The Brazen Amazon

by Sandy James

  “I’m not afraid of anything.” Gina’s heart started pounding a rough tempo.

  Over what?

  Losing Zach? Or loving him?

  An enigmatic grin lit Ix Chel’s face. “You are afraid of no enemy. The fear I sense in you is of giving yourself so fully to another human being and entrusting him with your heart as you trust your Amazon sisters with your life. The crossroads you face will take you to love or forever lead you away. I care for you too much to allow you to make the wrong choice because of fear.”

  “You’re talking about Zach, right?”

  “Sí.”

  “I’m supposed to love Zach?” Sleeping with the guy was change enough. But love?

  “Oh, my darling girl. You already do. Search your heart, Gina Himmel. You shall find all you have ignored.”

  “I don’t love Zach,” Gina insisted. “I don’t even know him.”

  Ix Chel’s smile was warm. “You do know him. You have been his shadow for many, many days. Always watching, always near. You learned his shape, his voice, his smell. You recognize all his habits, his likes and dislikes. You know him better than you realize—perhaps better than you know yourself.”

  “But I can’t... I don’t...” She couldn’t finish a sentence. The truth was boldly staring her in the face.

  Her goddess understood.

  Now Gina did as well.

  And the truth utterly terrified her.

  “You handed him your heart when you saw the kind of man he is. A good man. A fair man. A proud man.”

  He was all those things. She’d seen how kind he was to the people who worked for him. He went to charity events, knowing that his appearance was enough to increase donations. One time, he’d taken laptops to an inner city school, handing them out to the children like Santa Claus.

  The goddess put her hand on Gina’s shoulder. “A man meant for someone as special as you.”

  “But I can’t... Amazons aren’t supposed to...fall in love.” She couldn’t stand the hesitation in her own voice, but panic was choking her. Could she possibly have a choice? Could she possibly have a way to keep Zach close? “No. I can’t love Zach.”

  The gentle swish of Ix Chel’s skirt followed her as she slowly walked around the small cabin, lightly touching the few things Gina kept there. A small porcelain statue of a mermaid Sarita gave her sat on the dresser. A Celtic cross necklace from Rebecca hung from a bed post. A cherry-scented candle from Megan rested on the nightstand.

  “Yes, you can,” the goddess said. “You worry for the wrong reasons. You believe Amazons are supposed to be alone. Are they never to fall in love?” She turned to flash a smug grin at Gina. “Your generation has changed those strict rules. Rebecca MacKay has the family she always desired. A husband. Children. Megan Herrmann fights with her Sentinel husband at her side and comes home to her beloved daughter.”

  A tear spilled over Gina’s lashes to slide down her cheek. She swiped it away with the back of her hand.

  What was wrong with her? She was always the one who kept her cool. She was always the one who was aloof and distant. She was meant to be a loner.

  Her heart said otherwise.

  Having completed her tour around the cabin, the goddess returned to Gina’s side, reached out and put a finger under her chin. A gentle lift brought her gaze back to her goddess, one of the few females who matched her height. “Why should my Air be any different? Does she not deserve the love of a good man? Does not a good man deserve her love in return?”

  “But that’s the problem.” Gina finally realized what was bothering her most. “Zach might be a good man, but he’s still just a man. A—a mortal. Rebecca and Megan married Sentinels—men who understand our world. Zach doesn’t know what I am, what I can do.”

  Not that she ever wanted him to.

  In every superhero movie, the person who discovered his new powers always scared the shit out of someone he loved. If Zach learned the extent of her Air powers would he be frightened? Would that fear drive him away? How could he possibly want her, let alone love her?

  “If he sees me use all my powers, I might...frighten him. Jumping is one thing. Lightning? He wouldn’t understand.”

  The goddess walked back to the dresser and picked up Zach’s broken Toy. Cradling it in her palm, she held it out to Gina like a precious, fragile gift. “Do you honestly believe a man who can create a miracle such as this would frighten so easily or lack the intelligence to understand your world? Do you know the power this wields?”

