The Queen Of Gods

Chapter 18

Chapter Eighteen

I set my goblet down and took a deep breath, closing my eyes. I still couldn't believe what had just happened. Horus had agreed to be part of Ma'at's plan. And I hadn't even had to blackmail him.

"I thought they'd never leave," Amun said.

My eyes widened as he sauntered over, having appeared as if from nowhere. At some point, I was going to have to ask him what gift he had that meant he could do that.

He picked up one of the goblets, and poured wine into it.

"That's my glass," I pointed out.

He grinned wickedly, then slowly brought it up to his mouth. His eyes locked on mine as he took the slowest sip imaginable.

A small shudder rushed down my spine at the gesture, and I wasn't sure why. Was I that into him? I honestly hadn't thought it was possible.

"Were you waiting the whole time?" I asked once I'd been able to compose myself again.

"I've been here since you came out after your bath," he told me. "Don't worry, I didn't watch."

"Hmm." The worst part was, I wouldn't have minded if he had. "Maybe next time." Oops. The words were out before I'd thought about saying them.

Amun winked at me, then came over, pulling the chair Khonsu had been using closer and dropping down into it. Our knees brushed against one another in a move which had to be intentional.

"What are you doing here?" I asked, without a hint of accusation in my voice.

"I wanted to see you."

"You saw me last night," I pointed out.

"True. But after we parted ways, I couldn't stop thinking about talking to you again."

A small laugh escaped me. "Somehow, I don't think it's talking you have in mind."

"Are you trying to suggest that hasn't been on yours?" he asked, studying me intently.

"Yes," I admitted. There was no use in lying. I was reasonably certain he could read the direction of my thoughts on my face, and in my raised pulse. "But that doesn't mean I'm going to act on it." Yet.

He nodded, as if understanding the unspoken word. "Your company is more than enough." For now.

I leaned in, and placed my hand over his where it rested on his leg. I regretted it almost instantly. The touch was far more intimate than I'd expected it to be, and I couldn't take it back. Instead, I stayed as still as possible, hoping it wouldn't spook him.

"It's just that I don't know you well enough," I admitted. It was better to go with the truth, right? If he didn't like it, and decided never to spend any time with me ever again as a result, then that was his problem not mine. If I kept telling myself that, then perhaps I would begin to believe it.

"Did last night not help?"

"It did." I nodded to back up my point. "It was wonderful. But if we include the first time we met, and that's being generous, this is the fourth time in my life that we've spent any time together."

"Ah."

"And given that we're both going to live forever, I'm not ready to rush into something that could prove awkward for both of us further down the line." I'd heard of more than one occasion where a break up between gods had turned sour. I wasn't in any rush for that to be the two of us in a couple of hundred years.

"That's fair."

"Why are you being so nice about this?" I blurted. "Shouldn't you be telling me that it doesn't matter, and that we can do what we want?"

"Is that what you want me to be doing?" Amun asked.

"I don't know," I admitted. "Maybe?"

He sighed, but didn't pull away from me. "I'm not contradicting you, or trying to persuade you to do something you don't want to, because that's not the right thing to do," he answered. "Don't get me wrong, I want you. And I think you want me. And we could rush this by going to your bed right now and having the most explosive night of our lives..."

A small laugh escaped me. "You think rather highly of yourself, there."

"Actually, it was you I was thinking highly of," he corrected. "But you're right. If we do that, then we might ruin the other connection we have formed. I enjoyed last night, not because of the vague promise of something physical, but because I finally feel as if I have someone I can talk to in my life."

My heart skipped a beat. He'd probably practiced the lines on dozens of women over his unnaturally long lifetime, but in that moment, it didn't matter.

He leaned in and tucked a strand of hair behind my ear. His mouth followed, brushing against my cheek in an almost kiss.

My breathing hitched. Was he going to kiss me?

"I'd do anything for you, Hathor." The words brushed against my skin, a promise which would always hold true.

Without waiting for him to make the move, I twisted my neck so I was facing him, and pressed my lips against his.

He kissed me back the same instant, his hand cupping my cheek and deepening the kiss. It was better than I'd imagined, full of promises, and futures. Hidden moments, and passion which simmered just beneath the surface.

In that moment, I could have taken him right then and there on the floor of my audience chamber and not cared about any of the things we'd been talking about.

Which was when he pulled back.

A small whimper escaped without me meaning it to, and I bit my lip as I looked up at him.

"Please don't look at me like that, Hathor," he whispered, his voice hoarse and full of promise. "My restraint is holding on by a thread."

I nodded, not trusting myself to speak. If I did, I was certain I'd find myself begging for him to ignore all of my apprehensions and come to bed with me. But no. That wasn't the right thing to do. We needed to learn more about one another, spend time experiencing the things that made us unique.

Then, and only then, could there be more between us.

"I promise, it'll be worth it," he said, leaning in to kiss me gently. He was gone before either of us had a chance to get too caught up in one another.

"I hope you're right. Does this mean you're going to be spending more time in Karnak?" I asked. He had a temple space here that he could use, even if there was no one in it at the moment.

He shook his head. "I'll only be here to visit you," he said.

"Oh." Should I be disappointed or not about that? I supposed it depended how things went.

A knock sounded on the door, stopping our conversation from going anywhere further.

"I need to go," he said. "I'm sorry, and I'll see you soon." He leaned in and brushed another kiss against my lips, before darting off in another direction.

I frowned, a little confused by what had just happened, but mostly pleased. We were on the same page. That was a good thing. It meant I wasn't about to get my heart broken by thinking he was more interested than he was.