Goddess in the Middle

by Stephanie Julian

  “Amity!”

  Her eyes fluttered but she didn’t open them, almost as if she couldn’t. As if she were locked into the power of the healing spell and couldn’t get out.

  Fear tightened his guts into knots. What the hell should he do?

  Moving behind her, he wrapped his arms around her shoulders, enfolding her against him. The heat radiating from her body scared the shit out of him. She felt like she might spontaneously combust.

  Putting his mouth against her ear, he tried to keep the fear out of his voice. “Amity. You’ve got to stop. You’re going to hurt yourself. Come back to me.”

  He put a hard command in his tone and felt her shudder against him. “Amity. Stop. Now.”

  She gasped and her hands fell to her sides, the glow fading away in a matter of seconds. But the burn marks on her face remained.

  Vaffanculo. He should have known she healed by taking the hurt into herself.

  When she’d healed him and Rom, she’d taken their pain, taken their wounds. He wanted to pound the walls. He wanted to tell her she was never to do it again. Yeah, he was being an idiot. He didn’t care.

  Damn it, she was a goddess. She was the goddamn goddess of healing. This is what she did. What she’d been doing for millennia.

  And every instinct in him wanted to forbid her from harming herself ever again. Yeah. Idiot wasn’t strong enough.

  “Amity. Can you hear me?”

  He felt her body moving as she breathed, uneven and rough. Was she going into shock? What the hell would he do if she passed out?

  She felt so slight in his arms—

  Wait. He knew one way for her to gain strength. Except there was no way he was bending her over and taking her here.

  On the bed, the woman made a sound like a sigh and shifted. He froze, trying to figure out what the hell to do if she turned over and saw Amity. What the hell would he tell her?

  But Perrin fell silent again. Asleep.

  Rom had never felt such a sense of relief.

  Checking to make sure the door was still closed tight, he gathered Amity in his arms and took the few steps to the chair in the corner. Sitting on the edge, he settled Amity on his lap.

  Then he attempted to pull himself together before he lost it and started kissing her, trying to force some of his strength back into her.

  He wanted her to open her eyes and smile at him, tell him she was fine. Staring down at her, he realized the scarring on her face looked a little better.

  Relief wanted to crash through the fear, but he kept it at bay. He and Remy hadn’t kept themselves alive all these years by leaping to conclusions.

  So he kept watching her, taking his eyes off of her only for brief seconds. Luckily, this section of the hospital didn’t seem to be busy on a Sunday. There were no patient rooms, only exam rooms and offices.

  But their luck wouldn’t hold out for long. Sooner or later, a nurse, a doctor, someone would come through that door and want to know what the hell was going on.

  His wolf wanted to say fuck it and take Amity home. The human part wanted that too, but at least he was smart enough not to act on the wolf’s instincts. Besides, Amity would skin him if they left Perrin alone.

  After a few more minutes, he sensed a change in her scent. She shifted in his arms. Her ass brushed against his thighs and kick-started his libido.

  Relief. That’s all it was. He couldn’t want to fuck her just because she had started to come around. What kind of asshole would that make him?

  Good thing Remy wasn’t around to read his thoughts and possibly answer that question.

  “Amity, hey. You gotta wake up, babe.”

  “Rom?” She curled against his chest, putting one hand on his shoulder while the other found its way under his suit jacket to rest against his hip. “So tired.”

  “I’m sure you are, but you can’t sleep now. We have to get you out of here.”

  “Out of where?”

  “Out of this exam room.”

  Her nose crinkled as she grimaced, and he tried not to want to lick along her lips before he sank his tongue into her mouth and kissed the hell out of her.

  “Why are we—” Her eyes shot open and she drew in a sharp breath. His arms tightened around her so she wouldn’t make a sudden move and make him lose his grip on her. “Oh my… What happened?”

  He had to force his jaw to unclench to get the words out. “I’m not sure. You need to tell me. What the—” No. Couldn’t go there. Couldn’t say that. “You looked like you were going to pass out. And it looked to me like you were developing her injuries. Tell me that wasn’t what was happening.”

