'I know they don't, but I really don't want to see you die that way. And if you'd stop being pig-headed for three seconds, you'd realize it yourself. C'mon, do you really want to pull down the wrath of the big man?'
By the look on Julian's face, Grace would say he really didn't care one way or the other.
'But,' Cupid continued, 'Mom pointed out that there is a way to break the curse.'
Grace held her breath as hope flitted across Julian's face. They both waited for Cupid to elaborate.
Instead, Cupid trailed his gaze over the dark interior of the restaurant. 'Do you believe people eat this sh-'
Julian snapped his fingers in front of Cupid's face. 'How do I break the curse?'
Cupid leaned back in the booth. 'You know everything in the universe is cyclical. As it began, so shall it end. Since Alexandria caused the curse, you have to be summoned by another woman of Alexander. One who also needs you. You must make a sacrifice for her and-' Cupid broke off into laughter.
Until Julian reached across the table and seized his shirt in his fist. 'And?'
Cupid knocked his grip away and sobered. 'Well…' Cupid's gaze slid to Grace and Selena. 'Would you excuse us for a minute?'
'I'm a sex therapist,' Grace told him. 'There's nothing you can say that will shock me.'
'And I ain't about to leave this booth until I hear the juicy tidbits,' Selena said.
'All right, then.' He looked back at Julian. 'When the woman of Alexander summons you, you can't put your spoon in her jelly jar until the last day of your incarnation. Then, the two of you must unite carnally before midnight and you must keep your bodies joined until the sun rises. If you withdraw from her at any point, for any reason, you will immediately return to the book, and the curse continues.'
Julian cursed and looked away.
'Exactly,' Cupid said. 'You know how strong Priapus's curse is. There's no way in hell you'll ever make it thirty days without boinking your summoner.'
'That's not the problem,' Julian said between clenched teeth. 'The problem is finding a woman of Alexander to summon me.'
Her heart hammering nervously, Grace sat forward. 'What does that mean? A woman of Alexander?'
Cupid shrugged. 'Well, she has to have Alexander in her name.'
'Like a surname?' she asked.
'Yes.'
Grace looked up and caught Julian's tortured gaze. 'Julian, my name is Grace Alexander.'
Chapter 7
Julian stared at Grace, his mind whirling as her words rang in his head.
Could it be? Dare he believe it?
Dare he even hope after all this time…
'Your surname is Alexander?' he repeated in disbelief.
'Yes,' she said, a slow, encouraging smile breaking across her face.
Cupid looked sharply at him. 'Have you two made friendly with the privates yet?'
'No,' Julian said. 'We haven't.' And to think he had been angry over that.
Grace had saved him from making the third biggest mistake of his life. At that moment, he could have kissed her.
A smile split Cupid's face. 'Well, I'll be damned. Or you'll be undamned, I should say. I never knew a woman who could be around you more than ten minutes who didn't drop her-'
'Cupid,' Julian snapped, cutting him off before he gave a lengthy discourse on the number of women Julian had slept with. 'Do you have anything else informative to say?'
'Just this. Mom's curse-breaker is contingent on Priapus's not finding out. If he does, he could circumvent the whole thing with one of his nasty whammies.'
Julian clenched his fists as he remembered quite clearly some of his half-brother's more evil actions.
For some reason he'd never fully understood, Priapus had hated him since the moment of his birth. And over the years, Priapus had given sibling rivalry a whole new meaning.
Julian took a sip of his drink. 'He won't find out unless you tell him.'
'Don't look at me,' Cupid said. 'I don't run with his crowd. You have me confused with cousin Dion. And on that note, I need to go meet up with my boys. We plan to do a major tribute to old Bacchus later tonight.' Cupid held his hand out, palm upward. 'My bow, if you please.'
Careful lest it prick him, Julian fished it out of his pocket and returned to him.
It was then he caught a rare, honest look of affection from his older brother. 'I'll be around if you need me. Just call my name-the one
Julian said nothing as he remembered what had happened the last time he took his brother up on that offer.
Cupid scooted out of the booth, looked at Grace and Selena, then smiled at Julian. 'Good luck with earning your freedom. May the strength of Ares and wisdom of Athena see you through.'
'And may Hades roast your hoary soul.'
Cupid laughed. 'Too late. He did that in the third century and it wasn't so bad. Later, little brother.'
Julian didn't speak as Cupid made his way out of the restaurant like an almost normal human being.
The waitress brought their food to them.
Julian picked at the strange meat on bread, but he didn't feel like eating it. He'd lost his appetite.
Grace poured something red to cover the meat, then placed the bread together and took a bite while Selena ate a salad drenched with white sauce.
Looking up, Grace caught Julian's frown as he watched her eat. His face even more troubled than before, he had a hardness to his jaw that said he was clenching his teeth. 'What's the matter?' she asked.
He narrowed his eyes suspiciously. 'Are you really willing to do what Eros said?'
Grace set her burger down and wiped her mouth with her napkin. In truth, she didn't like the thought of Julian using her body to gain his freedom. A one-night stand with no commitments, no promises.
Julian would be gone as soon as he finished with her. She had no doubt about that.
Why would a man like him ever want to stay with her when he could have any woman on the planet eating out of his hand?
Still, she couldn't condemn him to live out eternity in a book. Not when she could free him.
'Tell me something,' she said quietly. 'I want to know the whole story of how you got into that book. And what happened to your wife.'
She wouldn't have thought it possible, but his jaw got even tenser. He was trying to hide again.
But Grace refused to let him run. It was time he understood exactly why the thought of sleeping with him bothered her. 'Julian, you're asking a lot of me. I haven't had much experience with men in social situations.'
He frowned. 'You are a virgin?'
'I wish,' she breathed.
Julian saw the pain in her eyes as she whispered the words. She dropped her shamed gaze to the floor.
No, his mind roared. Surely she hadn't been through what he suspected. As the very idea went through his mind, an unexpected rage coiled through him. 'Were you raped?'
'No,' she whispered. 'Not… exactly.'
His confusion dispelled his anger. 'Then what?'
'I was young and stupid,' she said softly.
'The pig took advantage of the fact she was grieving over the death of her parents,' Selena said, her voice filled with acrimony. 'He was one of those 'I just want to take care of you' lying creeps who use you, and then leave you the minute he has what he's after.'
'He hurt you?' Julian asked.
Grace nodded.
