A Touch of Greek

by Tina Folsom

  Chapter Twelve

  Triton looked around the room Sophia had led him to. It was a comfortably appointed place, though neither as spacious nor as opulent as he was used to. His parents’ house in the ocean, where he normally lived had a lot more to offer in terms of luxuries.

  So far, he’d not had any desire to move out. His mother, Amphitrite, was the sweetest woman in the sea and had an insatiable capacity for forgiveness. Not even when he’d been a rambunctious youth had she ever spanked him. Now his father was an entirely different person: as grouchy as Hades and without any finesse. But he was always fair. Whenever Triton and his half-brother Orion got into a fight, Poseidon would keep out of it and remain impartial.

  “Triton?” The call of Sophia’s hesitating voice was as irresistible as that of a siren and pulled him out of his reverie.

  “Yes?” he answered, stepping into the hallway.

  She stood in the doorway to her room, still dressed in her bathrobe.

  “Would you help me find a suitable dress? I need to look professional this morning.”

  He took the few steps to cross the distance between them, eager to be close to her. “Of course, that’s what I’m here for, right?”

  Triton had no idea what a healthcare worker did, but surely it wouldn’t mean that he’d actually help her get dressed? He’d have no objections to that whatsoever, but no man was that lucky, not even a god. Though the thought did make him salivate. He could imagine how he’d peel her out of that hideous bathrobe before he’d feast his eyes on her body. Then one by one he’d cover her body with sexy undergarments, then an even sexier dress, something that showed off her curves so he could enjoy the view the entire day. Triton swallowed away the lust percolating up from his groin.

  He followed her into her bedroom, which was similar to his own. The small closet she stopped in front of was crammed full of clothes. No wonder Sophia needed help. Even a seeing person would have trouble finding something in there.

  “I’m looking for my navy blue shift dress.”

  “Well, let’s see.” Triton rummaged through the rail, hunting for whatever a shift dress was. He pulled out a dark blue dress and gave it a critical look. She wanted to wear that drab rag? Not if he could help it.

  With a sigh, he hung it into the deepest corner of the closet, hoping she’d never find it again. “Sorry, don’t see any navy blue dress. Let me find you something else.”

  “Oh, no,” she complained from behind him, “but I need to see the bank manager. I need something conservative. I have to ask him to extend my loan.”

  Triton grinned. If she was trying to entice a man for a favor, he had just the thing for that. He pulled out a soft flowing summer dress, a mixture of soft blues and greens, reminding him of the ocean. The thin material would caress her curves and make her look like a nymph. No man would be able to resist her.

  No man?

  No, that wasn’t going to work. What if the bank manager extended more than just the loan? No way would he allow another man to look at her like that. Triton dismissed the knot in his stomach and wrote it off to the fact that he’d skipped breakfast. There was no way he was jealous of the bank manager, but by Olympus, he wouldn’t tempt fate.

  Triton’s hand reached to the back of the closet. The navy blue shift dress would be just perfect. But as soon as they were back at the house, he’d make her change into something more flattering. Maybe not immediately, but as soon as all the construction workers had left the house.

  “Oh, look at that. I found the navy blue one after all,” he announced and stepped out of the closet, the hanger with the dress in his hand.

  Sophia reached for it. “Thanks so much. You’re a life saver.”

  He handed her the garment. “I’ll let you get changed then.”

  A faint blush stole over her cheeks. It made her look like a young girl.

  ***

  Sophia heard Triton’s feet on the wooden floor as he turned to leave. At the hospital, she’d had several male nurses who’d helped her dress, particularly right after her operation when she’d felt entirely disoriented. While she was much better now, she still had trouble with certain items of clothing, and this dress was one of those items.

  If she’d try to put this dress over her head by herself, the shoulder straps that crossed in the back would get tangled up, and she’d never get ready in time. Even with clear vision she’d always had trouble adjusting the straps correctly.

