Hunting Medusa: The Medusa Trilogy, Book 1 (11 page)

“I’m intending to eat my own breakfast.”

She squeezed her eyes shut inside the sleep mask. Of course he was.

She heard movement nearby, then the scraping of another chair before he sat down, close enough she could feel his heat. Her pulse quickened.

“Open.”

For a long moment, she resisted. But she was hungry, and the potatoes smelled divine. Finally, she opened her mouth, and he scooped some of the food in.

Yum.
But she didn’t say it aloud. Instead, she took the crisp slice of bacon he put in her hand and ate, silent.

By the time she’d eaten her fill, she was all too aware of the intimacy of him feeding her. Her stupid hormones had her wanting to strip off her clothes and climb into his lap. Except for those damned cramps.

She finished the orange juice he’d given her and pushed her chair away from the table. “Thank you.” It was grudging, but she felt a little better after eating.

“Where’s your heating pad?”

“Under the sink in the small bathroom.”

He caught her hand and led her into the living room to settle her on the couch. “I’ll be right back.”

Andi shut her eyes behind the mask. It had been years since anyone had taken care of her this way. She wasn’t actually sure she could recall when, or who it had been. Maybe when she’d still been a child and her mother was still parentally inclined.

“How hot?”

“All the way.”

He handed her the heating pad, then—after she shuddered—covered her with the quilt she kept draped across the back of the sofa. “Do you need anything else?”

She shook her head, rather than give him another smart-ass answer. Her eyes stung, and she was grateful suddenly for the mask that hid her tears.

The Harvester was being far nicer than he needed to be. Far nicer than she would have been if he’d tricked her the way she had him last night.

She inhaled unsteadily and shifted the heating pad closer to the spot where her cramps hurt the worst. Rather than thinking about Kallan Tassos, she put her mind to work to will away the cramping. Not that it had ever worked before. She didn’t expect it to work now. But it gave her something else to occupy her mind.

A few hours later, Kallan watched her sleep on the sofa. Her face was pale and strained, and occasionally a breathy moan of pain passed her lips.

He clenched the mug he held. It shouldn’t matter if she was suffering. That wasn’t his concern. He should be thinking about how to get the amulet. He had to figure it out, dammit.

But his gaze kept straying from his laptop screen to the sleeping woman on the couch. His mind wouldn’t stay focused on his search of the internet, instead flashing bits of their heated encounter last night.

She may have intended to distract him with sex, but he knew she’d distracted herself too.

And then he’d revealed his ability to undo locks. That was not the smartest thing he’d ever done.

Then again, sleeping with the Medusa probably didn’t rank on the list either. Sleeping with her more than once clearly revealed him to be a complete idiot. His father would be shocked and disappointed if he were still alive. Great-Uncle Ari would be furious.

Right now, he didn’t care. He needed her alive in order to get the amulet. If she died, the search would have to begin anew for the next Medusa.

If she died.
If he
killed her
was far more accurate.

He punched a button on the keyboard to clear the screen, then rose to pace. Big windows revealed the bright green clearing in front of the house, then the darker green of the trees around the yard, deepening to black farther inside the forest. A rabbit hopped across the yard, in no particular hurry. When Kallan moved to the smaller window at the side of the room, he could see the driveway winding away into the trees. His truck now sat behind her car, retrieved that first night after he’d knocked her unconscious.

If someone else killed her, he would have to tell his family about the amulet. Which would be difficult to explain.

He frowned. If Stavros really was following the same clues he had, Kallan had to be out of here with Andrea before his cousin realized the Ohio lead was no good.

That meant the truck had to be gone. He pulled out his phone and dialed the rental company. He moved into the kitchen so his conversation wouldn’t wake her, and arranged for the truck to be picked up that afternoon.

One problem solved. Posting another mention or two of his trip in northwestern Ohio would hopefully slow his cousin down a little more. Part of another problem solved. Temporarily.

The next step was where to go with her while he came up with a plan to retrieve the amulet.

She shifted on the sofa, making a small sound.

He knelt beside her, touching her forehead, which was clammy. “Are you all right?”

“Need to get up for a minute,” she mumbled, pushing the blanket and heating pad away.

He shut off the pad and helped her to her feet before guiding her to the bathroom.

Though she didn’t complain, he could see she was suffering. He wondered just how bad the pain was. From inside the smaller room, he heard the rattle of a medicine bottle, then water running.

He moved away from the door a few steps to give her a little privacy. Wondered what else would help relieve her cramps.

Came up blank.

When she opened the door a few minutes later, he took her outstretched hand. “What else can I do?”

She shook her head. “I’ll get a shower in a little while, run it as hot as I can. That’ll help a little.” She bit her lip, flushing.

“What else?”

“You left my vibrator in the nightstand, right?”

His pulse quickened and blood rushed to his groin. “Yes,” he croaked.

“That and the shower will help. I want to lie down for a little while first.”

He walked her back to the couch, spreading the blanket over her, and all the while, his mind kept conjuring up images of Andrea in the shower. Bringing herself to orgasm.

Sweet Goddess.
Sweat broke out on his forehead. He adjusted his pants before he sank into his chair, but there was no comfortable position for the erection that had sprung to life at her words.

He could offer to—
No.
She didn’t want him to—

He shouldn’t either.

But his body had other ideas.

He dropped his head against the back of the chair and shut his eyes for a second. It didn’t matter how foolish the idea was, he still wanted her.

She moved, rolling onto her back and drawing her knees up a little.

He turned his head to look more fully at her.

