Rock Hard (3 page)

With an invisible Anshar on his heels, the thunder god wrenched the door open and strode inside. He was instantly assailed by the suffocating heat generated by the crush of warm bodies, not to mention the smell of fry grease and processed beef. It made him nauseous. Shit! The room began to spin. His knees felt weak.

“Marduk! What the f… Hey! Snap out of it. You want to screw this up totally?” Anshar’s voice barely penetrated. Marduk was trembling and was in danger of going down. The asphyxiating sensations were just too much. He wanted to be left alone, but his ever-vigilant wingman wasn’t going to leave him be.

“Listen to me.” It felt like Anshar’s hand was jabbing his shoulder. “Babes don’t dig guys who puke on their shoes.” Anshar punched again, trying to reach Marduk. “Straighten up and lose the dingy color, will ya?”

Marduk was almost beyond caring. He ignored his friend, and instead reached out his hand, pleadingly to the woman whose gray eyes were pinned on him. She seemed the only possible lifeline in an undulating room.

Tess thought the man looked like a huge tree about to topple. Losing her combative stance, she cautiously approached. He was even taller than she had thought; her nose was just level with his sternum. She looked up…way up.

“Are you all right,” she asked tentatively.
Damn! What am I, an idiot?
She was sure that in the book, How to Converse with Your Stalker, she was going about this the wrong way.

“Air.” She could have sworn her pursuer’s voice rumbled. “Need…outside.”

She was a total idiot for listening. If she was smart, she’d take this opportunity to run. Damn her empathetic tendencies!

She didn’t feel comfortable touching him, so instead herded him toward the door, using skills she must have picked up from the family border collie. She urged him on with a gentle tone.

“You can do this. Just follow me…look, it’s really close. Right here.”

He put one foot in front of the other, and she prayed every time he lurched that he wouldn’t fall on her. She pushed open the door. He staggered but didn’t throw up, reaching the sidewalk on unsteady feet. Finally, with his back against the storefront, he sank to the ground.

“Oh, gods,” he groaned, cradling his head in his hands. “How do you people stand such small spaces?”

“Oh, I get it,” Tess commiserated. “Claustrophobia.”

She folded her arms over her chest and couldn’t help but snarkily ask, “Does going around naked circumvent claustrophobia?”

Marduk raised deep pools of black to capture her eyes with his. The nausea was nearly gone, and he’d pushed his brain’s restart button.

“Nothing to do with it.” He took a deep breath, expanding his chest. Marduk fished for a reaction. “I never wear clothes on the beach.”

A blush instantly spread up her neck and over tiny, well-shaped ears that peaked out from her fine hair. Marduk felt like he’d been gut punched. This tiny woman was exquisite, a rare beauty. Hmm…he was suddenly feeling so much better.

“Way to make the lady feel comfortable, asshole,” Anshar groused.

Marduk wondered if he’d lost his touch with the ladies, or if he’d ever had the skill to begin with. “Okay. I’ve got this,” he replied.

“Umm…you’ve got what?” The woman backed up a step and regarded him with a look of suspicion again. Hell, he had forgotten to do the telepathic thing. He needed some serious damage control here. First, he had appeared stark naked on the beach, then chased her from a baseball stadium. Now he was talking to himself. Anshar was right.
Way to go, jerk-off.

“I’ve…uh, got a grip on the nausea thing now.” He stirred a little, but remained seated so as not to cause further alarm, and studied her as she obviously pondered her next move.

Perfect white teeth worried a full lower lip, causing his dick to tighten uncomfortably in his jeans. A slight fog still lay over her glasses from the storm, but as he had thought, her wide eyes were smoky gray. Her hair was drying in strange little puffs that stood out from her head in a soft halo, and he felt the urge to smooth every one, slowly, lingeringly.

He breathed deeply. The scent of spring rain emanated from her skin. She wasn’t the type he was normally attracted to, but damn! There was something about her… She had small pert breasts and hips that were discernible but refused to flare, a petite figure that set him ablaze.

Marduk looked her up and down, taking it all in. He barely refrained from grabbing her firm, square little chin tilted at a “not quite so fast, buddy” angle, before she had the audacity to issue him an order, wagging a finger at his nose.

“Well, you still don’t look that great, so don’t even think about getting up,” she warned.

