Guild of Truth 02 - Shield from the Heart (23 page)

He remembered the look on her face when she’d brought the pizza from Tom’s and how her face had lit up at the sight of Merrick — how her eyes had instantly sought him out over Joel.

He shoved her gift back into the drawer and slammed it shut, his heart pounding.

It wasn’t possible — Merrick couldn’t be …

Joel cut off his train of thought swiftly, denying everything he’d seen over the past week. No, the only reason Syd was pulling away from him was because he’d allowed the excitement to fade from their relationship. He wasn’t interesting enough. She was showing attention to Merrick because he was someone new and interesting.

He swallowed his humiliation when he thought again of being knocked out by Merrick. His manhood had been wounded and Sydney had witnessed it.

His fingers flew over his keyboard. If he could get it back then he’d get Syd back. He had to show her that he was still that same capable, fun loving guy she’d fallen in love with three years ago.

He searched through the Kratos database looking for anything that could be useful in his mission. “Come on,” he muttered. “Give me something good.” He needed something that could dismantle the Kratos Corporation. Something big that would really win Syd over.

A file caught his eye and he double clicked on it. It was a companywide e-mail. A posting for a new job opening. In IT work.

Joel clasped his hands together and stared skyward. “Thank you.”

This was just what he needed. He could apply for the job, hack into the computer so only the worst candidates that applied got through. That way he’d look like the golden goose. He could go undercover, gain all the ins and outs. He could have unlimited access to Kratos’s computer work.

He rubbed his hands together in anticipation. If he got into their computer system then he’d be able to bypass any and all security. He could destroy them from the inside out. A complete systems meltdown could seriously hinder them.

Joel smiled gleefully as he got to work.

“Sydney is going to love me for this.”

Sydney finished her call to Felix and rubbed her aching temples. Her brain was throbbing inside her skull.

She could still hear Merrick on his home phone and moved into the kitchen in search of some kind of pain reliever. She found some aspirin in the cupboard and popped two pills. She washed them down with a glass of water. She set the glass in the sink before joining Merrick to see if he’d learned anything new.

She found him sitting in front of his computer, typing furiously. She wanted nothing more than to wrap her arms around his shoulders and lean into him. “Find anything?” she asked, stopping a good two feet away from him.

“Not yet. That was Steven on the phone, he told me to try e-mailing someone new in the department. Of course he was an asshole about the whole thing. Wouldn’t give me the contact information until I told him what I was up to.”

“What’d you tell him?”

“That I was on a new case. That just pissed him off more because I’d only been back a day and I was already getting new work.”

His voice was laced with bitterness and her heart went out to him. Without meaning to she stepped closer and ran her hand through his hair in a comforting gesture. Merrick froze in his chair as her fingers trailed through his silky black hair. It was so soft. She’d never tire of the feel of it slipping through her fingers. “Steven is just jealous,” she said at last. “They all are. You’re ten times better than they are and they know it.”

He turned slowly in his chair to stare up at her. She smiled, then winced as a deep throb went through her head.

“What is it?” He cupped her cheek.

“I wouldn’t touch me if I were you,” she said and realized her mistake as he pulled away, hurt. “No, that’s not what I meant. I meant because I’m dirty.” She stared down at herself. “I mean, look at me. And I’m fine, it’s just a headache.”

He eyed her for a few heartbeats before getting to his feet. “You’re using your powers too much,” he chided.

Another shot of pain went through her and she decided that maybe she was pushing herself a little too hard. She dropped her Shield. “Maybe I’ll lie down for a little bit.” She took a step and stumbled.

Merrick’s warm, strong arms wrapped around her, pulling her back flush against his chest. Her stomach hiccupped. His breath brushed against her ear. “You’re not going to lie down on my bed covered in God knows what. Come on, Syd, let’s get you cleaned up.”

She smiled as he maneuvered her into his bathroom.

He deposited her on the toilet where she watched him turn on the shower, still smiling.

“What?” he asked.

“You called me Syd,” she said brightly.

“Yeah, so?”

