Page 67 of You Can't Fight Lightning

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No, no I hadn’t! But I’d addressed something that had bothered me. It wasn’t just a taunt that I’d thrown at him. I’d planned to talk about this with him.

So maybe it was just my sense of timing that sucked. I’d done the right thing. For me, this was the right thing.

That didn’t stop more tears. I closed my eyes and slept. There was nothing else I could do right now.

* * *

Cold hands slid around my middle, waking me and making me scream. “What the hell?”

“You’re so warm.” Z’s breath whispered in my ear.

“You’re not! What the hell, Z? This is one time you need to sit over there.” I pushed at him, wanting the hands away from me.

“Hold still.”

His hand went from warm to cold.

I whipped my head around as best as I could naked and twisted in the blankets.

He, amazingly, was grinning.

“Why are you smiling?”

“You are perfect for me. Do you realize that?”

“No. I don’t realize anything.” I scooted back from him and then got myself turned around so that I could face him.

His hands were still around my waist. “Don’t go away from me. Please. You are perfect.”

“Why?”

“Will you listen?” His voice, his face, everything about him screamed ‘please please please’. I wondered when Zeus had to beg anyone to do anything.

“Okay.” I relented. But only a little.

“You’re right. I’ve left a lot of pain in my past. I tried, Roxy. I tried to be different. For you.”

“You have been.” My heart melted a little at his words, although I didn’t let him know that.

“But there’s more. And you’re right. I don’t want to admit it.” His gaze slid from mine as he frowned.

I wished that I could read his thoughts right then.

“So I’m going to do something I don’t often do. I’m going to ask for help. All the women you’ve read about, all my demi-god children—they’re long gone.”

“Where?”

“In Hades.”

“Aren’t there levels? I can’t remember the names, but I remember there are levels of Hades. Are they in the best levels?”

“I don’t know.”

“Then you can put them there.” My response was quick.

“I don’t know.”

“You need to find out. And apologize.”

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