Hell's Geek (7 page)

Zap. Zap. Zap
.

The nuclear wasps, with their hive mentality, didn’t immediately grasp that they were getting killed simply for touching the electrified house. But once they did, silence reigned.

With the infestation taken care of, Adexios started to relax, only to come to the realization that he was alone, in a cabin, wearing only a robe, with a bed and an Amazon hottie who was stripping off her clothes!

“Never go into battle with dirty underpants.” Amazon rule recited to all the newbies by Skidmark Sally.

“What are you doing?” Dex sputtered.

In the process of stripping, she thought it quite obvious but replied anyhow. “Getting out of these dirty things so I can shower. You did say there was hot water.”

“Yes, over there.” He pointed in the direction of a closed-off section of the cabin while doing his best to avoid looking at her.

“Does my nakedness bother you?”

“No.”

Lie. And she didn’t need to see his sad attempt to hide his erection to figure out that Adexios was attracted to her, and yet for some reason, he thought he had to fight it.

He wants to fight?
How sexy of him.

Challenge accepted.

Very comfortable in her skin, Valaska walked toward him with her hands full of the clothing she’d shed. Given he’d turned his back, he didn’t notice her approach until she’d sidled fairly close.

He let out the cutest squeak and, being a curious kind of guy, couldn’t help peeking in her direction. Once he glanced, he was a goner.

She didn’t take offense that his eyes didn’t remain locked with hers. What red-blooded male wouldn’t let his gaze roam and take in the splendor of her full breasts, her indented waist, and flaring hips? He didn’t stare at her mound for long, even though it was clean-shaven,
for my pleasure
. Back up roved his hungry stare, stopping at her chest.

Delighted to be the focus of his attention, her nipples perked. Since he seemed so interested, she thrust her shoulders back and offered them. “Take a lick. My breasts are very sensitive to touch. I especially enjoy having them fondled and sucked.”

Oops. Too forward. His cheeks heated, and he tore his gaze away. He also didn’t take her up on her invitation. That had never happened before.

Was there something wrong with him? “Do you have a girlfriend?” she asked.

“No.”

“A boyfriend?”

“No.”

Then why was he so determined to ignore her invitation to get frisky? Unless… “Are you a virgin?” she asked.

He choked, coughing and gasping for breath. She reached over, meaning to help him, but he darted out of reach, but not before she’d grabbed the cloth of his robe, a robe she got to keep.

It seemed Dex had not tied the sash tightly, as it slid off his shoulders and hung from her hands while he gaped stupidly.

Gathering his wits, and striving for cover, in the form of his hands covering his hard-to-hide erection, he lifted his chin and said, “Would you mind returning my robe?”

Actually she did mind. She balled it up and tossed it into the fireplace. It lit with a whoosh. Bye-bye, robe.

“What did you do that for?” he exclaimed. “I was wearing that.”

“Not anymore. Besides, I think you look better like this.” Wearing nothing at all but his embarrassment and glasses.

“But like this is cold.”

“Not for long. The fireplace is heating up. You know, if you find you’re cold a lot, then maybe you should think of adding some meat to your frame. You are all skin and bones.” And muscle. Every inch of him was surprisingly toned, especially his thighs.

“Mom always did say I took after my dad.”

The rumors said Charon, after his many centuries of service, had dwindled into nothing but a skeleton. But no one knew for sure.

Since Dex didn’t seem inclined to dive for a new set of clothes, or dive on her for that matter, she turned her back on him and tossed her things into the sink and added some water along with dish soap.

“You’re washing your stuff by hand?” he asked.

Since it was obvious, she didn’t reply.

“You do know there’s a washer-dryer combo in the bathroom, right?”

She paused in the process of swishing her laundry. She whirled around. “That, Dex, is sad. So sad.”

“Why sad?” he asked from his spot on the couch. Legs crossed, attempting to look casual, yet failing. “I like clean clothes.”

“So do I.”

“I also value efficiency, so while yours are still dripping in front of the fireplace in the morning, mine will be nice and toasty dry.”

