Hunting Medusa: The Medusa Trilogy, Book 1 (21 page)

“Men.” But she said it with a smile as she burrowed closer.

“
Agaph
.” He caught her chin, tilting her face toward his.

Her smile softened. “What?”

“You’re cold. We should get under these covers and actually take a nap.”

She winked at him as she clenched her inner muscles around him, and his body came roaring back to life. “I’m not tired yet.”

Kallan swallowed. “Is that so?”

“Yes.” She pushed at his shoulders so he rolled onto his back.

The view was very nice from this angle. He pulled her lower so he could nuzzle his way to one of her nipples, making her breath come in irregular gasps again. “We’ll have to fix that.”

“Oh, please do,” she murmured, arching into his mouth while her hips circled over his.

This time when they tumbled over the edge, she dozed almost immediately.

Leaving Kallan to wonder just what he’d seen in her eyes earlier.

He didn’t want to hope, but he couldn’t help it.

Clearly, she trusted him enough to keep her safe. And she trusted him with her body.

Maybe she’d trust him with her heart as well. Eventually.

He shut his eyes for a moment, his pulse skipping a few beats.

It wouldn’t solve their biggest problem, though.

His eyes opened again and frowned at the wall. No way were any of his cousins getting their hands on his Medusa.

The problem was he couldn’t see any way of stopping them.

Andi woke much later, feeling better than she had in days. Rested. Secure. Warm.

The latter was probably due to the very large man wrapped around her beneath the blankets.

Okay, so the first two were also probably due to him.

She inhaled deeply, enjoying the spicy scent of him. Of them.

She shouldn’t feel safe in the arms of the man who’d come to kill her.

She opened her eyes slowly, her gaze landing on the curtained windows. The drapes weren’t closed the whole way, so the afternoon sun peeked into the room.

She wished she could talk to one of her cousins. Even her mother might have some insight if she got desperate enough for an outside perspective.

Kallan’s big hand closed on her nape, drawing her nearer. “You awake?”

She smiled into his shoulder. “No.”

“Hm. Too bad.” His other hand slid lower, and curled around her hip before easing between her thighs.

A rush of heat burst in her middle, distracting her from her current worries.

“Are you sure you’re not awake?” His fingertip inched inside her.

“Mm. I’m not sure.” She kissed his shoulder.

His chest moved with a silent laugh. “I guess I’ll have to wake you up then.” He withdrew his finger, and she bit her lip to keep from protesting. Then he shifted closer, replacing his finger with his scalding erection.

She moaned as he pressed inside her, dropping her head back against the pillow.

“Yes?”

“Definitely.”

He nuzzled her throat as he slid deeper, and she lifted one leg to wrap it around his waist, easing his way. “Waking up yet?” he murmured.

She laughed, arching into the hand cupping her breast. “Possibly.”

His stubbled cheek rasped along her collarbone as he bent to her nipple. “Let me know when you’re really awake.” His teeth scraped over the sensitive bit of flesh, and he proceeded to rouse her to a fever pitch. Then he began all over again. This time, when the wave broke, she wept.

Kallan rolled onto his back and gathered her closer. To try to calm her, he rubbed one hand along her spine, and the other cupped her head against his chest. “
Agaph
, what is it?”

She shook her head, crying harder. “I don’t know.” It was a little frightening, this surge of emotion, and she fought it.

He kissed the top of her head, murmuring to her again.

Eventually, she managed to stop crying, and lay spent atop him.

Andi put her head up a little, trying to make her bleary eyes focus. He grabbed the tissue box from the nightstand without a word, for which she was extremely grateful. She pulled out a handful and dried her face, and his chest.

“Shall we shower and take that walk on the shore now?” he asked after a few minutes.

She nodded, a damned lump clogging her throat.

He eased to a sitting position, with her still straddling his hips, and cupped her face.

“I’m a mess.” And with a rusty-sounding voice, she realized, trying to lower her face.

He smiled, holding her in place. “You’re still my beautiful Medusa.” He kissed the tip of her nose. “But if we go to dinner with you all red-nosed this way, Gert is likely to think our honeymoon is over already.”

She smiled at his teasing, but her pulse raced faster with fear.

And she realized what must be wrong with her. Her hormones were still out of whack. That had to be it.

Uncertain, she eased off him and got to her feet, sliding her hand over the top of her head, where her hair was mussed and damp with sweat. It was probably sticking up everywhere, she mused, avoiding the mirror on the dresser.

Just residual hormones.

“Aristotle Tassos.”

The elderly man started, jumping from his chair so the papers he held fluttered to the floor beside his desk.

Athena remained standing in the doorway to his office, watching his olive skin pale before he dropped to his knees, bowing his head.

“My Lady.” His voice shook.

“Your nephew has taken the Medusa away, Aristotle. How could a Tassos do that?” She glared, noting his silver hair was thinning far more than the last time She’d deigned to visit him.

“My Lady?” He straightened slightly, though not far enough to actually look directly at Her. “My nephews burn to kill the Medusa.”

“Not Kallan.” She watched his mouth drop open. “He has helped her escape.” She narrowed Her gaze on his stunned face. “How could you not know this about him?”

Her Harvester shook his head slowly. “I am so sorry, My Lady. I assure You I will find him. And her.”

“I am sure you will. I expect you will.” She set Her hands on Her hips. “Do not fail Me, Aristotle. It has been many years since your family has fulfilled its duty. It may be very bad for you and yours if you fail again.”

