Ares' Temptation (4 page)

Yes? That’s all he’s going to say?
She summoned all of her self-control and took her hand back.

He put his hands in a prayer position. “How can I make amends?”

She raised an eyebrow. She wasn’t about to ask for another dance. She needed her toes. Then the invitation on the counter popped in her head. What she really needed was a date. A knock-out, drop-dead gorgeous hunk of a date. Enough to make everyone shut the hell up about her old maid status for all eternity.

How far was Muscly willing to go for this? “You really want to know?”

He nodded once. “I’ll do anything in my power to make it right.”

She walked over to the register and picked up the invitation. “Ever been to Florida?”

Chapter Five

Primal Urges

“Florida?” Before the wedding, Ares hadn’t visited the mortal world in eons. When he’d received Pan’s invitation, he’d had no idea where the United States was, never mind the provinces within it. “Do you have a quest to complete?”

“Yeah. Of sorts.” She handed him a letter. “I have to attend this family reunion, and I need a date—you know, the thing we talked about last night.”

He remembered what a date was. Still he hesitated. This would mean involving himself with not one mortal, but a whole family of them. If they were all as prying as Kaye, it would be difficult to keep the curse a secret. But he needed his powers, and he wasn’t going to win her over by declining.

She sighed. “Every get-together we have, I come alone. And then they all bother me about when I’m going to meet someone, and they try to set me up with every single Mr. Wrong they can find. The only way to avoid that is to bring a date. You wouldn’t have to do much, just pretend we’re going out.”

Her plight amused him. A pretty woman like her shouldn’t have to ask for a companion. An urge to help her rose within him, and it wasn’t merely because he needed his powers back. “What if I agree?”

“Then they can’t know you’re Ares. You can be…Armin. Armin Warhammer.” She smiled cleverly and touched his breastplate. “And we’d have to get you something more discreet to wear. But besides that, you’re golden.”

“My armor is silver.”

Kaye laughed. “It’s an expression.” She narrowed her eyes. “We may have to work on your speech a little, too. You know, learn the modern day lingo.”

Irritation prickled the hairs on his neck. “I speak quite well.”

“For a Classics teacher. Or someone reciting Shakespeare.” Her eyes brightened. “I have just the thing.” She brought him to the back of the store and gave him a book with a scantily clad woman in red high heels on the cover. The title read
Searching for Mr. Right.
“Here, read this to start.”

He turned it over and read the back.
Kylie Turner sells wedding dresses, and dreams of the one day she’ll get to wear one…
This book had nothing to do with speaking in the vernacular. It discussed all the frivolous things he’d like to ignore. “What is the meaning of this text?”

“It’s chick lit.” She touched a crease in the page lovingly. “It’s one of my favorites. But you don’t have to like it, just study the phrases to see how people talk nowadays.”

It wasn’t an unbearable task or an unreasonable request. He bowed his head. “I will do as you ask.”

“Good.” She smiled, and giving her pleasure warmed his heart. “I’ll buy two tickets to Florida. We’ll leave in a week.”

“Tickets?”

“For the airplane. You do know what an airplane is, don’t you?”

“Of course.” If she referred to the steel flying ships. He’d heard stories of how mortal travel options were worse than parading through Hades’ Underworld. Ares wished he could snap his fingers and transport them there instantly, but a certain vile witch had stolen that option. Even if Kaye had assumed that power as well, it was impossible for him to teach her without her discovering the curse. “So be it.”

Kaye laughed. “Not ‘
So be it.
’” She spoke in a low, rumbling voice, mocking him. “You say, ‘sure,’ or ‘great, let’s go,’ or, if you want to be more formal—which I think you’re more likely to choose—‘I’m looking forward to it.’”

Frustration built inside him. He breathed deeply, quelling the rise of anger. If he was going to get his powers back, then he’d have to play this game.

Ares took her hand and kissed the back of it. Her skin was soft and smooth under his lips. Last night’s kiss rushed back to him, and he yearned to place more kisses up her arm, on her neck, and other places he shouldn’t think about in the bright daylight of the greenhouse. “I’m looking forward to it, Kaye.”

She blushed and cradled the hand he’d kissed at her breast. “Thank you.”

Ares nodded and turned toward the door. He had a lot of work to do if he was going to study this ridiculous book and learn contemporary speech patterns in a week.

