Louisa Neil (20 page)

“I’m sorry, Sloan. But I’m way too grounded in this life to try and live some myth because you and Dane are bored with your lives.” She touched her fingers to the stones hanging from her left ear. “I feel like the prize to a treasure hunt.”

“This is not a game to us, Diana.” This was the first time she’d seen Sloan show some emotion. She wasn’t afraid of the change, rather, intrigued by the confusion on his face that he’d lost his composure, even if momentarily. Suddenly Sloan seemed completely human to her in all ways. A bit of a loon, she decided, but just a man looking for something to single him out of the masses.

“I never asked for any of this. What did you think I’d wanted from you?”

“In our case it was the reverse. Dane and I wanted you.” He paused and cleared his throat. “In reality, we need you to complete us. To bring us full circle and find some happiness in this cold world.”

“Buy a blanket,” she spat at him and was sorry she had. “All right, that was rude. But you have to admit, this is all a bit crazy from my perspective.” She stared at him before continuing, “Give me more details. Make me believe in your myth. Make me believe I’m destined to be with you and Dane.”

Sloan used his hand to motion her to the sofa. “What would you like to know?”

“I want proof. You say you’re a historian. Show me your proof.” She dropped onto the edge of the sofa and tossed her purse beside her. “First, tell me how you promoted my dreams.”

“That was easy enough, a few subliminal items placed in your workspace. A photo that you couldn’t really see from your desk, the word “Minotaur” lightly penciled into some of the papers you scanned, then erased. A voice recording of his name played over and over for a few days.”

“You self-serving pig! How dare you manipulate me like that.”

“It was means to an end, Diana. If one of us had approached you and said, ‘Hi there, we’re destined to be together in this life,’ you would have walked away, shaking your head at the crazy man.”

“I’m shaking my head all right, about all of this.” She turned and stared directly at him. “Walter and the newspaper…”

Sloan put his palms forward in a defensive move. “That was purely fate. We met him in a bar one evening when we first came back to town. He mentioned writing the great American novel one day, and we offered him the chance.” Sloan dropped his hands to the arms of the chair. “He took it, Diana. He was ready to walk away but didn’t have the means or opportunity.”

“I don’t know what to think anymore. I do want a promise that you and Dane will stay out of my head from now on. No more subliminal games or suggestions.” She paused and was about to ask him if he knew how the monster’s fluids came to be on her body, and she almost passed out. “Oh my god, did you or Dane rape me in my sleep? Have you been drugging me or something?”

“Of course not. Don’t get hysterical. Dane has only been with you when you’re wide awake. And technically, I’ve never been with you. No, my dear.” He gave her a kind smile. “We cherish you too much to sink to a level like that. If you believe anything about Dane and I, neither of us would cross that line to take you unwillingly.”

Diana decided she deserved some secrets, and since she hadn’t mentioned the cum on her body, she’d hold that back.

“I ache to touch you, Diana.” Sloan’s tone was choked with emotion, and he pulled it back. “But I want you permanently and willing to experience everything with us. I’m saying ‘us’ because Dane is part of us. I long to see the expression in your eyes that you save only for me, a look that tells me you trust me, and I can have full control over your body.”

“What if that was only half the time. If Dane hasn’t told you, I have very distinct feelings about sex. I like to be in charge, and I like my man to follow orders and get me off.”

“That will work itself out. Dane and I both want to please you.”

“As long as you get your way sometimes, too?”

He smiled at her. “I’m sure we can work something out to our mutual benefit.” Then he winked at her, and she had to turn away before he saw her smiling. She wasn’t quite ready to accept to his whole premise, although she was beginning to consider the option. Right now, she wanted to change the dynamic in the room. He was too handsome in the firelight not to touch. Diana wanted to let her fingers sift through the layer of silky looking chest hair peeking from his open collar.

“I never heard any recordings,” she said, changing the subject.

“Of course not. They were almost inaudible, but your subconscious mind heard them. That’s what started your dreams.”