  “The Toy? Powerful? It’s a glorified cell phone.”

  Why would the fact that Zach invented the Toy mean he wouldn’t freak out the first time he saw her slam down a bolt of lightning?

  The goddesses loved to talk in riddles, always knowing more about things than they ever told the Amazons. It was damned frustrating, but they had reasons for everything they shared, even if it came in bits and pieces. Ix Chel clearly knew something she wasn’t going to tell.

  “What happens when he watches me jump to the top of the climbing tower?” Gina asked.

  The goddess rivaled the Mona Lisa for enigmatic smiles. “But, my child, you seem to think he has not already seen some of your powers.”

  “He saw me jump to the ledge at his office but—”

  “And yet he remains at your side.” Ix Chel handed Zach’s invention to Gina.

  “It was only one story.” Two, actually. And then a third. Plus, she’d reached the ledges without a running start. Just a straight up, high in the air, without a net jump. Zach should have freaked out. But he hadn’t. Her lips twitched with a smile.

  “Ah, so now you are beginning to see things as they truly are. Think on that for a time.” The goddess’s face grew serious. “Now I must ask you to reveal more of your heart to me, for there are some things even an Ancient cannot see.”

  “My heart?” Ix Chel already knew she loved Zach. What else remained?

  “Sí. I need to know what you desire, if you wish to have a child with this man. Do you want to bear a child of your own, to nurse him at your breast? Do you want to nurture Zach’s seed within your body?”

  All Gina could do was shrug an indifference she didn’t feel. Her mind churned because she was being asked things she’d never had time to properly consider, things she wasn’t sure she would ever have to worry about. “I hadn’t thought about it before. I—I don’t know.” A baby? Did she want to have a baby? Zach’s baby?

  That wasn’t something she was prepared to decide. Right now, all she could think about was Zach. And the Toy. And the bitch Sekhmet. Throwing talk of a baby into the mix made Gina feel like her head might literally spin off her shoulders.

  Ix Chel tilted her head and frowned. “Do you not wish to be a mother?”

  Having almost forgotten how important fertility was to her goddess, Gina hesitated. One of the things Johann had drilled into both Gina and Sarita in their training days had been the stories of their patron goddesses. Ix Chel watched over expectant mothers. She held the ability to bear children in the highest esteem.

  “I’m not saying never,” Gina replied, “but—”

  “A smart woman knows when she is ready to become a mother. A smarter woman knows when she is not. I have a gift for you.”

  “But you’ve given me so much already. I can’t ask—”

  “You did not ask. I give it freely. Rebecca MacKay might have restored your fertility, but my gift is to give you command over it.”

  “Command over it?”

  “You will only have a child when you choose to do so. While I cannot alter Rebecca’s limits, for you may still only have a child with your true love, I can let you decide which time is right for you. For now, you may love freely without concern for seeding your womb, even if this man is your soul mate.”

  “Are you saying Zach could get me pregnant? Or are you saying he can’t?”

  “I have said neither. This is a concern for you that I wish to allay. Until the day you choose to bear a child
, you need not worry. Should you love a man, any man, including your soul mate, his seed will not bear fruit unless you hold that wish within your heart.”

  The goddess did something she’d never done before, something that stole Gina’s breath away and made her feel cherished. Ix Chel gave her Amazon a heartfelt hug and a kiss on the cheek before she disappeared with a shimmering flash of light, leaving Gina alone to ponder what she would do as she stood at her crossroads.

  * * *

  Zach was wounded.

  Wounded? Hell, he’d looked less in pain when Johann had cut open his face.

  He cradled the broken Toy in his hands as though it were the most precious thing in the world—and Gina had sat on it.

  “What happened?” He ran shaking fingers over his useless invention, touching each exposed piece like it was part of a Fabergé egg.

  “Um—it was in my back pocket, and I—I stumbled...” She was too embarrassed to admit to him her fat ass had crushed it. She figured he’d get her drift without forcing her to actually say the words.

  He made a sound deep in his throat that she could only call a sob. “You sat on my Toy? You really sat on my Toy?”