Kaye’s voice stopped him. “Wait a sec.”

Ares turned around. “Yes?”

“How do I get ahold of you? Do I just call your name and you’ll appear out of thin air?”

If only that were so. “I’m staying at Pan’s estate, in a guest room.”

“I don’t suppose you have an email? Or cell phone?”

“No.” Ares had never had use of such primitive mortal toys. Hopefully, he’d regain his powers before he needed them.

“Okay. Then, I’ll just call the estate once I order the tickets.”

Ares nodded. “That is acceptable.”

“Good. See you later.” Kaye waved. She looked adorable in her skin-tight pants. She’d tied her pink shirt in a knot on the side, revealing a hint of bare skin. Normally, he wouldn’t notice such small details, but his curiosity for Kaye opened his eyes. An unfamiliar desire stirred in his gut.

“Until next time.” As he walked to the door, an elderly couple came in.

They stared up at him with their mouths open as he passed. The older woman whispered under her breath, “A little early for Halloween, isn’t it?”

His neck prickled. Halloween? He was a mighty warrior wearing real battle gear forged in the bowels of the dark caves below Mount Olympus.

As much as he lamented the fact, Kaye was right. The armor had to go.

…

Kaye wiped her hands on her jeans and picked up the empty fertilizer bag to throw away. A whole cart of marigolds, all replanted in bigger pots.

Wait a sec.
Cactus soil? Hadn’t she read the label?
Dammit.

She’d been making small mistakes all day, too distracted to think about work. Syrinx would be disappointed if she came home to sickly flowers. And all Kaye’s charts of rising profit margins would plummet if they had nothing of value to sell. Kaye brought out the right fertilizer bag to replant the marigolds. She’d have to stay late, but it was her own fault for allowing her mind to wander.

The truth was, she was actually looking forward to this reunion now. She couldn’t wait to see the look on her family’s faces when she introduced sexy Armin Warhammer as her date. Especially her mother. Never again would she hear the phrase
why can’t you be more like Bradley
. Her brother had had his whole life planned at the age of six. By twenty-six, he’d already competed in the Olympics, graduated early from Harvard, and found a beautiful wife, who was now pregnant with their first baby. With Kaye’s online degree in business, all she got was fired from a waitressing job. Her job at Syliva’s Creations made her happy, but it was hardly something to brag about when your brother worked on Wall Street.

Kaye finished replanting the batch and locked the store, double checking the door. They’d had break-ins in the past due to a jealous water nymph who wanted Pan for herself. Since Pan had proposed to Syrinx, all activity had died down. Apparently the crazy nymph had given up. Kaye had planned to be rid of the world of gods and nymphs after the wedding—it was more trouble than it was worth. But it looked as though she’d have to wait a little longer.

Not that she was complaining.

Twilight had fallen while she finished working. Kaye drove home, planning all of the nice outfits Ares could wear at the reunion. He’d look sexy in jeans, and drop-dead gorgeous in a tux. She doubted he’d fit in anything Pan had. She’d have to stop by the local Goodwill and see what she could find. Since she’d spent two hundred on a secondhand Versace dress for the wedding, she didn’t have much in her clothes budget. Hopefully Ares wasn’t as snobby as he was prideful. Then again, Goodwill could be Saks Fifth Ave. for all he knew.

Back home, she heated up a Hot Pocket and wolfed it down before heating up two more. At this rate, she’d have to buy more groceries. Never mind the fact she had a reunion to attend, and that the Versace dress wasn’t getting any looser.

She ate the second Hot Pocket while ordering the tickets. Ares would have to suffer in economy class, but she did find him a window seat. Not that he hadn’t seen her world from a god’s-eye view. Would anything surprise him? She’d have to find out. She wanted to see him smile again.

As she bit into the third Hot Pocket, she turned on
Jeopardy!
. “What is the Nile.” She took another bite. “Yes!” She got so many right, Syrinx told her all the time she should go on the show.

She listened to the next answer. “Oh, that’s easy. What is hydrogen peroxide.”

As Alex Trebek verified her answer, she tapped her feet in impatience. Her fingers itched for the remote. Normally, calling out the answers kept her entertained, but tonight she craved something more exciting.

