Athena's Jewel (Aya Harris Collection 2)

"Congrats," he mumbled as he stared at the concrete. "I know you've always wanted that. That Trent guy seems... rich."

He was trying so hard to hide his jealously I had to laugh out loud. He pursed his lips and fixed me with a grumpy stare that only served to make me want him more.

"I want a lot of other things that I can't have yet," I told him, pressing my chest against his. "So, I guess I'll just have to wait to have them all."

I didn't care if anyone saw us. I didn't care that his boss had forbidden us to be together. Sliding my hands up the back of his jacket, I pulled him close until our lips met in a hot kiss that made my stomach roll like molten lava. My tongue darted inside his mouth and he reacted in kind, running the tip of his along my upper lip. His hand ran down my side, dangerously close to the swells of my heaving chest. If we didn't pull away soon, we'd be lost in our embrace for good. It was time to say goodbye - if only for a little while.

"Goodbye, Gideon." I leaned back, instantly mourning the loss of his lips.

He stared at me for a second with those hazel eyes, his eyelashes thick and heavy. For a moment, I thought he was going to pull me back for another passionate kiss. But instead, he released me, his hands slowly dropping to his sides.

"Goodbye, Aya." A playful grin pulled at the left side of his mouth, tinged with sadness. "Don't be getting into any trouble without me. I know you can't resist."

While I watched him walk away, my fingers drifted to the inside of my right wrist. The brand that my mother had given me was still there. No amount of magic could take it off. I’d taken to absentmindedly rubbing it under the thick pad of my thumb. It reminded me that things could always be so much worse.

I had my museum, Gideon had his case. Who knew if we'd ever be together again?

All of that didn't matter at this moment. What mattered is that I had finally accomplished a dream, and that dream was a giant brick building standing ten feet behind me. Maybe I was silly for putting so much stock into a place that could barely bring in enough income to keep the lights on. Most other people probably thought it was a dump. But it was my dump, now. And I had dreams to build.

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