Page 51 of The Seducer
“Why the hell would I? Now that I have something on you, you’re going to be my wingman when I go chasing the women, aren’t you?”
“Your wingman?” Hans asked. “I don’t understand.”
But Athena understood, and her eyes hardened. “It just means that instead of following your orders from the Council, Finn now thinks that he can have you followhisorders. He wants you to help him sleep with as many women as possible.”
“Oh.” Hans nodded. “I see.”
“Why does that bother you?” I asked Athena who was leaning back in her chair with her arms folded, as if she wanted nothing further to do with this conversation.
“Which part of it? Your exploiting a person who just trusted you with his secret, or your sleeping with as many women as possible?” Athena asked and got up to clear the table with hard movements that were unusual for her.
“The last part.” I followed her to the sink. “Are you jealous, Athena?”
“Ha!” She gave a mock laugh and put down the plates with a loud clang. “Don’t flatter yourself.”
Lowering my voice, I leaned in and whispered in her ear. “I warned you.” Athena’s body tensed from my closeness, and an electrical spark of sexual tension ignited between our bodies. “Don’t fall in love with me.”
In that moment, time stood still. She had her hands on the kitchen counter in front of her, her fingers spread out and slightly bent as if she wanted to claw her nails into the wooden surface. Athena didn’t have long nails, hers were short, practical, and clean.
I should have moved back and given her space, but her scent and her closeness had me longing to get even closer to her. Lifting my hand, I twirled a lock of her hair around my finger, studying the way sunbeams from the window made the color of her hair change to a brighter red.
Athena turned her face to look at me, putting us almost nose to nose. The energy crackling between us had jolts running up and down my spine. I held my breath when she whispered back to me in that amazing voice of hers. “Finn.”
“Yeah?”
“Same goes for you.”
“What?”
“Don’t fall in love with me.”
Our eyes were locked. l saw her licking her lips in an unconscious invitation. My muscles tensed with the desire to kiss her. If Hans hadn’t been in the room, I would have, but even before I finished the thought, I was brought back to reality by an incoming caller on my wristband.
Moving away from Athena, I saw that it was Magni and walked out of the house to answer my friend.
CHAPTER 16
News from Home
Finn
“What are you up to you, ugly bastard?” Magni’s face hovered about my wristband in a holographic projection.
“Not as much as I would like to be.”
“We haven’t received a report so Khan wanted me to call you.”
“That’s not true,” a female voice sounded in the background. “It wasIwho wanted Magni to call you.”
“Hi, Pearl,” I said. “Did Isobel tell you where I am? I’m sorry I haven’t checked in with you myself, but I figured your mom would tell you about Athena’s demand.”
“Hey, don’t push,” Magni complained. “If you wanted Finn to see you, you could have called him yourself.”
Finn’s hologram flickered and Pearl’s pretty face came into view only to flicker out again.
“Why can’t you just change the camera to include us both?” she asked Magni.
“Because this is a conversation between me and Finn.”
