‘What does it say?’
‘You really want to know?’
I blink up at him. ‘Kind of why I’m asking.’
‘It says Zeus.’
‘Zeus? As in the king of the gods? Zeus the Greek god?’
‘Yeah.’ He laughs softly, running his hand to his hip bone, where a lightning bolt spreads towards his thigh. ‘And the symbol for Zeus.’
‘Is this when you tell me you have a God complex?’ I look up at him, a smile twitching on my lips.
‘This is the part where I tell you I got blind drunk on my twenty-first birthday and talked my brothers into getting inked.’
‘But why Zeus?’
‘That was Holden’s idea. We’re three half-brothers. He talked us into getting Zeus, Poseidon and Hades. Greek gods who were brothers.’
‘And you’re Zeus ’cause you’re oldest?’
‘I am oldest,’ he agrees. ‘But no. I’m Zeus because I run the construction part of our family business. The skies. Theo’s Poseidon, that’s the god of the sea, and he’s in line to inherit the shipping and logistics operations.’
‘And Hades?’ I ask, my smile spreading at this family bond.
‘That would be Holden,’ he says, a small frown crossing his face. ‘He’s only three months younger than I am,’ he says with a shake of his head, watching as I do the calculations.
‘That’s...unfortunate for your father.’
‘Yeah.’ He lifts a finger to my shoulder, running it over my flesh. ‘You could say that.’
‘So your dad cheated on your mum?’
‘Oh, dozens of times, no doubt. But, so far as we know, Holden was the only kid he had ’cause of an affair.’
‘But he’s been raised with you?’
‘Like a brother.’ He nods. ‘Afte
r Mom left, Holden moved in. We shared a room, a nanny. We’re more like twins than brothers.’
‘So why’d he draw the short straw?’
‘He chose it.’ He shrugs.
‘Why?’
‘He runs our casinos,’ Jagger says, the words thoughtful and hesitant. I feel like he’s holding something back, like there’s something he’s not telling me. And if this wasn’t just sex I’d ask him. If I thought he’d still be in my life in a week’s time I’d ask him.
I’d pry open that mysterious revelation, unpicking it for what titbit I could. But this is our second night together of a total of four. Just sex, just fun.
‘I’m thinking maybe there was probably another Greek god that would have been more appropriate for you,’ I say, pushing up, straddling him so I can run my fingers over his chest. I drop down, kissing the corner of his mouth, then lifting up just high enough so I can look into his eyes.
‘Yeah? Who’s that?’
‘That would be Eros.’
‘Remind me?’ he prompts, his eyes teasing.