Pausing in the doorway, his gaze intensified as he watched her. “You remind me of a painting of Venus I saw once.”
She slowly lowered her arm, joining her hands together and resting them in her lap. Had he just compared her to a goddess? She sent him a sharp look, but saw only reverence on his face. He left the bathroom light on and prowled across the room. With efficient movements, he pulled on his briefs and jeans, leaving the top button undone to reveal a tantalizing glimpse of elastic against his flat stomach.
When he extended his hand to her, she took it. With a slight tug, he helped her rise from the bed. He snugged her tight against his body. As he skated his hands down her flanks, the calloused palms lit sexy friction under her skin. Polly wove her arms around his neck and pressed her mouth to his. He tightened his grip on her hips as he held her close and returned her passion with a fire of his own.
Overhead, the exposed duct work groaned to life when the air conditioning kicked in. A cool breeze hit her bare skin, deliciously at odds with the searing heat of Ian’s chest and lips.
He pulled back and rested his forehead on hers. “Come on. Let’s get dessert and then come back here for a repeat.”
“I’ll meet you in the kitchen in two minutes.”
Chapter 10
Ian pulled the bright blue pastry box toward him. The scent of honey, orange flowers and nuts wafted in his face as he flipped open the top. He reached in and broke a corner free, then popped it in his mouth. Sweet flavor exploded on his tongue, reminding him of the sweet taste when he’d licked Polly’s skin. His dick, already stiff, filled and flared behind his zipper. He licked the excess honey from his fingertips, then pulled open a drawer under the concrete countertop and located silverware.
Polly joined him in the kitchen as he dragged his thumb across the gooey treat at the bottom of the box. He sucked the honey free as she approached. The red of the kimono-style robe she wore lit a glow in her cheeks. Her smile heated as their gazes collided across the counter. The spark that had lingered in his chest ignited a flame he had no interest in extinguishing. The silky fabric of the robe swished quietly against her heels as she moved. She reached into the cupboard and brought out two plates.
Ian broke another piece of the pastry free and when Polly returned to his side, he held it up to her mouth. When her lips closed over the bite, his cock freaking leaped. He closed his eyes as she sucked, swirling her tongue around the tip of his finger. It was everything he could do to keep from seizing the jar of honey resting next to the toaster and drag her straight back to the bedroom. He wanted to drizzle the sweetness over his dick and beg her to suck that.
And damn if her gaze didn’t turn wicked as she grasped his wrist, and moved her mouth up and down his finger. As if she knew exactly what he was thinking.
Before he could toss her over his shoulder and race back to bed, an odd pressure wrapped around his torso, holding him in place with invisible force. It banished every thought of tossing Polly back on the bed and burying himself in her sweet heat. His finger popped free of Polly’s mouth. Panic shuddered in, killing desire.
“Polly?” The crushing weight on his eardrums increased, muffling his voice, as if he’d spoken underwater.
Jaw dropping, her eyes widened. “No, no, no!” Groaning, she tipped her chin in the air and hollered, “Not now. You can’t do this.”
He wasn’t doing anything. Who was she talking to?
“What the hell is happening?”
He shifted his jaw from side-to-side, attempting to alleviate the pulsing in his head. He struggled against the constriction to raise his hand to his face.
A stricken look clouded her face. “I’m so sorry. I never expected this.”
The cupboards behind her shimmered then misted, glowing in shades of blue, purple and green. Light pulsed like a heartbeat in the center of the color blobs. A vague sense of disbelief crested in his brain. When the mist cleared, the colors solidified in the form of three people.
The pressure surrounding his body vanished with a pop, the sudden release causing him to stumble. He sucked in a huge breath. “What the actual fuck?” Where the hell had these people come from?
“I’ll explain.” Regret filled Polly’s voice as she stroked her hand down his arm. The silk robe flared as she rounded on the three people who’d popped into her condo like freaking magicians. Polly squared her shoulders and jabbed her finger at them. “Are you crazy? What are you thinking?”
Ian recognized one of the individuals as her dad, Zeus. He didn’t know the other man or woman. But how had the old geezer just…materialized in her kitchen?
