The Goddess Within (4 page)

"It's only two days."

"No, a deal is a deal." Stryker dropped his hands to his sides to avoid touching the flesh he desperately wanted to touch.

"You're serious?" Mardi could see by the muscle jumping in his jaw that he was. "Well, now I feel stupid." She blushed and pushed away slightly, turning her head away in embarrassment. She had never tried the seduction thing before and she doubted she would ever do it again if this was what happened.

"I'm honoured, Miss Mardi." Stryker's eyes were soft on hers.

"But you're not interested." She slid off his lap. Stryker grabbed her hand and pulled it down to his denim covered cock.

"Does that feel like I am not interested," he asked. "It's just two more days."

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The Goddess Within

by Amarinda Jones

"But I need you now." Why not be honest. The man had her hook line and sinker.

"Miss Mardi, I crave every luscious inch of you but I said two weeks and I meant it. I need you to believe in me—in us."

Mardi sat down on one of her dining room chairs.

"Fine ... whatever." It was anything but fine. She needed Stryker with a hunger she wasn't aware she possessed until now.

"After dinner let's go to bed." Stryker smiled at the sudden interest in Mardi's eyes. "I want to fall asleep with you in my arms. Okay?"

"Okay."
Yep, I love him.

The next morning Mardi woke up to a wave of sudden panic hitting her. What the hell had she agreed to? She could not possibly agree to marry this man in two days. It was insane! She barely knew Stryker Reed. What if she said yes to marriage and it was a horrible mistake? But then what if she said no and she regretted it for the rest of her life? Did she want to marry Stryker because of excellent sex or did she really love him and want to marry him regardless?
Bloody hell
I don't bloody know.
Mardi pulled out of Stryker's arms and headed to the kitchen in search of coffee. She could not think clearly when he held her and she needed a clear head now. She had gone from gob-smacked confusion to lust and now panic with the word
marriage
and
forever
flashing like a neon signs in her mind. Marriage was a huge commitment. It was not like she wanted to have sex with anyone else, it was just the whole
'til death do we part thing
that she was starting to 34

The Goddess Within

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get her knickers in a twist over. Mardi blew out a frustrated sigh and switched on the coffee maker.

She jumped as she felt Stryker slide in behind her.

"Morning." He kissed her neck and looked at her with concern as she pulled away from him. "Are you okay?"

"I'm just tried. I didn't get much sleep last night." She had actually had the best sleep of her life until she woke up in a panic.

"You were snoring your head off in my arms."

"I do not snore and that's a very ungallant thing to say." Did she snore?
How embarrassing.

"What's up?" Stryker tried to pull her back into his arms.

"Nothing, I just need some space and you're crowding me."

Stryker looked at her puzzled.

"You wanted me to crowd you and—let's not forget—fill you, last night."

"That's so tacky to mention that now." Even though it was true Mardi did
not
need to be reminded how much she physically wanted this man. She had to work out if she loved him for him, or just for sex.

"You are just spoiling for a fight aren't you?" Stryker guessed correctly. "You're looking for a reason not to marry me."

"I am not," scoffed Mardi knowing she did not sound like she meant it.

"Oh yeah you are."

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"I just need some space. You've rushed me into this." This had been the wildest and admittedly best two weeks or her life, but could she build a future on that?

"You know, you really didn't have to go along with me if you didn't want to." Stryker crossed his arms over his chest and looked at her knowingly.

"You are very pushy."

"I see. I made you lick and suck me all over. I made you beg me to take you."

"This is a really inappropriate conversation for breakfast."

"You're a chicken." Stryker shook his head.
He was one hundred percent correct.

"Whatever—I think you should go."
Because I have no idea
what I am going to do or say next.

"So you're going into a mood now?"

"If I was dumb enough to marry you, you would see once a month what a real mood was."

"At least it would be genuine and not an escape route."

"You know the way out."