Kaye turned on Netflix and scrolled through the movies.
While You Were Sleeping, Four Weddings and a Funeral, When Harry Met Sally, Looking for Mr. Right.

Naw…
She sighed. She’d watched all the romantic comedies a hundred times. She yearned to watch a battle scene. A big one, complete with grisly death, bloody guts, and lots and lots of weapons, like catapults and swords. She clicked on
Braveheart
and fast forwarded to the battle scene at the end.

What the hell am I doing?

It must be some sort of phase. She’d been into period romance for a while, and foreign drama before that. Maybe bloody battles were another one of her passing fascinations?

But watching the battle wasn’t enough. She jumped from the couch, took the head off her broom, and held the stick like a sword. She swung when the actors swung and grunted as they stabbed their foes. The broom acted as an extension of her arm. Every move flowed swift and graceful, as if she’d taken fencing lessons all her life. She felt like some superhero ninja she-warrior.

It was so much fun, she moved the cursor back and reenacted the scene all over again.

Exhausted, she collapsed into bed with one thought on her mind. Tomorrow, she’d scour the internet for movie prop replicas. She absolutely needed her own sword.

Chapter Six

One Throw

Ares sat on a bench in Pan’s garden and opened the book Kaye had lent him. Normally, he’d practice his swordsmanship. But considering his present condition, wielding a weapon seemed too great a risk for him…and for the hyacinths. Pan had been kind enough to give him a place to stay, and the forest nymph shouldn’t have to return to his estate in shambles.

Instead, Ares opened the book.

“Meh.” Kylie tossed the used wedding dress over the counter. She’d have to clean the wine stains on the front, mend the right sleeve, and sew all the loose pearls back on before she could resell it. This one may not be worth the time to patch it up.

A small voice in her head said they were all worth it. There was always hope. If she could believe that, then she could believe there was hope for her as well.

Ares frowned, unimpressed. What manner of word was “meh?” Honestly, these mortals had an impossibly irreverent way of speaking. He pursed his lips and flipped to the next page.

A tall, dark-haired man entered the shop, wearing a tight-fitting navy suit that hugged his butt just the right way. Mr. Hottie walked to the counter in confident strides. Kylie froze in surprise, her gaze traveling from his rugged jawline to his emerald eyes. She had to remind herself any man in this store looking for a wedding dress was totally taken.

Totally taken? Meaning promised to another? Ares scratched his chin. Did his leather pants similarly hug his “butt”? He shook his head. Why did he care of such things? This ridiculous book was making him overanalyze everything. And “Mr. Hottie?” What manner of name was that?

“I’m looking for a wedding dress for…” His dark eyebrows rose. “My sister.”

Sister? Kylie’s heart jumped to her throat. She leaned across the counter toward him. “Tell me, what styles is she into?”

Ares slumped against the bench. Was the entire book idle conversation? He flipped to the middle. No battles at all?

He glanced at the fountain in the middle of the garden. Dolphins spewed water from their noses, surrounded by mermaids combing their hair over their breasts. He had to give Pan his due: that forest nymph could be imaginative.

Ares tapped his fingers on the cover of Kaye’s book. He could toss the ridiculous piece of mortal literature in the water with one throw and be rid of it. What was he doing? Using a sweet, innocent mortal woman to break Hekate’s curse? Surely there was a better strategy. He raised his arm above his head. His fingers tightened their grip.

“You don’t want to do that.”

Ares whirled around. Hekate laid across a hedge with a crow balancing on her little finger. She crossed her bare, wrinkled legs underneath her feathered robe and rubbed them together as if she was desirable. The crow cawed at him as if he’d intruded. She’d come to gloat. It was simple as that.

Anger rose in Ares’ throat, turning into a growl. “Be gone, you vile witch.”

Hekate ignored his command, petting her crow. “For one, you’re going to miss the fountain. In case you’ve forgotten, your athletic skills are somewhat lacking as of late.”

Ares’ fingers dug into the cover. He could throw the book at the witch. Doubt rose in his heart, stopping him. What if she was right? What if he’d miss hitting her, too?

Hekate fed the crow a kernel of corn from the thicket of hair on her head. “Two, that’s the only way to understand your lady friend.”

As much as he despised the witch, she was right. Ares lowered the book to his lap. Kaye had given it to him for a reason. It was her favorite piece of literature. To know those pages was to know what her heart desired.

