by Shona Husk
Two men. These were the violent bag snatchers the news had warned about.
She wasn’t about to be a statistic. Anger made her move and she retaliated, kicking, determined to get one to the ground to give herself a chance to get up and flee. He swung his leg at her ribs. She rolled away, hindered by her backpack and the now loose earbuds from her MP3 player.
She had nothing of real value. Why her?
The men laughed as they continued to deliver strategic jabs. And she kept lashing out. Then one grabbed a fistful of her short hair and tried to drag her off the path.
“Game’s over, you lose,” he snarled.
The adrenaline became ice in her blood. Like hell. They were not getting her into the bushes. She screamed, hoping someone would hear but knowing the park was empty and most people wouldn’t risk their lives to help another.
A hand clamped over her mouth. She bit and thrust her fingers up and into his eyes, not caring about the potential damage. She wasn’t going to die here. Why hadn’t she just waited at the bench? Her attacker screamed and released her; before she could get up, the other man let out a strangled cry and went silent. With her heart beating hard Nadine turned her head and saw Meryn stand up…the other man remained lying on the ground.
He glanced at her, his lips curving for a second before his smile froze. The man who’d been holding her charged at Meryn. Meryn moved sideways and seemed to barely raise his hand, then her attacker was falling to the ground, with Meryn never letting go as if he were merely guiding the man down. She’d never seen a man move with such fluid grace. More like a dance than violence.
The man jerked as he hit the ground and immediately tried to rise.
Nadine watched as Meryn calmly shifted his grip on the man’s arm. “If you ever touch her again, I will find you and I will kill you. Do you understand?”
The man spat at Meryn and Meryn tightened his hold. “If I ever see you thieving in the park again, or even stepping foot in the park, I will kill you. Do you understand?”
This time the man whimpered.
“Answer me.”
Nadine held her breath, not wanting to move and draw attention to herself. She’d never seen Meryn so—it wasn’t rage. It was far more controlled, colder, calculating, fierce. Gone was the heat and the smiles. His face was blank, his attention on the man—yet she was sure he knew exactly where she was, where the other man was, and who was moving—hell, who was breathing. She knew she was seeing who Meryn had been before his wife’s death. This was the soldier more than capable of killing. And he was doing it to protect her.
“Yes.” The word was forced out as if even drawing breath hurt.
Yet she felt no compassion for the man. He’d had none for her.
Meryn lifted his knee but didn’t release the man, and the man didn’t move. “Be a man and get a job.”
“Yes. Yes,” the man hissed, as if he’d agree to anything if he was freed.
Meryn relaxed his grip but still didn’t let the man up. “If you turn and attack, I will make sure you don’t get up. Understood?”
Nadine had no doubt he was capable of following through on every threat, probably with his bare hands.
The man nodded. “I understand.”
“Be smart.” Meryn let go. The man lay on the path unmoving. His friend also lay on the path, still. He hadn’t moved since Meryn had dropped him.
Meryn glanced at her and her eyes widened. His eyes were cold, steel murder. She had no doubt the next person to breathe wrong was dead and that he could do it without shedding a drop of blood.
He offered her his hand. She hesitated. That hand had just taken down two men without any effort. How many men had Meryn killed while in the army?
“They will live,” he said as if he sensed her fear. The hardness in his eyes melted as his lips curved and the dimple formed.
That was the man she knew. She reached up and took his hand. His fingers closed over hers and he hauled her into his arms. He embraced her, his cheek against hers, his lips finding hers for a brief kiss.
“You’re all right?” he whispered against her lips.
He’d saved her, defended her from the thugs. If he hadn’t shown up…she suppressed a shiver as the adrenaline left and the chill of shock took over.
She swallowed and tried to find calm. “Yes. Thank you.”
