Page 44 of Lovesick Gods

“Uh huh.”

“Fine. But I think the foundation of this arrangement is agreeing to disagree.” Danny took a large bite of his salad.

“About buying you something pretty? Because I could get on board with that.”

“I said expensive, not pretty,” Danny said with a half-hearted scowl.

Cho shrugged, “Why not both?” then trailed his eyes down Danny’s lanky frame. “Of course I can imagine several things from my own closet draped over that body, and then we could avoid any moral conundrum.”

Danny shivered at the direction this was going. “Such as?”

Taking a drawn out bite of his own salad, Cho pulled the fork from his lips and teeth slowly. “How about...one of my best dress shirts. And nothing else?”

How did the man do that with just hisvoice?

“Though I have stolen some lovely jewelry over the years. Lucy kept most of what we didn’t fence, but a few pieces spoke to me.”

“Around here?” Danny turned his head to look at the apartment.

“Now, now, do you think I’d be so foolish as to have anything traceable in my home?”

“Maybe not traceable, but that doesn’t mean not stolen.” Danny licked his fork enticingly.

He was on the end of the island, with Cho perpendicular to him at his right. Even the way the man sat with one foot dangling to the floor, the other propped on the rung of the stool, was poised and purposeful and picturesque. Before becoming Zeus, Danny never would have believed a man like Cho would show interest in him. Holding such easy sway over someone who oozed sex appeal made Danny feel more powerful than even his lightning could offer.

“Anything else?” Danny asked.

Cho eyed him approvingly, like he was envisioning so many naughty scenarios. “Mmm…” he hummed low and sultry, giving Danny goose bumps as blue eyes scanned him leisurely then flicked to his face to capture his gaze. “But if we get too distracted, we’ll never finish dinner.”

Danny laughed. He had to concede on that. So they ate. Drank wine. And cast each other frequent, furtive glances as they talked.

“Tell me, Sparky, any new villains tripping you up?”

On his second sandwich by now, Danny paused before taking another bite. “Worried about competition?”

“Maybe.” Cho inclined his head. “Heard more about that Virgil Labs case of yours. The one that interrupted our first night. It pays for me to keep tabs on other criminal elements in my city.”

“Looking for pointers?”

“Believe me,” Cho said with a slight chuckle, “if the police knew anything useful, I’d know by now too. But it seems this mystery thief even surpasses me when it comes to making a clean getaway. Any insider knowledge you’d like to share that a certaindo-gooderhasn’t made public yet?”

Danny shot him a disbelieving stare. He should never discuss an ongoing case with someone outside the precinct, especially when that someone was a wanted criminal. But then maybe it was safer to keep on Cho’s good side as long as he didn’t give away anything thatPrometheuscould use someday.

“First of all, I’m not admitting I’d tell you if I did know something…but no. Whoever it is might actually get away with this. Either they have amazing tech or an unknown Elemental power, but I have no clues as to which it is or what or…anything.” Danny took an aggressive bite of his sandwich. He hated when answers eluded him, especially when such a high profile case had the captain breathing down his neck. “It’s simpler when the bad guys make a big show of things so I know who they are.”

“Such flattery,” Cho smiled, watching Danny while taking a long drink of his wine to finish the glass. He reached to pour himself another.

“What about you?” Danny asked, nudging his own empty glass forward.

“What? Trade secrets?”

“No, I mean…well, I’d certainly take any if you’re offering. But Imeant…you know a lot about me. Most of what I know is from your case files.”

“My rap sheet and a rough childhood sum me up better than you might think,” Cho said as he refilled Danny’s wine to match his own. “And I don’t knoweverythingabout you. For example, do your parents know what you get up to at night?”

Danny schooled his features to keep from reacting too viscerally. Parents—plural.

The names of the power station victims had never been released to the public. Cho didn’t know Danny’s mother was among them. Danny didn’twanthim to know. If he did, he might more easily guess at Danny’s intentions being here.

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