Sliding onto one of the stools on the opposite side of the island where Ian stood, Zeus huffed out a breath. “Polyhymnia, do not take this tone with me.”
Why did Ian recognize that name? Had he known it was Polly’s real name? He didn’t think so. A nagging sense of déjà vu led him to believe he’d seen it written. But for the moment, he was too freaked out to try to remember where.
“My house, Zeus. And when you freaking pop out of the Hollow in front of my mortal guest, I will take any damn tone I want.” Polly scooted closer to Ian, bumping his hip with hers, the touch soothing. Fists clenched, she crossed her arms over her chest.
The other visitor, a man almost as wide as he was tall held his hand up, gesturing to the other woman standing at his side. “Sybil has uncovered some information we believe vital to your challenge.” He stared pointedly at Ian and continued. “If this man is the mortal to help you, he’ll know soon enough. He may be of service as a spy within Eos’s headquarters. And if he isn’t, we will call for a memory wipe.”
That didn’t sound good. He gripped Polly’s arm.
Polly squinted at the man. “Yeah, well, it would have been just peachy if you’d let me break the news of our true status before you just dropped in unannounced. I damn well knew I should have warded my condo.”
The man narrowed his eyes right back at Polly. She jumped and gasped, rubbing her neck as if in pain.
The man’s voice was a big as his body as he scoffed. “Nothing has gone according to plan on this challenge, god daughter. If it had, Sybil would have never revealed herself to you this early. A transgression she will pay for.”
The woman called Sybil shook her head, thick blond hair dancing on her shoulders. “I told you I’d be coming back as a chair in my next life.”
Ian banged his fist on the counter, drawing all their gazes. “Someone tell me what the fuck is going on here.” He squashed his earlier fright and replaced it with indignation. He turned his head toward Polly and arched his brow, silently inviting her explanation.
Her soft voice soothed over his frayed nerves. “Why don’t you take a seat? You deserve to know the entire story. The only thing I’ll ask is that you suspend disbelief. It might be hard for the scientist in you to let go of your preconceived notions, but for this to make any sense, you’ll have to.” She laid her hands on his arms, and squinted into his eyes. Calm and reason flooded through him at her mere touch. “I’m asking you to trust me, Ian. I hope you can.”
Laying his hand over hers, he gave a sharp nod. At her small sigh, he moved around to the other side of the island. He dragged the stool next to Zeus’s to the far outside corner of the counter before sitting down. Dude had just fucking appeared in the kitchen. God only knew if he could disappear, maybe taking Ian with him.
“Ian, you know I am the CEO of Olympus Enterprises.” Polly’s father swiveled on his chair to face him. He pointed to the other two unexpected guests, who’d taken positions on either side of Polly. “This is Mars, Olympus’ director of corporate security, and Sybil Lawrence, forensic accountant and Polly’s um…personal guard, for lack of a better word.”
Ian’s gaze flew to Polly. “Why do you need a bodyguard?”
Reaching across the counter, she rested her hand over his, heat and something else racing up his arm. “It’s part of the story. I’ll explain in a minute.”
Her touch eased more of the fright and consternation still lingering in his brain.
Zeus continued, “Young man, you may find this hard to believe, but the four of us are immortal; the gods and goddesses of myth.”
Immortals? The skin tightened on Ian’s forehead as he frowned. The man had just declared himself a god. A fact of life. And asked him to believe that Zeus, and Polly, had been around for thousands of years. His world teetered off kilter with the man’s simple statement. Ian had taken a Greek mythology class in college when he’d needed elective credits. It had been his favorite course that semester.
“I’m intrigued, although I’ll be damned if I understand why. I mean, most myths and legends may have some small basis in fact, but…” Ian leaned forward. “Okay—let me understand this. You’re the king of all the gods? A toga-wearing, orgy-throwing, bona-fide immortal?” He’d never seen Polly’s dad in anything other than a business suit, jeans or shorts.
Zeus nodded. “Over the years, we have evolved. Olympus is no longer run like a royal court, but as a corporate conglomerate. We’re family owned and I am in charge, so that puts me in a king-like position.”