"And you know where to find me if you want me Mardi." 36

The Goddess Within

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Mardi stared at the computer screen. The data normally meant nothing to her as it was just a bunch of figures she keyed in every day and it meant even less today and she did not care if the work got done at all. She had the walkie-talkie tuned to miscellaneous chatter but other than a bunch of truckers swearing and a cafeteria lady flirting with some man on route to deliver paper cups to her, nothing could not take her mind off Stryker and what she should do. Yesterday she had fooled herself into believing she did not need Stryker and that she was okay just the way she was. Celibacy and solitude meant independence and self justification. She had got on fine without him before. Mardi did not need love to find meaning in her life. She was a whole person without a man.

"What a load of crap," Mardi muttered to herself. The bottom line was she needed Stryker Reed in her life. She loved him. Mardi just had to gird her loins and go get her man. "Okay time to stop being a big dummy Mardi Keller," she told herself out loud as if giving herself confidence that this was the right thing to do. She pushed her chair back and stood up.

* * * *

The door to Stryker's office was open. Mardi poked her head inside and saw Stryker sitting at his desk with his foot bandaged and resting on the desk.

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The Goddess Within

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"What happened?" Mardi asked as she rushed over to him.

"Are you okay?"

Stryker smiled a soft happy smile of relief.

"I twisted my ankle when I was out running." His eyes trailed over her face and body hungrily. "I was thinking of you and not paying attention to where I was putting my feet and I fell."

"So you are trying to blame your clumsiness on me?" Mardi ran her hand lightly along the bandaged foot. "Does it hurt a lot?"

"Nothing hurts as much now that you're here Miss Mardi." The man was
so
sweet. Mardi knew in a heartbeat what she needed to do. She walked over to the office door and shut it. She looked at her watch and then at Stryker.

"You know we have three hours left until the two weeks are up." She walked back to where he sat. Mardi lifted up her skirt and slid off her knickers.

"What are you doing?" Stryker's eyes were riveted on Mardi as she swung one leg over and climbed on to his lap.

"I'm going to make love you." The angle he was on made it awkward but nothing a determined woman couldn't handle.

"I also need to show you just how seriously I am going to take the 'in sickness and health' marriage vow." She pulled at his zip and smiled as his cock bounced out to meet her hand.

"I am going to make you forget your sore ankle." She caressed his cock slowly. "I love you Stryker Reed and I will marry you."

"Yes!" Stryker growled out happily. 38

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"Are you excited about the fact I love you or that I have your cock in my hand."

Stryker pulled her close to him and kissed her lingeringly.

"I always knew you loved me and any time you touch me I'm excited." He looked over at the door. "Did you lock it?"

"Do you care?" Mardi asked as she pulled off her blouse and unsnapped her bra. She needed Stryker's mouth on her breast.

"Not for me but I don't want anyone looking at my woman naked but me." Stryker reached over and hit the intercom

"Mary absolutely no interruptions and no one to comes into this office until I say."

"You are so commanding. How I love that." Mardi eyes locked with Stryker's. "And how I love you."

* * * *

"Stryker and I are getting married," Mardi announced to her friends as they met for their usual Wednesday lunch at her office.

"Twenty dollars please." True held out her hand to Clementine and Zipporah. "I was right. I said Mardi would get engaged in under thirty days."

"You
bet
on me?" Mardi wasn't really surprised. She would have been in on the bet if it had been one of them.

"Yep, I had you down forty-five days." Clementine handed over her twenty dollars.

"And I said you'd just live sin." Zipporah pulled out her wallet and waved a fifty dollar note. "Anyone got change?" 39

The Goddess Within

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"I'll remember this when you lot fall in love." Mardi told them pointedly.

"Never going to happen," Zipporah responded.

"And I barely have time to spit after work let alone deal with a man." True found change for a fifty and handed it to Zipporah.

"I like being single." Clementine added. Mardi shook her head at them. She was exactly the same before Stryker.

"You're all pathetic."

"Yet we would love to be bridesmaids as long as it's not lime green."

"Or yellow as it makes me look sallow." Stryker walked in and went straight to Mardi.

"Thank God you're here." She pulled him in close. "Save me from these mad women."