  She didn’t answer and her gaze slid away to look at Perrin. “Has she woken?”

  Gods damn, he was gonna develop lockjaw at this rate. He reached for patience, something he was normally good at attaining. Today, not so much.

  His gut kept tying itself in knots when he thought about the pain she must have endured.

  “No. She didn’t.” He made sure he kept his tone even but she was empathic. Of course, she knew he was upset. Okay, maybe pissed off would be a better way to describe what he felt.

  She stiffened and began to draw away from him.

  “Put me down, Rom. I’m fine now.”

  But she wasn’t. He felt the tightness in her body and saw the lines around her mouth. Yeah, that could be anger but he hadn’t seen her angry yet, so he was betting on pain.

  And he wasn’t doing anything to help her. In fact, he was adding to her stress.

  Shit. With an effort, he wrestled his inner asshole back where it belonged—stuffed in a deep, dark hole—and maneuvered her around so she was sitting on the bed and not on him. He didn’t want to accidentally hurt her.

  “No, you’re not fine.”

  She huffed but it sounded weak. “I just need a few minutes to rest. Then we can send Perrin home and go back to my office. I’ll have to wait a little while before I see the boy—”

  “Hell no. Not happening today.”

  Okay, maybe he hadn’t stuffed the asshole down far enough. Still, he wasn’t going to let her hurt herself again. Not today. He couldn’t take it.

  He stood directly in front of her, staring down at her pale face, knowing she couldn’t take any more today either. Goddess or not, she was still a woman who needed someone to look out for her right now.

  Not that she thought so, apparently. She glared at him, her narrowed eyes glittering, her beautiful mouth set in a tight line. If he’d been a good Etruscan, he would’ve bowed his head and given her whatever she wanted.

  Good thing for her, he wasn’t a slave to devotion.

  Crossing his arms over his chest, he just stared down at her until her eyes widened.

  When he wrapped one hand around her nape, bent down and kissed her, he tasted astonishment on her lips. And on the heels of that, a fast-building heat. He let that heat sink in, let it take him under. Not far enough to be dangerous, just for Amity to gain a little strength. And for an ache to begin burning in his gut.

  When he pulled away, he saw that her cheeks had regained a little of their normal color and the haze had cleared from her eyes. Relief made him almost light-headed.

  Fuck. Just… fuck.

  Seconds ticked by as she stared up at him and he tried not to want to pick her up and carry her back to her office where he could close the door and pin her up against the wall.

  Her office had no windows except for one on the outside wall that looked out onto a small courtyard. They could lock the door…

  The thought wouldn’t let him go now that it was stuck there.

  He wanted to feel her naked body under his, her pussy stretched around his cock, sucking him in, holding him tight.

  He felt the blood begin to travel south, his cock twitching and filling.

  Something of his thoughts must have shown on his face because Amity’s gaze dropped to his lips and hers parted to draw in a deeper breath.

  Lust filled the air between the
m. Her gaze shot back to his and she held out her hand.

  He didn’t hesitate to take it, pulling her to her feet. Her head barely came to his shoulder. The lushness of her femininity struck him, the lush curves of her breasts and hips. He wanted to get his hand on those curves; his desire was a palpable force that she had to be able to sense.

  Amity didn’t say anything as she dropped his hand. He forced himself not to grab for her, which would have been extremely embarrassing because she only wanted to check on her patient.

  Perrin slept, her breathing slow and deep, no hint of distress.

  His gaze snapped back to Amity’s. Her chin lifted and her mouth firmed, as if daring him to say something. He practically had to bite his tongue not to.

  “I’ll wait outside for you.”

  It took Amity fifteen minutes to emerge with a visibly rested and still scarred Perrin, who nodded at him before walking away as she promised Amity she’d set up her next appointment for Monday.

  Finally, Amity turned to him, her expression coolly professional.

  What the hell?