  She closed her eyes, not wanting to see the anguish on his face—the anguish she’d put there. “I’m so sorry.” The words were entirely inadequate to express what she felt.

  So much for any caring thoughts he might have held for her. She’d killed off his affection exactly like she’d killed his invention. There were probably hundreds upon hundreds of hours of work spent on making that Toy. How could he ever forgive her for being so clumsy?

  Warm lips pressing against hers drew her out of her chastising stupor. When she opened her eyes, Zach’s face was in front of her own.

  “It’ll be fine, Gina,” he said as he eased away.

  She had to fight the almost overwhelming urge to grab his shirt and pull him right back into the kiss, but she needed his reassurance more.

  “I’ll try to fix it,” he added, casting a forlorn glance at his invention.

  With a shake of her head, she dropped her gaze to the useless piece of junk he still held in his hand. She wouldn’t cry, damn it. She never cried, especially in front of people. Most especially in front of Zach. “I’m so sorry.”

  Why did it matter if he saw her cry? Ix Chel’s words echoed in her mind, forcing Gina to realize the goddess was right. The reason this was so important to her was the same reason she hurt so much over breaking his invention. She already loved the man.

  Well, fuck.

  What was she supposed to do now?

  “C’mon.” Zach brushed a kiss over her forehead. “Don’t cry.”

  “I never cry.” An absurd statement considering the tear sliding down her cheek. She would have wiped it away with her sleeve if he hadn’t reached up first to smooth it away with his warm fingers.

  “You never cry. I’ll try to remember that.”

  Guilt hung over her like a storm cloud. Damn, she needed to work off some of the tension.

  As he’d been from the start, Zach was tuned in to what Gina felt. “How about some sparring? You know martial arts?”

  “Hell, yeah. Beat you to the sand pit.”

  Chapter Twelve

  Zach gripped his sore jaw, moving it to check for injury as he stood up from where he’d knelt in the sand. “Nice kick there, Gina.”

  “I...I didn’t mean to hurt you.” Her brown eyes were wide and fearful.

  Had she really thought he was that fragile? Those long legs of hers packed a wallop, but he sure as hell wasn’t made of crystal. Then again, she’d seen him knocked on his ass twice by some kind of shock, so maybe she assumed he was weak. He would have to show her otherwise. Taking a fighting stance, he crooked his finger at her. Her responding smile hit him on such a visceral level, he actually sucked in a long, hissing breath.

  She came at him again.

  She was a fast learner. Gina’s technique might be rough—more karate than tae kwon do and a bad mix at that—but she picked up each trick he showed her like a natural. A little bit of work, and she’d give him some serious competition—a notion he savored.

  This would be something they could share. Would she like making love as much as she loved fighting? A cocky grin crossed his face. A woman as passionate as Gina would surely take to sex as fast as she took to tae kwon do. It would be his pleasure, and hers, to teach her anything she wanted to know.

  Blocks. Hits. Sweeps. Jumps. It took all Zach’s concentration not to let her get the upper hand. She was the first person he’d fought in a long, long time who made him work hard enough to build up a sweat. At least she was sweating too as her white tank top plastered against her chest, clinging like a second skin. Too bad she was wearing a sports bra under it, but he could see the outline of her hardened nipples and almost licked his lips in anticipation.

  He’d let his attention wander over her breasts too long when a quick move on her part found his feet knocked out from under him as he fell flat on his back in the sand.

  Gina dropped to her knees, straddled his hips and grinned down at him.

  “Do you give?” she asked with a smug smile.

  “Oh, there’s definitely something I want to give you.” He settled one hand on her hip to keep her where she was and reached up to cup his other hand behind her neck. He pulled her down for a kiss.

  She didn’t resist. No, instead she sprawled over his chest and intensified what Zach had intended to be a quick kiss. Her tongue pushed into his mouth, and he forgot all about sparring. He growled to show her how pleased he was with her boldness. The woman had no inhibitions. Damn good thing, because neither did he, especially where she was concerned.

