Scythe

by M K Mancos

  Keely placed her hands on the sides of his head, holding her to him.

  A loud crash came from the living room, startling both of them.

  Josiah pulled away from her, breathing heavily into her flesh. “I’m sorry. Pugsley can be kind of destructive if he gets playing too hard. I don’t think he knows how to maneuver his own body yet.”

  “How old is he?”

  “About a year. He’s still a puppy.” Josiah rolled off her and got up to look out the bedroom door. “What are you doing, Pugs?”

  Keely heard the distinct click of toenails then nothing. The dog came to stand in the doorway, looking up at Josiah. The slobbery rawhide bone landed on the carpet at Josiah’s feet.

  “Let’s go see what you broke.”

  Pugsley waddled behind Josiah as if knowing he was in trouble. How could anyone be upset with that face?

  “It’s your table lamp,” Josiah called from the other room.

  “Don’t worry about it, Josiah.” Keely rose and headed out of the bedroom to assess the damage. “I got it at a thrift store.”

  Josiah was bent over, reaching behind the couch to unplug the busted lamp. Forget the lamp. Being treated to Josiah’s great butt bent over and unprotected, the imp in Keely surfaced. She tiptoed over, sliding her hand under the waistband of his underwear and around to the front.

  “You could warn a guy,” he moaned, trapping her hand under his as she stroked him.

  “Where’s the fun in a warning? You were so vulnerable.”

  “Is that what you do? Get a guy in a vulnerable position then strike?” He turned and her hand slid off him. His face was full of regret. “I have to clean up the glass before Pugsley cuts a paw.”

  The dog looked up at her as if to say it was possible.

  “You stay here and make sure he doesn’t get into it and I’ll get the broom and dustpan.”

  They cleaned the glass fragments from the floor. Keely couldn’t help but wonder if Samson knocked the lamp off the table rather than Pugsley. First, he’d curbed her love life by giving her an impossible job description—it would fit right in if he started breaking glass when she was about to get some.

  It would be a cold day in the other direction from where Samson worked before she let him curtail her romantic interludes. The man had no claim on her time. She’d quit. Gone on strike. Left the business. The sooner he realized that, the sooner he could find and train some other poor sap. Of course, she wouldn’t want the job of Scythe to be thrust on even her worst enemy.

  “What’s wrong?”

  Keely came back from her private thoughts. Josiah had an uncertain look on his face.

  She stepped close to him, running her hand over his pecs, trying to dispel what he probably thought was a change of mind. “Nothing. I’m just wondering what we’re still doing out here.”

  “Wasting time?” He lifted a bent knuckle, rubbing it against her nipple. “Getting cold?”

  Keely reached up behind her, unhooking the clasp. The bra came loose and fell down her arms. With a shrug, she had it off and dangling from her fingers. “I’m not cold.”

  Josiah’s rapt attention centered entirely on her breasts. “No, but you are gorgeous.” He folded her in his arms, taking her to the bedroom.

  The next few hours progressed in wave after wave of unimaginable pleasure. The light banter gave way to appreciative moans. Josiah seemed to know instinctively where she wanted his touch the most. He worked as if he read her mind and anticipated her needs.

  He trailed kisses down her body, stopping to rub his cheeks against the neatly trimmed curls between her thighs. Keely spread her legs to rest on his shoulders. Josiah took the invitation to heart, stroking her with long swipes of his soft tongue.

  Her fingers curled into the mass of his thick hair. There was no way—not even under threat of death—she’d let him go now. If she thought his kisses were worthy of gold-medal status, the things he did with his mouth on her sensitive female flesh was enough to send her into a swoon.

  Did women in the modern age even swoon? Keely couldn’t be sure, but at the moment, the inevitability to do that very thing came nearer and nearer.

  Had any man been a more thorough or competent lover? Not in her experience. And though her past lovers were a select group, not a one had come close to the expertise of Detective Josiah Adler.

