a lover’s desire to know more about their partner.

“Youarequite the mysterious one, Lord Jupiter,” Chiara said. “You never gave me any leads to help introduce you to a nice, young lady.”

“That won’t be necessary anymore, Chiara,” I said through a smile. I imagined if I was really in love with Adrian, I wouldn’t enjoy imagining him with another woman. It was of no consequence that it was rather easy to slip into that role, to make my voice lower in jealousy.

Based on the raised brow Chiara shot me and Carlos’s chuckle over the rim of his glass, I sold it just fine.

“Of course not,” Chiara said, that brow still raised. “I simply meant that I could have easily introduced you two sooner.”

“I would have been in your debt, Chiara,” Adrian said smoothly, garnering a light chuckle from the group. He pressed his lips to my temple, to seal the deal for our company, but as he pulled away he paused an inch from my ear and whispered. “Who’s the possessive one again?”

I looked up at him and smiled as cruel as I could manage. “Want me to ask Chiara about the men she’s tried to set me up with?”

Adrian’s face slammed down with a cold mask, all humor falling to the floor.

I smiled in satisfaction, forgetting that we had company, until Adrian turned to Chiara and said, “Chiara, while I appreciate your efforts and social prowess, I’m going to have to ask that you never try your hand with Reyna.” And then in a much deeper voice, one that was full of his power, he added, “Again, that is.”

Chiara, to her credit, simply smiled and nodded. “Why would I interfere with such an excellent pairing?”

“If you met at Lord Poseidon’s wedding,” Carlos cut in, head cocked to the side in accusation. “That means you haven't known each other very long. It may be a little early to sing the praises of their relationship, Chiara.”

My back straightened at his openly combative tone, opening my mouth to say something in defense of our relationship. Adrian was clearly gearing up to do thesame, if the low rumble in his throat was to be believed.

“Now, Carlos, that wouldn’t be doubt I’m hearing, is it?” A proud, strong voice cut in. I vaguely recognized it, but looked to Adrian to see his reaction.

He didn’t give me much to work with, because he blinked and shook his head slightly, like he needed to clear his head of something. A moment later though, his confident posture was back.

“Of course not, Lord Apollo,” Carlos said, stepping aside to let Sebastian Apollo join our group in all his glory.

I’d always thought that Sebastian was one of the gods who looked most settled in his role—shepherding the arts, medicine, light, and music on his expansive shoulders with ease. It helped that he looked somewhat like a sculpture himself, resembling some of the marbles displayed in well lit corners of our most famous museums, resting atop a podium while onlookers gawked at the perfectly carved lines of muscle.

“I was simply asking if this was one of thoselove at first sightinstances everyone loves so much,” Carlos finished.

“You say that like it’s foreign, darling,” Helen said, slipping her arm through her husband’s. “You said you fell in love with me the moment you saw me.”

I caught my cringe at the last minute. And Adrian’s arm tightened beside mine. It seemed everyone but Helen knew how often her husband stepped outside her marriage.

Sebastian, thankfully, stepped in before the moment could grow awkward for her. “I’m sure that you’ve badgered Adrian and Reyna enough for one evening,” he said with a casual smile that was still blinding allthe same. “You might consider giving them a second to breathe before dinner starts?”

“Certainly,” Chiara agreed, ushering a wary Carlos and still-interested Helen away from us.

The second we were alone, I felt my body relax. Adrian slowly slipped his hand from my waist, the skin feeling cold in the absence of his touch.

“Not gonna thank me?” Sebastian asked with a teasing expression on his face.

“I think you’ll have enough praise this evening,” Adrian said. Right. Because at a gala dedicated to the arts, they were surely going to honor their patron god tenfold.