by Marie Harte
He followed into her office and walked around as she noisily shuffled folders on her desk. Like her bedroom, which he had spent a few hours in last night, this room was feminine. But not so much that a man would cringe when he walked in. One wall was covered from floor to ceiling in books, another had a large window. Her black, antique desk was a good size and stood out against the cream walls, and the over-stuffed chair in the opposite corner had a bold black and cream print that went well with the rest of the room.
There were pictures of her daughter on her desk and more pictures of what he guessed to be family members on the walls around the room. He walked around, looking at the pictures and stopped when he saw a picture of a little girl, maybe five or six with dark hair, standing with a woman who resembled Eve. It was an older picture and the surrounding edge was a bright red tartan with stripes of white, black and blue running through it.
“Well?” The demanding tone had him smiling before he could stop himself. He turned.
“Well what?”
“Argh,” she huffed. “I wish I could throw something at you.”
Alex knew what had her worked up, but he shrugged anyway. “Every man wants a ‘happy ending’ at the end of his massage. I was just looking out for my fellow soldier.” He winked at her.
She narrowed her eyes and gave him a very fake smile. “Well, that service isn’t offered in my practice.”
The opening was there. He had to take it. “What about in your bedroom?”
“If I did, you certainly wouldn’t be able to afford it,” she replied straight-faced.
Eve watched the sexy smile drop from his face as he approached her. He slowly lowered himself so they were face to face, his eyes flat and emotionless. “I have enough money to pay for that service for a life time. Would you like a down payment?”
Eve felt her eyes grow wide. “No, I wouldn’t.” What am I doing? Arguing with this median over sexual services! Geez! He didn’t flinch when she snapped, “Go away!”
His smirked pulled his mouth up to one side. “No.”
“Then leave me be while I’m working. Those men can’t afford me to be distracted.”
“This problem can be solved, if you just put me back in my body.”
“Merge. Merge you back into your body, not ‘put’,” she corrected. “If you’re going to nag me about this, at least get the terminology right.” She turned and sat at her desk. “And no, I already told you I don’t do that anymore.”
“Anymore?”
She cringed when she heard his question. Damn it. “That’s right.” She pulled out her first chart and began writing her notes. Except she couldn’t concentrate on her notes, he wouldn’t let her.
“Let’s say I was a ten year old boy, who wanted nothing more than to go home with his parents and the only way that would happen was for you to merge me back into my body.” He moved to the side of her desk, resting back against the wall. “Would you help me?”
Eve answered him honestly. “A ten year old boy would not be standing in my house talking to me. He would be with his body in the hospital and we would never meet.”
He scowled down at her. “So you wouldn’t help him?”
Eve lowered her head. “I don’t go to the hospital, so I wouldn’t even know about him.”
“What if he comes here and he tells you his story, how about then?”
Eve raised her head and looked at him, really looked at him. He had no idea that medians never left their bodies. He was the only one she had ever seen let alone heard of leaving their body. She was about to fill him in on that simple fact when she froze, not knowing what to call him.
“What’s your name?” She asked lightly.
He scowled again but answered her. “Alex Hunter.”
“Alex,” she began, “I’ve never had a median come to my house. You’re the first. Every median that I’ve had contact with, which for the record is not that many, remained close to their bodies in the hospital.”
The dark grey, long sleeved shirt Alex was wearing pulled tight against his arms when he crossed them. “What do you mean? They can’t leave their bodies?”
Leaning back in her chair Eve thought out loud. “They were always in the hospital.” She met Alex’s watchful gaze. “I saw all of them while I was doing my rounds.” She opened her mouth but Alex interrupted, “You’re a nurse?”
“Was.” She tapped her pen against her lips. “I did see Emily Spencer at the nurses’ station, but her body was just down the hall. I remember that ‘cause it scared the shit out of me to see her standing there, staring at me. But the others, I saw them all in their rooms. I always believed medians couldn’t leave their bodies, that there was some kind of weird psychic link between soul and body. But now that you’re here, it blows my theory out of the water. Maybe a median doesn’t leave their body because they’re scared too.”
“So you’re not a nurse?” he asked.
“No. Did you hear what I said?”
He raised an eyebrow as he repeated it back to her word for word. Eve’s eyes grew wide and she threw up her hands. “Okay, just checking to see if you were paying attention.”
His brows lowered into black-brown slashes. “I always pay attention.”
Eve rolled her eyes. “Lucky me.”
Crossing her legs, she examined him from her leather chair. He’d wait for her to finish before he asked why she was doing so.
She finally sighed.
“Well?” he asked.
She leaned against the arm rest. “How come you were able to leave your body?”
“I’m trying to save a woman and her baby, I wasn’t thinking about anything else.” He shrugged. “If it means leaving my body to get what I need to help them, then so be it. I’ll do what I have to.”
Eve straightened in her chair and swung her legs back under her desk. It was obvious she didn’t like being reminded why he was here. She adjusted her papers and began to write her notes.