  Surely as a healthcare worker, Triton performed the same duties as a nurse would. The fact that she was a little self-conscious around him shouldn’t stop her from asking for his help.

  “Triton.” She stopped him before he was through the door. “I’m sorry but I think I do need some help. The dress is not easy to put on without tangling it all up. Would you mind?”

  A second later, he stood in front of her and took the dress back.

  With shaking hands, she undid the belt of her bathrobe and slipped the robe off her shoulders. A harsh breathing sound came from Triton before he took the robe from her. Had she asked him something he wasn’t comfortable with?

  “You don’t mind, do you?”

  “No, no. Of course not. It’s my job, right?”

  She was glad she had chosen a camisole this morning, rather than a regular bra. The camisole had a sewn-in bra but covered much more of her naked flesh than a bra alone would have. It even reached half-way over her bikini panties. Remembering that she wore much less on the beach each summer, she tried to shake off the awkward feeling of exposure.

  There was a ruffling of fabric before she felt Triton’s hands on her. “Stretch up your arms,” he instructed her and simultaneously ran his hands up her arms as she did so.

  Electric tingles shot through her, making her skin burn wherever he touched her. She felt him move closer as he lifted the dress over her head and slid it down her torso. There was tugging and tweaking. His hands smoothed the fabric over her stomach and her hips and pulled the seams straight. When Triton’s finger accidentally touched her inner thigh as he did so, Sophia sucked in a sharp breath. It had been far too long since a man had touched her so intimately. Apparently, any completely innocent touch could set her off panting like a bitch in heat. She really had to reign in her imagination.

  He’s a healthcare worker. It means nothing.

  Easier said than done. A moment later, she felt his hands at her side, where the zipper was still open. Resting his palm on her hip, he pulled the zipper up, then smoothed over it with his hand.

  “Perfect.” His voice sounded hoarse.

  “You’ll have to straighten out the straps in the back and then hook them in place with the little buttons,” she told him.

  “Sure,” he answered dutifully and moved behind her.

  Triton’s hands untangled the straps. Then his fingertips grazed the sensitive skin on her nape as he fingered one of the buttons trying to close it.

  “It’s a little slippery, sorry, this might take a while.”

  “I know. I always have problems with that button myself. They made the hole too small I think.” She felt nervousness creep back into her the longer she felt his fingers on her neck. But she dared not shift. If she did, he would take even longer, and she wasn’t sure how long she would be able to stand his touch before she’d start to moan out her pleasure. All she could do was clench her teeth and bear it.

  “Is everything okay?” he asked.

  Sophia felt lightheaded, but she had to make sure he didn’t notice. “My shoes, I, uh, I need to find my blue heels.”

  He put his hand on her forearm. “Let me look.”

  When he severed the connection to her body, she felt her heartbeat return to near normal. In a few seconds, she’d be okay again. It was only temporary, no problem, she coached herself.

  It was perfectly normal to have a physical reaction to another person, and she knew many patients felt an attachment to their doctors and nurses. This wasn’t any different. In a few days the ne
wness of being near him would vanish, and she would feel nothing when he touched her in the course of his work.

  “Found ‘em,” came his voice from the closet.

  A few seconds later, he was kneeling at her feet, his warm palm around her ankle. “Don’t lose your balance. You’d better put your hands on my shoulders.”

  It was easy to obey his command. His hard muscles bunched under her grip, and the heat that had almost subsided in her body flared up again the instant she settled her hands on his shoulders. Either his healthcare work was physically taxing or he worked out regularly. No normal man had muscles like he did: toned and strong.

  Triton led her foot into the shoe and let go of her ankle before he touched the other one. His motions were even. Everything in his action suggested that this was routine for him. She was just another routine job.

  Sophia gave an almost unperceivable sigh when he rose to his feet in front of her, his scent instantly engulfing her. There was something so familiar about the way he smelled, something that made her want to slow-dance. She cleared her throat to get her emotions under control again. There was no use in losing it like this. This man was her employee, nothing more, nothing less.

