Hunting Medusa: The Medusa Trilogy, Book 1 (25 page)

“You are generous. Funny. Easily annoyed by my smart-ass comments.” She felt her smile slip a little. “And you’re determined to do the right thing, no matter what it’s going to cost you, now that you know things you didn’t know before we met.”

“You forgot the most important thing,” he said hoarsely, setting his handful of brochures down on top of his backpack.

She swallowed.

He caught her free hand and tugged, pulling her toward him. “You forgot that I’m in love with you, Andrea,” he whispered, lacing their fingers so their palms met, and her pulse quickened. “You didn’t mention that because I love you, I’ve entered a whole new, uncharted world.” His grip on her hand tightened a little. “I will die before they get to you.”

She let him pull her around the small table and into his lap. Under her ear, his heart pounded, matching the racing of her own. His arms settled her nearer, and he rested his cheek atop her head.

She’d also neglected to mention she was hurting him, knowing he loved her and being unable to trust him enough to open her own heart.

Her eyes flew open.
That
was what he’d realized when he looked into her cup earlier.

“It’s all right,
agaph
.” His warm breath caressed her scalp, ruffling through her hair.

It wasn’t. She knew it. But she didn’t know what to do about it.

She slid her arms around his waist and inhaled shakily.

As if he knew what she was thinking, he rocked her slowly in his seat, one hand stroking over her back, spreading warmth along her spine.

Her eyes burned, but she refused to give in to the tears this time.

She’d forgotten how complicated relationships were. And she’d certainly never had one
this
complicated.

Kallan didn’t know what to say to lighten the mood in the car after they got off the ferry. Andrea was pale and silent, her eyes haunted as she stared out the window. He steered the car into Kirkwall and found the hotel he’d decided on after studying the brochures on the ferry. It was too early to check in, though, so he drove past it and out of the little town again, along its narrow streets and past ancient buildings.

The island wasn’t that big, so their chances of getting lost were slim. He followed a meandering road until they reached a stone circle. A bus was loading up a tour group when he parked, and Andrea turned her blank gaze from the side window to the hill ahead of them. Her eyes cleared a little.

“Brodgar,” he said gruffly. “I’ve always wanted to see it.”

She shot him a quick smile, pushing open her door.

He met her at the back of the car and caught her hand in his. Her fingers were cold, even before they stepped into the brisk wind.

When they got to the edge of the circle, she stopped, inhaling deeply as her eyes shut. “There’s so much power here,” she said softly.

He could feel it too, even though spotting magic wasn’t his specialty. The site was so old—surely a lot of power had been raised here over the centuries. Looking straight across the circle, he could see a loch in the distance, and a small patch of clear blue sky above it, the sunlight there contrasting sharply with the dark gray clouds over their heads.

Andrea tugged on his hand, and he let her lead the way into the circle. A ripple of energy danced over his skin as they stepped inside it, and she laughed with sheer joy. Kallan relaxed a bit more, enjoying the pleasure in her face. The wind whipped through his hair, tugging at the ends of hers too, making him realize how quickly it was growing. It had nearly gotten back to the length it was when she’d cut it off. Already.

She put her hand flat on one of the stones and closed her eyes, the remaining tension leaving her body. “This is gorgeous.”

She
was gorgeous. A lump clogged his throat for a moment, and he didn’t reply, just watched her.

“So much energy, so much old magic. I bet Stavros would hate it here.” Her lips curved in a faint smile. “He’d never be able to undo all this.”

She was right about that. But he didn’t want to think about his cousin right now. Instead, he bent and dropped a kiss onto her forehead.

They walked the entire circle, pausing to touch a stone, or simply to look at the vistas in the distance. And sometimes just to stand in each other’s arms.

It was peaceful, and Kallan decided he could stay there for the rest of the day. Maybe forever.

Until the next bus full of tourists arrived.

Andrea shot him a look of mingled regret and amusement when the first group stepped into the heather, breaking the silence they’d enjoyed. “Guess that’s that,” she whispered.

He agreed and steered her back to the car, and then drove back toward town and the hotel.

Once they checked in, it was after lunchtime, so they walked hand-in-hand among the shops and restaurants in town until they found a place to eat. Andrea hummed her pleasure over her soup and sandwich, and he was happy there was some color in her cheeks again, even if it had just come from the wind whipping their faces as they walked.

His phone vibrated against his leg while they relaxed after their meal.

“You may as well answer it,” she said with a rueful smile. “He’ll just keep calling.”

One look at the screen told him it was indeed his cousin again. He thumbed the phone on. “Yes, Stavros?”

“Have you found her?”

“No.” His mouth tightened, and he made an effort to relax it. Andrea’s fingers brushed over his hair. “My leads out here have dried up.”

Stavros cursed. “I know she was here.”

“Where are you?”

“Still in Maine, Goddess dammit.”

His heart thudded painfully inside his chest. “What about Anatole’s lead in Mexico?”

“It’s a dead-end, of course. I don’t know where she went. I could use your help.”

For his cousin to admit he needed assistance, he must be frustrated beyond all endurance. “You know tracking isn’t my specialty. You should call Vasily.” His mouth was dry, and he used his free hand to pick up his water glass.

“He’s here with me, and even he can’t find her trail. She just vanished, the cursed bitch.”

Kallan’s mind flashed an image of his cousin as he would look right now, his hard face flushed with anger, his short dark hair sticking up everywhere from him having dragged his fingers through it a thousand times, and determination shining out of his dark eyes. Kallan’s pulse drummed in his ears.

“I’m sorry. If Vasily can’t find her trail, I’m of no use to you, Stavros.” He took a quick sip of water and put the glass back on the table before he spilled it.

