Free Lesson in Love (Olympians, 2) by Marie Medina Page B

he hadn’t missed Iris so much, he
would have asked Ares if he’d ever been in love. He felt he’d
already pushed his luck enough, though; plus, he didn’t need
another can of worms in the mix.
    After Ares left, he finished his wine
and threw some money on the table before leaving. The air was
brisk, but not too cold. Not only did he miss Iris but he was also
worried about her. She’d seemed so upset. He couldn’t figure out
what he’d done. How long had she had feelings for him and had to
sit back and watch him acting like a jerk, seducing other women?
What did she see in him? He couldn’t understand it. Ares was right.
He could think of lots of gods who would have tried to win Iris if
they’d thought they had a chance. That didn’t make him feel better.
He only felt more inadequate. Didn’t she deserve someone who
wouldn’t cause her pain? Someone who hadn’t already caused her so
much?
    He kept walking. He wasn’t going to
feel like going home for a while.

Chapter Six
     
    Layla looked across the table and
handed Iris the bowl of chocolate-covered cherries. She poured
herself and Iris coffee and sat back.
    “ You’re going to have to
talk eventually,” Layla said.
    “ You don’t understand.
Eros spent centuries looking right through me. Poseidon was
completely enthralled from the first moment he saw you.”
    Layla blushed, but then giggled. “The
first time he saw me, I was wearing a bikini and touching myself.
Most men would have been enthralled.”
    Iris sighed. “Okay, you aren’t a great
example. But he noticed you immediately. Before you
started…well…anyway. There’s a difference.”
    Layla nodded. “Yes. You were already
in love and didn’t hold out any hope of your love being returned.”
She popped a chocolate-covered cherry into her mouth.
    “ Exactly. My hope didn’t
increase because he was suddenly paying attention to
me.”
    Layla finished chewing and swallowed.
“But why not? Isn’t that what you were trying to do all along, get
his attention and show him what he was missing running around like
a mortal teenager?”
    Iris had to admit it was a pretty good
question. He’d seemed interested from their first conversation,
despite her telling him off. For a while, she’d thought she could
get his attention when he began coming to her restaurant. However,
she soon found that he saw every girl but her. That had to mean
something. His interest had remained unpiqued until he’d discovered
she was a goddess.
    She finally replied, “Because he only
noticed me when I went right up to him and asked him why he’d
kicked one of my tables. He thought I was hot, so he gave me his
attention. Then Hera and Aphrodite cooked up their little
scheme.”
    “ So you wanted to just sit
around and wait for a man to fall at your feet?”
    “ No.”
    “ Then what are you saying?
He’s immune to love spells.”
    Iris groaned. “Everyone keeps pointing
that out. I know that already.”
    “ So you think he’s an
idiot who would fall for any girl as long as she was in his line of
vision for a long enough period of time?”
    Iris picked up a chocolate-covered
cherry and bit into it, chewing thoughtfully. “I don’t
know.”
    “ Ask
Aphrodite.”
    “ Ask her what?”
    Layla rolled her eyes. “Ask her if
Eros is in love with you. She knows true love. And who would know
him better?”
    Iris felt cold again as she thought of
what Aphrodite had said to her. She didn’t know if it was safe to
tell Layla or not. She didn’t want to put her friend in even a
little bit of danger. Aphrodite rarely had a quarrel with anyone,
but when she did it was quite an event.
    “ Iris, are you
okay?”
    She nodded. “Yeah. It’s just something
Aphrodite said to me.” She paused. “It freaked me out, for more
than one reason.”
    Layla leaned forward and whispered,
“What did she say?”
    “ She said if I broke Eros’
heart, I’d need Hera’s protection.”
    Layla paled. “Whoa. Are you
serious?”
    Iris