Page 25 of Desired By Eros

The taller one pressed a kiss to Psyche’s cheek, causing her to shiver. “I missed you so much.”

“Me too.” The shorter, younger one mirrored the kiss on the other side. “How have you been?” Stepping back, she flipped her bottle-blonde locks over her shoulder and smoothed a hand down her cashmere twinset sweater. “Artemis said you were camping. Ugh, that sounds terrible.”

The other one grabbed her shoulder and turned Psyche toward herself. “Are you sure that’s what you want? Just say the word. Dad can make one phone call to your dean?—”

“No, no, it’s fine, Agnes.” She shrugged off her sister’s hands. “I like camping, remember?”

“Well, maybe some physical exercise will do you some good.” The other one—Christine, Eros surmised—tapped a finger on her chin and looked her up and down. “I swear, if you just lost ten pounds or so, you’d look so much better.”

A burst of indignation sent Eros’s blood pressure rising.Who the hell did they think they were?

“And by the way—oh.” Christine’s head turned to Eros, pupils blowing up as her voice turned breathy. “Who’s this then?” Her red lips curled up at the corners as she devoured him with her eyes.

He didn’t need his powers to sense the lust and desire coming from her. An idea popped into his head. Flashing her his most audacious smile, he stepped forward and placed an arm around Psyche. “Eros.”

Her eyes widened. “Eros? What an interesting name.”

“And just who are you?” Agnes elbowed Christine out of the way, positioning herself toe to toe with him, her razor-sharp gaze sizing him up.

“Like I said, I’m Eros.”

“He’s a friend,” Psyche said in a quiet tone.

“Right.” He gazed down at her, giving her the most lustful stare he could manage, lingering on her lips. “Very friendly, some might say.”

Agnes’s eyes nearly popped out of their sockets while Christine’s nostrils flared. “Is that so?” the older sister said.

“Yes,” he confirmed.

“Oh, there you are!” Artemis emerged from the main lodge, waving as she jogged toward them. “Eros, Psyche, I’m glad you made it back okay. You must be starving. Hank prepared a delicious lunch for us in the dining area. We can all sit down and catch up. I’m sure your sisters are eager to hear about your dig site.”

Psyche’s face paled, and Eros could tell she would rather eat razor blades than be interrogated by her sisters. “Actually, Psyche is exhausted. We both are. While she may enjoy camping, I’m looking forward to a nice, soft, warm bed.” He winked at Psyche, who flashed him a confused look. “You must be exhausted from the long trip, darling. We should get you to bed.”

Agnes clucked her tongue. “But?—”

“We’ll see you later. Maybe dinner?” He didn’t bother to wait for an answer as he steered Psyche away from the trio, leading her toward the pack house.

“Thank you,” she said in a quiet voice.

“No problem.” Truly, it was no effort on his part as he was eager to get away from them as much as she was. Her sisters were just as he thought—selfish assholes. Christine’s comment about her weight was mean-spirited for sure, and while Agnes seemed to only want to protect her youngest sister, she still cameoff as insensitive to Psyche’s wants and needs. They had lived with Psyche all their lives and grew up with her, but never really thought of how their behavior could affect her. Couldn’t they see how uncomfortable she was with the touching and affection? How the strong scents of their perfume—which was probably torture to her shifter senses—made her shrink back?

“We’re here,” Psyche announced as they reached the front door to the pack house. “Um, so I guess I’ll see you later for dinner?” Her cheeks pinked. “I mean…you don’t have to come or anything. Maybe you made plans with your friends here. I’m sure you missed being around here.”

“Friends?” He snorted. “I doubt anyone missed me. Probably threw a party while I was away.”

Her nose wrinkled in confusion.

He cleared his throat. “I’m not popular around here, just so you know. But yeah, I’ll see you later.” Shoving his hands into his pockets, he turned around and trudged away.

There was no place for him to go really, but if he went back to his room at the lodge, he might run into Psyche’s sisters. The thought of seeing those shrews again left a distasteful flavor in his mouth.

Still, it was kind of fun watching them squirm with envy when he put his arms around her and alluded that they were sleeping together. He could only imagine that they thought their little sister could never pull a guy like him.

He smiled to himself, and a plan formed in his head.

Later that evening, Eros made his way back to the pack house, ignoring the curious stares as he trudged across the property. He could hardly blame them, after all, he picked his outfit carefully.While he usually lounged around in jeans and a shirt—because who the fuck would he dress up for in the middle of nowhere—tonight he wore tailored trousers paired with loafers and a crisp white shirt opened at the collar and the sleeves folded up to show off his forearms. Earlier he had almost splashed on some of his expensive cologne but stopped himself as he recalled Psyche’s reaction to her sister’s perfume.

Dinner at Cade and Artemis’s was usually seven—at least, it was back when he’d first been invited. It was six forty-five now. It was about a fifteen-minute walk to the Alpha’s house from here, and since Psyche was never late?—

---