Page 36 of Hades’ Revenge

“He did.”

“Then I agree.” She laughed. “He must be amazing.”

“He’s kind and fun to be around.”

“Where did you meet him?”

“At a club.” Don’t ask me his name. “I miss him.” I rinsed my mug and put it in the dishwasher. “It was difficult leaving him.”

“Does this mean you…” She motioned with her hand. “You know?”

“Mom!” Heat filled my cheeks. “A little privacy.”

“Oh, come on, we’ve never had any secrets. As a matter of fact, you always made it a point to tell me you’ve never had sex, so I figured when you finally did, you would tell me.”

That was true. We had an open relationship. I could tell her anything. Well, almost anything. I didn’t think telling her I had slept with a man almost twenty-five years older than me would go over so well. And given who he was wasn’t going to earn me any points.

Sebastian and I were doomed before we even got started.

“If you did sleep with this guy, I wouldn’t be upset,” she said.

That’s because you don’t know who he is.

“I wouldn’t have any right to be upset, but you know you can talk to me about it if you need to.”

“I know I can tell you things.”

“As long as you were careful and you thought he was worthy, then I trust your judgment.”

“I wouldn’t have done it if I didn’t think he wasn’t the right guy.” I sat back down. “I thought it was going to be a one-night thing, but then we spent some time together and I realized I wanted to explore more with him.”

“He must have felt the same way.”

“He does.” I looked down at my lap. “But I don’t see how we can. We’re in different countries and I have to finish school. He has responsibilities.”

“He’s not in school?”

“No.”

“I’m glad you had that adventure.” She patted the top of my hand. “It will be a memory you can cherish for years to come. You met a guy in a foreign country and had fun in the sun. That’s pretty cool.”

“What if I’m not ready for it to end?”

“Give it a few days and see if you still feel the same way.” She sipped her coffee. “If it’s meant to be, you’ll find a way, but something tells me this was a fling.”

“I never really considered myself a fling kind of girl.”

That was how I propositioned Sebastian though, wasn’t it? I told him I wanted one night and he agreed. One night wasn’t enough. We both knew it before that night was even over.

“You’re going to be twenty-one next week. You deserved to explore and get it out of your system.”

“Why would I need to get it out of my system?”

“Now that you’re an adult, you have to do adult things,” my mom said.

“Like what?” This conversation had taken a strange turn. “What adult things?”

“You have to finish college and then learn how to run a hotel.” She pushed her mug away. “Your father has big plans for you. Exciting stuff is heading your way.”