  With tongue and fingers, he hit a spot that sent her over the edge with a scream. Pugsley came to the bedroom door with a bark of warning for Josiah.

  If Josiah heard his dog, he didn’t act like it. He continued to drive Keely further and further out of her mind. The man had no mercy in his heart.

  “Holy God!” The words broke from her mouth in a guttural cry as he sent her over the edge yet again. She’d lost track of how many times he’d made her come. Amazingly enough, he hadn’t stopped to fulfill his own needs. The man was so concentrated on pleasuring her, he’d neglected himself.

  Oh, but the reciprocation was going to be sweet. More of a sexual revenge really.

  The thought made her smile even as Josiah made his way back up her body to take her mouth in a long, drugging kiss.

  He nudged her with his erection. “I can’t wait any longer. You’re driving me insane.”

  “Look who’s talking.” Her scent hung in the air between them.

  Keely reached over to the bedside table, rooting around in the drawer for the condoms she kept there.

  After a few minutes of an unsuccessful search, Josiah lifted his mouth from hers. “What are you looking for?”

  “Condoms.”

  Josiah lifted up slightly to look for them himself. His position left his chest exposed directly over her mouth. She took the advantage, running her tongue over his flat male nipple.

  His right hand cupped her head. “That feels good.”

  She ran her hand slowly down his lightly furred abdomen to the thick expanse of his hard-on. Josiah gave a deep groan.

  He sat up.

  Keely followed him by running her hand down the length of him then cupping her hand around the tight sac of his balls.

  His eyes were hot as twin flames.

  She gave him a heated smile. “You do realize I’m obliged to turn the tables.”

  He didn’t answer. Josiah didn’t actually utter any intelligible words for a long while.

  At one point, he flipped her body completely around then savagely tore the condom from the wrapper. It didn’t take him long after sinking deep inside her to start finding a religion of his own. Then, he spoke in tongues, but it was hard to tell since Keely too began to shout, Pugsley barked and a distant banging that sounded like it came from the next apartment drowned out most of Josiah’s fevered ramblings.

  In the aftermath, Josiah leaned his forehead against Keely’s. “I knew we’d be good together, but I didn’t think I’d need to call the rescue squad to pick up the pieces.”

  “I shouldn’t have stopped working out.” The lament was spoken in puffs of air as she tried to catch her breath.

  “I think that qualified as a triathlon.” Josiah rolled off her. He lay on his back, looking up at the ceiling.

  “Then what you’re saying is I should be good in the exercise department for the next decade, at least.”

  He turned his head. The most lascivious smile spread across his face. “No. Only until I get my breath back.”

  Warmth spread from Keely’s heart to all parts of her body. “I might need a little longer than that to recover. I’m a little out of shape.”

  Josiah took a long, appraising look up and down her body. “There is nothing about you that’s out of shape.”

  Keely snuggled into his body. His arm came around her and he kissed the top of her head. Her eyes started getting heavy-lidded. Contentment rang through her veins. This was what she’d given up to work as a Scythe.

  Never again.

  18

  The loud incessant bark and growl of an angry dog woke Josiah as the sun came streaming in the
bedroom window. He blinked a few times then put the pillow over his head to block out both barking dog and bright sunshine.

  Keely scooted closer into his side, her teeth chattering. Sometime in the wee hours, the apartment had plunged into the arctic zone again.

  He curled his body around hers, trying to warm her up.

  One violet eye popped open to stare at him. “Don’t move. You’re stirring the cold air.”

  “I’m trying to warm you up.” He chafed his hands over her back and arms. “Your skin is like a corpse.”

  “Oh, that’s romantic morning-after talk.” Even as she said the words, she burrowed deeper into his body. “Lie still.”

  The first thing he noticed about Keely was she looked damned hot in the morning, even in the chilly apartment. The second was that she didn’t seem to have any of those morning-after nerves most women did after the first time he made love to them. There wasn’t anything awkward or embarrassed in her actions. Granted, her concentration centered on getting warm.

  “What’s wrong with Pugsley?”

