"I almost thought you were really awake. He stayed with you until just before dawn. Then he called Hale and asked him to help us keep an eye on you. Hale wasn't supposed to introduce himself, but you probably wounded his ego when you didn't notice him tailing you for three days. He's not used to being overlooked. He even told Devin you'd notice him within the first hour," she giggles out under a whispered breath.
I smile down at Devin's peaceful face, and then I bend to barely kiss him on the forehead.
"No. I haven't noticed another man in that way since the day I met him. I doubt I ever will," I sigh.
"Then why won't you just get back together with him? He's been hell's bitch since you left him."
I slowly remove myself from his sleeping embrace. He stirs slightly and rolls over to face the back of the elongated couch. His feet are propped up on the end, and his head is awkwardly angled. I push a pillow under his head to provide better support before I pull Camara out of the room.
"Because he kept it from me. There's always a reason for someone to hide something, and I need to know what that is before I put myself back in the line of fire. He hasn't offered me anything but excuses. I just want answers," I whisper.
"I know it's easy to forget with all the glittery flare surrounding our world, but he's still just a man. Just because he's immortal doesn't mean he's perfect. He came home with a chip on his shoulder, and he wasn't going to level the playing field by giving you something to be mad about as well. I repeat, he's still a man. He's a good one though, and he loves you," she huffs.
She's right. I've almost forgotten that he might not be mortal, but he's still a man. I shouldn't expect perfection, but then again, this is my biggest fear.
"I've spent years getting broken by men wanting to taste a new flavor of ice cream while I'm still in the cone. I've been here enough to know the risks, and I've never loved anyone the way I do him. It's scary, and I don't know what to do. He's immune to my... charm, so to speak, so I can't force him to tell me what happened," I grumble.
"He already did. He never lied to you about what really happened. He just wasn't as forthcoming as he should have been. Men are stupid that way, and again, he's a man," she says with exasperation.
I laugh a little and stare around to see the setting sun over the open water. We're completely still, and the anchor holds us steady from being carried away by the rising and falling waves.
There's nothing but water surrounding us anymore, and the glistening sun disperses a colorful slideshow against the surface of the salty water.
"I don't know what to do. I wish I could just skip the awkwardness. He's barely looked at me since I've been here. It's possible he's done trying," I whimper.
She looks down at the ground as if she has a burden to share but doesn't know if she should or not.
"He is done trying, isn't he?" I choke out.
"He told Deacon he just wanted you safe, but he wasn't going to try to force you to be with him. Deacon told me how new to love Devin is, and he thinks Devin is a little scared of this being a reoccurring thing. I don't know what he'll say or do, but you never know until you try," she mumbles.
I fucked it up. He's done with me. One second I'm running, and now I'm chasing. How is this even possible?
"What am I supposed to do now?" I gripe as I sit down on the edge of the boat.
"Now, you do what you were born to do. Aphrodite is the founder and CEO of Seduction Enterprises. Use it. Seduce him back to you. He'll never stand a chance," she says smugly with a smirk.
I smile at her devilish plan. "When? We're heading back to the airport soon. I can't exactly seduce him once we're back if he's still not speaking to me."
"We're not heading back to the airport for two more days. We're going to stay here, in the deep blue, with nothing but the sun threatening us," she gleams.
"I thought we hid better among the mortals," I gasp.
"We do, but we don't really have to hide while we're out here. We've got two Poseidon descendents. It would be hard for anyone to match them while sitting in the middle of the ocean," she says with a smirk.
Oh.
"Why don't we just live out here then?" I sigh with exasperation.
She laughs a little. "You'd be sick of living on a rocking boat after a while. Besides, what's eternal life without living?"
"Sounds familiar," I grumble as I think back to my "living versus surviving" speech I shared with Devin.
"Let's go to sleep for now. Tomorrow we'll wake up early, and then it's time to play... hard," she giggles.