Mars cleared his throat. “Your pardon, Zeus, but we haven’t much time to explain.”
“Quite right.” Zeus leaned back on the stool and rested his hands on his thighs. “Ian, Polly will answer whatever questions you have. But for now, we need your help. Many thousands of years ago, a demi-god named Pierus bragged that his nine daughters were superior to mine. In a fit of conceit and rage, I changed his daughters into magpies, cursing them to stay in that form for eternity. Something I now regret.”
Mars propped his hands on his hips. “Recently, Pierus found a loophole in the curse, and as part of a hostile takeover attempt, he has challenged Zeus’s daughters, the Muses. If even one of the girls loses her contest, all of them will become birds, while Pierus’s daughters, the Pierides, will be freed.”
A sharply focused picture popped into Ian’s mind. In the mythology textbook, there’d been a painting of the Muses, nine sisters in charge of inspiring the world. That’s where he’d seen the name Polyhymnia. They’d all been red-haired beauties, exactly like Polly and her sisters.
He scrubbed his hands through his hair, not sure who was crazier—these people for claiming to be gods who’d lived forever…or him for believing their spiel. A billion and one questions flooded his brain.
Before he could ask even one, Polly stepped around the island and took up pacing on a long rug that ran the width of the kitchen area. “Ian, if Pierus wins this challenge, it spells doom for mortals. We’ve already faced and defeated two of his daughters, Tyranny and Mayhem. My challenger is Greed. Which leaves Strife, Disease, Hate, and…” Polly stopped pacing and rubbed her temples. She looked at Zeus. “Who am I forgetting?”
“Doom and Sloth.”
She snapped her fingers. “Right. Ian, these bitches are aptly named. Their release would be accompanied by the calamities they represent.”
Ian held up his hand. “So, if a Muse loses, essentially, scourges of apocalyptic proportions are unleashed on the world.”
“Exactly.”
“You say you defeated two of them already. What happened with those?” A black hole blossomed around his sanity—as if swallowing reason and logic. Ian rubbed a fist in a circle on his sternum.
“In Tyranny’s case, the Five Nations Block was conducting a land grab in Bulgaria. If they’d succeeded, they would have been unstoppable in taking over other smaller countries.” Mars snorted derisively. “They were focused on world domination.”
Ian’s best friend, Jax, had been involved in helping to solve that crisis. The think tank Jax had worked for swarmed into Delphi to set up camp in the hopes that they could arrange a diplomatic solution to the crisis in Eastern Europe. With his help, they’d done it. Ian’s gut twisted. Was Jax a fucking god as well? How had he not known?
Sybil leaned her weight onto one hip, propping a fist on it in a mime of Mars’s stance. “Tyranny was Clio’s challenger. And three weeks ago, Nia faced Mayhem. The challenge was exacerbated because of a small miscalculation when we deflected a record-shattering electromagnetic pulse from the surface of the sun. We believe Pierus’s silent partner orchestrated the coronal burst. Part of the effect knocked the moon from its proper orbit. The result was rampant lunacy and riots.”
“I remember thinking the moon must have been full when media outlets began reporting outbreaks of unrest from around the world.” Ian hopped off his stool. He took up pacing alongside Polly, matching her stride for stride. “So you want to tell me about what you’re facing with Greed?”
Polly abruptly stopped. She laid her hand on his bicep and faced him. “You believe? You don’t think we’re crackpots?”
He nodded slowly. “My mom used to tell me I shouldn’t study science because I was too willing to grasp at possibilities that had no basis in fact. I think I’m a better scientist because I’m willing to explore and embrace the least likely scenario.” He grinned at her as he stroked his fingers down her cheek. “Your story seems very unlikely; therefore, to my mind, it must be true.”
Her eyes shimmered as she stared at him. “Thank you.” Her voice was soft, for his ears only, but filled with emotion.
She wrapped her fingers around his. A sense of peace and warmth filled him. Polly stretched up on her toes to slant her lips over his mouth. The brief kiss rekindled the fire in his body.