She couldn’t help it. Her wet laundry went flying. He easily ducked the bulky corset, and her shorts, but her wadded thong? That one hit him in the face and got tangled on the frame of his glasses.

Given she mostly hung out with male warriors, usually in bars since the Amazon village had rules about letting them live there, she expected him, at the very least, to fling them back. A part of her hoped he’d snap and stride toward her, grab her in his arms, and retaliate with hot, fierce sex.

Instead, her geeky partner, with as much dignity as he could muster, removed the thong from its perch and dropped it on the table on his way to the bed.

He said not a word.

He did not once glance her way.

He crawled under the covers and ignored her.

Miffed at his reaction, Valaska—mostly—ignored him back.

What was it about Dex that intrigued her? It wasn’t as if he turned her on with his prowess. She’d never met a clumsier male, or a more awkward one.

Yet, he wasn’t awkward when he was in scientist mode.
The intelligence and assurance he’d displayed proved attractive.

Which made no sense.

Amazons prized males for their virility. Strong men made strong babies. Thing was they weren’t much fun to talk to. Apart from a handful—who annoyingly enough had wives or partners—she rarely met a man who not only boasted physical strength but also a modicum of intelligence. Or at least enough wits to verbally spar with her.

While she might tease Adexios about the fact he liked to read, the truth was she read in secret too. Secret because her friends would make fun.

She knew what Luddite meant, and she’d spotted all the same things he had when they came across the puddles, but she didn’t mention it aloud. Why not? Of all people, he was the least likely to make fun of her for geeking out, and yet a lifetime spent pretending she was just a dumb warrior stuck.

She liked it that way. It gave her the element of surprise, and that, in turn, helped her win more fights.

But Adexios isn’t a fight. He’s a man.
A wiry, smart, very well-endowed man who was like nobody she’d ever met.

He was also the only man to not try and seduce her when she made her intentions clear. The only man to not toss her on a table and give her five minutes of fun. The only man to treat her with respect.

What a jerk.

What a challenge.

I’ll teach you to ignore me.

“Distraction and dereliction might earn points with Lucifer, but on the Styx, it could get you swallowed and digested for centuries.” As preached by his father the first time Adexios got eaten by a sea beast while reading a book.

Why is she so hard to ignore?

The question plagued Adexios as he feigned sleep in the extremely comfortable bed, more comfortable than his own, he should add. He would really have to think about perhaps breaking the lease on his apartment and finding a permanent spot to park his cabin once this was all over.

If he survived. And by survived he didn’t mean the mission. He meant the torture of being around Valaska.

The woman was crazy. Utterly fearless. Absolutely splendid, and scarier than the fucking abyss.

She teased him at every turn, had even invited him to take a taste. Yet, he couldn’t. Wouldn’t. Not because he didn’t want to.
I definitely want her.
But because he feared what would happen if he did.

He couldn’t shake a nagging belief that an erotic moment with her would ruin him for all others. A foolish thought with absolutely no basis. He’d had sex before and knew it felt good. But given his intense attraction to Valaska, he could almost predict sex with her would scream past good to mind-blowing.

And his mind was the only thing he had going for him.

Given his restlessness, which he didn’t understand since his body was quite tired, he fell back on a trick he’d used as a child to relax himself. He counted things.

One. One stupid mission.

Two. Two days since he’d met her.

Three. Three minutes since he’d crawled into bed.

Four. Four-eyed geek who kicked ass—at Scrabble.

Five. Five fingers to jerk off with. Or was that four because of his thumb.

Six. Six skip ahead to nine because, combined, that led to lots of fun.

Back to seven. Seven thrusts to make him come.

Eight. Eight fucking hours until dawn.

Nine. Hanging with six still being sixty-nines were fun for everyone.

Ten. Ten could fuck itself. This wasn’t working. He was now officially even more wound up than before. Hyperawareness sucked, especially if you wanted to get out of bed and find a snack.

Except he didn’t know what Valaska was doing. He’d taken the bed, leaving her the couch—again, showing his support of women’s lib and treating her like an equal. Despite listening intently, he’d not heard the groan of furniture as she lay upon it. He’d not heard a damned thing since he stalked off to bed.