“I believe you have an alternative motive but can’t figure out what it is.”

“Simply put, Diana, Dane and I are looking for you to complete our threesome. The missing piece we’d always felt but couldn’t find. Think about it for yourself. You’ve had relationships, but they were never really fulfilling, never quite right to make any commitments.”

“I just haven’t found the right man for me yet.”

“Yes, now you have. Dane and I are your perfect mates. Where I’m stuffy and provincial, he’s free-spirited and relaxed. While I prefer to see you dressed as you are tonight, Dane gets off on your business persona, the down-to-earth woman with no makeup and work boots.”

“And what do you suppose I get from the two of you?” She settled back in her seat and decided she wanted to get this all out in the open now. She could only make informed decisions once she knew all the truths. “How could you know what my dreams were about?”

“The dreams I presumed. But ultimately I knew you’d come to accept the monster, and in doing so, you’d let your imagination commit the acts you hesitate to enjoy in real life.”

“So you have no knowledge of my dreams and can’t read my thoughts.” She hesitated. “What made you mention the name Martin in regard to them?” It was the first time she’d seen him blush.

“I overheard you mumbling in the basement one day. You said the name ‘Martin.’ I assumed it was how you’d begun referring to the dreams.” He had the good sense to look away as if he were ashamed.

“So neither you nor Dane can really read my thoughts?” She needed the reinforcement that her private thoughts were still private.

“Of course not. I’d have to be some kind of psychic for that. I’m not. I’m just well informed on history and psychology.”

“Tell me how you met Dane, where and when.” She stood and walked to the coffee tray. With the palm of her hand, she carefully touched the silver carafe and found it still hot. She took her empty cup and filled it. She lifted the pot toward Sloan, but he declined, holding up his crystal glass with an amber liquid in it. She took her coffee back to her seat and waited for his answers.

“Dane was in Greece on a summer semester doing research for his thesis. I was there trying to trace back the myth. I’d had the luxury of growing up with the stories, of hearing them from my father as if they were fairy tales. As I grew up, I realized there was more to his tales than just words. When he was dying, he confessed the whole truth. Said he’d been afraid I’d think he was crazy if he made the tales sound true. It bothered him most that he hadn’t found who held the bracelet or the earrings. After he passed, I received his journals. They told of years of searching for the ancestors of Theseus and Ariadne. Those tales sent me on a quest of sorts. He truly believed he was a descendant of the Minotaur, even though it is said he had no offspring. So I went to Greece and was studying their archives. That’s where I met Dane.”

“Wait,” she said, sipping at her coffee. “If Theseus and Ariadne killed the Minotaur, how could he have offspring? Who did he mate with? If he was such a feared monster, what woman would willingly mate with him?”

“The answer there was willing. Dane found a short passage in an old history that told of one woman being released from the Minotaur’s labyrinth by his own hand. It was said she went back to the Athenians and bore a child—a large, black-haired, black-eyed male child. She and her child were shunned for not knowing who the father was. The woman never gave the father’s name, ever. There was no further information noted there about her or the child. Just that they existed and were exiled.”

“So you’ve decided you’re the ancestor of that male child and shunned woman.”

“If they existed, she was the only one to ever leave the labyrinth. She’d been gone two years from her homeland and came home alive and pregnant.”

“There could be many reasons she got away and that she got impregnated. Perhaps she was raped on her travels and too ashamed to tell anyone the truth.”

“Perhaps, but my version does answer many questions if you read the history as I do.”

“Of course it does. It folds all this into a nice, neat package. One I’m supposed to believe. So what was it about this woman that made the Minotaur release her?”

“It’s believed she didn’t show fear of him, and ultimately, he left her to live. After a time they became companions and mated. When they realized she’d become pregnant, he let her go.”

“Didn’t they fear her child would be born the same as the Minotaur?”

“I suppose they did, but he wasn’t. He was born a normal male child. A very tall, dark-haired, black-eyed child.”

