“The condom broke,” I whispered.
And then, because I was an utter dork, I spoke in this voice I'd never used before and never would again. “No man has made a condom strong enough to contain you.”
Paris drew back to stare at me. Heat rushed up my neck into my cheeks, and I wanted to crawl under the bathmat.
“I fucking love you,” he whispered before kissing me. “I fucking love you.” He laughed against my lips, and I slid my tongue inside his mouth, wanting to taste it.
It took way too long for him to stop, but I didn't even care that he was laughing at me, because watching him laugh made me happier than anything.
In one smooth move, he sat back, took my hands, and pulled me to my feet. “There's not enough time.”
His words brought me right back to earth.
With a sigh, I shifted until I could cover my body with my hand. His wet, sticky release was leaking out of me. “I'll take a quick shower,” I said. “Will you wake up Orestes and toss my bag in here?”
Paris watched, hands locked behind his neck, and blew out a quick breath. “Yeah.” He tugged on his jeans and grabbed his T-shirt. “Are you okay?” he asked. “It feels wrong to just leave.”
He was right. Each time I was intimate with one of them, I was left a little more worried about what the future held. In those moments when we were so close there was no end to me and beginning to him, I could forget what was coming our way.
“I am,” I replied with a smile. I pushed his shoulder and pointed to the door. “Go on.”
“Leo...”
I pointed, and he nodded. One more kiss, a rueful smile, and he was gone.
I used the bathroom quickly, then turned on the shower and jumped in. It took me minutes, and when I peered out the door, my bag was sitting on the sink.
Because we would be taking the ferry, and I had no idea how warm or cool it would be during our crossing, I put on clothes that I could layer. I was quickly running out of things to wear, and I'd be up the creek if I needed anything fancier than a skirt. But dressing up to fight the gods seemed unlikely, so I'd be fine.
Probably.
No one was in the bedroom when I emerged, though I could hear voices from the small kitchenette. I checked my hair in the mirror, flicked my bangs to one side, and stuffed everything into my bag before walking out.
Everyone was there. Orestes was dressed, hair damp, and sipped from a glass of water. A pile of bags sat next to the door, ready for us to grab and go. Outside, the sky was overcast, but I wasn't sure if it was from the early hour or if we were in for a cloudy day.
“How did you sleep?” Pollux asked.
“Fine,” I replied, pouring coffee from a ceramic pot into a small cup. Fresh fruit, cheese, and pastries covered another dish.
“She was up all night,” Orestes cut in. He picked up a berry and popped it into his mouth.
“You were asleep.” I could have sworn he was.
Chewing and swallowing, he shook his head. “On and off. I was hoping you'd tell me what was wrong.”
Each one of them stared at me, waiting. Something inside me shied away from telling them the thoughts that had whirred around my head. Did he really want me to bring up the fact that I'd told them I loved them and no one answered? And why should we rehash things we'd already talked about? All of us were worried about the gods. What good did it do to say it again?
“What time does the ferry leave?” I asked.
They exchanged glances. Achilles answered. “Thirty minutes. We should get there now.”
I hooked my bag over my shoulder and nodded. “Then, let's go.”
Pollux
We went quietly through the five-star hotel to our van. The valet had brought it around and stood next to the driver's side, keys in hand. Achilles took them but stood in place until everyone except the two of us were in the van.
“If something happens, we fight,” he said. His voice was low, but from the look I got from Hector inside the van, he heard. “Remember. We can't let her change or do whatever she does if the gods appear. Not like last time.”