  “Good. What time is it?” she asked in her most employer-like voice.

  Chapter Thirteen

  “You want me to drive?” Triton asked, shock pulsing through his system as Sophia steered him toward the driveway rather than the sidewalk in front of the house where he’d planned to hail a cab. He hadn’t thought of this. Frankly, at the moment he wasn’t capable of any coherent thought, let alone how to explain to Sophia that he didn’t know how to drive a car.

  What Triton needed was a shower, a real cold one, together with a dose of advice on how to handle Sophia. On the one hand, she was cautious, just the way it could be expected in her interactions with a stranger, yet while he’d dressed her he’d seen glimpses of unbridled passion in her.

  He hadn’t expected her to call him back to help her dress. When she’d finally dropped the robe without ceremony, he’d had to bite his own lip so the pain would distract him from his raging hard-on. In that instant, he’d thanked the gods that she was virtually blind for he was sure he couldn’t have hidden the lust in his gaze nor the massive bulge in his pants.

  Just like he couldn’t hide his panic now.

  The entire ruse would be uncovered now. She’d never believe that as a home healthcare worker he couldn’t drive when this was surely one of the requirements for the job. He had to come up with an excuse, and quick, before suspicion settled into her and he’d have yet another obstacle to overcome.

  All Triton had ever driven was a chariot. He was also an expert sailor, but a car? Where would he have learned how to drive a car? He knew in theory how a car worked, knew there were gears, a brake and a gas pedal, but how to actually operate one, he’d never tried. He didn’t understand mortal men’s fascination with cars. Now, a fast boat, that was something else entirely.

  Whenever Triton needed transportation on dry land he’d either teleported right to where he’d needed to be—which was now impossible, since Zeus had stripped him of his godly powers—or hired transportation.

  On occasion, he’d borrowed Hermes’ winged sandals. Not that Hermes had called it borrowing, even though Triton had never had any intention of keeping those frilly things. They were unbecoming to a man, and how a grown god like Hermes could wear them day after day without flushing crimson in embarrassment was a mystery to him.

  “You do drive, right?” Sophia asked, sounding almost as panicked as he was.

  Male pride dictated his answer. “Of course, I drive. I just—” His mind raced. “—just forgot my driver’s license upstairs in my room.” Great, this bought him a few minutes. “Why don’t you wait in the car for me?” He opened the passenger door of the beat up truck parked in the wide driveway.

  She shook her head. “That’s not my car.” Her hand pointed to the back toward the garage. “That’s my car.”

  Triton’s gaze locked onto the little red sports car parked under a protective canopy. He swallowed. “The red convertible?”

  A wicked smile curved around her lips. “I like fast cars.”

  Triton liked a fast chariot himself and an even faster woman. He whistled full of appreciation and helped her into the passenger seat of the sleek automobile. “I’ll be right back.”

  With speedy steps, he ran back into the house. As soon as he was inside, and certain nobody was around, he called out, “Hermes, I need you. Get your butt down here.”

  He caught a movement to his right and turned just in time to see the messenger of the gods slide down the banister and land squarely on his two feet, complete with winged sandals.

  Nonchalantly Hermes leaned against the wood paneling in the hallway and crossed his arms in front of his chest. “You could learn to be a little bit more polite when you call for me, especially considering that I’m a god and you’re not.”

  Triton balled his hands into fists, ready to deck his insolent friend. “I am a god!” Nothing would ever change that.

  “Not right now, you’re not. Granted, you’re still immortal, but without your powers—”

  Triton had his friend by the throat, lifting him up in the air so fast, Hermes had no time to evade him. “I might not have my powers, but guess what? I don’t need them to trash your sorry ass.” Nobody had the right to attack his currently fragile ego, much less make fun of him. He needed no reminder of what Zeus had done to him.

  His arms up in surrender, Hermes broke out in laughter. “Dionysus said you were a little testy right now, but boy, was that an understatement.”