Andrea’s blue gaze was sober as she patted his arm before sliding her fingers down, then wrapped both her hands around his.

He smiled at her. “We’ll pick up another lead,” he said to his cousin, trying to sound as if he meant it.

Stavros cursed again. “I want to kill her. This one is
mine
.”

Wrong, she’s
mine! Kallan realized his fingers were clenching into a fist inside Andrea’s hand, and he forced himself to uncurl them. She pressed her lips together, worry lining her forehead.

“I’ll call you in a day or two,” Stavros said after a second, making Kallan realize he hadn’t replied to his cousin’s last statement. “Perhaps one of us will find something in the meantime. Or Uncle Ari may hear something to help us.”

Kallan muttered his agreement, then turned the phone off and stuffed it back into his pocket.

Andrea leaned into him, and he freed his hand from hers and wrapped his arm around her shoulders. “You know if you just let me go back in a couple of weeks, I can take care of him myself,” she said against his throat.

He forced a laugh. “Best not even to think about him. He’s across the ocean, and we’re safe here.
You’re
safe here.” He kissed the top of her head. “Come, let’s go. We haven’t seen all these shops yet, and I saw a distillery up the road.” He released her reluctantly and pushed to his feet.

If he had to handcuff her to himself again, he’d keep her here—safe from his family. As long as he could.

Andi saw the worry shadowing his eyes over the next few days as they crisscrossed the island, visiting burial chambers and prehistoric villages and just sitting along the shore watching the roiling gray of the ocean. Every time he touched her, she felt the underlying concern.

Even now as they settled into the hotel room for the night, his shoulders were bunched with tension. He stood looking out the window facing the street in front of the hotel. Full dark hadn’t fallen with the longer summer days, so dim light still shone.

She sighed silently, rubbing her forehead with one hand. All the tension—his and hers—was making her crazy. “Get naked, Harvester.”

His head turned in her direction, and his focus sharpened on her. “What?”

She smiled. “I said get naked.” She gestured to his clothing. “I have plans for you.”

He pushed off the window frame and unfolded his arms, one hand going to his hip. “Really?”

She crossed the room to him and yanked his shirt free of the waist of his pants, then tugged it up until he had to help her get it off over his head. When he emerged, his eyes had darkened to a lovely forest green. “That’s a start,” she muttered, sliding her hands up from his flat belly to his shoulders. She pressed a kiss into the middle of his chest, then tugged at the belt around his waist.

“What sort of plans did you have in mind?” he asked conversationally, his hands resting lightly on her shoulders.

“Naked, sweaty plans.” She finally wrestled the belt into submission, then wrenched the button open and pulled down his zipper. Inside the cargo pants, his body was swiftly reacting to her actions, hardening.

“I see.” He didn’t argue as she knelt to untie his boots and cooperated when she indicated he should step out of them and his pants, leaving him naked in front of her.

She paused there for a moment, letting her gaze slide up the length of his strong legs, to the erection jutting out in invitation. She responded to the invitation by lightly stroking up from root to tip, teasing him. Then she pushed to her feet and continued her exploration, fingertips gliding over his skin, along his belly, to the small, dark nipples among crisp black hair.

His cheeks were flushed with desire when she finally stretched up to kiss him.

Kallan’s hands came to rest on her shoulders. “Do these plans involve you getting naked at some point too?” he asked, his tone strained.

“Eventually,” she agreed, dragging her open mouth along his cheek to his earlobe.

A startled groan passed his lips.

She smiled and leaned closer so his erection rubbed against her belly. She could feel his heat even through her clothing. Or maybe that was her own body warming up in response.

In any case, she enjoyed it immensely, and curled her fingers around him, squeezing gently. He made a soft sound of pleasure, so she repeated the movement, a little harder this time.

His hips shifted toward her.

She bit his earlobe, feeling the way his breath caught in his chest, then slid her tongue over the spot to soothe him.

Then she stepped back, releasing him. “You need to be flat on the bed so I can reach you.” She moved away and tugged down the blankets. “Come here.” She gestured to the crisp white sheet covering the mattress.

He took a shuddering breath before he obeyed her. She was pleased to see his erection had thickened even more, the tip glistening. The sight had heat and wetness rushing to dampen her panties.

While he stretched out on his back, she toed off her boots and socks, then clambered onto the bed to straddle his calves. She stroked her hands up his legs, feeling his muscles tense and relax beneath her fingers, tensing once more when she reached mid-thigh. Then she slid her fingers back down to his calves.

A shaky breath rushed out of his mouth, and he laughed. “Tease.”

“Don’t worry, Harvester,” she said with a smile. “You’ll get what you want. Eventually.”

“It’s the ‘eventually’ that concerns me.” Still he stretched his hands up to rest them behind his head. “I’m supposing I can’t touch you yet. Since you’re still dressed.”

She considered, then nodded. “Not yet.” She ignored the tingling in her breasts and the tight nipples pressing against her shirt. She could wait. A little while.

She dragged that little while out as long as she could, teasing him and herself for an eon before she finally took him inside her aching body, desperate for release.

Each thrust was quicker, shorter than the one before it, neither of them fully in control now. When the pleasure bloomed, exploded, she stifled her scream in his shoulder, while his hands settled at her hips, jerking her closer, closer, as if he’d pull her right inside himself if he could.

And some small, still-functioning part of her brain rejoiced in that. Rejoiced in the knowledge that she would let him do it and stay there forever, happily.

Her eyes popped open, and she jerked her head up in alarm.

Kallan turned his face to catch her mouth.