“Yes,” I said.
“Like Aphrodite?” she asked.
“Yes.”
Both of her brows elevated this time, and she laughed. “You know, one day, you’ll have to show me proof that you indeed are a god.”
“I can do that,” I said.
“Maybe after, I can meet your mother,” she said. “I’d love to know if the stories are true.”
“I can honestly say that I don’t know if I want you to meet her,” I said, thinking of how that would go after this morning’s conversation.
Chloe’s lips split into a genuine smile. “Ashamed of me?” she asked.
“Terrified of my mother’s jealousy,” I corrected.
“Why would your mother be jealous of me?”
“Because you’re beautiful,” I answered.
A twinge of red appeared on her cheeks. “Plenty of people are beautiful,” she countered.
“Not like you,” I argued.
Her gentle eyes met mine, and just as she opened her mouth to speak, Jasmine buzzed through on the com.
“Sarah is ready for him,” Jasmine said.
Chloe leaned back and hit the button. “Sending him now.” She jerked her chin toward the door. “When you’re done with her, can we take a walk?” she asked.
I regarded her again before answering. “Yeah. I have time for that. Are you sure everything is okay?” I asked.
“No,” she admitted. “I just need to clear my head.”
“Okay.”
CHAPTER EIGHTEEN - GAVIN
SHE CHOSE THE park by the water for our walk. We hadn’t stopped talking since I held the door open for her to leave her office. I was beginning to hate the sound of my own voice. She was the only person who could make me converse and smile as she did. My cheeks fucking ached after a day with her, and I loved every second. So much, that it was hard for me to look away from her as we walked. I barely glanced at where we were going.
A skateboarder cut in front of us, making me grab Chloe as she jumped out of his way. Delightful laughter left her lips, but I eyed the skateboarder as he rolled away, something familiar about him snagging my attention. The blonde curly hair beneath the baseball cap, the wing-decorated Converse on his feet, the cut of his gaze back at me.
Uneasiness curled in my veins, but I didn’t get a moment to explore further. Chloe was still giggling in my arms, and when she straightened out of my grasp, she peered at me with a questioning gaze.
“What?” I asked, forgetting about the skateboarder.
“I keep thinking about how much my life has changed since that night, and yet when I’m with you, it feels like no time has passed.”
We exchanged soft smiles, and I stuffed my hands into my pockets as we went on. “It feels like that for me, too. Every time you mention your wedding, I have to grasp onto something to ground me back into this reality and remind myself that I didn’t wake up with you beside me.”
“Reality is a weight right now,” she said, her chest heaving with an audible, heavy sigh. “Like it’s dragging me further and further toward a life I don’t recognize.”
I slowed my walk and looked down at her, warmth filling my chest at seeing her beauty against the setting sun. “What do you mean?” I asked.
“I mean, I’d much rather be living in some erotic monster fantasy,” she said.
“We’ve moved on to general monster erotica now?”
