A Taste of Greek (Out of Olympus #3) by Tina Folsom, Cynthia Cooke Page A

open balcony doors. In his rush to take Penny to bed, he hadn’t bothered closing the doors that he’d opened during the day. He smiled and turned his head, expecting to see Penny sleeping on the pillow next to him.
    The pillow was empty. She wasn’t in the bed. He sat up, looking toward the bathroom. The door stood open; the room was empty. Disappointed that she wasn’t next to him, he tossed the sheet off. If she were still in his bed, they could repeat what they’d done the night before. He was ready for it too, his cock harder than a crow bar.
    Hermes glanced at the clock on the bedside table. It was barely eight o’clock. For a moment, he remained silent, listening for the sounds in the vast house. His superior hearing picked up the clink of cutlery. The smell of freshly brewed coffee and fried bacon wafted up to him. Sophia usually had a breakfast buffet set up; maybe Penny had smelled it upon waking and had gotten hungry. They’d certainly burned some calories last night, and just as his stomach now growled, she had probably felt the same.
    Hermes jumped out of bed and dashed into the bathroom. Five minutes later, he was presentable, and rushed out of his room and down the stairs. The cool wood felt good under his bare feet. Bare feet? He looked down at himself. Why hadn’t he slipped into his sandals? It was the first thing he did every morning when he got up, his sandals always standing next to his bed, so he could never forget them.
    He shook his head. Clearly, having spent the night with Penny had uprooted his routine somewhat.
    Hermes burst into the dining room, where the breakfast buffet had been built up. It was empty. Alice entered from the kitchen, carrying a bowl of steaming grits.
    “Good morning, Hermes, did you sleep well?” She set the bowl on a plate heater.
    He nodded quickly. “Morning, Alice. Have you seen my friend Penny this morning?”
    “The brunette you came to the party with last night?” Alice winked at him, chuckling. “You dog!”
    Hermes couldn’t suppress the pride in his chest that welled up at the thought that he’d gotten Penny to sleep with him, after she’d almost wanted to leave the party before even coming up to his room. Luckily, he’d nipped that thought in the bud instantly.
    “Yes, the brunette. Did she come down for breakfast already?”
    “Sorry, haven’t seen her.” Alice glanced at the buffet. “But somebody has already taken some food. Maybe she took a plate out on the balcony with her. It’s such a gorgeous morning.”
    Hermes nodded. That had to be it. Penny was probably having breakfast on the balcony overlooking the garden. He should have thought of that. “Thanks, Alice!”
    He stepped out onto the balcony, the French doors falling shut behind him again.
    “Morning, Hermes,” Sophia greeted him, balancing her plate on her lap as she reached for her coffee mug. “I thought I’d quickly grab breakfast before this crazy day starts.”
    Disappointed, he greeted her. “Morning. You didn’t see Penny here, did you?”
    “You mean after last night? No. Should I have?” Sophia’s eyes twinkled. “So she stayed, huh?”
    “Yeah.”
    But she was gone now. Why had she left without telling him? Surprise and annoyance filled him. Why would she sneak away? Had she been embarrassed about what had happened between them? Ridiculous! Besides, if anyone were going to sneak out into the night after several hours of amazing sex, it would be he. Not the woman.
    Women didn’t run out on him. He did the running. What was it with this woman? Why would she just ditch him like that?
    “Excuse me, Sophia, I’ve gotta . . . ”
    Well, he didn’t know what he needed to do. Collect his thoughts maybe. Screw his head on right again. Squash the disappointment inside him. Maybe he should just get out and take a long walk along the shore, clear his head. Right. That was what he had to do.
    He was already walking toward the stairs that descended to the first