I smile as I follow her to an unoccupied room, and she hugs me before she heads off to join Deacon in their shared cabin.
I sigh as I look at the small, lonely room staring at me. Devin's so close, and it's so hard not to return to the room with him.
I grunt in frustration, and then I start pulling off the bikini I've been trapped in for the entirety of the day. I look around for something else to wear, and I pull out one drawer near the bottom.
There are pictures of me shoved in it. Apparently this is where he stashed them all before bringing me onboard.
He's already started removing pictures. That can't be good. What now?
"Adisia, you awake?" a voice blares as my door swings open.
I scream in response as my heart pounds its panicked melody. I jerk to attention and realize my bare chest is exposed.
I squeal again as Hale's eyes stay glued to my chest until I scramble and pull the covers over me.
Suddenly Hale is being slammed against the wall so fast it's all a blur. As my eyes adjust, I see Devin's arm pressed to Hale's throat.
"What the fuck did you do?" Devin blares.
"Nothing," Hale strangles out. "I just came to wake her up."
Shit!
"Devin, he didn't do anything. I'm still just a little jumpy from spending the week alone and looking over my shoulder. Sorry. I didn't mean to scare you," I say with an embarrassed tone.
Devin releases his grip, and Hale rubs his throat.
"Damn, you people know how to make a guy feel welcome," he coughs out.
"Sorry. I thought you had-" Devin's voice trails off as he sees me in my barely draped position, completely naked under the covers.
Hale's eyes grow wider as he catches a peek of my side showing, and Deacon walks in to add to the awkwardness.
"Oh, holy naked sex goddess. What'd I miss?" he chuckles in surprise.
I glower at him as I explain my nude condition.
"I didn't want to sleep in my damp bikini, and I couldn't find anything to wear. It's not like we made a pit stop by my hotel before we came," I snarl.
"You could've asked for a shirt," Devin retorts.
"You could've offered one," I snark back.
He just turns and walks away. Deacon starts walking off too, but Hale slowly starts closing the door while he's still in the room, his devious smirk in place and his eyes fixated on me.
Suddenly the door reopens, and Deacon jerks Hale out by the ear.
"Ow. Ow. Ow," Hale says in quick repetition while being led away.
I laugh a little before plopping down and covering my head with the blanket.
Great way to start the seducing game.
Being naked in a room full of men might sound seductive, but not when it's by mistake. On top of that, Devin and I just shared un-pleasantries.
The door creaks open, and I barely peek out from under the cover as angst rattles over me. I sigh in relief when Camara walks in with a smirk.
"I'm really getting to him now," I say with heavy sarcasm.
She laughs a little, letting me know she just overheard the messy morning wakeup call.
"I'm sorry. I should have given you something of mine to sleep in. I brought you a bathing suit for today though."
"I've got a bathing suit," I mumble.
She shakes her head disapprovingly.
"You can't seduce a man while wearing something he's already gotten used to. He saw y
ou in that all day yesterday," she whispers. "This is hot, different, and you'll look exceptionally delectable in it."
I stare at the skimpy suit, and I'm just grateful the ass of it isn't missing.
"And I thought my bikini was slutty," I gasp.
She laughs a little as she shrugs.
"You don't have to be an Aphrodite to buy an enticing garment. Put it on," she says excitedly.
I chuckle lightly as I stand up and drop the sheet from me. I pull on the tiny, perfectly white suit, and stare at the mirror in disbelief.
The front is attached by a chain and a thin piece of material leading from the low dip under my breasts to the low start of the bottom of the suit. The back is completely out, and it just barely starts covering my rear soon enough.
My breasts are exposed on both sides, leaving only the middles covered by the thin strip of material, and my cleavage is very much on display. A tiny set of strings at the top and the back is all that holds this thing in place.
"Whoa. I feel like I'm supposed to be posing for a dirty magazine right now." I grimace.
She laughs loudly and nods in delight. She then hands me an orange, dress-like cover up that actually does cover me up.