  Triton only grunted. His friend was right, he was a little on edge, but wasn’t that to be expected? His whole future depended upon how he fared with Sophia, and being reminded that he didn’t have his godly powers to help things along, was just like offering a shiny new toy to a kid and then locking the store.

  “Do you mind?” Hermes asked, gesturing to be let down. “Since you called me, I suppose you want something. I find I’m less motivated when threatened.”

  Triton released him.

  Hermes floated back onto his two feet, the winged sandals providing a soft landing and rearranged his tunic. “Looks like your mood rises and falls in direct proportion to your—”

  “Say it, and you won’t be able to raise a finger for a week, let alone a more prominent digit of your body,” Triton warned.

  “Stop transferring your anger onto me. We both know, who you’re really pissed at.” Hermes mimicked shooting an arrow into thin air, grinning.

  Triton was in no mood to think about Eros. He was still seething about the love god’s terrible advice. “I’ll handle that jerk when it’s time. But right now, I need your sandals.”

  “No. Not going to happen.” His friend’s refusal was no surprise. “You have no idea how to use them.”

  “You know I do, so hand them over.” He stretched out his open palm.

  “What’s in it for me?”

  Always one to make a trade, Hermes would eventually come round. Now all Triton had to give him was something good enough in exchange.

  “What do you want?” It was better to let his friend make a few suggestions before he’d make one of his own. There was no need in overpaying for this favor.

  “A blank IOU.”

  Triton instantly shook his head. “It’ll be a cold day in Hades when I issue a blank IOU. I’m not desperate enough for that.”

  “I think you are. By the way, I had a look at the woman you’re working on right now. Nice piece of ass. Firm tits even without a bra—was quite a sight when she stepped out of the shower this morning.”

  Before Triton knew what he was doing, his fist connected with Hermes’ face, snapping it backwards. “You asshole, you spied on her?”

  The god held his bloody nose. “Hey! Since when is looking an offense?”

  “You don’t look at her, do you understand me?” Triton hissed.
His heart was pounding as his hand continued clenching and unclenching. How dare Hermes look at her naked? Nobody was allowed to look at her, but—

  Triton stopped his thoughts in its tracks. Seeing Sophia in her undergarments this morning had been arousing enough. The thought that Hermes had seen her without a stitch of clothing was unacceptable. He wouldn’t allow this to happen again. From now on, he’d be around her constantly. Would he be able to sense a god who had cloaked himself from human eyes? Normally yes, but without his godly powers, Triton wasn’t sure he could. This put him at a disadvantage. Nevertheless, he had to protect Sophia from prying eyes.

  “I think you’d better leave,” he advised Hermes in a calm voice, “before I forget that we’re friends.”

  “You’ve turned into such a spoil-sport,” Hermes complained, and in a puff he was gone.

  “This is not a game,” Triton mumbled under his breath.

  He would just have to wing it; otherwise his cover would be blown. How hard could it be to drive a car? Maybe it wasn’t all that different from a boat.

  ***

  Sophia enjoyed the rays of the sun on her face while she waited for Triton to return. It was nice not to be confined to a hospital room anymore. When she heard the footsteps on the gravel, she knew Triton was back. Her heart instantly beat faster, and she took a few extra breaths to calm herself. It was completely ridiculous how she reacted to him.

  “Sorry it took so long,” he apologized and got into the driver’s seat.

  “Did you find your license?” she asked to make conversation.

  “Sure. So, let’s, uh, start this baby up.”

  Sophia gave a soft chuckle. He was just like any other man when it came to sports cars. A moment later, her breath caught in her throat when she felt his hand on hers. Was he making a pass at her?

  “The key?” he asked, his body leaning to her side.

  “Oh, sure, yes, of course.” Sophia pulled her hand out from underneath his and fumbled in her handbag. Her hand shook with the aftereffects of her incorrect assumption. Why would she be thinking that he’d be making a pass at her? Like she was some great catch right now. No man would want to saddle himself with her, not in her current state.