Free Mortal Temptations by Allyson James Page A

hugged herself a little tighter. “I’m sorry this happened to you.”
    “Part of it was our own damn fault. We liked to enjoy ourselves too much. Like now.”
    “You think Nico is enjoying himself too much with me?”
    “No. I think I am.”
    She stilled. “And what do you mean by that?”
    “I’m enjoying thinking about snatching that sheet from you and looking at your lovely body.”
    Her hands automatically clenched the sheet. “That wouldn’t be fair to Nico.”
    “I said look . Not touch.”
    Patricia’s entire body heated. Andreas was already gazing at her as though he could see right through the sheet, and she didn’t know why that excited her so much. She liked Nico and wanted to be with him , not Andreas. She liked Nico’s laugh, his smoldering eyes, his touch, his caring.
    But she suddenly wanted Andreas to look at her.
    Slowly she skimmed the sheet from her torso, then leaned back on her elbows and pushed the covers all the way off. She stretched out her legs and lay there, stark naked, for Andreas to see.
    His blue eyes flashed, quick volatility that was instantly masked as his gaze roved her from head to foot. He lingered at her breasts, and she felt the nipples rise for him, then his gaze dipped to the dampening tuft between her thighs.
    Patricia parted her legs and let him look, going so far as to lick the tip of her fingers and touch them to her clit.
    His erection was evident in his pants, but he simply leaned on the bedpost, folded his arms, and studied her.
    “Very nice,” he concluded. He pushed himself away from the bed and ran his tongue over his lips. “Keep the bed,” he said softly. “I’ll sleep upstairs.”
    Giving her a final, lingering look, he turned and left the room.
    Patricia let out her breath and scrubbed her hand over her face. That had been—incredibly erotic. She’d come close to orgasm feeling his admiration on every inch of her. She’d never let a man look at her like that before, and now she’d played with one man and spread herself in front of his best friend not an hour later.
    Then she realized that the shower had stopped—had stopped some time ago.
    She looked up in alarm. Nico leaned against the bathroom doorframe, a towel around his waist and water droplets all over his shoulders.
    “Nico,” she whispered.
    Hurting Nico was the last thing she wanted. She didn’t understand why she’d wanted Andreas to look at her body; she understood none of this.
    “I’m sorry,” she said, remorse biting her. “I couldn’t seem to stop myself.”
    “I know.” Nico flicked off the light in the bathroom and came through the darkened room to her. He sat down on the bed and slid one hand across her bare hip. His towel-wrapped body was incredible, and her own body throbbed for him again.
    “This is how it happens,” he said. “You want me first, then you’ll draw Andreas in until he becomes fixed on you. You’ll have us both until we’re so tangled we can’t get free without pain. And then it’s over. You move on, and we eat our hearts out.”
    She listened in dismay. “That is not what’s going to happen.”
    “It’s the way of things.”
    “I am going to find a way to set you free, Nico. So that if we want each other, there’s nothing in the way, and we know it’s real.”
    “Maybe.”
    Patricia started to scramble up. “It will be real; I swear it. Now, I have to go. I have cats to feed, a store to open in a few hours—”
    His hand on her hip tightened. “Stay.” His eyes went dark. “Sleep with me tonight. I know a great place for breakfast, best bagels in Manhattan.”
    The incongruity of a demigod, son of Dionysus and a nymph, on the lookout for a really good bagel made her laugh.
    “All right,” she conceded. “I’ll stay. My cats will never let me hear the end of it, though.”
    “I’ll send Andreas to look after them. He likes cats.”
    She started to smile again, then Nico pulled off his towel, and she got lost in admiration of