"Leave them wondering what's underneath for a little while. It'll make the big reveal much more... wow, if you know what I mean," she murmurs with her masterminding tone.
I just snicker lightly at all her scheming, and then I pull on the daring, white heels she's brought along as well.
We walk up to the top, and Devin is reading a newspaper, deliberately abstaining from looking toward me as we emerge.
"Good morning again, Adisia," Hale charms.
"Morning, Hale," I force out with a smile, though I intentionally left off the good.
There's a delicious spread of breakfast decorating the large table that has been assembled on the deck. There's also coffee.
Thank goodness.
I pour a cup of the wonderful smelling brew, and then I start searching for the cream.
Devin slides it toward me without moving his eyes out from behind the paper. It's sad that he doesn't see me with his visions or his eyes, but he still knows what I'm doing at this moment.
Perhaps I didn't give our relationship enough credit. Maybe we know each other better than I realized.
"Thanks," I say softly, hoping he'll look at me.
Look at me, damn it.
"No problem," he says gently, but still keeps his face hidden behind the paper - today's paper.
"How did you get a newspaper out here?" I ask in an effort to try to keep him talking.
"Dad went and got several things from town. We move faster in the water than on land," he says very calmly.
Apparently his dad can manipulate the water to fall around him as well. The paper is completely dry.
My mind goes back to the bubble night - the night he first told me he loved me. The night I knew I'd one day be a complete disaster by his hand. I was right, but I was also wrong.
He doesn't make an effort to continue the conversation, and I decide to just eat in silence. Camara gives me a very disappointed gaze, and I just shrug.
"You want to swim?" Hale asks as I finish my last bite.
"Um..." I hesitate as my eyes look over at the still hiding Devin. "Yeah. Let me just get this thing off."
Hale smirks as he stares at my feet.
"Heels? Wow. You really are a sex goddess," he gleams.
I hear the paper crinkle slightly as Devin's hands grip it a little too tightly.
"Yeah. Camara thought they would look good with the bathing suit," I explain.
Again, the paper crinkles, and I smirk slightly as I see Devin starting to squirm uncomfortably.
He slowly lowers the paper, and his eyes become locked with mine. I very deliberately pull the dressy cover-up over my head in a slow, drawn out motion.
When I'm free from its confines, Devin's eyes are still staring at mine. His smoky eyes are swirling, and I stifle the smug grin trying to appear.
"Holy hot bodies," Hale exclaims.
Devin's eyes narrow slightly, and Hale continues his fascination with my swimming attire.
"Well. I think you need to have some fun in the sun," he says provocatively.
It's so obvious it's almost corny. He is the embodiment of the sun after all.
A wave gushes across the deck, and takes Hale overboard as it heads back out to sea.
Everyone chuckles as Hale screams up to the deck, "Not cool, Devin."
Devin smirks menacingly, and gives me a smug look before pulling his paper back up.
Well, I got him to look at me. Now I have to make him unable to look away.
Kry walks over to me with a look noting what I'm attempting to do. He smirks slightly and taunts me for my endeavor.
"So, you planning on swimming in stilettos?" he snarks playfully.
I almost want to stick my tongue out at him. Devin snickers lightly behind the paper, and I hope it isn't because he realizes what I'm up to as well.
I admit, the heels are overkill.
I quickly kick free from them and walk over to the edge of the boat. Everyone is splashing, laughing, and having a good time. Devin's the only old man reading the paper.
I smile as I step off the edge and splash into the cool, sensationally refreshing water below. The turquoise sea laps around me and coaxes the worry from my mind.
Deacon climbs back on board, and I can see Devin relinquish the thoroughly-read paper as they speak in whispers.
"Stop staring. It'll make it obvious," Camara scolds. "You're supposed to be seducing him, not the other way around."
I puff slightly as Devin continues to look anywhere but at me. I swim back over to the boat, and the water trickles down my body as I reach the top.