***
Meryn lowered his gaze as heat crept over his skin. He’d done nothing someone else wouldn’t have. He’d just been closer. Her hands held his shoulders like she was scared of letting go, and he didn’t want her to release him. In the corner of his vision, one of the men moved. He drew back, breaking the contact and missing her touch in the same heartbeat.
“We should go. Can you walk?”
“I think so.”
He slid his arm around her waist as she limped next to him, in no rush to be free of his touch, but he’d seen the fear in her eyes for a heartbeat before she’d taken his hand. His fingers moved of their own accord, over the light fabric of her clothes, feeling the firmness of the muscles beneath. She was the first woman he’d held in his arms since Idella.
Cold cut his heart. If not for him, Nadine would never have been in danger. The thieves had targeted her because they’d seen him and Nadine together. He was sure they’d been watching his old campsite and waiting for his return. When he’d failed to show up and they’d seen Nadine, they’d gone for the next best thing.
“I’m sorry I was late.” He should have been at the bench, waiting for her. Not checking his old campsite to see if the men had come back.
“I was worried you were having second thoughts when you weren’t at the bench.”
Second and third thoughts. Doubts about whether he could be the man she wanted and needed. Yet when he was with her none of it mattered. He just wanted to live and revel in the moment instead of always planning and plotting.
“Some. You?”
She gave a small shrug. They continued walking, the woods giving way to the rolling green lawn. Her steps became steadier but she didn’t pull away. Meryn realized she wasn’t leaning on him because she needed to; she was doing it because she wanted to. Her hand rested on his hip and her body was pressed along his side. Yet he could feel the tension in her muscles beneath his hand.
Eventually she spoke. “Are you taking me back to your place?”
He had been leading her to his house, subconsciously wanting to satisfy the desire coursing through him. He didn’t break step but he knew the timing was wrong. What she needed was a place to clean up, have a drink and a rest.
“Is that okay?”
She nodded. “How long has it been, Meryn?”
What could he say that wasn’t a lie? According to Dai’s lie a year had passed, yet he couldn’t keep lying to Nadine. He didn’t want her to know only a man built of false truths and fake pieces of identification.
He stopped walking and turned to face her. “Too long.”
She traced his jaw, then leaned in and touched his lips with the barest of kisses. It quickly deepened. He had been alone for too long, swords and gold and blood had been his life. Even in the Fixed Realm, before the curse was laid, life had been lived on the edge of a Roman sword. But in Nadine he saw a glimmer of a future and it glittered with an allure he knew he wouldn’t be able to resist. Moving forward didn’t mean losing his past—he would always have that; it was what had shaped him and it was a part of him—but he was no longer a part of it. Her teeth raked his lip in a promise of things to come. A hot shiver coursed down his spine and spread.
“Come on.” He glanced over her shoulder, back the way they’d come. So far they weren’t being followed, but he didn’t want to risk another confrontation. He slipped his arm around her and began walking. “They won’t be scared of me forever.”
This time they walked faster. As they approached the white building, Nadine glanced up to take in its full size.
“Nice.” She gave him a cheeky grin.
Would she
find it nice inside? After seeing Roan’s house he knew this was much more modest. Would it be enough to impress her?
“I like it.” He opened the door without a key and then the one with the number two on the front. He knew that symbol now. Some of the letters and numbers were staying in his head, but his writing lacked the neatness and flow of Dai’s. He could probably spend the next year learning and practicing and still not be caught up on the simple things people took for granted.
She unclipped her backpack and let it fall to the floor. Her gaze darted around his house before landing on him. Her eyes were lit with a desire he’d liked seeing. For all his doubts she wanted him, and that had to be enough.
He took her hands. “Are you sure you’re all right?”
“I am now. Thank you for being there.” She touched his cheek.
She’d had him tamed the moment she’d first touched him with kindness and led him out of the screaming mess of his memories. With Nadine, life was worth fighting for. He would fight for her.
Meryn lifted her hands and kissed her scratched palms. “I will always be there.”
