by Tina Folsom
“Don’t wait for it. It’ll be a waste of your precious time.”
Hermes smirked again. “I hope you like your words, because you’re going to eat them one day.”
“Enough of that. What are we going to do with Eros?”
“We?” Hermes asked. “Considering that you can’t do much at all while you’re earthbound and without any powers, I’m assuming by we you meant me?”
“I thought you didn’t want to anger your father by helping me. Maybe you should be the good son, and just keep out of it.” Triton knew full well that needling Hermes with his not-so-solid father-son relationship, was likely to cultivate rebellion in his friend.
Hermes’ chest puffed up. “Don’t bring Zeus into this. He’s got nothing to do with the decisions I make.”
“I’m glad to hear that. I’d hate to find out that you’ve become one of his puppets. It’s bad enough that Orion sucks up to him.” Triton suppressed his grin.
“Well, your brother is a wimp. But I make my own decisions.”
“Of course, you do. Even if that means defying Zeus at times," Triton agreed, with a trace of mockery.
“That’s right, and Zeus can’t tell me what to do. Not anymore,” Hermes snapped.
Triton couldn’t suppress his grin. He knew exactly how to push Hermes’ buttons. “I was just saying. You don’t have to help me if that means Zeus is going to punish you.”
Hermes took two steps toward Triton, facing off with him. “I said, Zeus can shove it. I help my friends when they need me, whether that’ll get me into hot water or not. I’m no coward.”
“Never thought you were,” Triton answered. Good, he’d brought his friend onto his side. Now all they needed to do was figure out what Eros and Orion were up to.
Chapter Nineteen
For the next three days, Sophia was immersed in a flurry of activities. First the new cups and plates were delivered and had to be put away. Then the curtains she’d ordered finally came in. With Triton’s help, she figured out which set belonged to which room. But instead of being able to put them up immediately, she had to get Greg to add additional, stronger curtain rods for the heavier drapes.
After the almost-kiss between Triton and her, Sophia avoided being alone with him as much as she could. While he still helped her pick out clothes from her disorganized and cramped closet, she now insisted on getting dressed herself. Feeling his hands on her was too much of a temptation for her starved sexual needs.
Triton seemed to appreciate the fact that she wasn’t clinging to him like a needy puppy. Sophia was grateful for all the work he did. He’d gone food shopping for her and brought her all her favorite foods. Every day he cooked for her but hadn’t even once fed her with his fingers again. Obviously he’d learned his lesson that she couldn’t be trusted and would lick his fingers as soon as they came anywhere near her mouth.
When she was around him, her heartbeat instantly doubled, her hands became sweaty, and her breathing uneven. And when she inhaled his scent, she succumbed to the lust that had started boiling within her. And she would excuse herself and lock herself in the bathroom to touch herself the way she wanted Triton to touch her.
So she’d trained herself to only take shallow breaths when she was around him, hoping it would ease the urges she felt. Sure, she’d always had a relatively healthy appetite for sex, but what was happening to her right now bordered on the ridiculous. How could a man turn her on merely with his scent and an occasional accidental touch? She felt like a live wire ready to ignite at a moment’s notice.
If she wasn’t careful she’d do something stupid, and Triton would quit his job. She couldn’t risk it. She needed a healthcare worker more urgently than she needed a lover—at least during the day. At night it was a whole other matter. Knowing that he slept only a few feet away from her, just separated by a thin wall, didn’t induce sleepiness. Rather, it made her toss and turn all night until she would finally fall asleep from exhaustion.
Speaking of exhaustion, Sophia felt tired. After sorting through the curtains and then making phone calls to vendors and guests, who were expected in less than two weeks, she felt the loss of sleep in her bones.
She sat up straight in her chair and tried to relax. The workers were starting to pack up for the day. From the dining room next door, she heard Greg talk on the phone.
“Don’t worry, honey, we’ll make it work somehow.” His voice sounded concerned despite the positive message. “If you can’t find another job, I’ll try to pick up more work.” There was a pause, and Sophia found herself listening intently. It wasn’t like her to listen in on other people’s private conversations, but something compelled her.
“Don’t cry, honey, I’ll figure out a way to pay the bills.”
Sophia sighed. The economy wasn’t doing great, and many people had lost their jobs over the last year, but when it happened to somebody you knew, it was always more difficult to accept. She knew Greg wasn’t making a hell lot of money working on this job, and to know that his wife had lost her job made Sophia’s heart sink. It wasn’t fair that bad things happened to good people.
“You look tired,” Triton’s voice interrupted her thoughts.
Sophia’s heart stopped. She hadn’t heard him enter. She wondered what a man with this voice would look like—with this smooth voice of his that came with an underlying soft rumble, deep and husky. No man should be allowed to sound like that—so darn sexy.
“It’s been a busy day,” she admitted and rose.
“What do you normally do to relax after a day like that?”
“I would probably read, but I’m afraid that’s not possible right now. I started a good book just before the accident, but I haven’t had a chance to get back to it.” Sophia missed the escape that reading provided her with, to delve into another world and let herself be carried away. “Maybe I should get a book on tape instead.”
