“Sure. Of course. Take your time.”
I took off up the stairs and into my room to rifle through my wardrobe, pushing all thoughts of a particular God aside.
It had been years since I’d been on a date. It was just dinner. Nothing to be nervous about. Plus, I knew Matthew, so there were things we could discuss without all the awkward silence.
Changing into a pair of skinny jeans and a pink silk blouse that had a deep neckline, I assessed my appearance in the mirror. I pulled my hair from the messy bun and brushed through it carefully before deciding I’d do.
“You scrub up good, Scott,” Matthew said, getting to his feet as I entered the living room again.
“You don’t look too bad yourself.”
Matthew was a man who looked after himself. The blue polo shirt he wore skimmed along his muscular figure, allowing his frame to be appreciated. He was classically handsome; someone you might cast as a prince in a fairy-tale with his blonde hair and baby blues. There were a few colleagues who’d expressed an interest in him. Even I’d let my gaze linger when he left the room.
That was until Grayson arrived and movie star good looks paled in comparison to something darker and wilder.
“Are you ready to go?” Matt asked.
He grabbed his keys from the coffee table, and when I turned around, Grayson was leaning against the door, watching us both. There was a stormy expression on his face, and swirls of black appeared around his hands before the lightbulbs flickered overhead.
“Don’t destroy my house while we’re out,” I told him.
“I give you no promises,” he replied shortly through gritted teeth.
His stare burned into the back of us as Matt led us from the house.Grayson could be jealous all he wanted. I couldn’t care less.
The restaurant was busy, but we were seated quickly and ordered. A tiny Italian place Matt recommended, and I was happy to let him decide.
“I wasn’t sure you’d agree to a date,” he admitted as the drinks came to the table.
“Oh?”
“You’re always busy and I’ve never heard you talk much about your dating history.”
“There’s not much to say.”
“I guess you were pretty preoccupied with school and work. You should try to slow down sometimes.”
The sentence made me bristle. I was certain that Matt wouldn’t be telling James or any of my male counterparts to slow down.
“I can slow down when I’m dead,” I muttered.
Picking the napkin off the table, I placed it onto my lap, trying to soothe the ripple in my mood.
“All I’m saying is that you should take some time out for yourself. There’s more to life than work,” he countered.
Only there wasn’t. Not for me. My parents were gone, my brother was across the pond, and the man I thought I’d spend the rest of my life with called it quits. Work got me out of bed each morning. It was a constant, and I knew I was good at it. Success was validation. If I slowed down, if I stopped, I didn’t know what would happen.
“Tell me about yours,” I said, wanting to shift the conversation away from me.
Over the year I’d known him, it was easy to tell that Matthew’s favourite topic was himself. He enjoyed indulging people in tales of his life and needed little prompting to expand on stories or wander off on a tangent.
There was a trickle of guilt as he spoke animatedly about his family, because my mind, as it often did in moments of tedium, returned to Grayson.
I wanted to convince myself that the only reason I thought about Grayson in any capacity was because I was a mortal and we all couldn’t help but notice the otherworldly good looks he possessed.
Sharp cheekbones and taut muscles made Grayson catch your eye with no effort on his part. Unlike the other eleven Gods, he was less serene. He was dangerous. Wild. He wasn’t inviting in the way his brothers were. Grayson’s personality and looks warned you to stay away, and I thought I could… until that kiss.
How could one simple action make me unravel? He’d infected me, and I had no clue how to cure myself. Grayson made me feel like I’d lost control over everything, but at the same time, there was a sense of peace that came along with the kiss. Every other touch I’d shared with someone paled in comparison.
