Page 55 of Flowers Near Me

And he was still kicking himself for going rigid in her arms at the golf course. She’d pressed that gorgeous body against him, and he lost all rational thought. At least he hadn’t taken advantage of her temporary vulnerability and run his hands along her hips and waist like he’d practically done when helping her line up her shot.

Lost in his own musings and the sight of the beautiful goddess sitting next to him, he missed whatever question Persephone had asked him. She scowled. “Did I miss anything, Hades?”

Probably not,he thought but answered, “You’ll be perfect.”

His phone vibrated in his jacket’s front pocket, and he swiped to open a message from Eurydice.

Eurydice

Issue with testers. Call me.

“Eurydice wants us to call her,” said Hades.

Persephone nodded.

The line rung once before Eurydice answered, “Hi, Hades.”

“What is it?” he asked and flicked his eyes to Charon’s reflection in the rearview mirror as he hit the speaker button.

On the other line, Hades heard tense voices arguing in the background. “All of the beta testers had their phones hacked. After they download the new version of the app, it sent push alerts of their location to everyone in their contact list. I have fifty angry testers demanding answers.”

“Have you removed the latest version from their phones?”

“Yes. It hasn’t stopped the issue, though. Whatever is causing this, used the app as a vehicle.”

“Wonderful.” Hades groaned. “Other than the testers and their contacts, who else knows?”

“I don’t know.”

“Charon will meet you in the office soon. She’ll alert PR to field all questions, and I’ll talk to Hecate to see if she has any solutions.” Charon met his eyes in the mirror again and gave him a nod.

“Thank you, sir.”

Hades ended the call, fired off a quick text to Hecate, then slid his phone back into his breast pocket.

Persephone narrowed her eyes at him. He unbuttoned the top button of his shirt and caught her glancing at the action. The hint of interest in her cursory look and the slight blush on her cheeks made him rise a little in his seat. “Do you have the app on your phone?”

Persephone opened her home screen. “Not anymore. Eurydice had me remove it weeks ago when she started working on the newest version. Shouldn’t we head to the office?”

From the driver’s seat, Charon said, “Don’t skip lunch. I’ll come get you if they need you.”

Persephone fidgeted in her seat. Hopefully he could put her at ease so she’d enjoy their date.

“There’s nothing we can do now,” he said as he lifted one brow at her and winked. There was no point hovering over the dev team as they pinpointed the issue. Plus, she’d promised to act like a more convincing girlfriend on this date. No way he’d pass up that opportunity, even if his empire was burning to the ground. Wanting Sephy’s attention back on him, he asked, “How about we use that first kiss today?”

She rolled her eyes and straightened in her seat. “Stop.”

Leaning towards her, he put his hand on the seat between them. “It’s a good plan and you know it.” The thrill in his chest clawed at him.

She wiped her hands across the tops of her skirt-covered thighs. “It’s going to be awkward if we do that,” she said. Her mouth tightened at its edges, a tell Hades was beginning to recognize as her way of hiding an incoming joke.

He made a noise low in his throat. “And why is that?”

Straight faced, she replied, “Because I’ve never kissed anyone.”

He chuckled. It wasn’t true because his team had already uncovered every previous romantic detail from her past. A few boyfriends but nothing that lasted long. Demeter kept her daughter under close watch—something he appreciated even if Demeter wasdifficult. It was protocol, he’d assured Charon, that any high-ranking member of Underworld Unlimited required a thorough background check. Charon had responded to the request with a most sarcastic, “Sure it is.”

A huge grin on his face, Hades said, “Is that so?”

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