He raised one imperious brow. “You think to tell me what to do?”

Although he had the local vernacular down and had kept abreast of trends over the last few hundred years, his voice still carried old world inflections and cadence. He could see that she was intrigued.

“Oh…” She paused breathlessly. “Where are you from?”

Marduk watched her eyes brighten behind those devilish glasses. He had a feeling Mesopotamia was not the answer she was looking for.

“Quincy,” he offered, nonchalantly. “And you…” He could tell she didn’t trust him and was not too thrilled that he had mocked her authority. He tried to bring his natural arrogance down a notch.

“Are you local?” He smiled right into her eyes, compelling her to answer.

“I live in Quincy too. But I’ve only been here a few weeks. I’m actually from Maine,” Tess related.

“That explains it,” he said, solving the mystery of why he hadn’t become visible in possible random encounters.

“Explains what?” She shook her head in obvious confusion.

“Explains why I’ve never seen you before, but now I’ve run into you twice in the past couple of weeks,” he supplied, lamely. Man, he sounded stupid, even to his own ears.

“Why did you chase me out of the ballpark? And why were you on the beach the other day, naked and acting like a madman?”

He attempted to look sheepish. “Oh that,” he prevaricated. “I like to meet the sunrise, uhh…sans clothes.” He wondered what she’d thought of him; how much of him she’d seen. “It was foggy and I didn’t think anyone would be around so early. I don’t suppose you could see much?”

He could tell by her sudden rosy color that she had seen plenty, and he was inordinately pleased. “I didn’t mean to scare you.”

He heard her sigh. “Let’s say I agree you’re not a lunatic or a deranged nudist,” she paused. “Will you tell me the truth? Something really weird was happening to you on the beach. Right?” Her eyes were shrewd, and he sensed a quick intelligence. Just as acutely, he felt a sudden connection with her. Was it just his libido working overtime?

He had always been able to compel most humans to do his bidding, but had only been able to share thoughts with the other gods. Why he suddenly thought she might be receptive, he didn’t know. He conjured their possible psychic connection and sent her a picture of the two of them in an erotic embrace.

Anshar must have picked up on it as well, based on his reaction. “Oh, nasty! Keep the hot stuff to yourself, thunder-boy. I don’t need a picture of your ugly ass in my head.”

But, interestingly enough, both of the gods caught the little gasp that escaped from the woman’s mouth as her arms inadvertently hugged her body.

“You’re kidding me.” Anshar’s reaction matched Marduk’s. “The little mouse caught your naked-osity, too? This is getting interesting. Maybe I’ll send her a little sweet nothing of my own.” He rubbed his hands together.

Marduk caused one low roll of thunder to echo across the sky, then caught himself. It surprised him, the sudden aggressive thrust of his feelings. He was used to Anshar’s joking and womanizing. Why was he ready to take his buddy’s head off for Anshar’s interest in this one?

The sky god stopped looking gleeful and backed up a step. “Whoa, boy. Settle down. I get it.”
Good,
Marduk growled. If there was to be any showing off, he would be doing it.

A glower settled on Marduk’s face. Why did he want his embrace alone to be the reason for the confusion on the little mouse’s face? The picture of the two of them entwined had caused his cock to harden in his jeans, and it was a damned uncomfortable feeling, mentally…and physically. Who had invented these infernal crotch coverings?

When Marduk didn’t answer, Tess continued. “Fine. I don’t need to know what you were doing on the beach, but I’m not leaving until you can stand on your own.” The color was high on her cheeks, and he watched her little tongue poke out again.

Marduk had fully recovered from his dizziness, but an entirely different realization left him tight and edgy. Gods help him, but if she reached out and pulled him up, he would feel the touch of a woman for the first time in four centuries.

“Give me your hand.” He didn’t mean to issue a command. He bit his tongue, extended his palm, and struggled for a lighter tone.

“I’m not sure if I can get up without help.” He shrugged apologetically at her look of disbelief, but held his breath as she reached for him.

“She’s going to touch you!” Anshar keened, completely beside himself. He shifted anxiously from foot to foot. “You lucky bastard!” He bent double like he was in pain and covered his face with both hands. “I can’t look,” he groaned. “You so don’t deserve this.”