"Anytime, you know that." Stryker kissed Mardi oblivious to the fact they had an audience watching.

"Oh jeeze I sense sex in the office. Time for us to go," Zipporah murmured as she followed Clementine and True outside to office. "And then there were three for lunch." They headed down toward the Brew-ha-ha.

Suddenly Zipporah stopped. The same feeling she had been having on and off all week was back again. She turned and looked behind her and saw him. It was the same man that had been following her for the last couple of days. Short cropped military style hair, tall and lean in faded jeans and a black leather jacket.

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The Goddess Within

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"Okay who the fuck are you and why are you following me?" Zipporah Scott swung around angrily and faced her stalker.

"You are the only one who can see me," the man replied simply.

"Okay so you think you're invisible and you've decided I have some
special
power to see you." It had been a long day already. She did not need this crap. "I hate to tell you this mate but you aren't invisible."

"I'm actually a ghost."

"Sure you are and
I
am Mary Poppins." She looked her friends. They turned to look at her but neither of them were looking at him, and he was someone a woman would instantly look at and lust over. "You're not a bloody ghost." Zipporah was open minded to most things but ghosts?
Come on.

"Are you okay Zipp?" True asked looking at her friend

"You're mumbling to yourself."

Mumbling to myself? Were they blind? How could they not
see tall, blond and gorgeous?

"I am talking to this nitwit who's been following me." Zipporah pointed at the man before her. "He thinks he's a ghost."

"We're starving Zipp. Stop stuffing around." A cold shiver ran down Zipporah's spine.
Stuffing around?

"I told you. No one else can see me but you Zipporah," the man voice was calm and non threatening.

"Oh please. That is a crap pick up line."

"It's truth." The man lifted his hand and waved at her friends but neither woman acknowledged him. 41

The Goddess Within

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"Okay, if and I mean
if
I believe you—why me?"

"Why you what?" Clementine touched her arm as she came to stand beside her. She was surprised with Zipporah jumped in alarm. "What the hell is wrong with you Zipp?" Zipporah looked from the man to her friend. He smiled a simple smile of
I told you so
and Clementine looked at her as if she was mad. Zipporah pinched her own arm to check she wasn't dreaming.

"You are awake and I am a ghost," he confirmed.

"Zipp?" Clementine looked at her worriedly. "Are you okay?"

Zipporah looked at her friend vaguely. This was crazy. A real life ghost?

"Um—yeah sure I'm fine. It's just this whole camping thing that is making me jumpy." That, and her invisible friend that no one else could see. Great. She not only had the camping with her niece thing on her mind but now a possible psychoslash-ghost following her.

"It's only camping." Clementine shook her head in bemusement.

"Yeah well I may catch some ghastly camping disease." Zipporah turned at the sound of laughter from the man.

"Camping disease? Not the outdoorsy type I take it?"

"Oh shut up."

"Okay," responded Clementine in surprise.

"No, not you." Zipporah glared at the man. "I'm sorry I am just on edge Clem."

True stormed up to where they stood.

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The Goddess Within

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"It's one weekend in your life for God sake. Get over it!" She pulled Clementine along with her towards the café. "Now bloody hurry up Zipp or we are eating without you." Zipporah looked at the man—or was he a ghost?

"She's right—get over it. It's just camping," he said.

"Oh bugger off." Great, instead of an ethereal being she got a mouthy ghost. "What the hell do you want from me?"

"I need you to help me," he said.

"How?" Ghost or not, the sudden pain she saw in his eyes alarmed her.

"Make me live again Zipporah."

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The Goddess Within

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About the Author

Amarinda Jones believes anything is possible and sometimes just asking for the impossible will surprise someone enough that they will give it to you. Writing is like that. Put it out there and wait for a response. There is always the possibility you may fall on your arse, but after all, that's what cellulite is for. Amarinda believes in taking chances, speaking her mind and aging disgracefully. Twenty years from now she plans on being the neighbourhood witch that all the kids are scared of. But then, everyone has to have a hobby. Email: [email protected]