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Zeusmoved closer, somehow looking regal and glorious when hewas barefoot and wearing the princely version of pajama bottoms. She tried her best to find him ridiculous, with that dark blondhair that looked forever tousled and the half smilethat appearedwelded to his lips, but she couldn’t quite get there. Instead,she was struck by the similarity between him and that bronzemask she’d seen out in the palace halls.
Helooked ancient. Almost forbidding, so severely drawn werehis features. If shehadn’tknown better, shewould have swornthat he could only have been carved from stone orforged frommetal. There was no possibility he could be a manof fleshand blood.
But Nina knew better.
Stillhe came toward her,until she could seethe green of his wickedeyes. And then, sure enough, that slow, edgy curveof hissculpted lips.
She braced herselffor thatinescapable magnetism of his that she had always thought ought tobe bottled, so it could be used as a weapon. Itwas thatfierce. That intense.It seemed to fill the room, closing around herso it was impossible to pretend that shewas anything but captivated, no matter how little shewishedto be. Her pulsewas a racketinside her veins. Her heart thudded.
Evenher baby stopped kicking, as if awed.
Butfar moreconcerning was the melting sensation that swept over her, making the fire in her burn hotter. Brighter.
Asif shehadn’talready gotten into enough troublewith thisman.
Prince Zeus ofTheosia didnot say a word. He put his hands on his lean hips, still withthat half smile, as if thiswasalldeeply entertaining, and tooka long, slow circle around her.Studying her like she was acow on a market block in the kind of medieval keeps this man’srelativeshad ruled over when the earth was young.
Whenhe made it back around to her front, his face wastransformed with laughter.
Her heart stopped. Then kicked backinto gear, so hard it was painful.
Ninahad prepared a brief, informative little speechso she couldget the practicalities out of the way and then get back to herlife. And she would have told anyone who asked—though noone ever had—that she was not the least bit intimidated by royaltyof any stripe.In her case, familiarity really had bredcontempt.She wanted no part of hereditary laziness, ceremonial scepters inplace of any hint of kindness, or too many thronesinstead of thoughtfulness.
And yet shecouldn’tseem tomake her mouthwork the way it should.
“Iremember you,” Zeus said after a long moment ofthat face ofhis, far too beautiful for any mortal man.
Buthe said it as if that surprised him.That it was not that she wasin any way memorable, but it was deeply amusing to him thathe should recognize her.
Asif it was a great compliment to a woman who stoodbefore him, her reason for being here clear enough, as she was swollen withhis child.
Nina was sick to death of theseroyals.
“Are you certain?”she asked crisply, ignoring all thatstunning male beauty. Not to mention her memoriesand thechaos inside. She also ignored the way his browsrose ather tone. “You’ve had more than a legion or two, Iimagine,and there’s no telling how many have turned up with claims likemine. Easyto get them all mixed up. You shouldtake acloser look, surely. I could be anyone.”