Aristotle nodded, bowing, his face flushed a ruddy color. Embarrassed, She was sure, by the reminder of the failures of recent years.
Good.
He and his should be humiliated to have been outwitted by the Medusas of the past several generations.

“I would hate to have to return to see you on this matter again, Aristotle,” She said, gentling Her tone just a little. “I understand you are loyal to Me, even if one of your number is no longer.”

His mouth tightened. “I will make sure we get her this time, My Lady.”

Athena nodded. “I will be monitoring your progress.”

She was gone before Aristotle looked up.

Chapter Nine

Andrea watched Kallan’s fingers skim over the keyboard of his laptop, as he logged into his family’s site to enter his latest false clues.

She got to her feet and wandered around their room. They’d already unpacked their toiletries when they showered before their first walk, so she could see toothpaste and brushes littering the counter in the bathroom when she passed the open door. The open suitcase lay on the chair beside the dresser, with its meager contents revealed: two days’ worth of clothing, her backpack, and—still tucked into the inner pockets—their cache of weapons. She’d checked. Surreptitiously, of course, when she was taking out fresh clothing, but her blade still rested in the suitcase where she’d packed it yesterday.

She felt a twinge of guilt at having felt the need to check for it. But the dagger had been her constant companion for many years. Every girl born into her family received a similar weapon when she had her first period, a rite of passage for the Medusa’s descendants, one of the first they all shared.

“Do you need to send anyone email?”

She started, turning to see Kallan offering his laptop to her. “No,” she said after a moment. “Not for a few days.”

He nodded and closed it down. Then he turned an intent green gaze back onto her.

Her heart beat faster.

“Do you want to talk about earlier?” He got to his feet, and she jumped, then took a deep breath when he put his laptop away.

She flushed. “Not really.”

He set his hands on his narrow hips when he straightened up, studying her for several long moments. “I think I’d like to.”

She swallowed, her mouth dry. “Leftover hormones.” She jerked one shoulder in a shrug.

“Still? You think so?” He lifted one hand to push his hair away from his face, making her think she’d like to do that too—to slide her fingers through his hair.

She caught herself and frowned. “Yes, I do.” That was all it was. “And stress. It’s been a rough week.”

He nodded slowly, once. “If you say so.” He moved toward her, but she held her ground this time, despite her racing pulse and the little voice in her head urging her to move.

He stopped a foot away. “Do you trust me, Andrea?”

She blinked. “Yes.” She hadn’t had to think about it. Clearly, she trusted him now. He’d spirited her across the ocean to avoid the cousins intent on murdering her. If that didn’t mean she could trust him, she didn’t know what did.

He looked satisfied with her answer, faint tension lines disappearing from around his mouth. “Ready for bed?”

She frowned when he moved around her to go into the bathroom.
What the hell was that about?
When she got to the open door, he was brushing his teeth. He glanced over and winked at her.

She’d missed something, obviously.

She was still pondering it when he came out of the smaller room. He brushed a kiss on her cheek as he unbuttoned his jeans, then stopped moving. She heard the faint buzz of his old cell phone vibrating, and watched his expression harden.

He took the phone from his pocket and looked at the screen, his mouth flattening.

Her mouth went even drier. “Stavros?”

He nodded, then pushed the talk button, holding his free finger to his lips in a signal for her to be quiet.

Andi didn’t need to be told twice. In this case, she didn’t need to be told once.

“Hello, Stavros. How is your hunt going? Any luck in Maine?”

She walked unsteadily to the foot of the bed and sank onto the mussed blankets, her heart galloping.

“Too bad. I’m sorry you missed me in Ohio. I thought we’d have her for sure.” Though he kept his tone light, his expression was hard. He stretched out his free hand to stroke over the top of her head. “Team up? Why? We cover more ground this way, moving over separate areas. Besides, I thought you believed your lead was the one?”

She shut her eyes and bent her head, her stomach roiling and making her glad she hadn’t eaten much for supper.

“Really? Uncle Ari’s idea?” His tone was strained now, and when she looked up again, tension lined his face. “I’ll think about it and see what I can come up with here, in the meantime. Did you see Anatole’s message yesterday? He’s in Mexico, thinks he’s on the right trail.” His knuckles were white on the phone.

Andi took a quick breath, lifting one hand to cover his where it had fallen to her shoulder.

He flashed her a quick, forced smile. “All right. I’ll talk to you in a few days.” He thumbed the off button and tossed the phone into the open suitcase across the room, then dropped his head back and shut his eyes.

“I’m sorry,” she whispered, pushing to her feet and wrapping her arms around him. Under her cheek, his cotton shirt was warm, and beneath that, his heartbeat rushed along—thump-thump, thump-thump.

He folded his own arms around her and exhaled slowly. “Not your fault.”

It was her fault, even though she knew it was simply an accident of birth for them both.

“Get naked, Andrea.” As he spoke, he pulled at the back of her sweater, tugging it off her shoulders.

She eased back and let the sweater drop from her arms. His expression shifted from worry to desire in a flash. Her blood thickened in her veins, making the need pulse harder, almost painfully, through her body.

He tugged his shirt over his head, then unzipped his jeans and let them fall to the floor.

His body was beautiful, she thought, watching as his erection swelled and rose toward her. His thighs went taut as he braced himself when her hand lifted to touch him. Just a glancing brush of her fingers on his skin.

She unbuttoned her shirt and yanked it free of her jeans, then tossed it aside so she could touch him again, this time wrapping her fingers around the thick, tempting shaft.

“Andrea.”

She smiled, and wrapped her other hand around him too, squeezing.

“Oh, Goddess.” His hips jerked toward her.