  “I’m so glad you were able to see how well those bindings are working,” Amity said. “Why don’t you let me buy you a cup of coffee and we can talk a little more.”

  Hell no, he didn’t want coffee and he opened his mouth to say so before he realized two female medical staff stood at the desk at the end of the hall.

  “Sure, I’d love some coffee.”

  As they walked past the desk, Amity stopped for a few minutes to type something into one of the computers while he continued to the end of the hall to give her some privacy. He pulled out his phone to check his email and messages. It wasn’t like he couldn’t hear everything the women were saying, anyway.

  “Whoa, Amity, who’s the hottie? I’d love to get him alone in an exam room for a few minutes.”

  “You know, I’ve got a few scars. Maybe he’d like to show me his products.”

  “Damn, he’s biteable.”

  He nearly choked on a shocked laugh. Holy hell, they talked about him like he was a lion on display in a zoo cage. It almost made him turn and tell them he could hear them, though he’d never embarrass them like that.

  “The man definitely knows how to wear a suit,” Amity said. “All he needs is the hat.”

  The women didn’t bother to keep their laughter to a low level. They didn’t think he could hear them so they figured he had no idea what they were laughing about.

  “High praise coming from you, Amity.”

  She knew he could hear her, so he knew her next words were deliberate. “Yes, I do have a thing for men in suits, though… I’d love to see him out of it.”

  That set the women off again. And made his cock throb. He hoped like hell they didn’t look below his waist.

  “Wouldn’t we all. Damn, he’s got a nice ass.”

  He didn’t know whether to be shocked or grateful. And he refused to blush, even though he felt the heat below the surface of his skin.

  He’d never realized women could be… so much like men.

  Amity let the women continue for several minutes while he pretended not to hear them, though he found it harder and harder not to react to what the women were saying.

  They’d critiqued him from his shoes to his hair, and he guessed he should be happy he passed muster. But Amity was the only woman he wanted to rip his clothes off.

  When Amity finally said, “Gotta go, I’ve got a hot date with a hot cup of coffee,” he nearly sagged with relief.

  “You certainly do. Go burn your fingers, girl.”

  Amity gave a little wave over her shoulder to the women as she walked toward him. Her dark eyes shone and she looked so much better than she had back in the exam room that he had to restrain the urge to grab her, bend her over his arm, and kiss the hell out of her for taunting him like that. Her friends would probably hoot and holler like frat boys at their first strip club.

  He shoved the impulse into the dark corner with that inner asshole. Following her to the elevator, he waited until he was sure no one was within hearing distance.

  “Are they always like that?”

  She turned to him with innocence all over her face. “Always like what?”

  His lips twitched but he fought back the grin that wanted to break free. “So… vocal.”

  Now her lips curved, just enough to make his hands curl into fists before he sank his fingers in her hair and pulled her toward him for a hard kiss.

  The elevator chose that moment to appear and they stepped into the cage, where another woman in scrubs already waited. She gave Rom a discreet once-over as he pretended ignorance then gave Amity the same look the other women at the nurses’ stand had given her—raised eyebrows and a smirk.

  Shit, had he and Remy ever been this bad? Maybe he should feel flattered, but the only person he wanted looking at him like that was Amity.

  She smiled at him in the door’s reflection.

  When the elevator door opened on the floor of her office, it took everything he had not to throw her over his shoulder and make a run for it.

  They walked in silence through the hall. Since it was Sunday, this area of the hospital was probably a little less crowded than it would have been during the week. The offices on both sides and across the hall from hers had their doors shut tight. In fact, he heard no movement in any of the offices. The only eteri he sensed were around the corner. Out of sight.

  She opened the door and, by the time she’d turned to wave him in, he’d crowded against her and hustled her through the door, trying not to slam it behind him. He made sure he twisted the lock as he kept her pinned against him with one arm around her waist. Then he walked her straight toward the desk.

  As her hips met the edge, his pressed against her ass, nestling his cock into her ass.

  He tried. Gods damn it, he’d tried to stay away from her.

  “Amity.”