She drew in a sharp breath but didn’t pull away. “This isn’t quite how I imagined the morning going.” Her voice was shaky.
“I know.” He lowered her hands. “And it doesn’t have to be today.”
He wanted it to be today. Thoughts of her had kept him up half the night as he’d wondered if he still knew what to do. It had been so long, but then he looked at her damaged hands and knew today wasn’t the best day to be doing anything.
Nadine lifted her chin. “I’m not going to let them ruin the day. I’m here, you’re here.” She smiled and placed a light kiss on his lips. “Which way to the bathroom so I can clean up?” she asked as she pushed off her shoes without unlacing them, wincing as she did.
“This way.” He stepped back to show her, knowing that each step also led them closer to his bedroom.
She followed without hesitation, as if her mind was made up. In the bathroom Meryn turned on the tap and wet a washcloth. “Show me your hands.”
“They’re okay.” But she held out her palms anyway.
He dabbed at the dirt and scratches. As injuries went, the only thing wounded was her pride and their plans. It could’ve been so much worse.
She watched him work, her gaze tracking his every movement. “My knees,” she whispered.
He lifted his gaze and saw the heat in her eyes. Without speaking she peeled down the pants, exposing her thighs. He drew them down the rest of the way so she could step out of them. He knelt on the floor, but didn’t feel the cold of the tiles. He touched the washcloth to her knee, then placed his lips on the scratch. Her breath hitched, and he kissed a little higher up her leg. When he glanced up, she was watching, her lips parted. Slowly she lifted the edge of her skin-hugging top, revealing her stomach. Then in one move she pulled it off the rest of the way and let it fall on the floor, leaving her in her black underwear. His blood surged. She was beautiful. Like an exotic goddess made of flesh and seduction.
He stood and placed the washcloth in the sink. Then claimed her mouth, her lips opening to him, matching his hunger.
“Join me in the shower.” Nadine beckoned him forward.
His shaft hardened further as a forgotten longing filled him, and he’d do whatever she asked of him.
“You start,” he said as he unbuttoned his shirt. He needed a moment to rein in the desire that wanted to claim her even though his mind warned that this was a bad idea. She didn’t know who he really was; she was attracted to the lie Dai had made up and he had told her. Yet when she looked at him, nothing else mattered.
He shrugged out of the dark striped shirt and her gaze skimmed over his chest and down. Whatever it was she was looking for, she found it and was pleased, her mouth turning up at the corners.
“Okay, I’ll get the water going.” Nadine removed her last few pieces of clothing then stepped into the shower.
Meryn swallowed. She was waiting for him. She wanted him. He needed her more than any gold he’d ever craved as a goblin.
He stripped off his trousers, shoes, and socks, and went after her. Water spilled from the spout and onto the woman underneath. Lust drew tight in his belly like a bowstring ready to release. The glass door was open and she was smiling, so he stepped in. Hot water hit his skin, like heavy rain but without the chill. He caged her with his arms against the tiles unable to resist her any longer.
“You have woken a hungry beast.” He leaned in and took advantage of her mouth.
She moaned and met his attack with her own. Her fingers feathered over his hip, along his shaft. Then gripped. Her hand was as sure as her kiss, sliding over his wet flesh and forcing a groan from his lips as she caressed his length. It had been so long he’d forgotten the simple joy of being with a woman.
“If you want more from me, you’d best stop.”
She grinned against his lips, but her hand stilled and the movement of her fingers became more subtle—a tease, not a demand—circling and stroking and bringing life to sensations he’d forgotten could exist.
He cupped her breast and felt the weight in his palm, her dusky nipple already hard. His thumb swept over and pinched. She gasped as he played, learning her reactions. Meryn lowered his head to take the other in his mouth. She arched her back, small noises of pleasure catching at the back of her throat. He’d never heard anything quite as sweet. He kissed his way up her neck, tasting the water off her skin, then found her lips. She kissed with a hunger that matched his, as if she’d been waiting for him.
