Heart of Fire (Blood of Zeus #2) - Meredith Wild Page 0,17

trails her finger over the shoulders of the blond wool topcoat he’s now sporting atop the T-shirt.

He shifts restlessly, his anxiety radiating through the room in hot, angry pulses. The subtle twitch of Kell’s nostrils tells me she knows it too.

“Kell,” I warn.

She answers with a short hum and says, “Have a good night, lovebirds.” Then she removes her touch and saunters out of sight toward her room.

Maximus fixes his gaze on me. His jaw is tight, like maybe he’s keeping all his present thoughts strapped down for the moment. I should ask him if he’s all right or how his day with Z was, but I worry if I do, we might never get out of here.

The doorbell chimes, saving me just in time. I force another smile. “That’s the driver. Time to go.”

Seconds later, we’re ushered into the back of a black SUV and on our way. With the privacy divider raised, it’s already the most calm I’ve had all day. I rest back against the headrest and release a weighty sigh.

As we head up Mulholland Drive and through the hills toward Hollywood Heights, Maximus mutters a curse while wrestling his coat off. He tosses it into the row of seats behind us. As he twists back around, our gazes tangle again. His is surprisingly apologetic, as if he’s been caught in an honest moment.

“I run hot,” he says, pushing up the sleeves of his shirt. “Not to mention, this is LA. Who the hell needs a wool coat?”

I can’t help the smile that forms or the laugh that bubbles up from my chest. A much-needed break in the tension of the day. He returns the smile, also seeming to relax as he does.

“Sorry,” he says, collecting my hand tenderly in the warmth of his. “I’m not trying to be difficult. I just wasn’t expecting half of this.”

“Believe me, neither was I. And I’m sorry too. I didn’t mean to snap the second you got back. My head’s been spinning all day.”

“Something tells me when Veronica Valari lands on your doorstep at sunrise, that’s to be expected.”

I sigh again, relieved that he’s being as understanding as he is. “It is, but you’re not used to all this yet.”

“Not exactly, but I’ll do whatever I need to do.” He turns my hand over and presses a gentle kiss to my knuckles. “You’re beyond worth it.”

My pulse races. Or skips a bunch of beats. I’m not sure which, and I don’t care. It’s not the first time he’s whispered the promise, so heartfelt and soul-deep. Though, in this moment, it’s a stab. Not so much a comfort to me as a glaring reminder that he doesn’t really get what he’s signed up for with all this.

I just need to prepare him for the rest. No better time than with him captive in the car.

“You should know that tonight is a little more than dinner.”

I carefully study him for a reaction. He’s nothing but quiet calm, waiting for me to go on.

“This is about being seen in public.”

“I know that already, beautiful,” he assures me.

“It won’t be like at the bookstore. Things are probably going to be a little more up close and personal, especially since being photographed is the point. Otherwise there’d be ways to get inside unnoticed.”

He threads our fingers fully together now and draws his thumb back and forth over the top of my hand. “All right. I can handle that.”

I hope he can. I hope the second he steps out of the car in front of Yamashiro, he doesn’t regret this whole plan. I hope he doesn’t regret me and the chaos that being with me has brought into his world.

He draws his brows together tightly, as if he can read the worry running endless loops through my brain.

“Kara, listen to me. I don’t care what kind of circus your mother has planned. I’m sure it’s going to test me in ways I can’t even imagine, and that’s fine. I just need to know it’s still us under it all, no matter what kind of show we’re putting on for the cameras.”

“It will be, I promise. You don’t have to act any differently around me. The whole point really is for the world to know we’re—” I stop myself from finishing that thought, pretending to readjust my balance as the driver turns the car onto the steep hill up to the restaurant. The world needs to believe we’re in love, but I’m not brave enough to voice