Page 12 of A Goddess Unraveled (Olympus Rising)

Lexi led Luke into the dining room in the hopes it would be empty of staff, and they walked to the large picture window. It offered the best view of the estate’s vast hedgerow maze. She’d lost herself inside it many times, often on purpose. And this time of evening the setting sun lit up the trees like flaming torches. The window also provided a partial view of the croquet lawn.

Thinking back, her win on the court paled in comparison to the show she’d witnessed between Luke and her uncle Z. After her failed attempts to learn anything of value about their relationship, their unspoken banter during the game played out like a one-act drama.

“That was quite a game,” she said.

“I swallowed a dose of humility today.”

“So did my godfather, although you won’t hear him admitting it.”

“I’m well acquainted with his breaches of decorum.”

Lexi smiled at his flowery speech. She could see Luke counseling the dying and saying all the right things. “Why does he always look like he wants to pummel you?”

“What can I say? We’re both hardheaded. He likes telling people what to do, and I don’t like being told what to do.”

She laughed, but her amusement was short lived. Lexi was certain that her graduation party had been a setup, and she had no doubt that her godfather had helped devise the plot. It was probably the reason he threw that tantrum when Luke arrived to distract her. Maybe if she learned more about the Uncle Z she didn’t know, she’d finally have an advantage.

“Why does it feel like every time I ask about your relationship with him, I get the runaround?”

She smiled to soften the accusation, hoping he’d take it that way. He responded with a sigh that didn’t bode well.

“Lexi, one day I will answer all your questions about your godfather. I’ve kept a detailed account of my long, tumultuous relationship with him. Not only will the stories entertain, but they’ll give you better insight into the reasons he behaves like he’s the king of the world.”

“I’d appreciate that. He acts more like he’s royalty than a business investor.”

“Is that what he told you?”

She squared her jaw and looked at him, preparing for more bad news. “Is that not true? Has he been lying to us?”

“No. He hasn’t been lying about that. He does have a lot of irons in a lot of fires. But that’s really all I’m at liberty to say. I’ve been given vociferous instructions to keep you in the dark until he is ready to tell you more.”

“That’s bullshit.”

“Agreed.”

“Well, he’s not leaving this estate until we talk about why he has a problem with you. This is my home, too, and I want you to feel like you’re welcome here.”

“I would very much like that.”

Lexi knew it was adrenaline that prompted her to turn and press her hand to his chest. If she couldn’t get information about the plot, she could still use their solitude to see if he was up for something else. Luke’s pulse fluttered beneath her hand. A good sign.

“Given all that’s happened since you arrived,” she said, hoping she wasn’t about to ruin the mood, “I’d like to clear the air about something. For my peace of mind. And maybe yours.”

“Call me intrigued.”

“Your current relationship status. It hasn’t been well defined. I’m unattached, by the way. If that hasn’t become painfully obvious by now.”

He smiled. “If you weren’t, you’d have one jealous boyfriend to manage. And I apologize if I’ve given you the wrong impression of my character. I’m not currently engaged in a romantic relationship.”

So, that settled that.

“And since we’re making things perfectly clear,” he went on, “any hesitation on my part is in no way a rejection. You’re the reason I’ve stayed this long. But in deference to Z and your parents, I think any future liaisons between us should be held in secret. That is, if you want them to continue.”

Lexi gave Luke’s admission careful consideration, parsing out each section, because each one had significance. First, he was basically admitting that he liked her, which made her want to kiss him on the spot. The part about his deference to her godfather and his control issues was bullshit, but she’d do whatever it took to spend more time with Luke. So, yes to the secret liaisons.

“I’ll admit, Uncle Z has been pissing me off more than usual this weekend, and I can’t make any promises that I won’t try to piss him off right back. But I’ll let you do the honorable thing, and I’ll try to do the same. When you live your life under a microscope, you learn how to make yourself scarce.”

“I don’t think you could get any scarcer. You’re like a rare flower. One that blooms even under harsh conditions.”

Luke brought his fingers to her face, and goose bumps followed his thumb as it drifted across her lips. She tried not to blink as his eyes talked to her, telling her to jump in. She had decided they were amber, liquid amber. Was she gaping at him? Her mouth had suddenly gone dry.

Just as suddenly, the mood switched from tender to fierce, as he leaned in to kiss her, his mouth open in a passionate possession, like he was desperate to take advantage of their moment alone.

Lexi slid her arm around his waist, and he pressed into her hips to share his need. How long had he been wanting this? She lowered her hand to his backside, and a moan rumbled in his chest as his fingers dug through her hair.

Then his lips left her mouth to explore her throat, chasing her galloping pulse down her neck. He kissed the lobe of her ear, twisting the delicate pearl earring with the tip of his tongue and triggering a shudder that rocketed straight to her groin. She dropped her head back, inviting him to explore, and a moan nearly escaped her too.