He narrowed his eyes. “Why are you aiding me?”

“For the same reason I didn’t chop off your head on the spot.” She cackled. “Watching you suffer is so much more fun.”

Suffer he did. He sat reading “chick lit” while his army waited idly for his return. Yet, he didn’t think that was the true reason Hekate dragged him on. She enjoyed mischief, but not suffering. “If you think this will change who I am, then you are mistaken.”

“Ah, my dear Ares. It has already changed you.” She winked. “You just don’t know it yet.”

The ominous quality of her words unnerved him. He glanced down. Same armor, same bronze skin, same muscles. Weakness and doubt crept in, but that would change when he regained his powers. “Why didn’t you spend more time convincing your hot-headed brother to stand down?”

Her gaze grew as sharp as daggers. “Don’t you think I tried?”

He thought of broad-chested Hectade. The demigod had charged onto the battlefield, pumping his sword in the air and shouting
down with the house of Zeus
. Hectade’s blood had boiled with battle lust. He fought to the death, as Ares had intended to do, even if circumstance came down to his own head on the ground.

“We are one and the same, he and I. What makes you think you can succeed where you have already failed?”

She waved her crow away, and the bird cawed and flew into the clouds. “If I can’t, then there is little hope for Mount Olympus.”

Before Ares could respond, she disappeared into a puff of smoke.

Little hope for Mount Olympus? Mount Olympus had the most hope with him leading an army. There was no telling when Hades might rise up from the Underworld, or centaurs swarm from the Northern cliffs, or manticores spread from a crack in the lower labyrinths.

Adrenaline flowed through his veins. An urge to take up his sword surged inside him. His fingers tightened on the hilt. The feel of the metal was like returning home. He lifted the blade an inch from the sheath, and the twang of silver rung in his ear like sweet harmony.

Ares sighed and released the hilt. The sword fell back into its sheath.

No triumph would come to him if he didn’t get his powers back. Guilt came over him, followed by a wave of helpless frustration. The only way to regain his powers was to use Kaye. He couldn’t bear for her to find out he’d had ulterior motives for helping her…he did genuinely like her.

In a way, by asking him to go to the reunion, she was using him. So why did he feel like such a reprobate? Because she’d been completely honest, and he had to keep his problem a secret. Although that wasn’t his fault. That was Hekate’s vile rules. All because he protected his father’s throne. And Hectade wouldn’t be the last to try to take it.

He needed to return to Mount Olympus before another warmonger attempted to usurp the throne. If aiding Kaye was the first step, then he’d have to help her, whether he liked it or not.

Alas he did like it, enough to learn foolish mortal blather.

Ares calmed himself and leaned against the back of the bench. Kaye’s book sat in his lap, the page flipped to where he’d left off.

Ares picked up the spine and began the next step toward reclaiming his powers.

…

Kaye dialed Pan’s estate one more time before getting the answering machine and hanging up. How was she supposed to let Ares know about the tickets or give him the new wardrobe she’d picked out?

Honestly, why did gods think they were above a cell phone? She turned from the street leading home and drove in the other direction. She would just have to visit him herself, drop off the clothes, and be on her way. It wasn’t an act of desperation, or another reason to see him. It was just the most logical thing to do.

She parked in the circular driveway in front of Pan’s estate. The brick mansion loomed over her, ivy running from the stone foundation to the triangular windows. Even though Pan had renovated the estate, it still reminded her of Mr. Rochester’s house in
Jane Eyre
. The first time she’d visited with Syrinx, they’d come to help decorate Pan’s party with a thousand roses. Little had they known the invitation, the party, the roses, and every move Pan made were all for Syrinx.

Kaye sighed. If only a man would do something like that for her.

She opened the trunk and pulled out a bag full of the finest clothes she could find at Goodwill, all extra-large. Placing the bag at her feet, she rang the bell.

No one answered. Since his butler had died, Pan hadn’t found any decent help. Or maybe he just didn’t think anyone could fill Rutherford’s shoes. Whatever the case, she had no way of reaching Ares.

She could leave the bag on the doorstep, but there was no telling when he’d get it. She glanced at the sky and sniffed the damp air. Could be rain coming.
Great
.
Who wants a bag of soggy clothes?

