Eros Read Online Free

dismissal. ‘No, I didn’t.’
    In a sudden fit of uncharacteristically physical anger, Aphrodite kicked the foot of the sun lounger, causing it to collapse with a clatter. Coop, landing with a heavy thud on the ground, scowled up at her. ‘That was completely uncalled for.’
    ‘Get up.’
    For a moment he considered ignoring her completely but there was a tinge of angry disappointment in his mother’s eyes, which he’d never seen before. And besides, his arse hurt from dropping so unexpectedly onto the hard concrete of the pool’s edge. With a sigh, he pulled himself up to standing height, towering over Aphrodite’s shorter frame.
    ‘Shoot the man on the beach,’ he said finally, giving in to the inevitable. ‘That’s what your email said. I may have been drunk but I remember it quite clearly.’
    ‘By,’ she replied shortly.
    ‘Huh?’
    ‘Shoot the man by the beach. Not on the beach.’
    ‘There was no man by the beach. It was barely dawn, Mother, the place was deserted.’
    She didn’t even blink, just stared up at him, a tiny muscle flickering in her cheek. Coop looked back at her, his face the picture of innocence. There had been no-one else at the damned place, just the jogger, the man with the dog and the…
    He blinked. ‘Oh.’
    ‘So you didn’t remember quite as clearly as you thought you did?’
    Coop raised his index finger in realisation. ‘The ice-cream guy. He was the one?’
    She sighed. ‘Yes. He was by the beach. Not on the beach. By the beach.’
    ‘On, by, to be honest it’s a very small difference.’ He shrugged. ‘Easy mistake to make. Besides, what does it actually matter? I’ll find some other poor girl for Mr Rocky Road to fall in love with and everyone will be happy. It’s not a big deal.’
    Aphrodite slapped him across the cheek. ‘How dare you?’ she spat. ‘You know very well it doesn’t work like that.’
    The answering look of cynicism in her son’s face was clear. ‘If they were meant to be together, then they would be.’ He raised a hand to his stinging cheek for a moment and looked Aphrodite directly in the eyes. ‘My intervention wouldn’t be necessary if it was true love. Except true love doesn’t exist. So whether the jogger ends up with an ice-cream seller or a local with a dog, who cares?’ He shrugged. ‘They’ll be happy either way.’
    There was the faintest slump in his mother’s body. ‘When did you become like this?’
    ‘Like what?’
    ‘Like someone who is so disgusted with the world that they’ll ignore the natural order and throw every sensible thought and caution to the wind.’
    ‘Natural order?’ he scoffed. ‘How is it natural if I need to shoot them for them to realise how they feel?’
    ‘You know very well that sometimes a little push is required. You’ve forced the wrong two people to be together and, unless I sort out your mess, they’ll be unhappy for the rest of their lives. All because of you.’
    ‘Thanks to me,’ he pointed out, ‘they’re now in love.’
    ‘With the wrong person.’
    ‘There’s no such thing as the right person, Mother. It’s all smoke and mirrors.’
    ‘The stars…’
    ‘Screw the stars. Screw fate. And screw love.’
    Aphrodite stiffened then pulled back her shoulders in a dignified gesture. ‘You cannot spit on everything I stand for, Coop. I will not allow it.’ She took a step forward and stared up at her son. ‘Present yourself at Olympus before the sun sets or I will not be responsible for my actions.’
    With that, she turned on her heel and left, her back ramrod straight. Coop watched her go, a scowl marring his handsome features. She had spent too long as the Goddess of Love, he decided, and her vision was clouded by her ridiculous belief that some people were just destined to be together. She simply couldn’t grasp the fact that if it was truly their destiny, his services wouldn’t be required. She probably needed a long holiday too. He’d suggest as much to her