The Goddess by Robyn Grady Read Free Book Online Page A

of a dolphin secured the fabric at one side while the other shoulder remained
     delectably bare. He didn’t care where Helene had found that outfit; he was only glad
     she had.
    Blindly he set the carafe down as the vision moved toward him. With each step, the
     split in her gown parted enough for a tantalizing glimpse of shapely leg to be revealed.
    “I found these bits and pieces in a drawer. I guess maids like to dress up, too. I
     hope no one minds.” She lifted and dropped a bare shoulder. “I was sick of shorts
     and baggy shirts.”
    He tried to speak. Instead he cleared the knot from his throat at the same time she
     spotted the food.
    “You didn’t have to bring that out,” she said, coming nearer.
    “I’d have to do more if you weren’t here.”
    She popped a plump olive in her mouth but rather than take a seat, she moved to the
     balcony rail. He followed.
    “I like that music,” she said.
    “It’s a Cretan lyra.”
    “I recognize it. A man sometimes plays one in Alexio’s taverna.” She faced the sea.
     “I wish I could play an instrument. I’m hopeless at reading those black dots and squiggles.
     Reading history was always much more fun.” Leaning on the rail, her attention shifted
     from the view to meet his gaze again. “What did you study in college?”
    He’d been examining her profile—pert nose, dimpled chin, the slender slope of her
     neck. Now he refocused.
    “I went to university in England. Studied business. Economics. History too. The palace
     library on the main island has some interesting volumes about these parts.”
    She nodded but didn’t presume to ask if that was an invitation to inspect the library
     books firsthand, which was good because, seeing her in this moonlight in that dress,
     his thoughts were a little scrambled; he might have said yes. He had enjoyed their
     evenings together, listening to the sea and hearing her chat on about her life in
     America and how fascinating she found this part of the world.
    Darius found her fascinating, and it was more than the outfit. She was easy to talk to. She made him
     laugh. She helped him relax. He simply liked her being around.
    If Helene knew, she might blame his interest in her on the goddess and her seductive
     powers. She was familiar with the legend: should it serve her purpose, the goddess
     was able to inspire deep—even mindless—desire between a couple, particularly here
     on this island. But he had no intention of losing his heart, even though he had speculated
     on testing the more physical waters. Tonight, the idea of bringing Helene close was
     beyond tempting.
    “I picked some fruit from the orchard this afternoon,” she was saying. “Then I found
     a book in the study. A classic written in English.”
    “My mother liked to read.”
    She quickly added, “I was careful to put it back exactly where I found it.”
    “You’re welcome to anything here, Helene.”
    “You’re not worried I’ll destroy something?”
    He gave her a censuring look. The only thing he was concerned about—the goddess—was
     safely locked away.
    She gazed out over the slopes. “I recognize the olive trees and pines. And all the
     fruit trees in the orchard. What kind is that big green one over there?”
    She nodded at the nearby monster.
    “A hickory.” Darius leaned both forearms on the rail. “An early Greek myth surrounds
     them. The story grew over time but the original version involves a woman named Carya.”
    “Who was she?”
    “Among other things, Carya was a virgin.”
    “Not the sacrificial type, I hope.”
    “Dionysus, son of Apollo, visited King Leon and fell passionately in love with one
     of his three daughters,” he explained.
    “Carya.”
    He nodded. “Dionysus left the court but when he returned for her, Carya’s sisters
     tried to stop her from leaving with him. As punishment for their jealousy, he drove
     the sisters mad. Then he and Carya escaped together. Later, when she died, Dionysus