  Heat shot to his groin. He pushed his hips up against her, and she spread her thighs wider. No woman had ever fired his blood the way Gina could with something as simple as a kiss. When they came together it would be a life-altering event. Oh, yes—it would be nothing short of spectacular.

  They broke away to catch a few gulping breaths. He turned his attention to her neck, nuzzling her and licking the salty taste from her soft skin. She tilted her head, encouraging him with her purrs and soft moans. Like he needed any encouragement. After working his way across that slender neck, he splayed his hand over the back of her head and pulled her into another kiss. He didn’t give her tongue the chance to make the first move this time. He ravaged her mouth, pushing his tongue past her lips and stroking it across hers, promising to show her so much more about desire.

  Lord, how he loved kissing her. Her taste had become familiar, a taste he craved. When Gina moved restlessly against him, Zach put his hands on that gorgeous ass of hers and held her hips hard against his. Her response was to moan and deepen the already unbelievable kiss.

  Plotting how he could stand up and carry her back to his cabin, he froze when a grating voice hit his ears.

  “Am I interrupting anything important?” Richard’s baritone had the same effect as a bucket of ice water.

  Gina stiffened and awkwardly rolled off Zach into the sand.

  He sat up and glared at the intruder. “Did anyone ever tell you that your sense of timing sucks, Dick?”

  “Seems to me it’s impeccable.” Richard reached down to grasp Gina’s wrist and pull her to her feet. He didn’t offer a hand to Zach.

  Zach stood up and brushed the sand off his ass. “Do you fight, Dick?” If he couldn’t relieve the sexual tension, perhaps repeatedly smashing his fists into Richard’s face might offer an outlet for his frustration.

  “I can kick your ass anytime, Mr. Wizard.”

  Zach spread his arms in invitation. “Then bring it on.”

  “C’mon, guys.” Gina’s nervous gaze darted from Zach to Richard and back again. “I don’t think that’s a good idea.”

  “Sure it is.” Richard stepped into the sand pit. “I only wish we had some swords to make it a real fight. Guess I’ll just have to use my fists to mess up that pretty mug of yours.”

&
nbsp; Not about to be psyched out by stupid, macho trash talk, Zach grinned. Sometimes saying nothing at all made an adversary too over-confident. Cool control often became an important weapon. He’d faced enough bullies back when he’d been nothing but a skinny far-too-smart adolescent to know.

  “I mean it,” Gina insisted. “I don’t want you two fighting.”

  The men faced off, despite her caution. Zach nodded at Richard in the only show of respect he ever intended to give the guy. Richard’s cocky smile as he nodded in return was about to get knocked off his face.

  The fight was more evenly matched than Zach had expected. With a lucky strike, Richard drew first blood. Literally.

  Zach spit some blood on the sand, swiped the back of his hand across the corner of his mouth and smiled. “Nice shot, Dick. It’ll be the last one you get.”

  “Whatever, Poindexter. You don’t scare me.”

  Blow after blow, they went after each other until it was no longer a sparring match but a bare-knuckled brawl. Each hit Zach landed on Richard was returned, and Zach gave payback in the same measure. When Gina strode away from the sand pit, Zach’s gaze followed, opening him up to take a hit to the nose that knocked him on his ass and made stars fly through his vision.

  Before he could pick himself up out of the sand, Gina had somehow leaped from the distance to get between him and Richard. She crouched for a fight.

  She was captivating when she was angry. A flurry of arms and legs attacked Richard until he, too, found himself flat on his back, blood seeping from a cut to his eyebrow. She turned to look down at Zach, her eyes full of anger before quickly softening. He watched in fascination as her hair, which had been blue before he started fighting with Richard, changed from fire-engine red to a softer pink.

  She frowned down at him. “You’re hurt.”

  As she helped Zach to his feet, he tried not to be insulted that she’d become his protector. After all, that was what he was hiring her to do. But he’d never had a woman come to his defense before, and his ego felt like it had been given a good, sound slap. “I’m fine. I can take care of myself.”