“Let's take care of that then.” Re took my hand and walked me over to Jennifer. “I'll take them all,” he said as he pulled out a black American Express card.
I gaped at Re as Jennifer's eyes lit up.
“I just need an ID and an address to deliver them to,” Jennifer said as she snatched the card.
Re pulled his ID out—that shocked me nearly as much as the purchase—and handed it to Jennifer.
“I'll send someone to pick them up,” he said.
“You don't even want them delivered?” She asked gleefully. “I think I love you.”
“Well, of course, you do,” he said.
Chapter Twenty-Seven
“You are the most obnoxious, arrogant asshole,” I said to Re.
We had left the show early since I wasn't needed to work the crowd. The paintings were left up for everyone to enjoy, and the booze continued to flow, but little tags were placed discreetly beneath each painting to show that they'd been sold.
Re had asked me to take him someplace private where we could trace, and I'd showed him into the storeroom. I was nervous; my mother had warned me that tracing was dangerous and was a talent lost to history. But when Re tucked me in against his chest, I felt safe. He held me tightly as a shivering magic pulled us into the Aether. I felt my body fade until I was just energy—pure thoughts—surging through the place in between realms. Then we had reformed inside an Egyptian palace.
“Why am I an asshole?” Re gaped at me as I stepped away from him.
I stared around the magnificent home—at all the décor that looked authentically Egyptian—and then back at him. I put my hands on my hips and glared.
“This is your home, isn't it?” I said in accusation.
“Yes,” he admitted readily. “What's wrong with it?”
“Nothing's wrong with it,” I growled. “The fact that you brought me here after just meeting me this evening is what's wrong. Do you think I'm going to have sex with you?”
“Aren't you?” Re blinked in confusion. “You want to, don't you?”
“I don't have sex with strangers,” I snapped.
“I'm not a stranger; we've met.” He started looking even more confused.
“Women just fall into bed with you, don't they?” I shook my head at him.
“Of course.” He waved a hand down his body. “I'm the Sun God, Re.”
“Ugh!” I threw my hands up in disgust. “This is why you're an asshole. I'm not having sex with you, Re. I take time to really get to know someone before I get naked with them.”
“Why?”
“Because it's more than just pleasure for me,” I said as if I was explaining it to an idiot. “It's an act of love, and I don't love you.”
Something surged through me when I said those words; an uncomfortable shiver that I always felt when I lied. I was a horrible liar and usually didn't bother to even try, but when I did, my body rebelled. I frowned in confusion and when I looked up at Re, I saw a matching expression on his face. Except Re looked more than confused; he looked hurt.
“What in all the realms is happening?” Re whispered.
“A woman was bound to say no to you sometime,” I said to cover my own unease.
“You know that's not what I meant,” Re said as he drew closer to me. “When you said that you don't love me, I got this horrible ache in my chest.” He lifted a hand slowly to my cheek. “Why would that hurt me?”
“And why does it feel like a lie?” I whispered.
We stared at each other in wonder, and then Re's hand slowly shifted back through my hair as he leaned closer. His golden eyes heated but there was also a question in them. His gaze searched mine for the answers he needed, and he seemed to find them. Re's lips brushed mine—the softest of touches—and then he groaned as he yanked me against his chest.