“Or maybe somebody should read to you,” Triton mused.
His words conjured up memories of Eleni sitting at her bed, reading a good-night story to her.
“Where is that book you started?” Triton asked.
“In my bedroom, on the nightstand, why?”
“Because I want to read to you before dinner.”
In a flash, he was gone.
***
Triton congratulated himself on his brilliant idea. He would help her relax and get to spend time alone with her. What would be the most appropriate place to do this? He needed a romantic place that didn’t remind her of the work that still needed to be done in the house. A place that was comfortable so she would eventually curl up to him. A two-seater sofa, so she had to sit close to him, and he could touch her without being too obvious.
Determined to make this work for him, he led Sophia onto the terrace a few minutes later. He guided her to the love seat and sat right next to her. There wasn’t an inch to spare between them—perfect. Already the sun was setting, but the light coming from a small wall lamp behind Triton was sufficient for him to read.
“Comfortable?”
“Yes, thanks,” she answered.
Triton opened the book to the marked page. “Chapter Seven,” he began.
The breeze from the ocean cooled the hot summer air and made the atmosphere on the terrace perfect. Triton barely took any notice of what he was reading. Instead, he concentrated on the feel of her body brushing up against his, her thigh ever so often pressing against his when she shifted in her seat.
Sophia smelled of the shampoo she used for her hair, and Triton edged closer as he pretended to shift to a more comfortable position. And it definitely got more comfortable for him, the closer he was to her, the more contact his body had with hers.
After reading three chapters, he noticed that she’d stopped moving and that her breathing had become more rhythmic than before.
“Sophia?” he whispered, but no answer came. She’d fallen asleep.
Triton set the book aside and turned toward her. Her head fell ag
ainst his shoulder. As gently as he could without waking her, he lifted her into his lap, laid her head against his chest, and held her.
A low sigh came from her throat, but she didn’t open her eyes.
He loved her warmth seeping into his body, her lush curves cushioning his hard muscles, and her breath washing through his shirt against his skin. Triton was surprised at how tender he felt toward her. All he’d ever wanted from a woman before was a good time in bed. But holding Sophia the way he did, he wanted more than that. More than just a roll in the hay. He wanted those red lips to tell him she loved him and mean it.
He tried to convince himself that what he wanted from her was natural, given his objective, but his heart called him a liar. Maybe she tempted him like this because he was stripped of his superior godly powers and therefore susceptible to her earthly charms just like any man was. That had to be the case. It was perfectly normal.
Triton shifted her in his arms so her head lay on his bicep. With his other hand, he stroked along her jaw line, feeling a tingling sensation as his fingers connected with her soft skin. There was a soft sound coming from her as she parted her lips lightly.
It was too much for him to resist. With more gentleness than he’d ever known, Triton brushed his lips against hers for a feather-light touch, then a nibble, which he extended with a gentle lick of his tongue against her lips. Oh Gods, she tasted sweet.
“Sophia,” he whispered against her lips. “Agapi mou.”
Suddenly her lips moved underneath his, not to pull away, but to come closer. He couldn’t let this opportunity pass him by and captured more of her, pressing his lips against hers with more intent. A moment later, he felt her lips part wider and her breath rush into his mouth. It was like a firestorm igniting him.
With a triumphant growl, he swept his tongue into her mouth and explored her. He felt a tentative stroke of her tongue against his a moment later and welcomed the bolt of heat her action sent through him. Sophia was kissing him back!
Triton pulled her closer to his chest and angled his head for a more intimate connection as he continued to delve into the delicious cavern of her mouth, stroking, sucking, ravishing. Her soft moans spurned him on. She wiggled in his lap, rubbing against his growing erection. The tightness in his jeans increased with every second of her innocent movements.
When a loud groan dislodged from his throat, he felt her push against his chest. He released her lips to give her and himself occasion to breathe.
“Sophia,” he whispered and planted small kisses on the corner of her mouth.
“Triton?” she asked, her voice sounding dazed as if she was only just waking up.
“Yes, agapi mou.”
She pushed away further, holding her face a couple of inches away from his. “No, we have to stop. We can’t—”
“Shh, kiss me like you did before,” Triton demanded, mumbling against her mouth.
“Triton, we have to stop. It’s not right. The agency—”
He stopped her protest with a lick against her lips. “—doesn’t care what we’re doing. I won’t tell them.”
“But, I’m your boss. You’re not supposed to—”
“Supposed to what?” he asked. “Like you? Be attracted to you?” He brushed his lips against her mouth eliciting a soft moan. He knew she didn’t want to stop and neither did he.
“This is not what I hired you for,” she objected.
“Then change my job description.” He nibbled on her lower lip and sucked it into his mouth. “You’re the boss, you can make me do anything you want. You have me in the palm of your hand.”
Even as he said what was meant to be a lie, Triton realized how much truth lay in his statement. If she demanded anything from him right now, short of releasing her from his embrace, he would do it. Never had he felt this captivated by a woman.
“But Triton—”
“I want to meet all your needs, day and night. Sophia, I want you.”