Given her dad was in the room, and the guy apparently was the master of all the gods, he squashed the desire burning in his gut and took a step back from Polly. He focused on the other people in the room. “I still have plenty of questions. That’s my scientific nature coming out. My first question is what my role in this might be?”
“Each muse must team with one man to defeat the attempt.” Sybil leaned over the counter and propped her elbows on the surface. “We believe Argran is set to take profits from Eos on a massive scale. The business will end up shuttered and thousands will be out of work. This will result in a meltdown of communities and widespread economic devastation here in this country.”
Mars spoke. “What will be worse is Eos was destined to be the corporation to solve major sanitation problems in poor nations. This is your project, right?”
Anger burst behind Ian’s eyes. “Yes, and it’s already been fucked up, pardon my language. I was told earlier they will not consider the option I outlined. They’re choosing a chemical course that will contaminate ground water and could potentially sicken millions. All in the name of profits.”
“Ian, we must stop the merger between Argran and Eos before they can implement their new protocol. The entire corporate security and IT staffs are on call to help. Your task will be to help us in the capacity of spy,” Zeus said.
“Well, shit. Sign me up.”
Chapter 11
Polly’s shoulders sagged in relief. He believed her. Neither Nia nor Clio had an easy time getting their champion to buy into their story. Thomas had flat out refused to help Nia defeat Mayhem, but in the end, he’d been instrumental in vanquishing the bitch.
But Ian was a scientist. The one man she’d been sure wouldn’t believe had proven her wrong. He was willing to help.
She’d been shocked and pissed when the three immortals had moved from the Hollow into her kitchen in front of Ian. Perhaps this signaled the probability that Zeus would ease the restriction on telling mortals of their existence. Or this could be a one-off for Polly’s sake. Zeus had decreed that Thomas’s memory must be erased when he’d refused to help. But the man had overcome the spell and remembered in time to help Nia defeat Mayhem.
Although Ian didn’t refuse to help, Zeus might still choose to erase Ian’s memory when all was said and done. The idea of Ian forgetting her struck like a sharp blade to Polly’s heart.
The kernel of affection and desire she’d felt for him earlier had burgeoned into a stronger, deeper emotion. They’d begun as friends, and if nothing else, s
he wanted to keep that friendship. But she prayed they’d continue down the path they’d started. As she saw it right now, the only thing that could derail her feelings for him would be if she lost to Greed.
Being a damn magpie wasn’t conducive to an intimate relationship.
Zeus cleared his throat, bringing Polly back to the moment. Before he spoke, he rubbed his hand along the back of his neck. “Ian, what we are asking of you is information.”
“What kind of information?” Ian reclaimed the stool he’d vacated.
“We believe there is an immortal involved at the highest level within Eos, someone who can exert supernatural influence over the board.” Zeus continued to rub his neck.
Polly searched his face when he glanced her way. He dropped his hand and sent a mentally stinging thought into her brain to ignore his gesture. She scowled at him. Like that was going to happen.
Zeus continued with a shake of his head. “In the past few weeks, have any new board members been named?”
Ian shook his head. “Not that I’m aware.”
“How about new employees in upper management?” Sybil asked. She magicked a pen and pad of paper from thin air.
Eyes flaring wide, Ian stuttered. “Uh…I don’t…” He rolled his gaze to Polly. “Can you do shit like that as well?”
“Yes, but I’m a little more discreet. I’d make the paper materialize in a drawer first.” Polly switched her gaze to Sybil. “Stop showing off for the mortal.”
Sybil laughed. “I’m not showing off, I’m being polite. I wouldn’t just go searching through your drawers.”
A loud throat clearing from Mars drew them back on task.
Polly gestured to Ian. “So, any new high level managers?”
Ian continued to stare at the pen poised in Sybil’s hand as he shook his head again. “No. But rumors have been flying that a couple of executives were planning to leave. The only new employee I can think of that might have the kind of influence you’re talking about is Ms. Cronin.”
Greed: Goddess of Delphi (Goddesses of Delphi Book 3) Page 9