“So,” she used the wall to help her get to her feet, “only my friends call me Syd.” Which meant that he didn’t hate her.

He arched one ebony brow. “Cali doesn’t call you Syd.”

“Cali doesn’t count; it sounds weird when she tries to call me Syd. But you … ” She stepped closer. “You called me Syd, which means you think of me as a friend.” She grinned.

The bathroom was starting to fill with fog from the heat of the shower.

Something glittered in Merrick’s eyes and Sydney felt an answering clench between her legs. He stepped closer to her and leaned down. “Believe me,” he whispered against her damp lips. “I think of you as more than just a friend.”

She swallowed thickly.

But then he straightened, without even kissing her. What the heck?

“Now come on,” he said. “Let’s get you washed up.” He reached for the hem of her shirt and started to pull it up.

She stepped back and knocked his hand away. “I’m perfectly capable of undressing myself, thank you.”

“Oh, perfectly,” he agreed. “But I’m not going anywhere. If you pass out and bash your head on something in
my
bathroom than that’s a liability to me. You’re not dying on my watch.”

She fisted her hands on her hips. “So you’re only in here to protect your assets? Not because you want to see me naked?”

“Exactly,” he said easily and pulled her top over her head before she could protest.

She gasped.

Merrick’s eyes roved over her greedily.

She wrapped her arms around herself self-consciously.

“It’s nothing I haven’t seen, or touched, or licked, or sucked — ” he growled the last word, “ — before, Syd.”

Heat scalded her cheeks. “I don’t care. I’m not going to stand here naked while you’re fully dressed, happy as could be.”

The ice blue of his eyes sparked. “I’m far from happy as can be,” he rumbled.

She avoided her eyes from the bulge in his pants.

“And as for being dressed while you’re naked … fine.” He pulled his shirt over his head. “I wouldn’t want you to feel uncomfortable.”

Sydney stared, heart pounding. If she thought she was uncomfortable before, that was nothing compared to now. “P-put your shirt back on,” she squeaked.

The steam in the bathroom was becoming oppressive. It added to her discomfort, made her skin damp and sticky.

“Why?” Merrick’s hands dropped to the front of his pants.

She stared avidly as he popped the top button. Her heart skipped a beat and she shook herself mentally. “I don’t need a chaperone to shower. Besides,” she tried her best to cast a disgusted look at his groin, “the shower is not the place for sex.”

Both Merrick’s brows rose before a slow, feral smile broke out over his face. “Are you telling me Miss Prim and Proper hasn’t gotten down and dirty in the shower before?”

“What did you call me?” she asked, affronted.

Suddenly Merrick was right in front of her. She stared at all that hard muscle like a possum caught in the headlights of a car.

Merrick chuckled and she felt his fingers under her chin, lifting her gaze up. “I’m up here. And I called you Miss Prim and Proper. Care to prove me wrong?”

Desire slithered through her whole body. She lifted her chin further — stubbornly. “I don’t care what you call me,” she lied. “I don’t need an escort to shower. Now get out.”

He stepped back and she shivered as he took all that heat with him. Even in a room full of steam he radiated more warmth than was in the air.

“I’ll leave.”

She sighed in relief.

“If … ”

Her body stiffened.

“ … you can take your pants off without losing your balance or using anything for support.”

“That’s like a trick question,” she protested instantly. “There’s no way to do it without losing my balance.”

“Are you saying it can’t be done?”

“That’s exactly what I’m saying.”

He pulled the zipper down on his jeans and smoothly pulled them down his legs, first lifting one leg out, then the other. All without losing his balance.

Sydney couldn’t breathe.

He wore no underwear under those pants. He stood gloriously naked before her and she couldn’t help but ogle his muscled frame — his long, wide cock. It seemed to pulse before her eyes and moisture flooded her sex. She wanted him buried deep inside her.

A faint rumble went through the air and it took her a second to realize that it came from Merrick. “If you keep staring at me like that I’m not going to be responsible for my actions.” His voice was gruff with arousal.

She dropped her eyes to his pants on the floor, remembering his challenge. “You cheated,” she blurted. With all that naked flesh before her she couldn’t recall if he’d lost his balance or not.

