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Eros steps in and answers for me. “Don’t get too excited. She hasn’t officially said yes.”
“Then why are you wearing an engagement ring?” Carl asks me, ignoring Eros.
“I insisted she take it for a spin.” Eros smiles charmingly.
Carl finally looks at Eros and then back at me. “Does this man speak for you now?”
“No,” I say with some heat. “Eros just knows I’m feeling unsettled by his sudden proposal.” Which is true, but it isn’t for marriage, and Carl doesn’t need to know that.
Carl eyes Eros again, taking his measure, since he didn’t when I confronted him about the woman in our home.
I push past Carl and open the fridge. “Want some cereal?” I ask Eros.
“Anything you want, sweetheart.” Eros leans over and kisses my shoulder, all while holding Carl’s hostile gaze.
Goosebumps erupt over my body.Holy guacamole, the love god has some intense power behind a simple gesture. I shiver, refocus, and grab the milk, placing it on the kitchen table.
I open the cupboard and have to stretch to get the bowls. I sense eyes on my ass, which is probably peeking out of my short shorts.
Turning, I catch both Carl and Eros staring at my lower half. I flush pink, unused to so much attention. I’m always the one watching and observing, not the observed.
I rush over, grab my box of cereal, sit down, and pour two bowls.
Carl curses when his eggs almost burn because of his distraction, then he joins us at the table. “What do you do for a living?” he asks Eros.
“Well, I made some excellent investments early on, so I don’t have to work much anymore.”
“What kind of investments?” Carl asks, perking up since this is down his alley.
“Mostly dealing in Greek antiquities,” Eros explains, nonplussed. “But my actual work is specializing in negotiations of partnerships and mergers, that sort of thing. I’m almost seen as a god among men in my circles.”
I smile into my cereal, laughing to myself at how he spins his godhood into sounding like a corporate businessman.
“Oh.” Carl actually sounds impressed.
Eros softens and leans back. “Can I be real with you for a minute?” When Carl gives him a hesitant nod, he continues. “I know you and Dee have been close friends for years, and I don’t want to cause any more strife between you. I’m guessing once all these changes settle in, you both can continue your friendship, so if you want me to leave your home, I can go, but I hope we can be friends too.”
Carl sighs. I know he’s a good guy, but he has strict boundaries. “I’m willing to try to be friends, but you better not hurt Dee.”
“Believe me, all I want is to make her as happy as I possibly can,” Eros says with his hand over his heart as if it were a pledge. It rings true, and something inside me melts for the god. Maybe he really actually wants the best for me.
“Good.” Carl looks at me then. “I’m sorry I was so volatile yesterday. I guess getting caught breaking my own rules, then having someone in our space, threw me for a loop. You don’t have to move out, Dee.”
“Thank you for that.” I smile. “But it’s for the best.”
10
THE FORMULA
The rest of breakfast is short and quiet. Carl rushes off to work, and it leaves Eros and me to go over what happened with our first experiment.
I check the window and watch as Carl pulls away in his Mercedes. I always thought it odd that I’ve never visited him at work, but I know how private he is at home. Now, I wonder if he just didn’t want to introduce me to his co-workers—especially the women.
Eros comes up behind me while I stare out the window, caging me in and invading my space. “So what exactly does he do for a living?”
I pull away and watch as Eros studies his surroundings, as if the house is telling him stories I can’t hear.
“He works for some money management firm… United Merchants.”