“And you believe through thousands of years you’re some descendant, that we’re all descendants in some way. I’d be more prone to believe that if all these stones are as rare and costly as you believe, that they’ve been bartered, sold, or stolen over the years. That would make more sense to me.”

“This isn’t about common sense, Diana. You’ve always kept to yourself, and it’s because, deep down, you felt you hadn’t met the right mate.”

“I’m confused about something.” She paused to put her thoughts in order. “You have the necklace, supposedly handed down through generations. But you told me earlier Ariadne placed the necklace around the Minotaur’s neck when Theseus killed him.”

“That’s correct. The labyrinth was sealed after the death of the Minotaur. When Ariadne heard the stories of the woman he’d let go and her male child, she made her way back into the tunnels and took the sacred beads from his corpse.” Sloan paused and sipped from his drink. “Dane found a single entry suggesting that Ariadne searched out the woman and child. After seeing the child, she gave the necklace to the mother to be handed down when the boy was of age. There were no more references to the woman or child after that.”

“So all my life, I’ve been searching for a man I didn’t know existed.” She shook her head at Sloan and tried to change the subject, one that was hitting too close to her dreams. “Maybe I’m a lesbian. Did you ever consider that?” She used her coffee cup to hide her smile. Sloan flashed his eyes at her. “Okay, I’ll take that back. Dane pretty much cancels that out.”

“That’s the first time I’ve seen you smile all evening. You should do it more often.”

“So should you.” She lifted her cup but couldn’t bring herself to sip the brew, the scent no longer appealing. “Do you mind if I pour myself a drink?” She put the cup on the table, pushing it away from her.

“Help yourself. In reality, Diana, I’d like you to get comfortable here, in the house as a second home.” He hesitated and added, “Until you’re ready to move in permanently.”

She gave Sloan credit for keeping her gaze even though she couldn’t really believe what he’d just said. “Excuse me?” She stood and walked to the bar. “Now I really want a drink.”

She stood before the antique sideboard that the men used as a bar and scanned the bottles. What intrigued her were the crystal glasses. Good crystal, she realized, and carefully chose a short, chunky one. The flames from the fireplace glinted against it, forming rainbows against the wall. She chose the bourbon mainly because of its brand, one she couldn’t afford on her salary, and put a short shot in the glass. She just wanted to sip it, not get roaring drunk, especially on his good stuff. Lifting the glass, she drew in the essence. That in itself was almost intoxicating.

“Would you like a refill while I’m here?”

“No thanks. Now that you’ve had a moment to think about what I’ve said, don’t you have any questions?”

“More of a comment, I think,” Diana said, taking the first sip of the bourbon, feeling the slight burn down her throat until that flash of heat filtered through her body. “Why, Sloan? Why would you think I’d be spending enough time here to consider it a second home or that I’d move in permanently? Just what do you have in mind for our future?” She took another sip. “Let me guess, it all goes back to my accepting both you and Dane as lovers.”

“You’ve had both of us as lovers already, Dane in the flesh and me in your dreams.”

“Dreams aren’t tangible. Whatever I dreamed, it wasn’t your hands touching me.” Saying those words made her look away. Deep inside, she wondered if it were possible in any way. Yes, she’d had sex with her dream monster, but the physical marks left by him were human. She still couldn’t fathom how that had happened and again accepted she probably never would. Did she really want to know?

“Or my lips or my cock? Try me and find out for yourself.” He sipped his drink, and Diana watched him carefully. He was almost too sure of himself, too full of himself. She wasn’t about to attach herself to an egotistical misogynist.

“What, no romance, no wining and dining, chocolates and flowers? One meal and you expect me to drop my dress and let you take control?”

“You’ll give me control, Diana. You know that’s true because you’re standing here naked under that dress. Does the cloth rubbing against your nipples make them more sensitive? Do you long to feel my lips on them, to feel how I’d suckle them? How I’d capture your whole breast between my lips?”