He crossed his arms over his chest. “You know I didn’t. Now drop your pants without falling over or I’m staying right here.”

Sydney wrinkled her nose in distaste. “Fine.”

The aspirin must have started kicking in because the throbbing in her head had been reduced to a dull ache. She hoped it was enough.

She unfastened her pants and slid them down her legs. When they got around her ankles she inhaled and lifted her leg, determined not to reach out for something to steady her.

One leg through …

She lifted the other and her world tilted. The tile floor rose up to meet her, then suddenly she was encased in warm heat. Flesh.

Merrick.

She blinked.

She was in his arms, bridal style.

His ice blue eyes were sparkling with amusement but underneath she could see the worry. “Looks like I’m staying right here,” he said to her.

He placed her back on her feet but kept an arm around her waist. He removed her bra but when his fingers tugged at her panties she pushed him away. “I can do it.” Her voice came out shaky. Her whole body was on fire and she tried not to notice the weight of Merrick’s gaze as he stared at her naked body. Her breasts plumped and ached. A deep throb started between her legs.

She hastily stepped toward the shower.

Merrick’s hand tightened around her waist, sending her heart racing. “Easy,” he said. “It’s going to be slippery in there and you’re not very steady on your feet.”

To her horror he stepped into the shower with her. It was a combination bath and shower and he’d had to help her step over the lip of the tub. Once they were inside he pulled the curtain shut to keep the water in.

His erection pressed against her hip — hot and hard. “This is totally unnecessary,” she told him.

The steam was clogging her lungs, making it difficult to breathe.

It’s not the steam that’s making it hard to breathe,
her inner voice said,
it’s the masculine body pressed against yours.

She cleared her throat. “Look, why don’t you shower at your end and I’ll shower over here in my end.”

“Fine.”

She didn’t bother turning around to see his face. She didn’t want to see his hair wet and glistening. She didn’t want to see all that water sluicing down his body — caressing his skin like she wanted to.

“But I’m keeping my hand right here.” His hot palm rested against her hip. She wanted to protest but decided not to push her luck. He was giving her as much space as possible in this dinky shower.

“Fine,” she muttered back and reached for the shampoo.

She’d never been so aware of a man before in her life. As she washed her hair she could feel him behind her. The hand on her hip burned like a brand and every once in a while she caught a glimpse of naked flesh out of the corner of her eye.

When she was done scrubbing her scalp she paused. She needed to get under the shower head to rinse her hair.

She made the mistake of turning around to face Merrick and found him rinsing out his own hair — his head thrown back under the spray of water, eyes closed. The water rushed down his sculpted body. He might’ve been held in captivity for four months but he still looked great. She couldn’t imagine how incredibly hot he’d be once he gained all his muscle back. He’d look like a Greek god.

Her eyes stared transfixed as a stream of water ran down his chest, down his abdomen, continuing south. She wanted to follow the trail with her tongue.

The fingers on her hip tightened and she jerked her gaze up to see Merrick watching her.

She had to swallow twice before she could speak. “I need to rinse.” She pointed lamely to her soapy head.

Without a word he stepped out from under the water. They circled each other until she was under the spray and she closed her eyes and ducked her head under, pretending not to feel his heated gaze on every sensitive part of her body. Her nipples hardened and her legs shook beneath her.

Sydney went as fast as humanly possible. Merrick was still staring at her when she was finished, his eyes blue fire. She started to tremble and moved out from under the water, trying to get back to the conditioner — when her foot slid along the bottom of the tub.

Merrick caught her easily and she found herself pressed against all that wet muscle. The scent of his body teased her and she tried to pull away. “I’m fine.” She looked anywhere but at his body.

He refused to release her. His hand brushed back a strand of her wet hair. “You look flustered,” he commented calmly.

Irate, she glared up at him. “Well, I wouldn’t be so dang flustered if you’d let me shower on my own.”

He smiled as if she hadn’t spoken a word. He ran his fingers through her hair again. “You’re cute when you’re flustered.”