Alex left her alone until she had to go to the bus stop to pick up Noelle. As he did in the morning, he followed and waited behind her as the bus approached. Once again the women stared at Eve. He looked from the women to Eve and then back. Eve was standing alone as the other parents gathered in groups and chatted away. He found it curious that Eve stood by herself when her entire day had consisted of socialising with her patients. She wasn’t a loner but she didn’t seem to fit in either, just like him. He had to be both. Although not everyone agreed with him, the type of life he led was not suited for family or friends outside of the project, but he needed to be social enough to get his kill and then disappear. Eve was very similar to him, except he wasn’t sure if she was being alienated or alienating herself. He also found it curious that their stares irritated him.
Back at the house, Alex followed Eve around and realised quickly that she was as regimented as any soldier he had met. First up was Noelle’s homework, then Eve made them supper, then the pair of them cleaned up the kitchen. Up next was ‘free time’ which meant Noelle was free to do whatever she liked, and the evening ended with Eve and Noelle on the couch watching T.V. He observed mother and daughter when they laughed at something on the screen. A long time had passed since he had been with his own family. He’d forgotten how comforting it could be just to sit and be with family. Except this wasn’t his family.
After Eve said goodnight to Noelle, she went into her room and began pulling off her turtle neck. She stopped and turned, facing him.
“You almost forgot I was here.”
With a slight blush, she gave him a fake smile. “No.”
He rubbed his chin and said, “Guess I need to be stepping up my game, if you’re forgetting about me that easily.”
“No. You don’t need to step up anything. You need to go, I want to change.”
“So change.” He waved his hand out before him as he leaned into the door frame.
“You’re funny,” she grumbled, snatching up her clothes and stomping into the attached bat
hroom. He moved into the room before she closed the door and waited for her to turn. Her startled look and gasp was priceless when she saw him and he couldn’t help but laugh out loud.
“Would you get out?” She pulled the door open and pointed. “Get out.”
Alex shook his head.
She narrowed her eyes, then the look dropped away as she spoke to him. “Alex.” The muscles in his chest and shoulders responded to her voice instantly and he felt the tension ease from his body. “I would like to change and I am honest enough to tell you I’m not comfortable with you here in the same room with me while I do that.” Her voice was incredibly smooth and it flowed over his skin like the caress of a lover’s hand.
He edged closer, pulled to her by the call of her words, and focused on her face. She was using her voice trick, like she had with the others. Except this time, she was using her gift as a means of defence. He should be pissed. He wasn’t. He was in enough control of himself to do what needed to be done, but he wasn’t heartless either.
“Please,” she asked, cheeks pink.
Stepping closer still, he looked down at her, into her hazel eyes, noticing the flecks of green flickering in them. He hadn’t missed the fact that Eve was an attractive woman, but right then, at that moment, when she spoke to him and pleaded with her soulful eyes he wanted to give her anything she needed, including leaving her.
“I’ll be waiting in your bed—” he paused when her eyes grew wide, “—room.” He finished.
Chapter Six
“Don’t you sleep?” Alex asked, sitting on the side of her desk.
Eve continued getting the next day’s charts out, then stood and looked him in the eye. “Usually.”
She turned, scuffing her slippers as she walked into her studio. She had got into the habit of preparing for the first patient the night before, anything to get that extra ten minutes of sleep in the morning.
“It’s late, why aren’t you sleeping now?” Alex asked from behind her.
“Well…” She pulled a fresh pillow case out from under the treatment table and began changing the dirty pillow case. “I had charts to finish, which is hard when someone is staring over your shoulder, plus I like to prepare for the next day. As for sleeping, I’m not sure, because you’re here. And if tonight is the same as last night, I doubt I’ll be sleeping at all.”
“Are you avoiding going to bed because of me?”
“Ah yah!” She moved to the corner and pulled a resistance band from a shelving unit. “How would you feel if you knew a strange man was wandering in and out of your bedroom at night?”
“How did you know that?” The intensity of his words made her stop in her tracks.
Eve turned back to face him. “You don’t know…” She began. He didn’t know that she could feel his presence. She wasn’t sure she should share this information with him—it might give him an advantage when he already had so many. Playing on his ignorance could only help get rid of him. Right?
“Know what?”
Eve tilted her head back as he closed the gap between them. She felt the need to look away but stayed where she was. “Nothing. Are you leaving anytime soon?” She pulled a loose piece of hair behind her ear.
“No,” he answered, then asked, “Why are you lying to me?”
This time Eve did look away, it happened before she could stop it. How did he know she wasn’t telling him the truth? She shook her head. “I’m not—”
“Yes you are.” Then very quietly he warned. “You do not want to play this game with me Eve.”
She bit her lip waiting for him to continue or leave her alone. He didn’t move.
“Look at me.”
When she followed his order she expected to see anger gleaming in his eyes but there was nothing but staunch curiosity. “Know what, Eve?” he repeated.
Huffing, she told him the truth. “I can feel you. I don’t need to see you to know you’re there.”
He raised his dark brows studying her intently. “How many times did you feel me last night?”
“You don’t believe me.”
“I didn’t say that.”