What is she up to?

The cabin proved awfully quiet. Was Valaska even here, or had she returned outside to play with the insect life?

He dared a peek. Since he’d placed his glasses on the nightstand, his vision saw the world in bleary smudges. He spotted nothing to his left but the wall to the bathroom. Quietly, he shifted onto his back, but the view of the timbered ceiling did nothing for him. Especially since the fact that he was myopically challenged meant all he saw was a big brown blob.

He rolled over to his right and…

Screamed. “What the fuck!”

A rapier gaze observed him without blinking. Crouched beside his bed, Valaska let a smile curve her lips. “Hello, Dex.”

“Don’t you hello me, brat. You just scared at least a century off my life. What are you doing sneaking up on me?”

“Not sneaking, merely changing locations because the couch is too short for me.”

“And?” He played deliberately obtuse to hide the fact that his heart had started beating faster.

“This bed is pretty big.”

“And?” He knew she wanted an invitation to join him. But he couldn’t. Just couldn’t.

“Move over.”

“What happened to roughing it?”

“You want me to get rough?” Even without his glasses, he caught the mischievous glint. Before he could roll away, she’d pounced on him.

“Get off me,” he gasped.

“Is this your way of telling me I am too heavy?” Her lips hovered only a hairsbreadth away.

“No, this is my way of saying your knee is uncomfortably close to my manparts.”

She grinned. “I know. It’s intentional because you called me a brat. Care to say it again?”

Hmm. Say it once and she was straddling him. Say it twice and… Perhaps she’d start removing layers so they could touch skin-to-skin.

Shudder.
I should be so lucky.

She mistook his shiver for something else. “Do I frighten you, Dex?”

Honestly? “Yeah.”

“And yet”—she squirmed atop him and he couldn’t help the moan that escaped—“you desire me.”

No use denying it. “You are attractive.”

Her smile widened. “I think you’re cute, too.”

She did? That flustered him. “Cute, but so obviously not your type.”

“Exactly what is my type?”

Try anybody but him? “A guy who can hold his own in battle, who isn’t scared of a fight.”
And who has the courage to seduce you.

“I don’t know. That does seem to describe you. You didn’t leave me to battle the wasp alone. You came to my rescue.”

“With killer cologne.”

“Was the bug any less dead?” she asked with an arched brow.

“You could probably kick my ass in a fight.”

“Yes. I could. But don’t feel bad. I could kick most men’s asses in a fight.” She shrugged. “It’s part of being who I am. It doesn’t mean I can’t find you attractive.”

“You think I’m attractive?” He really wished he possessed a deeper baritone and didn’t sound so surprised.

“Very. I’ll bet you’re a beast in bed.”

“I don’t shapeshift during sex.”

She laughed. “I meant you are probably an intense lover. And a believer in foreplay obviously, given your slow seduction of me.”

“What are you talking about? I haven’t tried to seduce you.” Did she mistake for someone else?
Tell me who and I’ll take them for a ride down the river Styx, a journey they won’t return from.

“Are you sure of that? I mean you did, after all, manage to entice me into bed. You have me wet with anticipation. And your cock is obviously ready for action.”

He’d enticed her? “I think—”

“The problem is you think too much,” she muttered before silencing his protests with her lips.

Did she really think she could control him and force him to her way of thinking by using her feminine wiles on him?

Damn her for knowing his weakness. He totally crumbled at the first touch. Why was he still fighting her? She wanted him. He wanted her. What else did he need to know?

How does she feel?
And he wasn’t exactly referring to her emotions. His fingertips longed to trace her shape and learn every nuance of her body.

As her lips slid across his with sensual exploration, his hands emerged from under the blankets to stroke the bared skin of her back.

Unlike other girls he’d slept with, Valaska didn’t have smooth flesh. Instead, his fingers stroked over hard ridges, scar tissue from battle. He felt the toned muscle of a warrior who kept herself fit. He caressed the body of a woman, a woman not afraid to experience life to its fullest.

And now she wanted to experience him.

A chest-thumping moment for a guy like him.