Her breath rushed out of her mouth and ghosted over his face. “We shouldn’t—”
He didn’t know what she wanted to say, because he didn’t give her another chance to speak. When he took her lips again, she put up no resistance. Instead, her lips fitted perfectly to his, and her tongue slipped into his mouth to dance with him. By the gods, the woman kissed like a goddess. No—better, much better.
Whatever her concerns had been, none of them were evident in her actions now. Her kiss was pure passion and wanton response to his demands. Triton buried his hand in her soft tresses and held her close, kissing her with a desire no woman had ever elicited from him.
Twenty
Sophia allowed herself to be swept away by Triton’s kiss. Tomorrow, she could deal with the problems this caused. But for now, all she could do was respond to him. Her body had given up all resistance. Nobody had ever kissed her with such tenderness, yet such passion at the same time.
The way his tongue forged into her, stroked against her, the way his lips captured her mouth, it melted her, melted her insides and soaked her panties. She couldn’t remember ever having been this wet just from a man’s kiss. But what he did to her, the way he held her so tightly, so securely in his muscled arms and pressed her against his strong chest, all she could do was let her body respond.
Sophia felt the heat in her body increase to boiling point. She knew she would explode if she didn’t get release soon. If she could only press her sex against his hard length, she would come. And she knew how hard he was—his erection pressed unmistakably against her hip. Had she done this to him by kissing him back?
Who was this man? Why did she respond to him in such a passionate way when she knew nothing about him? Hell, she didn’t even know what he looked like. And then panic struck her: what if he was ugly? What if he romanced blind women because it was the only way he could get laid?
Don’t go there, she warned herself. It wasn’t fair to think like that. It was shallow, and it was bitchy. Would it really matter what he looked like as long as he continued making her feel this good?
And she felt more than good in his arms. She felt desired, cherished, wanted.
With renewed determination, Sophia continued the kiss. His deep groan told her that he’d noticed the change in her. His hand stroked down her neck, sending shivers along her skin. As if he knew what he was doing to her, his hand danced past the shivers. She knew where he was heading, and by God, she wanted his hand there, on her breast where her nipple had already turned hard in anticipation of his touch.
She wanted him, needed his touch. Now.
“So that’s what you hired him for!”
Sophia shuddered at the menacing voice penetrating her bliss: Michael. With a start, she pulled free of Triton.
“Oh, he’s from an agency all right, but it sure ain’t healthcare.”
The snide remark cut like a knife into Sophia’s heart. She scrambled to get off Triton’s lap. Luckily, Triton had the good sense to help her and place her right next to him on the sofa.
“I didn’t know you had money for a gigolo, Sophia. But I guess you’re getting desperate,” her cousin droned on.
Before she could reply to Michael, Triton shot out of his seat. “You have no right to talk to Sophia like this. Another word, and I’ll kick your ass,” Triton hissed.
“Yeah, well, I’m not afraid of a sex worker.”
“He’s not a sex worker!” Sophia finally managed to croak.
“What, just making money on the side then?” Michael taunted.
“Stop it, Michael! It’s none of your business what I’m doing.” She’d finally found her voice again. Michael’s opinion of her didn’t matter anymore.
“Do you want me to throw him out?” Triton asked.
“I—”
Michael interrupted, “So you can go back to work on her? What’s your plan? Make her fall for you so you can get at her money? Is that it? That’s what you do, don’t you? You choose a vulnerable woman, romance her, and then milk her for everything
she’s worth.”
Sophia refused to let Michael’s words have any effect on her. “I thought I made it clear to you last time that you’re not welcome here anymore. You’ve exhausted my patience.” It was time to show him that he couldn’t push her around anymore. “If you don’t leave now I’ll get a restraining order against you.”
She couldn’t see Michael’s reaction, but she heard him pull in his breath. There was silence for a few seconds before he responded. “I’m leaving, for now. But maybe you should examine who you can really trust. I’m family. He—” Michael pointed his finger at Triton. “—is a stranger.”
She heard Michael turn on his heels and disappear inside. Moments later, the front door slammed shut.
Sophia was alone—alone with Triton. She swallowed hard. When he sat down next to her and took her hand, she eased it out of his grip. Within a few days she’d gotten attached to him, and what did she really know about him?
“What’s wrong?” he asked, his tone concerned.
She shouldn’t have let herself go like this with him. Starting a relationship with somebody she was dependent upon wasn’t a good idea. Already now, she needed him for so many things in her daily life. She was too vulnerable, and even if Triton meant well, she couldn’t allow herself to become emotionally dependent on him. Not now. And maybe the things she felt weren’t real anyway. With everything she’d been through after the accident, she couldn’t be certain that the attachment she felt to Triton was real or just an aftereffect of her fears and loneliness. She needed time to think about what was happening to her.
“I’m sorry, Triton, I don’t really know you. I don’t know who to trust anymore.”
“You can’t possibly believe what your cousin said.”
“I don’t care about Michael’s opinions. But, this, all this …” Her voice trailed off. She didn’t know how to explain this to him.
Triton stroked her hand. “This feels good. I like being with you.”