When he reached her chest, he pressed his lips at the V of her blouse, and the contact dazed her like a shot of tequila. The room echoed with their heavy breathing, and she pretended she couldn’t hear the chime of voices outside the door and the high pitch of a piccolo as Octavius showed off for his audience.

Just when she thought her body might explode, Luke gently pulled back, leaving a final soft kiss on her lips. She knew he was following his instincts to stop while they were ahead, but she would have risked everything to keep going.

“I wish we could never leave this room,” he said. “But my conscience is telling me otherwise.”

“At least one of us has a conscience this weekend.”

Whatever Luke had planned with regards to deference, Lexi’s plan was to have the time of her life right under her family’s nose, and it was hard to wipe the goofy grin off her face as she and Luke rejoined the party.

They found Burt and listened to him hiccup through a description of the sparkling wine he’d picked up on a visit to a local winery, and not five minutes went by before James invited himself into their trio. Lexi had to give the boy credit for his bold move. It was especially entertaining when he started quizzing Burt about the bouquet of a certain French Chardonnay.

“You have discerning taste buds, Burt,” James said. “What do you think defines the bouquet of French Chardonnay? There are so many regions where Chardonnay is produced.”

Burt flung his hands onto his hips, as if it might stop him from swaying. “It must come from Burgundy, of course. I’ve sampled every wine from that area of France.”

“Do you live in France?” James asked. “Your accent is hard to place. It sounds like postclassical ancient Greek. But I suspect it’s modern Greek, possibly influenced by Corsican.”

Everyone stared at James as he spouted his scholarly wisdom. Greek had always baffled Lexi. The alphabet alone was enough to scare off the most ardent language enthusiast.

“Do you speak Greek?” she asked him.

James nodded. “Nai. Miláo ellinkiká?”

Lexi raised her hands in surrender. “I only know enough to tell you that I don’t speak Greek. But I’m impressed. You didn’t tell me you were interested in languages.”

“I did, but I don’t think you were paying attention at the time.”

Lexi’s face went up in flames, which seemed to be happening a lot lately. “I’m sorry. That’s horrible of me. I thought you were studying political history.”

“I am, with a minor in European and Middle Eastern languages.”

“I live in Corsica, if you’re still interested, James,” Burt interrupted them with a disgruntled huff. Then he eyeballed a bottle of champagne on a serving cart and tottered off.

As the evening grew later, the room gradually emptied, and it was near midnight when Lexi realized that only the misfits were left, plus James, who had spent half the evening shadowing Lexi and Luke. When he finally threw in the towel, he found Lexi at the bar pouring herself a glass of water.

“This has been a fun weekend, Lexi. I’m glad my parents asked me to come.”

“I’m glad they did too.” Lexi was dying to know if he’d been asked by his parents or forced into it, but prying would have made him uncomfortable, and he didn’t deserve that. She already had the impression that he and his siblings were kept on tight leashes, just like she and Dion were.

“I wanted to let you know that I have to leave in the morning after breakfast. I have an important engagement on Monday that I can’t get out of.”

Lexi felt a pang of disappointment for wasting so much time ignoring James. He’d flown all the way from Europe to attend her party, and she’d almost totally blown him off. Luke and his golden eyes had done a good job of distracting her. No wonder they called it love-struck. It struck a person in the head and rendered them clueless.

“Let me get your number.” She pulled her cell phone out of her jeans and swiped the screen. “I promise not to pester you. I know where to draw the line between friend and that annoying person who calls too much.”

“I can’t imagine you being annoying. Anyone who can fly a horse sounds pretty cool to me.”

She laughed. “Thanks.”

It felt strange sharing her number with a guy, but Lexi figured this was what her parents wanted. It was a miracle she’d connected with any of the boys they’d invited.

After pocketing his phone, James seemed uncertain, and his brows quirked inward. He glanced at Luke, who was across the room talking to Diana. Did he feel threatened by Luke? Was he going to do something about it? A second later, he bolted toward the stairs like a bee had stung him. As Lexi tried to puzzle out the strange behaviors of men, her uncle Z arrived wearing a grin.

“It looks like you’re making good use of the weekend, Lexi. James comes from a high-achieving family. Did you know he was valedictorian?”

It was interesting to her that everyone except James had mentioned his valedictorian status. “Yes. And he seems like a decent person despite his high-achieving family.”

Her godfather’s grin turned into a smirk. James must have improved his mood. “Well, I’m glad you two are hitting it off. Do you mind joining me and your parents in your father’s study? There’s something we want to share with you.”

Hmm . Was this another graduation surprise? After two parties, she hadn’t expected anything else. They still needed to approve her itinerary. Maybe that was it. The way they’d been behaving this weekend, they owed her. But they’d have to do better than a new set of luggage.