  He shouldn’t do this. Shouldn’t touch her like this. Alone. Without Remy.

  He couldn’t make himself release her, either.

  “Yes.”

  That one word, spoken in an almost breathless whisper, cut his restraints and obliterated his good sense.

  All his pent-up lust rushed into his blood stream like adrenaline. His cock throbbed against his zipper, threatening to burst through.

  Shrugging off the suit jacket, he tossed it at the chair, not caring if it fell to the floor. With one hand, he opened the button on his pants and released the zipper. With his other, he flipped her skirt off her ass and dragged down her underwear. He didn’t want to rip them, but the delicate silk tore and fell to the floor in a heap. Amity didn’t seem to care as she bent forward, pushing her ass back against him.

  Working his cock out of the pants, he let the head brush against the soft skin of her ass, even softer than the panties. He had to grit his teeth against the urge to sink fast and deep into her body.

  Slow. Go slow. She’s not a nameless fuck in a dark hotel room.

  “Hurry, Rom.”

  Maybe not so slow.

  She bent farther, her arms stretching across the desk, hands curling around the opposite edge. Her ass was at the perfect angle, and he briefly considered falling to his knees and putting his mouth on her but he wasn’t exactly thinking with his brain right now.

  He grabbed her hips, his hands sinking into the soft flesh. Fitting himself to her back, he bent his knees to position his cock between her legs.

  His breath hissed between his teeth as he felt her moisture coat his shaft. Hot and wet and ready for him. So fucking ready for him.

  He bent until his forehead touched her back, still covered by her silk shirt, then took a deep breath. Her scent sank deep, that light floral fragrance mixed with the heady aroma of her need.

  Standing still, he let his body take in all the sensations. Her smell, her heat. He lifted his head, using one hand to brush the hair from her nape, while his other shifted to play with her clit.

  The tiny bu
d had thickened and swelled and she moaned as he used his fingers to pinch and pull. Baring his teeth, he sank them into her skin. Not to hurt. He never wanted to hurt her.

  Hell, he didn’t know why he did except it’d been instinct. Hold her to him. Keep her close. Don’t let her get away.

  She gasped, her head falling back against his shoulder, her ass pressed back against him.

  “Now. Take me now, Rom.”

  Her words barely registered but the pleading tone made his hips withdraw, pulling his cock through her pussy lips as every muscle in his body clenched.

  His balls drew up tight and, on his next thrust forward, he let the head of his cock sink between those swollen folds. Not enough to penetrate, just enough to get the tip wet and hot from her juices.

  Electricity shot through his cock and up his backbone, making him groan with repressed need. And when she shimmied her hips, he swore he saw stars behind his eyelids.

  “Stay.” His voice vibrated through the air as his hands clamped onto her hips. But whether to stop her or help her, he didn’t know. Whatever the case, he held her steady as he pushed forward again, sinking deeper this time.

  He knew they didn’t have much time. That this was not the time or place.

  But Rom didn’t think a bomb blast could’ve affected him right now. Every molecule in his body was focused on her. On the tightness of her hands gripping the table. On the heat radiating from her body. On her moisture coating his cock.

  So fucking hot.

  His hips swung forward again and this time, he pierced her completely. She was so wet, he slid inside in one smooth glide.

  Perfect. Absolutely perfect. He wanted to stay here, like this, forever. His dick surrounded by her, his body covering hers.

  Only one thing could’ve made it better but he shoved that aside and concentrated on what he had right now.

  He had Amity. And he wasn’t giving her up. Not for anything.

  Slow. Go slow.

  He pulled out, her tight sheath reluctant to release him. Amity’s back arched as he nearly left her body then flattened as he pushed back in, this time with a little more force.

  The friction was enough to send him over the edge. He held onto his orgasm by the barest fraction of a margin. Each thrust and retreat hit the spot on the underside of his cock that made him want to blow. How he managed not to… Hell, he didn’t have a clue. Except, maybe he did. He wanted her to come with him. Wanted to feel her convulse around him as he pumped into her.