  “I don’t know. He probably has to go out.” Josiah slid out of the bed, careful not to let more of the cold air under the covers.

  The chill hit him like a slap. He hurried to his discarded clothes and dressed. He couldn’t find his socks, so he put on his shoes without.

  He leaned over the bed, kissing Keely on her soft mouth. “I’ll be back in a few minutes.”

  “Hurry. The bed is already getting cold.”

  “You just want me for my body heat.” Josiah kissed her again.

  Keely hooked an arm around his neck. “The heat stands to reason, considering the ambient temperature. But the body—now that’s really the draw.”

  He ran his thumb over her stiff nipple. “Tell me about it.”

  Pugsley’s growls became fiercer. What was wrong with that stupid dog? He was going to rupture a vocal cord if he didn’t simmer down.

  Hating to leave Keely when she looked so inviting, he pulled himself away from her to walk into the living room. Pugsley wasn’t there.

  “Pugs? Where you at, buddy?”

  The barking came from the kitchen. Josiah turned the corner to find Pugsley standing by an empty chair, acting as if he were going to attack the hapless piece of furniture.

  “What’s wrong with you?”

  When he saw Josiah, Pugsley calmed down a little. The growl reduced to a low rumble in the back of his throat. His canine gaze remained fixed on the chair.

  “Come on, let’s go outside and cool you off.”

  Pugsley walked to Josiah but did so reluctantly. Every few steps, he’d stop to look at the chair again, giving out a short warning bark.

  “You’ve lost your mind, dog.” They went downstairs and out onto the street.

  Whatever problem plagued the dog vanished as he sniffed around for a place to do his business.

  While Pugsley pondered a place to pee, Josiah glanced up and down the block, looking at the people coming and going from the deli. One in particular caught his attention. Midnight.

  From what Josiah knew of the man, he didn’t live in the neighborhood, so why did he come all the way across town to a deli, instead of stopping at one of fifty between here and there? Did he have family in the area, or was he seeing someone who lived on Keely’s street? Either way, having the man so close to Josiah’s girlfriend didn’t sit well.

  His girlfriend.

  The thought alone was enough to put a goofy grin on his face. He felt like a teenager with his first crush, all hot and anxious and excited.

  Keely had been amazing in bed.

  Everything she did had been with passion. All her responses to him honest. It was the single most important sexual experience he’d ever had—but it was so much more.

  They connected on so many levels.

  She was a closet geek.

  All his life, he’d wanted to meet a woman who shared his interests in Star Trek, comic books, and other offbeat interests that labeled him as a geek. He’d never cared if people thought him uncool for his interests—he was comfortable enough with himself to let criticisms roll off his back. Resentment came when women rolled their eyes or tried to change him.

  Keely would never want to change him. At least, he didn’t think so. Not when it came to comic books and Star Trek. Now, if she loved old monster movies, he’d be set for life.

  Feeling even more protective of Keely, Josiah headed down to the deli to see what Midnight was doing so far from his normal haunting grounds.

  The place was slamming for a weekend. The smell of coffee and baking bread filled the crowded room. Deli meats and cheeses were replaced in the display case with coffee rings, bagels and donuts.

  Josiah’s stomach rumbled. He’d more than worked off his mother’s dinner from the night before. He walked to the counter and pulled a number from the ticket dispenser. Pugsley stuck to Josiah as if he hadn’t been giving hell to a kitchen chair only moments before.

  The deli owner noticed Josiah and nodded a greeting. “You find what you were looking for yesterday, Detective?”

  Satisfaction thrummed through him. “Caught the bastard at Newark Airport.”

  “Glad to hear it.” The big guy shook his head in pity. “The world has going to shit. Quick.”

  From his periphery, Josiah noticed Midnight start for the door. He shot Josiah a sly look before slipping outside. Pugsley trotted to the glass, watching the darkly dressed man head down the street toward Keely’s apartment.

