The idea was so appealing that I nearly vaulted from my spot into his arms. I clenched my jaw, ignoring the pressure that spread from my chest through my entire body.
“I’m good,” I grumbled, but as my eyes traced the lines of his naked skin, I let out a soft huff. “Just for a moment,” I warned, dragging myself to him. My limbs felt oddly light as I moved; the scent of him and the heat radiating from his body luring me like a siren’s call.
The second my head found shelter in the spot between his neck and shoulder, I let out a warm sigh of relief in his nape, throwing my arm over his waist and hoisting my legs over his. Instant satisfaction.
Jesus. I was desperate.
His fingers tangled in my hair, and he placed his other hand on top of mine. I closed my eyes, letting the rhythmic rise and fall of his chest lull me to sleep.
“You are not a horrible person.” His voice was a whisper in the air. I stilled, my fingers clenching over the skin of his abdomen. “Although you may have perceived yourself in that manner, it is not true. You are allowed to be tired, Charisma. That doesn’t imply you love your mother any less.”
My chin pressed into his skin as I glanced at the side of his face. Eros moved his head to look me in the eye. He had broken his habit of calling me “mortal” and, for the first time, ad spoken my name.
“Thank you,” I murmured, throat closing as I pressed a kiss on his cheek. He stilled, his palm curling on the back of my head in an instant.
The next time I met his gaze, his eyes were heavy-lidded with a burning desire. “I must ask you not to do that. My level of resistance is not as strong as yours.”
I gulped, nodding. He sighed, as if relieved when I placed my head back on his shoulder.
“Is this how it’s going to be between us? Until we reverse the bond?” I bit my lip, running a nail over his chest.
“How?”
“Wanting each other,” I clarified.
Even before he talked, I could hear the smirk in his voice. “Am I to understand that youdodesire me?”
What made me so bold at that moment was a mystery. “What if I do? Is that a bad thing?”
“No. Quite the opposite.” Eros drew a hand over my arm, leaving a trail of goose bumps behind his touch.
The weight of the upcoming trial—of what I had to do and how important my actions were to the plan’s success—disappeared from my mind. I realized then that in differentcircumstances where no threat loomed over my head, I would’ve liked Eros. With or without the bond. He was a man I could have potentially fallen in love with someday.
“You should rest. Tomorrow promises to present some difficulties.”
“I know. I just . . . don’t want to sleep.”
“Are you frightened?”
“Frightened, no. Worried? Yes,” I admitted. “If everything goes south?—”
“South?”
I smiled, shaking my head. “It means if things take a wrong turn.”
“In that case, it is unlikely. Based on my observations during the trials, you possess the ability to achieve this.” Eros’s hand danced in my hair, picking up a strand and curling it on his finger.
“My ability isn’t the reason I’m worried. It’s Zeus’s that troubles me. Promise me that if things go wrong, you’ll take care of my mother. I know it’s much to ask, but?—”
“Thingswon’tgo south,” he pressed, so sure of it. If our circumstances hadn’t been so dire, I would’ve laughed hearing him say that phrase.
I looked at him. “If theydo, promise me you’ll take care of her.”
“Things won’t?—”
“Promise me,” I pushed, catching his chin between my fingers.
He took a deep breath, nodding. “I give you my word.”