“Yah right!” Why did his doubt annoy her? Who cared if he believed her or not? “I felt you seven times. But I couldn’t see you, even when I turned the light on.”
He raised his eyebrows. “What did you feel?”
She shrugged, trying to convince herself that she wasn’t relieved that he seemed to believe her. “You know that feeling you get when you know there is another person in the room with you because you can see them?”
He nodded.
“It’s like that but much, much stronger. Plus I get nauseous.”
“You get sick?” He seemed disconcerted by the idea.
Eve couldn’t help but laugh. “I don’t throw up or anything, just an upset stomach.”
“Do you feel that way now?” Concern was attached to his words this time.
“A little.”
He surprised her by taking a step back. “Are you done?”
Now what was he doing? She searched his face, trying to figure out what his game was. She shouldn’t trust him, didn’t trust him. Yet, there was something about him, she couldn’t quite figure out.
They stood facing each other. During that very brief moment, Eve came to three conclusions. One, he was a median, and though most were scared and confused, medians were not trustworthy. Two, he could very well be dead. She swallowed hard. God above, she really did not want to see the dead. But if that was the case, she knew from Gran that the dead would do anything to get back into a body and that made them not trustworthy. Three, he was very nice to look at. Eve struggled to hide a smile over her last conclusion, her sudden fear so easily overshadowed. Good looking men were definitely not trustworthy. At the same time she found herself wondering if his eyes would be that vivid when he was back in his body and if his mouth would be that sexy.
Alex broke the silence first. “Eve?” She looked up from his mouth and met his amused stare. “Are you done?”
Nodding like an idiot, she left the studio for bed.
* * * *
Alex sat on the floor, resting his back against Eve’s bedside table. The room was dark and except for Eve’s slow breathing, the room was quiet. “Go to sleep.”
“I can’t, you’re here,” she sighed, turning onto her back.
“Well in that case let’s discuss why you won’t merge me.” Alex suggested.
The duvet was pulled up to her chest. She rested her arm above her head, and toyed with an auburn curl. The casual act appealed to him. The light stroke of her fingers had him wishing he was that strand of hair. It caused a thirst for something he had no business craving for in the first place.
He shoved his new thirst aside and focused on the woman. Eve was interesting. A single mother, with her own practice and the ability to merge a soul back into its body, as well as the added talent of controlling emotions by using her voice. A number of questions ran though his head, most importantly, why was Eve alone? He studied her profile. Small nose, thin eyebrows the same brownish-red hue as her hair and supple pink lips, and though she was on the shorter side, her hour-glass curves were full and lush. Why was this sexy little brat single?
Then he remembered how stubborn she was. He also remembered the fear. He hadn’t liked seeing that fear on her lovely face, not when she was backing away from him in her kitchen and he didn’t want to see it now. He wasn’t a fool, he knew forcing Eve might become a possibility but he did not want fear to control her actions when the time came.
Pestering her would get him what he wanted, irritating to the point she would give him what she wanted just to be rid of him. He had to be as stubborn as she was.
“I already told you,” she murmured. “I don’t do that anymore.”
“Why is that?”
“Because.”
The simple answer irritated him. He was used to getting what he wanted, not having to wait for it. He held his temper in check,
knowing it wouldn’t help his cause.
“You’re a soldier,” she stated.
“Yes.”
“But you’re different from the other soldiers I’ve met.”
“Not really.” He leant back.
“But you are, I can feel it.” She rolled on her side to face him.
He locked his eyes on her. “Can you?”
“Yes.”
“What do you feel?”
A thoughtful look creased her brow. “Anger. But I don’t think that’s because of me. Frustration—” she huffed, “—which is because of me.”
He had to fight to hide his smile. “Anything else?”
She nodded. “You’re twitchy.”
What the hell! “I’m not twitchy.”
“Yes you are.” She chuckled. “You’re used to getting what you want, in this case me merging you back and I’m not giving it to you. Which in turn, makes you twitchy.”
“I’m not twitchy.” He growled the words.
“Fine!” she sighed dramatically. “How’s restless?”
“Better.”
She laughed, quietly this time. “But you are different aren’t you?”
Even though it had been drilled into him from the first day he’d entered the Guardian Project to keep his mouth shut, Alex answered honestly. “Yes.”
“You’re trained in special operations?”
He sighed, bent his knees and rested his arms on top of them. “And then some.”
“Have you been on many tours?”
“When I was with my old infantry unit.”
“But not now?” She stared at him, her eyes questioning. Alex stared back wondering if he would be able to see the green slivers.
“I belong to a different type of unit now. We specialise in Urban Combat Terrorism.” She gave him a confused look.
“We track and eliminate persons that have become a danger to society.”
“You mean terrorists?”
“Sometimes. If the local police force or military can’t track them down or if they can’t get close enough to make the kill, we’ll lend a hand. But most of the people that make the kill list are a danger to the society in which they live.” He watched her face as he explained. “Like a drug lord who kills an entire village to send a statement of power or a politician who sells a list of tactical operations dates and locations to a terrorist group.” He stopped.