  Hair stood on Josiah’s neck. Tingles of intuition ran down his arms and tickled his palms. He forgot the prospect of buying a coffee ring to follow Midnight. The little shit acted like he had bad ideas in his over-gelled head.

  Out on the street, there wasn’t a sign of the dude. Not even a swish of a long black duster going around a corner or into a doorway. Not even a possible vehicle was parked on the street. Nothing. It was as if the powers of darkness had swallowed him whole.

  “Come on, Pugs. Let’s go see if Keely’s awake yet.”

  Pugsley picked up speed as if he knew their destination. He stopped in front of Keely’s outer door to wait for Josiah to let him in.

  “We really have to work on getting you opposable thumbs. You’ll never manage doors without them.”

  Pugsley gave Josiah a woeful expression.

  As they climbed the stairs to Keely’s apartment, Pugsley began barking wildly again. The hall was even colder than before. At least twenty degrees separated the outside temperature from that of the apartment building. Josiah hadn’t locked the door behind him and, when he entered, it was to a sight that chilled his blood more than the air did his skin.

  Keely stood in the kitchen dressed in a heavy sweater, jeans and socks. Her hands were cupped around a coffee mug. White steam rolled up in front of her face. At the table sat a well-dressed man in a three-piece suit, shoes with spats and red carnation in his lapel. On the table, a black fedora lay as if carefully removed.

  The man looked like an extra from an old black and white gangster film. There was something of James Cagney about him. Josiah didn’t know what to say. Pugsley wasn’t quite as speechless. He stood in front of the man, barking as if insanely rabid.

  “I see you have company, so I won’t take any more of your time.” The man rose, straightening perfectly manicured hands down his expensive suit jacket. He reached into his inner pocket and pulled out a business card. “Call if you change your mind.”

  Keely took the card but didn’t look at it. “No. I’m firm on this.”

  “You never know.” He turned a cold glance Josiah’s way. “Circumstances can change in a heartbeat.”

  The warning hung in the air like a specter. Josiah didn’t care for the implicit threat. He wished like hell he’d have put on his badge and gun before leaving to let Pugsley out.

  The man left without further comment or incident. The dog stopped barking as soon as the man closed the door.

  A terrible silence filled
the kitchen.

  Keely turned from Josiah. She reached into the overhead cabinet and pulled down another coffee mug.

  After a few more moments in the uncomfortable quiet, Josiah let out a long breath. “I know you don’t owe me an explanation, but do you mind if I ask who that was?”

  Keely handed him a cup of coffee. “Union rep. Wants me to work for a competitor. I told him I quit my job with no plans to return. That’s it.”

  Josiah raised a brow. “Union rep?”

  “Don’t worry about it.” She looked at him over her coffee mug. “After the last few days, there’s no way I’m going back to that job. No matter how much Samson or some other outfit begs.”

  “You still never told me what you did.” Might as well try to get it out of her one more time, since the conversation turned that way.

  “Does it matter to you?”

  Oh man, he really wanted to tell her it didn’t and mean it. But he couldn’t. He had the nagging feeling in the pit of his stomach that her job was going to come back to bite them both on the ass.

  “I think you should be very careful, sweetheart.” Josiah set his cup on the table so he could take her face in his hands. “If this job took you to places where you were finding dead bodies, there’s no telling what kind of fallout you might feel from leaving.”

  “It’ll be fine now. I promise.” Keely leaned into him, giving him a long, lingering kiss.

  Things heated up pretty quickly. He ran his hands up under her sweater, caressing her back. She hadn’t put on a bra. “Want to go back to bed?”

  Keely smiled. “Yes. But I can’t. I have to get ready for work.”

  Josiah groaned. He was already as hard as he could get. “Just as well. I have to get the Pugmeister home and fed.”

  “Will you come over tonight?”

  With the expectant look in her eyes, it was impossible to say no. “What time?”

  “I should get off work about six.”

  He gathered her closer to his chest, loving the feel of her in his arms. “I’ll pick you up. We can have a real date.”