The only thing he hadn’t done was block his parents’ numbers. He knew he should, but every time he thought about taking that final step, he stopped. Because one day the call might come…
Tiger jumped to his feet and lurched toward the door at the same time there was a knock on the other side. Yas was here. Zeus let out a long, slow breath, trying to release the tension that now gripped him. There was no buzz from his phone to let him know that there was a voicemail.
Which meant it probably wasn’t important.
If his mom was dead, his dad would leave a message and vice versa. Although if it was his mother who had died, Zeus rather expected he’d hear about it from the news rather than from dear old dad. He had alerts set up for their names if they ever appeared.
Giving himself a shake, he got to his feet and answered the door. It was impossible not to feel his heart lighten a little when both Tiger and Hope started wagging their tails furiously. Yas smiled at him, flipping her ponytail over her shoulder.
“I told you they needed a walk.”
“So, you did.” Zeus stepped outside and shut the door behind him. His senses still felt alert, waiting for another buzz from the phone in his pocket, but none came. No news was good news, right?
It certainly was when it came to his parents.
Yas slanted a glance at him, a tiny frown on her face.
“Everything okay?”
“Yeah.”
“Are you sure?”
He frowned back at her as they started walking towards the sidewalk. “I thought you wanted to be fuck buddies. I’m pretty sure that means we aren’t supposed to be in each other’s business.”
The recoil was visible as she pulled away, and he regretted his words immediately. Especially because he was trying to move her past the idea of being a purely physical relationship.
He would have happily talked about almost anything else with her.
But his parents always set him off kilter like this.
“I’m sorry,” he said, stopping so he didn’t get too far ahead of her. “That wasn’t fair.”
“No, you’re right.” She shook her head. “We aren’t supposed to be in each other’s business. That’s the whole point. This is probably why I’m still cursed because I can’t stop myself.”
He didn’t want her to stop herself. Dammit.
“I got a call from someone I don’t want to talk to. I didn’t mean to take it out on you. I’m sorry.”
“Oh… oh.” Something about her tone of voice shifted into understanding. Zeus wasn’t sure who she thought had called him, but he wasn’t going to pry. He couldn’t ask who she thought it was without revealing who it actually was, and the last thing he wanted was a discussion about his parents.
“Thank goodness for Caller ID, huh?” she said with a light laugh and a sympathetic look as they started walking again. There was still a guardedness about her that hadn’t been there before, and Zeus inwardly cursed his father for fucking him over today. It had been going so well.
“Seriously,” he agreed. “Anyway. Have you talked to Sarah today?”
“Yeah, I just got off a call with her. It was very short. She’s doing well and should be home on Monday.” Yasmine grinned. “Hope’s surgery is all set for Wednesday. And both of them should be in tip-top shape after next week.”
“That is good to hear.” Zeus had to repress the urge to reach out and take her hand, as usual. Putting his hand on her back or around her wouldn’t work in this situation either, not with the dogs stopping and starting to sniff and pee on random spots.
But he wanted to touch her.
“What are your plans for tonight?” he asked. “Another spa night?”
“No. Weirdly, I am feeling much better this evening.” The little look she shot him had a hint of wickedness. Fuck, he wanted to touch her.
“I don’t think that’s weird at all. There aren’t too many situations that can’t be made better by a few fantastic orgasms.”
Yasmine burst out laughing, putting one hand on her hip as she paused so Hope could sniff at a bush. “Oh, really?”
