Heart of Fire (Blood of Zeus #2) - Meredith Wild Page 0,30

second to just bask in his gorgeous glory. Between the wind in his hair, his tight black T-shirt, and the jeans hugging his stunning legs, I almost forget where I am. What day it is. My own name.

“The apple is just a metaphor, you know,” I manage to get out. “Most likely not the actual forbidden fruit that got poor Eve into so much trouble.”

He cuts in on my verbal apple essay by swiping it from my grasp and taking a bite, his eyes alight with mischief.

“Malus,” I continue, “is Latin for both apple and evil. Wordplay is all. I’m surprised you didn’t know that, Professor Kane.”

“What makes you think I didn’t?”

I snatch the apple back. “Because you’re just the type to interject when you know the right answer. But all I heard was you chomping on my apple.”

He chuckles softly. “Sounds like you’re projecting a little bit, sweetheart. Missing your classes much?”

“Mostly just yours,” I say with a listless sigh.

The truth is, I miss more than his lectures about sin and morality, along with all the wicked thoughts I get from his poetic baritone and graceful hand motions. I miss the peace that always comes with just being on campus and focusing on my academic work in general, but with the new agenda in full swing, it’s been impossible to get back to the routine I love so much.

So maybe I was premature in my gratitude for my mother’s benevolence. Maybe she knew exactly what she was doing—giving me permission to go back to school, knowing full well it’d be impossible while juggling her packed schedule for us.

Even so, we have bigger problems to face. Threats that were never on my radar. Another layer of worry that I don’t know how to tell Maximus about—or even if I should.

I haven’t been able to get my talk with Gramps out of my head. And in the hours since I left my mother and him to talk it through, I’ve been waiting for any sign that she’s changing course. I’m still waiting… Waiting and worrying.

Maximus’s playful expression sobers when our gazes meet, as if he’s somehow picked up on my mood shift. “How about tomorrow, then? We can drive to campus together.”

I avoid his gaze as we cross the street on the walk back to his place. “Maybe. I can’t promise anything right now.”

“Why not?”

“Getting ready for a movie premiere is a little like prom. It’s an all-day affair.” I try to hide the dread in my tone and push on. “To answer your earlier question, I was thinking that since we’re looking domestic today, maybe we could be domestic and I could try my hand at apple tarts. I’m not much of a baker, and they won’t be nearly as good as the Yamashiro ones, but…oh…” I glance down at my watch, my thoughts suddenly derailed. “Shit.”

“What is it?”

“Nothing. I guess I lost track of time.” Which is not a good thing. At all.

He frowns. “Do we have to be somewhere?”

We? No.

Me? Unfortunately, yes.

“Just a quick thing I have to take care of,” I offer, hiding a wince. Maximus is the most vital person in my world, which means he should be getting the least lies. Instead, I keep being forced to hide things from him. I hate the situation and myself for it.

Thankfully we come upon the entrance to his building, which provides a couple of minutes of distraction getting inside and bringing all the bags upstairs. I find a wooden bowl in a high cabinet of his kitchen and arrange some of the fruit artfully in it, creating a colorful centerpiece in the tiny space.

After a few silent minutes, his wordlessness has me lifting my head. I catch him staring at me, his blues as brilliant as the sky outside. Just as openly, I stare back. He’s leaning against the counter, one hand tucked casually into his jeans, now shamelessly dragging his gaze over me.

“I like seeing you at home here,” he says quietly.

Warmth rushes to my cheeks because I like being at home here. Modest as his condo is next to my place, it’s still cozy. And quiet. And, most importantly, private. So blessedly, wonderfully ours.

Granted, I’m not ungrateful for the house up in the hills. It’s better than living at the Valari complex, which has every amenity but comes with dangerous proximity to my mother’s controlling vortex.

But between Kell running in and out of our place and my mother’s support staff bothering us at nearly all