Her mouth was pinched, and her cheeks pale, the little color that had tinted them a few minutes ago long gone. Atop the blanket, her fingers rubbed at her belly, as if she could ease the cramping muscles deep inside that way.

His brain gave in then. There was really no help for it. He pushed to his feet. “Come, Andrea. Let me help you.” He dropped to one knee beside her and scooped her into his arms.

It was a testament to how miserable she must be that she didn’t protest.

He carried her up the stairs and stepped into the bathroom to set her on the closed toilet. “I’ll be right back.”

Not that he thought she was going anywhere.

He strode into the bedroom and yanked the nightstand drawer open. The vibrator rolled forward, and he took a shaky breath, eyeing it for a moment before he picked it up and shut the drawer.

His next stop was her dresser, where he dug through drawers until he found a pair of black sweat pants and a loose t-shirt, another pair of underwear, and then returned to the bathroom.

Andrea was right where he’d left her, though she had curled forward, her head nearly touching her knees, and a soft moan escaped her.

“Come on,
meli
,” he whispered, dropping the clean clothing on top of her hamper before he eased her to her feet. He helped her out of her shirt, ignored all the creamy skin he exposed when he unhooked her bra and dropped it to the floor, then unfastened her jeans. “Okay?”

She nodded. “Turn around for a minute.”

He did as she asked, though he now faced the mirror and could easily see her slow, careful movements, something she was clearly in too much pain to realize. He wanted to help her, but he waited until she held out her hand. Then he guided her to the shower, where he turned on the water and tested its heat with his fingertips. It was hotter than he’d like for his own shower.

“Hotter.”

He winced when he turned the knob further, but she sighed in relief when she stepped under the scalding spray and braced herself with one hand on the wall.

Steam rose around her.

Kallan reminded himself he was just doing this to ease her pain, not to ease his own growing need.

Still, he tugged his shirt off so it wouldn’t get wet. He also retrieved the vibrator from the counter beside the sink. “Let me know when, Andrea.” He waited, feeling tension pull the muscles in his shoulders tighter. Painfully.

She only nodded, tipping her head back and shifting so the hot water hit her belly full-on. The water’s heat made her skin pink. After a few minutes, the strain around her mouth eased a little. “Better.”

His own tension grew, his body hardening still more at the vision in front of him. He
was
a sick bastard, he thought, just as she’d suggested yesterday. And the night before. Goddess, he needed to get a firm grip on his libido.

She sighed, a long, drawn-out exhalation, her posture relaxing a bit more. Then she held out her hand.

“Let me.” He knew he shouldn’t. But he wanted to.

She dropped her hand to her side, remaining silent.

He took her silence as acquiescence and braced himself on the open shower door before flipping the switch on the vibrator. The toy’s low hum made his heart rate quicken still more, and he slid it first across her breasts, surprising her.

“Oh.” Her knuckles whitened on the tile wall for a moment.

He teased her until her nipples tightened, darkened. Goddess, he wanted to taste them again. He restrained himself, however, easing the vibrator down over her belly, rubbing the tip in the same area she’d tried to massage by herself earlier. Her breathing hitched.

Smiling grimly, he nudged her thigh with the toy. “Open for me,
meli
.”

She widened her stance slowly, and he stroked her inner thighs with the vibe until her hips rocked toward it. Then he slid it up, up to where his body desperately wanted to be. Easing just the tip of it inside her. Flipping the switch to the next level.

“Oh Gods,” she whispered.

His jaw tightened. And he eased the toy higher, deeper.

Her hips jolted toward his hand, and the vibrator slid to the hilt.

He groaned at the same time she cried out.

Her free hand settled over his, guiding his thrusts. He let her, watching her face and wishing he could see her eyes as well. Her hips met each drive, rocking faster as her fingers tightened over his, forcing the toy harder into her sheath.

Kallan watched the flush bloom low on her breasts, spread up to her throat, her cheeks, and when she wailed with her release, he felt sweat roll down the back of his neck. And his erection strain behind his zipper.

Andrea sagged against the tile wall, dropping her hand from his, and he eased the vibrator from her body, shutting it off.

His chest rose and fell as fast as hers, and the sound of their breathing echoed around the room, over the sound of the running water.

“Wow,” she managed a few minutes later.

He rasped a laugh, and shut his eyes for a heartbeat. “Better?”

“I think I might be able to rest a little now.”

He blindly set the toy on the sink and grabbed a towel from the wall, then shut the water off and wrapped her in the towel.

He was a little surprised she let him tend to her, but he dried her thoroughly and dressed her in the clean things. She remained quiet, her head bowed a little until he’d finished. “Come on. Into bed,” he murmured.

She put one hand on his bare chest, where his heart hammered hard against his ribs. “What about you?”

“I’m fine.” That was an even bigger lie than the one he’d told his family last night. His cock throbbed painfully inside his pants, desperate for release.

Her hand slid down, discovering his lie. “Let me.”

He shook his head even though she couldn’t see it. “I can take care of it. Let’s get you into bed.” He pulled her hand from his groin and herded her out of the small room, then into her bedroom.

She didn’t protest, just let him pull the covers back and tuck her in.

He turned away. The bathroom wasn’t far enough away to deal with this.

“Wait.”

He shut his eyes. “What else do you need,
meli
?”

“If you won’t let me, will you stay here to…relieve yourself?”

He whipped around. She lay where he’d put her, a hint of color still in her cheeks, her lower lip now caught in her teeth. “Not a good idea.”