A fearful rabbit-foot-thumping moment as well.

There were probably many reasons he should stop what they did. So many cons, starting with the fact that they worked together.

Big no-no. The Association for Ferryman employee handbook had a whole chapter devoted to rule number six, which was don’t fraternize, cannibalize, patricide, or theorize while on the job.

But breaking the rules at work means earning points with the big guy.

Quick, think of another negative
.

How about their general incompatibility with one another? She liked to kill things for fun. He did, too, but on his video game console. He wore boxers; she wore thongs. A choice he could totally live with.

Although, right now, she’s not wearing anything,
according to his roaming hands. He cupped her full, bare bottom and groaned.

What negatives was he thinking of? There were no cons in the here and now. He couldn’t see any problem with what was happening within the dimly lit cabin, in a feather-filled bed. The only negative left was the fact that a stupid quilted comforter separated their naked bodies.

A minor detail. For the moment, he contented himself with the taste of her lips and embracing her tongue when it insinuated itself between his lips.

She groaned, the sound so surprising he paused in their kiss.

“Why are you stopping?” She raised her head, her lips full and swollen, her eyelids heavy with lust. Lust for him.

“You really do want me.” He said it with a note of wonderment.

A smile curved her mouth. Extending her arms, she arched herself over him, and he would have wondered why except the turgid peak of her nipple stabbed at him.

He didn’t need her growled, “Suck it,” to know what was expected. He latched onto that bud with the hunger of a man deprived.

With his lips, he tugged the tight bud, sucking and pulling it into his mouth. He felt the quiver that went through her body. A long shudder that he caused.

As he continued to tease the tip of her breast, he slid his hand down the side of her ribcage, past the indent of her waist, then far enough to stroke the shaven skin of her mound.

Again, she shivered, and she hissed, “Yes. Touch me.” Her hips lifted enough for him to slide his hand between her thighs.

The wetness of her sex immediately honeyed his fingers. His turn to moan, the rumble vibrating against the breast he held in his mouth. He found himself somewhat distracted as he let his digits circle her warm, swollen flesh.

He slid one finger in. Hot. Wet. Pulsing decadence.

Another finger, not enough to really stretch her much yet. And she would need to stretch to take his cock. In went a third finger, tightening the fit, the muscles of her channel clenching him tight.

That was enough fingers for now. He pumped them within her heated core, feeling the quiver as her excitement built.

“Yes. Yes.” Her hips gyrated in time to his thrusts, pulling his fingers as deep as they could go. Should he add a fourth one?

Fuck asking. He thrust it in. A sharp cry left her, as he now had to push his thicker offering into her sex.

Faster he pumped. Faster she bounced.

Her breathing quickened, and he couldn’t help but peek at her, arched above him, hand gripping the headboard, her breasts swaying in time to their motions, her eyes closed, her lips parted.

She was an utter goddess.

He growled. “Look at me.” She moaned. “Look at me. I want to see you when you come.”

Obeying him, she opened her eyes and gazed down at him, her expression soft and glazed, the look of a woman in the throes of passion. A woman who uttered soft, mewling cries as he pounded his fingers in.

With his free hand, he tweaked a nipple, twisting the tight bud.

Her sex clamped down tight around his fingers. Her mouth opened wide. Her eyes lost focus.

She came hard, a strident scream leaving her lips, the muscles of her channel pulsing and gripping his still-pumping fingers.

“That’s it, baby. Come for me.” The dirty words flowed from his lips, words he’d never dared utter to anyone else.

“Oh fuck. Oh fuck.” She chanted it over and over as she continued to ride his fingers, her first orgasm dying but her pleasure still at a peak.

“Are you ready for my cock, baby?” he asked. His cock certainly was. It throbbed. It pushed at the offending blankets that dared separate him from her heated splendor.

“Oh. Oh,” she panted. “Is it me, or is the whole place shaking?”

Was there anything more awesome for a guy who’d pleasured his woman to hear than the fact that he made her whole world rock?

Except, in this case, it wasn’t the wicked orgasm that was the cause.

“Holy fuck, hellquake!”