I stand in front of Devin and Deacon's mouth drops open as the water slides against my skin. My hair is saturated by the ocean's scent, and my body is almost calling to his.
"Do you have any towels?" I ask with a subtle reason for speaking to him.
"Yes," he says vaguely as he stares into my eyes.
"Okay... um... Where?" I ask with a sweet smile invading my lips.
"I've got some over here," Hale chirps as he climbs back onboard.
Devin frowns slightly, but I asked for a towel.
Stupid interfering sun.
"Thanks," I mumble insincerely.
"You look so fucking hot in that bathing suit," Hale asserts bluntly.
I blush slightly under his admiring gaze, secretly hoping Devin feels the same way.
"I know. I'm going to have to let her keep it because it doesn't look like that on me," Camara says with a wink.
I stifle a laugh. She's attempting to draw Devin out of his shell by doting on me.
"You had that and didn't wear it for me?" Deacon gripes.
"Yes, well, like I said, it doesn't look like that on me. Now roll your tongue back into your mouth, please," she says with a mocking tone.
I laugh lightly, but Devin seems unaffected by the scene. I frown a little before Hale speaks to me again.
"Your scent is so... I don't even know how to explain it. It so... surreal," he murmurs with an exaggerated enamored tone.
Devin squirms uncomfortably. I'm just confused. It's not the first time someone has mentioned my scent. Camara and Deacon both share an amused smiling glance - adding to my confusion.
"What scent?" I scoff.
"It's intoxicating," Hale says while his eyes lock with mine.
I quickly detach from the eye contact. Devin squirms more, and Camara answers.
"The goddess has been denied for quite some time, if you know what I mean. You have a strong, heavenly, divine pull, and it's almost impossible to ignore. It has been masked by fear for the past few days, and I'm sure before then as well. Now that you feel safe, all you can smell is an aerial aphrodisiac. It did the same thing when Devin was gone for a week. I blame that scent for making me crazy enough to give Deacon
another chance."
Deacon raises his arms in disbelief. "Hey," he yelps in a defensive tone.
Camara laughs a little as she walks over to kiss him with reassurance she's not going anywhere.
"I've never smelled anything so alluring," Hale says as his eyes spark.
I'm sure his sex god side is sort of overheating his normal state of mind. He takes a step toward me, and I take a step back. Another wave surges over the boat, and once again, Hale is carried away.
"This is starting to get old," he gripes from the water below.
I turn to see Devin's eyes staring into mine, and I decide to let the wind drag this scent to him. Perhaps it'll have the same effect on him as it did on Hale. He takes a deep breath and tightens his lips as our eyes stay locked.
"I need to get off this boat for a while," he whispers to Deacon, and I don't think I was meant to hear it.
He slowly walks toward me, and his breath hitches as he nears. I'm almost certain he's about to take me, but he continues by me to the edge of the boat. He dives in, and I finally release my trapped breath.
I slump down in a chair and pour me some more coffee as I work on a new plan of attack. Kry sits down across from me and shakes the excess water from his hair - his faux-hawk smoothed down into a normal shag, due to the ocean.
"I need to douse you in my cologne or something. That is potent, and it's going to drive everyone here crazy," he rattles.
I frown as I stare at Devin who is so far out in the sea he barely looks like a speck even with my heightened sight.
"Not everyone," I pout.
"Are you trying to get his attention, or is Aphrodite? I'm not sure he understands what your motives are. You went from ice cold to fire hot. You can see how a guy would be confused. Aphrodite was always known to be so capricious, but you're usually not."
"He knows it's me," I grumble. "He just doesn't care."
Kry sits back and bites into an apple as Devin swims out farther - to the point of disappearing completely. He is faster in the water, much faster.
"I don't think he does know. It wouldn't hurt to clue him in," he murmurs.
He stands up and pats me on the shoulder as he tosses the apple back down on the table.
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