Chapter Seven
“Stop it!” I hissed at myself and dropped my gaze back to my computer.
It had been a week since my incredible night with Rune Demos, but I still looked up every time someone came into the gallery. He didn't have my phone number, so the only way for him to contact me would be to walk in. He didn't walk in. Rune was a Hound of Hades. He had better things to do than pine for me.
“And it was just one night!” I growled to myself.
The sound of the door came again, but I didn't look up. Not at first. I listened to Elaine greet the customer and when the response came in a low, masculine tone, I looked up. Not Rune. I sighed and went back to work.
“Focus,” I muttered.
I was proud of myself when I finally managed to get some work done and stop looking for Rune. Artists needed to be paid as well as employees, tax forms submitted to my accountant, and submissions reviewed. A lot to do.
Isn't it always when you stop looking that you find what you were after?
“Lora,” Rune said.
I let out a small yip and bounced in my seat.
“Sorry. I didn't mean to startle you.” Rune came out of his lean and chuckled. “I've been standing here for two minutes, waiting for you to notice me.”
“Oh.” I smoothed my hair. “Hi.”
“Hi.” He came into the office and shut the door. “I know we agreed to not see each other.”
“That was your decision, Rune.”
“Yeah.” Rune sighed and leaned his hip against my desk. “It's the right one.”
I just stared at him. I couldn't believe he was standing there. Two inches away. And he looked glorious. It was a hot day in Seattle. He had a band shirt on—the Stones—and his jeans were faded and loose. Casual. Only hints of the body beneath. But I knew that body, and I envisioned it. In my bed.
“Unfortunately,” Rune drawled, “I'm not the kind of person who does the right thing all the time.”
“No one is,” I murmured and stood up. “Not even the Gods.”
My standing brought us even closer for a moment, but then I moved past him to fetch my purse from the counter beside the window. I opened the door and looked back over my shoulder to find him frowning at me.
“Well?” I asked. “Are we going out for ice cream or what?”
Rune burst out laughing. When his laughter faded into a grin, he straightened and strode over to me. “First, I need a taste of something sweeter.”
Rune pulled me into an embrace. My purse fell to the floor. Gucci. Just sitting on the damn floor. I didn't care. Staring into his eyes, I didn't care about anything but Rune. Those dark green irises were so beautiful, but it was the inner rings of peridot that made them extraordinary. Made by a god. The deadliest, naughtiest god, rumored to have abducted his own wife. If he looked anything like Rune, that myth had to be false. Even a goddess would fall for a man like this.
Then Rune's lips, those perfect lips that were neither too full nor too thin, met mine, and every minute of our night together came back to me. Not like they had far to go. Those memories had been hovering around my mind like a damn flock of birds—those birds you see in cartoons when someone gets knocked out. That's what Rune did to me. Haunted me with cartoon birds. Yup, I was going crazy.
But the birds vanished as his strong hands pulled me closer. That bright, bubbling feeling returned, this time with more depth to it. I wasn't just excited, I was also relieved. I felt as if I'd been rescued from monotony. From the drag of eternity. Odd, since I'd never seen eternity as a drag. Without Rune, though . . .
No. This wasn't good. I was losing myself to him worse than I had with Hermes. When Hermes left me behind—the first time he went wandering without me, it destroyed me. I stayed in bed for days, wondering what he was doing and why he wanted to do it without me. It was obvious it wasn't a what, but a who. Hermes had finally gotten bored with me and was looking for someone new. But I wouldn't accept that until he came back and told me.
Oh, and he had.
I pulled away from Rune, the memory of that cruel, casual conversation rising between us. Hermes acted as if he was being generous, allowing me to move on. Giving me the chance to take other lovers. Oh, but he couldn't let me go. Not his favorite girl. He just wanted to put me down for a little while and play with other toys. He'd be back when he got tired of them. And Hermes always got tired of his toys.
Rune would get tired too.
Why hadn't I considered that? An immortal lover tied to the Gods had sounded great. I could be myself and not keep secrets from him. I never had to worry about him finding out about Hermes or discovering why I didn't age. I could be with him forever. He would never die.
Never is a long time.
Eternity made men restless. It weakened vows and faded feelings. All feelings. I got over being hurt by Hermes. My love for him dulled. But that only happened after he destroyed my heart. I couldn't go through that again.
“What is it?” Rune asked.
“Are you sure you want to risk another date with me?” I asked.
His stare dropped to my lips, and just like that, my worry vanished. I didn't care about the future or my heart. It was pounding too fast to get hurt.
Rune's whole body screamed desire, so it was especially shocking when he said, “As if you're so great? Please. I was just bored.”
I gaped at him until he burst out laughing.
“You asshole!” I smacked his chest.
“The look on your face!” Rune shook his head. “Lora, seriously? You do know you're fucking incredible, right?”
I took a shaky breath. “You're not chopped liver either.”
He grinned broadly, all teeth and glinting eyes. “Thank you. Now, how about that ice cream?”