The tension in the air crackled around his mouse like lightning, and he could see by her face that she felt it. She had to know she was playing with fire, but wouldn’t realize how hot until she reached out to make contact. Sure enough, the minute her fingers were engulfed by his, a shudder of epic proportions moved through his body and into hers. The air around them seemed to shift and explode, nearly rocking her off her feet.

Marduk wanted to stay like this forever. Her warm hand was so soft, so alive. He fought the urge to bring those tender digits to his face, to feel their caress and inhale the scent of her skin. He wouldn’t weep—she might see it as another sign that he was crazy—so instead he called on the elements to reveal his emotions. The slightest rain, like falling tears, softly swept over them. Even Anshar, irreverent to the last, uncovered his eyes and stared longingly at their joined hands.

Marduk saw Tess shake herself. What was the matter with him? What was he thinking? He was going to ruin everything if he didn’t get his elemental self under control. Finding out her secrets was the important thing right now. He turned off the waterworks and concentrated. She gave him a tug, which did nothing to aid him, but he came to his feet.

The god’s voice felt delicious in its delicate exhalation. “What is your name, small mouse?”

“Tess,” she squeaked. “Tess Abelard.”

He had yet to relinquish her hand, and instead bent over it, breathing in her scent. “I am Marduk…” Then using his inner voice he added,
…and I don’t think I’m ever going to let you go.

Anshar apparently heard him and nodded his agreement.

Chapter Three

Deep within the earth, in the underworld of the gods, Nergal stirred. His eyes snapped open, staring. Something was happening up above, something disturbing. He glanced over at his queen. Ereshkigal, in her sleep, sighed. A small satisfied smile graced her lips.

Damn the woman to hell…if she weren’t already here… Nergal kept his body still to bring his focus back to what had disturbed him, and to shield any discovery from his wife. Holding himself inert, his spirit raced to the earth’s surface. He sped to the East Coast of the United States, where last he had felt similar stirrings. Up his essence flew to the state of Massachusetts. Over the Blue Hills and across the water of the bay. Into the city streets, wending his way through the lighted towers of steel and glass.

When was the last time he had looked to Boston? Automobiles moved where horses and carts once traveled. The streets were cleaner, or maybe just polluted differently. Gone were the troughs of human waste that used to flow in streams throughout the city. In their place blew loose trash, and the sky was dense with smog from the myriad of combustion engines that sat in gridlock, even though darkness had fallen and mortals should be in their homes. He grimaced. Humans were such unpredictable and filthy creatures.

He continued to search.

There, on the street below, beneath a lamp post in front of a food establishment, Nergal beheld three figures. His heart, thousands of miles away in the underworld, skipped a beat. There appeared before him an invisible god, Anshar. No cause for alarm there. There was also a human female, and next to her…the disturbance that had called him from his sleep—Marduk, in the flesh.

Yes, it was the thunder god, and he possessed a body again. What the hell was happening? This was not something Nergal had expected. He need make haste back to his body to equip himself for this new development. He quickly inhaled the essence of the human for later analysis and sped off, his mind abuzz.

Ereshkigal. This was somehow her doing. Marduk once again walked with a human body. Nergal had become complacent, and Ereshkigal had been sly, waiting so very long and patiently before setting this new scheme in motion. In the 1700s, when a hundred years had passed and she hadn’t resurrected her band of outcasts from their banishment, he’d thought that she had fully complied with his previous decree.

When the auspicious mark of 250 years had passed, he had relaxed further. Sometimes his wife was actually obedient. Perhaps he had worried for nothing. He had settled in, thinking that the next test might arise on the 500th anniversary. Pah! He had to give her credit, the cunning minx. Who would have imagined an awakening after 384 years? What kind of number was 384? It wasn’t even prime, for the gods’ sake!

Nergal let the irritation of having his sleep interrupted dissipate and rubbed his hands together upon re-entry into his body. He conjured a deep feeling of glee. He’d been stalemated with his queen long enough. He laughed silently, elated suddenly, that once again the game was on.

Interesting that she had chosen Marduk to be the first embodied amongst humans again. His history was entertaining. Arrogant but beloved by all, Marduk had, with no warning, left Babylon to famine and pestilence, even though he had succored the very same people for centuries. Ereshkigal had been forced to call him beneath the earth. No motive for his actions had ever been discovered, nor had Marduk offered any explanation. It was as if the god didn’t care what fate had wrought.