Hefting the bag over her shoulder, she turned back to the car. The clothes should have weighed a ton, but she carried them as if they were a bunch of feathers.

Must be all that meat I’ve been eating.

A crow landed on her car, and she stepped back in surprise. The bird waddled from the driver’s side to the back of the car as if it owned the vehicle. It turned and stared at her with a black eye, cawed, then took off in the direction of the garden.

The garden!

Kaye took the bag and followed. It was a long shot, but she had to check.

Roses still decorated the arbor where Pan and Syrinx had recited their vows. Rows of white chairs stood in attendance. Beyond the ceremony site, Ares sat on a stone bench in front of one of Pan’s great fountains.

Kaye had the urge to
squee
, big time. Best of all, he was reading her book.

She made sure her curls weren’t sticking out all over the place and walked over as elegantly as she could while holding the bag. He’d made it at least halfway through the book. Even though his muscly arms lay at rest, heat radiated off him, drawing her in.

Absorbed, Ares didn’t even look up. She’d bet he wouldn’t let such a thing happen in battle.

Kaye cleared her throat. “So, you’re finding it helpful?”

Ares glanced up with surprise. “Kaye. I wasn’t expecting you.”

Kaye’s face flushed. All of a sudden she felt like a stalker. “No one answered the phone. Or the door for that matter.”

“Oh.” His face turned blank as if he hadn’t known such a thing as voice mail was needed.

“I had to drop these off.” She planted the bag at his feet. “I also have our tickets.”

“Excellent.” He shifted on the bench as if suddenly uncomfortable.

“You’re still going with me, aren’t you?”

He held her gaze so intensely, the attention made her cheeks burn. “With certainty.”

“Good.” She opened the bag. “Because otherwise I’d have to return all these clothes I found.”

He picked out a checkered shirt from Banana Republic. “You brought these here for me?”

“You don’t have to wear them if you don’t like them. But you do need to find something besides your armor.” She glanced down at his skintight leather pants, then tore her gaze away.

Ares folded the shirt and put it back in the bag. “This is more than acceptable. Thank you, Kaye.”

“It’s the least I can do for agreeing to spend a week with my family.” She dug in her pocket and pulled out the paper she’d printed from her computer. “Here’s your ticket.”

“A week?” His jaw tightened as he glanced at the paper, refolded it, and stuck it in the book to hold his place.

Kaye sucked in her lips. “Yeah. I didn’t mention how long, did I?”

“No.” He breathed in and held his breath for several heartbeats. His face softened, and he gazed at her with fondness. “But, I said I’d do whatever is necessary to remedy my negligence, and I keep my word.”

“Thanks. I’m sure you have more important things to do, like fighting battles.”

“My battles will have to wait.” He spoke as though time stopped just for her.

Kaye blinked, wondering if she interpreted his tone correctly. Was she that important to him?

The sky cracked above their heads. Kaye ducked as a gust of wind blew around her, pelting sideways rain. Her thin cotton shirt would be drenched in minutes.

Ares stood and put his arm around her. “Come, I’ll take you inside.”

That was an offer she couldn’t ignore. He lifted the bag and helped her from the garden to a side door, leading into a pantry. Lightning rumbled as they took cover. Kaye laughed in relief, ringing out her shirt as Ares closed the door behind them. “That came quickly.”

Ares glanced at the ceiling as if he could see through the roof. “It makes me wonder if someone has angered my father.”

Kaye thought back to the wedding, when Ares had spat out a litany of pompous names in his introduction.
The God of War, one of the Twelve Olympians, and the son of…
“You mean Zeus?”

“Yes.”

“Oh.” Reality hit her. She’d spent a lot of time with Syrinx, but not with any other deities. She was dealing with gods who could split the sky in two—not your average family. “You think he’s mad at me for taking your time?”

Ares stepped toward her and touched her cheek, making her skin tingle. “Not at all. If, indeed, Zeus is angry at my absence, then it is no fault of yours.”

Seemed to her it might be. She’d asked him to accompany her. Guilt washed over her. Keeping this god to his word was selfish. “You sure they don’t need you up there?”

“They can wait.” All worry drained from his face. His eyes glanced at her bare stomach beneath where she’d tied her shirt in a knot. A drip of rain rolled from her belly button to the tip of her jeans. In that moment, she felt the sexiest she ever had in her life.