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She smoothed a hand over the skirt of her evening gown. "I see. Is there a reason you suddenly didn't feel like entertaining Gertrude the way she hoped? Did she do something to turn you off?"
He shook his head. "It wasn't her fault." He closed his eyes. "For reasons that I cannot explain, I'm drawn to someone else, but she's not interested in me that way."
"Who is she?" Aru asked.
Gabi cast her mate an incredulous look as if she couldn't understand how he hadn't guessed it, but she didn't say anything, waiting for Negal to admit it.
"It's Margo. Frankie planted in my head the idea that Margo and I were destined to be together because Mia and Frankie were mated to gods, so their best friend had to be mated to one as well, and I was the last unmated male god available. I dismissed it as nonsense, but the idea must have burrowed itself into my head because all of a sudden, I felt guilty about holding Gertrude in my arms while we danced, and that was even before I met Margo." He shook his head. "I was glad to have an excuse to leave last night so I wouldn't have to make good on my promise to Gertrude." He released a long breath. "I sound like a lunatic even to myself. I wish I could talk with the ship's counselor."
Gabi leaned forward. "I'm not a counselor or a therapist, but I know that hiding from what's troubling you is not the answer. Why do you think that Margo is not interested in you?"
He looked her in the eyes. "I'm a god. Do I need to say more? There wasn't even a whiff of desire."
Well, there was, but only briefly and not very strong.
Gabi grimaced. "That's the thing I hate most about being immortal. I could do without smelling everyone's arousal and everyone smelling mine. But putting that aside, Margo might not be a very sexual woman. She might be interested in you, but she could be sexually repressed for some reason, and letting herself feel arousal is not something she can do spontaneously. She might need some gentle coaxing."
That was possible. Negal had met many goddesses that hadn't reacted to him in the way he'd hoped, but that was because on Anumati he was a nobody, and his godly good looks were nothing unusual. He'd grown spoiled on Earth, and even more so on this cruise, where almost every single female showed interest in him.
"So, what do you suggest I do?"
Gabi smiled. "Put on your tux and your dress shoes, come to the wedding, and ask Margo to dance. Don't assume anything, and just woo her gently as if she is a virgin."
Negal laughed. "I've never wooed a virgin before. I wouldn't know what to do."
"Improvise." Gabi waved a dismissive hand.
Aru rose to his feet. "We should go." He lifted a paper bag. "I need to drop a change of clothes off at the clinic for Dagor." He cast an accusing glance at Negal. "He tried to call you, but you didn't answer your phone."
"I was asleep, and I didn't hear the ringing."
That was what had gotten him in trouble with Gertrude. If she hadn't come to the cabin, the entire fiasco could have been avoided. Then again, perhaps it was for the best, and what the Fates had intended so he could be free to court Margo.
26
MARGO
With a guilty heart and a promise to come see Jaz tomorrow morning, Margo left her in the lounge and took the stairs back up to the clinic.
The door to the front room was opened, so she walked in and then knocked on the interior door leading to Frankie's room.
Dagor opened up, still looking as disheveled as he had been before. "Hi, come in."
"You're back." Frankie smiled and waved from the bed. "I thought you wouldn't return until tomorrow."
"And I thought that you would be asleep. Is Dagor keeping you awake?" Margo slanted an accusing glance at the god.
"Actually, I napped a little, and then Dagor got me coffee, and I feel much more energized now."
"I'm glad." Margo looked at the single chair in the room.
"Go ahead." Dagor motioned for her to sit down. "Aru and Gabi are on their way with a change of clothes for me, so I'll take advantage of you being here and hop into the shower."
"Thank you." Sitting down, Margo thought about the state she was in, which wasn't as bad as Dagor's, but she definitely needed a shower and a change of clothing as well.
So much had happened today that she wasn't sure how she was still on her feet.
It was probably the adrenaline that was keeping her going, or maybe it was the effect of the drugs. Margo's knowledge about drugs was nearly nonexistent, but she knew that heroin was an opioid and those were used as painkillers, so it made sense that heroin was a relaxant and not a stimulant.
