Page 9 of Charmed By Apollo

But afterwards…

He tilted the glass and knocked it back, finishing the entire thing. “Another one please, D.”

“On it,” said Dionysus, the god of wine-making, as he tipped his porcelain carafe over Apollo’s wine glass, filling it with dark red liquid. “This is such a cool reception. And Hades! I can’t believe he got married!” He whistled. “I definitely did not see that coming.”

Apollo looked over at the happy couple, Hades and Persephone. Part of him was elated for his friend, of course. If anyone deserved to be happy, it was Hades. In the time Apollo knew him, the broody god of the underworld had been somewhat of a recluse, a loner. And now, there was a definite change in him, and it was never more obvious than whenever he looked at his bride. There was a light in his eyes that was hard to miss.

“Whoa, who’s she?” Dionysus said.

“Who?”

“Her. The maid of honor.”

Apollo’s gaze slid toward where Dionysus was pointing. Sure enough, the elusive shifter sat down at the head table with the bride and groom and other important members of the bridal party. The neckline of her burgundy gown dipped slightly, drawing the eye to her graceful neck and delicate collarbones, and the deep, jewel-like shade added a rosy flush to her cheeks, accentuating her natural beauty. Her hair was up in a messy bun, and he could imagine his fingers in the soft tendrils, the silky texture against his skin.

“She’s hot,” Dionysus said with a low whistle. “Maybe I should go over there and?—”

Irritation rose in him. “Thanks for the drink, D.” Apollo shoved his wine glass at the other god, then began to walk over to the head table. However, he stopped midway and then circled around to approach the table from behind so as not to alert her to his presence.

Geri had somehow managed to elude him this entire time. At first, he thought nothing of it, since, as best man, he had to stand up with Hades at the altar, and as maid of honor, Geri stayed with Persephone up until she walked down the aisle. He’d been tempted to seek her out, but he had his duties to the groom, after all. He tried to catch her eye during the ceremony, but she kept her gaze on the couple. Then, right after the ceremony, she began to act like he didn’t exist at all, and he knew she was avoiding him.

He shouldn’t have been annoyed that she just left their encounter. He’d had plenty of one-night stands, after all. Most men in his position would have been glad to have some no-strings fun, right?

But something about the way she had just left him irked at him. Sure, she had stated that it was just sex, and he agreed, but still, the fact that she pretended he didn’t even exist pissed him off.

Apollo considered just appearing next to her, but he wanted to catch her off guard, not give her a heart attack. So, he approached her from behind, walking slowly. Thankfully, she was busy scrolling on her phone when he said, “Hey, maid of honor.”

Her shoulders stiffened, and then slowly, she lifted her head. “Hey.” There was no trace of emotion on her face. But she also didn’t try to move away, which he counted as a win on his side.

“So, how’s it going?” He sat on the empty chair next to her.

“It’s good.” She took a sip of her wine. “And you?”

She seemed unbothered, which, in truth, annoyed him. Like their time together was nothing but a second thought to her. Had she moved on already? Been with someone else?

He pushed those thoughts aside. Despite how it made him feel, he had no ownership over her. She was free to sleep with anyone she wanted, as was he. He should just leave her alone and walk away now.

But instead, he placed an arm over the back of her chair. “I’m great. Just fine.”

“Hey, everyone’s here!” The handsome youth—Adonis, if he recalled correctly—called as he whipped his phone out. He was apparently the “flower boy” and sat on the other side of the bride and groom. “Let’s take a selfie! C’mon, scooch in!”

Geri leaned in toward the couple, and so Apollo did the same, which meant his head was right by the wolf shifter’s shoulder.

“Come in closer. My arms aren’t that long,” Adonis said.

And so, Apollo did, effectively crowding Geri between himself and the couple. From this close, he could practically feel the warmth coming from her cheeks as he drew closer. He felt her stiffen, then relax.

“Okay, looks great,” Adonis declared.

Apollo moved away from Geri before she could say anything. “Enjoying the reception?”

“I guess,” she said with a shrug, then picked up her phone.

“You know, back in my day, we didn’t have those phones to distract us.”

She lifted a dark eyebrow at him. “Good for you, grandpa.”

He should have been insulted, but he burst out laughing instead. “Good one, Ger.” He lifted his hands in defeat. “Okay, that was terribly judgmental and condescending. I apologize.”

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