appearance, and attitude made me want to give into feminine urges I was sure had been nonexistent a few moments ago. One part of me wanted to run as fast as I could. The other part wanted
him
, and such a sensation made my heart flutter and my stomach roll in unison.
Keep it together, Janet.
“I don’t think I’ve seen your face before,” Meroquio said softly, passing me another drink. I downed this one too. I needed to get drunk really fast.
“I’m new,” I said, casting a bored look at his abandoned admirers. Several of them gave me death glares, and I worried for a second that if the elder gods didn’t get me, the jealous humans would. “So who are you? Local player?”
Did I just call the God of Love a local player?
Meroquio stared in surprise before he laughed. “Oh, you are new, aren’t you? If you came here often you would know.” He brushed a strand of his silky locks from his glimmering green eyes. “Do you have any idea who I am?”
“No, should I?”
His eyes are a nice shade of green. I like–Shit! Cut it out Janet!
“You should.” Meroquio leaned forward a little bit, much too close for comfort. I could only take so much of his scent without melting into a puddle at his feet.
Damn this god!
“Well, I give up. Tell me,” I said.
“You happen to be speaking to Meroquio himself.” A seductive grin crept over the god’s face.
“God of Love?” I raised an eyebrow.
“The one and only.” He made a casual swooping motion with one gloved hand.
“Sure you are,” I said, looking at my unfortunately empty glass. Out of the corner of my eye, I could see his priceless expression and I struggled to keep my laugh in my throat. “That pick up line has been used on me before.” Lie. “By a lot of guys.” Lie. “And you don’t seem much more special than them.” So much lying happening right now.
Meroquio’s grin widened in a way that seemed to say “challenge accepted”. “Oh, I can prove it to you, love.” He nodded to a hallway that branched off the main room. “Mind stepping out with me?”
I was torn between
“Gods no! Get me out of here”
and
“YES! Take me, I’m yours!”
Why did this God play such strange and uncomfortable tricks with my mind?
“All right,” I agreed, slipping off my chair and following Meroquio down the back hall, much to the disappointment of his admirers. A sharp
ping
echoed from behind me as one tried to throw a fork at my head. They missed, either because they had bad aim or they had a very poor tolerance for alcohol.
Middle class.
Meroquio guided me down the hall of the mansion and away from the crowds, resting one hand lightly on the small of my back as he did. My spine tingled at the contact and I resisted the urge to bat his hand away. The softer the lull of conversation became, the antsier I grew. At last he stopped outside a door and held it open to allow me inside.
“After you, my interesting little human.”
Great. Now
he
was calling me “little human”. I was beginning to resent that nickname more and more.
I stepped into a room with hideous, fluffy purple carpet and a bright red couch. Either the people who owned this mansion were poor decorators or this was Meroquio’s personal room, and he just had bad taste.
Whatever the case, I hoped not to end up on that couch by the end of the night.
The door clicked as Meroquio closed it behind him, that charming grin stretching over his face again. “How about I offer you proof now?”
I held up a hand–my
steel
hand, just in case I had to punch him–in front of me, barring him from moving any closer. “Actually, I’ve known you were the God of Love this entire time,” I blurted, relieved I could finally stop playing this dumb game.
Meroquio gaped, an expression that made me want to crack up laughing. “You knew and you still played hard to get?”
“I had to get you alone somehow,” I pointed out. “And
no
, not for the reason you’re thinking.”
“Really?”
him
, and such a sensation made my heart flutter and my stomach roll in unison.
Keep it together, Janet.
“I don’t think I’ve seen your face before,” Meroquio said softly, passing me another drink. I downed this one too. I needed to get drunk really fast.
“I’m new,” I said, casting a bored look at his abandoned admirers. Several of them gave me death glares, and I worried for a second that if the elder gods didn’t get me, the jealous humans would. “So who are you? Local player?”
Did I just call the God of Love a local player?
Meroquio stared in surprise before he laughed. “Oh, you are new, aren’t you? If you came here often you would know.” He brushed a strand of his silky locks from his glimmering green eyes. “Do you have any idea who I am?”
“No, should I?”
His eyes are a nice shade of green. I like–Shit! Cut it out Janet!
“You should.” Meroquio leaned forward a little bit, much too close for comfort. I could only take so much of his scent without melting into a puddle at his feet.
Damn this god!
“Well, I give up. Tell me,” I said.
“You happen to be speaking to Meroquio himself.” A seductive grin crept over the god’s face.
“God of Love?” I raised an eyebrow.
“The one and only.” He made a casual swooping motion with one gloved hand.
“Sure you are,” I said, looking at my unfortunately empty glass. Out of the corner of my eye, I could see his priceless expression and I struggled to keep my laugh in my throat. “That pick up line has been used on me before.” Lie. “By a lot of guys.” Lie. “And you don’t seem much more special than them.” So much lying happening right now.
Meroquio’s grin widened in a way that seemed to say “challenge accepted”. “Oh, I can prove it to you, love.” He nodded to a hallway that branched off the main room. “Mind stepping out with me?”
I was torn between
“Gods no! Get me out of here”
and
“YES! Take me, I’m yours!”
Why did this God play such strange and uncomfortable tricks with my mind?
“All right,” I agreed, slipping off my chair and following Meroquio down the back hall, much to the disappointment of his admirers. A sharp
ping
echoed from behind me as one tried to throw a fork at my head. They missed, either because they had bad aim or they had a very poor tolerance for alcohol.
Middle class.
Meroquio guided me down the hall of the mansion and away from the crowds, resting one hand lightly on the small of my back as he did. My spine tingled at the contact and I resisted the urge to bat his hand away. The softer the lull of conversation became, the antsier I grew. At last he stopped outside a door and held it open to allow me inside.
“After you, my interesting little human.”
Great. Now
he
was calling me “little human”. I was beginning to resent that nickname more and more.
I stepped into a room with hideous, fluffy purple carpet and a bright red couch. Either the people who owned this mansion were poor decorators or this was Meroquio’s personal room, and he just had bad taste.
Whatever the case, I hoped not to end up on that couch by the end of the night.
The door clicked as Meroquio closed it behind him, that charming grin stretching over his face again. “How about I offer you proof now?”
I held up a hand–my
steel
hand, just in case I had to punch him–in front of me, barring him from moving any closer. “Actually, I’ve known you were the God of Love this entire time,” I blurted, relieved I could finally stop playing this dumb game.
Meroquio gaped, an expression that made me want to crack up laughing. “You knew and you still played hard to get?”
“I had to get you alone somehow,” I pointed out. “And
no
, not for the reason you’re thinking.”
“Really?”
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