When his hand slid lower, over her belly and between her thighs she eased her legs apart to allow him access. He didn’t want to rush, but every time he moved forward she was ready and waiting. His fingers slid over her slick sex and dipped into her core. She moved her hips as if seeking more. Then she angled his shaft, wanting to replace his fingers.
He resisted the temptation, distracting himself with her lips. But her hand around his shaft was insistent. Her nails pressed into his shoulder. Meryn lifted her against the tiles, and she wrapped her legs around his hips. Her gaze locked on him, dark with lust and wild with need. Her breathing came in heavy pants.
He paused even though he wanted to lower her onto him and possess her. She wiggled in his hold, using her heels to force him closer, the head of his shaft already nudging against the heat of her core.
But he wouldn’t be rushed.
For the first time in two thousand years, he was human and in the arms of a woman he was falling for. He wanted to savor every moment. The little rush that accompanied every glance, and the swoop and fall of the first kiss. The rising of his heart as he looked into her eyes.
He eased into her slowly, enjoying the sensation and intending to hold on to it for as long as possible. Her hands traced over his skin, leaving heated trails in their wake. She cupped his cheek as she kissed him, stealing his breath as he thrust into her. He reveled in the sensation of having her arms and legs wrapped around him as he buried himself deeper. Slick and hot. It was almost too much after living with so little for so long. He slid his fingers between them and teased her clit, wanting her to find release first. Her head tipped back and her lips parted. She rolled her hips, wanting more. And he moved with her, giving her what she wanted. She gasped and tightened around his shaft, tempting him to let go.
Meryn held back, not wanting it to be over, not yet, but it had been too long. He withdrew from her heat and let his seed be washed down the drain with the water. He didn’t want to get her pregnant. He wasn’t ready for that. He wasn’t sure he was ready for this. Being with Nadine, while amazing…was different. She was changing him, or maybe he was changing to fit the time.
The water drummed on his back and reality returned. The moment where desire replaced thought was over. If he let go of Nadine, would she leave now that she’d gotten what she wanted? They couldn’t stay in the shower forever, yet moving was too hard.
She sighed and res
ted her forehead against his. “I think I made a mistake.”
Chapter 17
Beneath her hands his muscles tensed as if bracing for a hit. She traced her fingers over his shoulders; even now she couldn’t stop touching him. “We should’ve used a condom.”
How had she let that happen? She was usually so careful, but her brain had stopped working once his fingers had started moving. She knew exactly what he meant when he said he thought only of the moment when he was with her, because she felt the same.
“I withdrew,” he said, but his words were uncertain.
Nadine drew her head back to look him in the eye. “I’m not worried about babies. I’m on the pill. Who have you been with since your…” She left the sentence hanging, unable to finish it.
This was not a conversation they should be having while her legs were still around his waist and he was holding her against the wall. Still, they would have to have it sometime.
“No one.” He lowered his gaze as if he were watching the water swirl down the plug. “I’d been with her since I was sixteen.”
She hugged him tighter but the distance was already there. Her words had forced a wedge between them. “I’m sorry. Oh God, I’ve made a mess of this.”
He’d been with his wife since he was a teenager. Venereal diseases weren’t really going to be an issue. Plus he would’ve been tested in the army.
“No you haven’t. There was always going to be someone after Idella eventually. I’m glad it was you.” He kissed her and eased her legs to the ground.
She kept her arms around his neck, needing to hold on to him in case he changed his mind and walked away. In his arms she hadn’t had to pretend; he’d given her exactly what she needed without her hinting or asking. Unlike other men she’d dated he wasn’t trying to be something other than who he was. He was Meryn, recovering from the loss of his wife, unemployed, and none of the things she’d thought important and everything that was. He had true heart. One that had been broken.
He’d become a part of her life by accident, yet she struggled to imagine a life without him. “I’m glad it was me too.”
