Page 59 of Flowers Near Me

Fresh confidence died a quick death when Hades’ chiseled frame covered in an immaculate suit stopped her in the hallway. “Ah, there are you. I was worried someone whisked you away.”

“No, I’m still here.”

Hades grinned as he traced her arms. With a gentle touch, he took her hands and placed them on his waist. He felt like warm stone under her palms. She became lightheaded as his hands caressed her jaw and her skin went hot. Leaning his face to hers, there was no question whether or not he intended to kiss her. His full lips pressed onto hers and the scent of a winter forest flooded her senses. The press of his lips lingered for a halted breath, then he pulled away to straighten to his full height.

“That’sa kiss.”

Oh Fates.Was there anything to compare it to? She’d been kissed before but not like that.Never like that.The world narrowed until it was only him with his handsome face and smooth words.

“Why now? No one saw us,” she asked, hoping she knew the answer.

Hades offered his hand and she took it. “Our first kiss should be for just the two of us.”

Floating along, they returned to their seats. She was plummeting headfirst into his whirlpool and wasn’t sure where she’d land. There were worse things than a broken heart—a destroyed career came to mind—but lovesickness was unfamiliar to her, and she never liked seeing the effects of it in others.

If his feelings for her eventually passed, maybe the same thing would happen to her?Butif they didn’t…she pushed some rice around her plate.I can’t think about it now.

CHAPTER TWENTY ONE

THE GODDESS WHO COULD BREAK HIM

HADES

Sephy had asked that Hades portal them back to the apartment after their hibachi date. After some convincing from her—that she wouldn’t feel sick from the travel—he relented. He relished holding her and took his time making the jump from the restaurant to the penthouse. If she was agreeable, he’d start to teleport her everywhere. It’d scared him to see how pale she’d become the first time he portaled her to Zeus’ office.

Back home, she insisted that she’d be the one to call Eurydice. “I’ve dealt with misbehaving tech before. Let me handle it.” She was the app’s new Chief Product Officer, but he wished her first significant involvement wasn’t overseeing a bug fix and handling any potential PR fallout.

Cerberus trailed behind her as she paced over a handwoven rug. The gray and brown fur ball watched the little goddess’ every move around the apartment. The beast was almost as enchanted by their companion as Hades was.

Their kiss in the secluded hallway of the restaurant was better than he’d imagined it would be. And he’d imagined that scenario often. The soft feel of her lips mixed with her bewitching scent had the ichor speeding in his veins. He would forever remember the flush of her cheeks and sultry gaze after that kiss. She desired him. And even if it was only a flicker, he’d try to fan it into flame.

Eurydice’s shaky voice came over the speaker of Sephy’s phone, “I’m still trying to find out what happened to the app’s code. It makes no sense. We’d tested it in-house before the testers were brought in.”

“Do you still have their phones?” Sephy asked. She stopped pacing and fixed her eyes on Hades.

Eurydice answered, “We gave them back after we deleted the app.”

“Are they still in the building?”

“Yes.”

Sephy’s eyes lit up. “Good. Make sure they’re logged onto Underworld’s network then pull all of their phones’ data from the past six months. Tell them you’re checking for lingering issues. Get everything you can.” She counted on one hand, each delicate finger marking her list of: “Search and location history, messages, contacts, apps, anything and everything. Then have your team cull the data and look for patterns.”

Hades choked on his coffee. Had he heard her correctly? Was she really telling Eurydice to investigate the beta testers for possible sabotage by sifting through all of the activity of their phones?

Why didn’t I think of that?He’d expect seasoned gods like himself or Demeter to distrust contracted employees, but Sephy seemed less jaded than him. Maybe she was as calculating as he was? To rise through the ranks of Demeter’s Bounty, she’d need a steely resolve and sharp mind. Demeter was notoriously distrustful of those outside of her confidantes and naturally she’d want her daughter to be the same. He’d want his children to be as cunning too. In fact, Sephy’s balance of kindness and shrewdness was the perfect combination. She’d be an incredible mom if they had children.

“I-uh… are we allowed to do that?” Eurydice asked. The developer’s voice lowered into a whisper over the phone.

Sephy tapped her screen to mute the call. “Beta testers signed a data use agreement, right?”

In no world shouldthatsentence sound as seductive as it did coming from her lips. He cleared his throat. “Of course.”

She unmuted the call. “Yes, we’re allowed. It’s important you get your team moving on this straight away. There’s a good chance the virus came from one of them.”

“Oh, okay. I-I’ll get right on it.”

“Thanks. Keep us posted.” Sephy ended the call then quirked her brow at Hades. “What’s wrong?”

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