Guild of Truth 01 - Silent as the Grave

by Mary K. Norris

  Felix’s keys jiggled in the lock.

  Cali swiped the gloss over her lips, checked her hair, and closed her purse.

  • • •

  Felix knew something had changed the second he entered his house. For one thing, Cali looked flustered. She stood by the table in the kitchen, face flushed.

  His first instinct was to think something was wrong, but nothing screamed threat to him.

  He placed the groceries onto the counter. “Everything okay?” he asked, continuing to scan for anything unusual.

  Cali instantly went for the bags of food when he stepped away to put the milk in the fridge. “I have a job interview tomorrow,” she said brightly. Some of the cheerfulness left her voice. “Where’s the bread? I thought we were making sandwiches later. How are we supposed to make them without bread?”

  He closed the fridge and leaned against it, arms crossed. He gave her a droll stare. “Cali, I’m a baker. I don’t buy bread at the grocery store. I make it. Fresh. At home.”

  He went to the oven and set the temperature.

  “Get out the flour, the salt, and one of those yeast packages, would you?” he called over his shoulder.

  “Are we really doing this?” Cali questioned, though she did as he asked without complaint.

  “Yes. Honey.”

  Cali’s footsteps came to a halt. “What did you call me?”

  He looked up from where he was retrieving his mixing bowls. “I didn’t call you anything. I said honey, as in ‘take out the honey.’ We’re making honey wheat bread.”

  Red dotted her cheeks.

  He couldn’t resist. “I didn’t think you were the type to want cutesy nicknames, Cali, but if you want, I’ll call you honey. Honey.” He added a wink because the temptation was too great.

  Her hand disappeared into the flour container. “Like hell,” she said playfully. Flour shot out of her hand, hitting him square in the face. “Don’t you ever call me that.”

  He wiped flour from his eyes.

  Cali was grinning.

  He got to his feet. When he stood at his full height her smile waned. Her expression turned into something like Oh, shit.

  Now it was his turn to grin. He lunged for her. Cali screamed and raced around the counter that acted as an island separating the kitchen from the living room. Her hand disappeared into the flour, and she blindly threw it over her shoulder. She missed. By a mile. He was gaining on her as they ran in circles. Or he was, until his sock hit a patch of flour on the kitchen floor and his foot went out from under him. He slid like an ungraceful baseball player into his cabinets.

  Pain flared in his knees. “Fuck.”

  Cali was at his side in an instant. “Are you all right?” An idea formed in his mind. He hid his smile of victory.

  “I think I broke something,” he added a pained edge to his voice that should have won him an Oscar.

  “Shit. Don’t move. I’ll call the paramedics.”

  He waited till her back was turned and took a large scoop out of the flour she’d abandoned. He got to his feet. “Hold on, Cali, I think I’m all right.”

  As soon as she turned, he plucked her up with one arm and set her on the counter next to the sink where he got a close up view of her face as he rubbed the flour onto the top of her head.

  Her expression was priceless.

  “You jerk.” She shoved at him, but he leaned closer so she couldn’t get away. “I thought you’d seriously been hurt.”

  “Serves you right for wasting my flour like that.”

  She tried to get away again but with a leg on either side of his hips and his body so close she couldn’t get enough room to maneuver away. It didn’t take her long to figure that out. Or to figure out how close they were. Their eyes locked, and all that tension he’d been feeling between them started coming to a head.

  Her pupils dilated, the black bleeding into the dark of her iris to make it look like one solid color. Her chest rose and fell with shallow gasps. Her lips parted and … was that … lip gloss?

  Felix didn’t think he’d ever seen her wear it before.

  Was it for him?

  Images flared to life.

  Those shiny lips on him, around his cock, sucking, sliding up and down his —

  He went hard as a rock and groaned mentally, cutting off his train of thought.

  He didn’t close the space between them. He wanted her to do it. He wouldn’t force her. He’d like to think he’d been upfront about how he felt about her. If she didn’t want him, then she needed to say something. And soon.

  • • •

  Cali sat frozen, Felix pinned between her legs. The heat of his body seeped into hers, making her dizzy and achy.

  His body was rigid, his eyes blue and green fire. He swallowed. “I can’t stay like this forever, Cali.” His rough voice made her shiver. “I need you to make a decision here.”

  Her heart sped up even more. Her mouth had long since gone dry. She licked her lips, tasting the flavor of her lip gloss. But she didn’t want to taste it. She wanted to taste Felix. She leaned forward, her decision made.

  He came alive the moment her lips touched his. His strong arms crushed her to him. He tasted like flour. She wrapped her legs around him. His tongue slipped between her lips, demanding invitation to her mouth. She opened wider for him. He growled, his hands sliding to cup her bottom and pull her against his erection.

  Her brain fogged. Her body undulated against his. She felt the shudder run straight through him. The feeling of power she got from being able to make a man like Felix shudder was downright intoxicating. His lips broke from hers to trail down the side of her neck. His hands snaked up her shirt to cup her breasts beneath her bra. Her head fell back on a moan as he rolled her nipples. A dull ache started between her legs. She tried to squeeze her legs shut to ease it, but Felix was pressed too hard against her.

  Her hands skimmed along his torso, tracing every ridge and groove. He was built like a football player — hard muscle everywhere she touched. And she wanted to touch more of it. She grasped the hem of his graphic tee and tugged insistently. Felix got the message and pulled back enough for her to drag it over his head.

  Holy fuck.

  What she felt beneath his shirt was nothing compared to what it looked like up close.

  “I had no idea bakers were in such good shape,” she mumbled.

  A deep chuckle rumbled from his chest. “It’s all the kneading we do.” He spoke against her ear. His tongue flicked against her skin, causing her to jump. “We’re also very good with our hands.” As if to emphasize his point, he squeezed her breasts.

  The air left her lungs. “Show me.”

  His lips were back on hers. Hot. Demanding.

  There was a tug on her jean shorts. Suddenly they loosened. Anticipation spiked. She wrapped her arms firmly around Felix’s neck, lifting herself off the counter so he could pull her shorts down.

  The cold on her ass made her yelp.

  After a few more seconds of kissing Felix she didn’t care. His fingers skimmed the inside of her leg, making their way to where she burned.

  His fingers skimmed the center of her. Felix hissed. “You’re so wet.”

  She slid her tongue into his mouth, her hands grasping the hard muscle of his shoulder. She arched into his hand, wanting his touch. Craving it.

  She’d spent so much time resisting him.

  Stupid.

  All thought stopped when he pushed a finger inside her. Her body clenched. He added another finger, and she gasped. When he started to thrust her vision blacked out. All she could do was feel. It’d been so long and it felt so good.

  His thumb rubbed against her clit, building that sweet pressure higher and higher.

  He pulled back from her mouth to growl into her ear. “Come for me.”

  That was all it took.

  Her climax hit hard. She strained against him, her fingers digging deep into his shoulders as he rode her through it.

  As
she came back down, his fingers were still thrusting but they were slowing, easing her to a stop.

  She was all but panting as she tried to suck in lungful after lungful of air.

  Felix nuzzled her neck. The gesture was both intimate and possessive. It made her heart flip.

  “I told you I was good with my hands,” he whispered, his tongue trailing down the side of her neck. He was positively radiating smugness.

  “You want to know a secret?” she purred.

  “Mm?”

  She went to the front of his jeans and slipped her hand inside. Felix’s whole body jerked, a curse exploding from his lips.

  She leaned forward to kiss the underside of his jaw. “Artists are good with their hands too.” She pumped her hand as best she could while she went to work on the front of his pants with the other. His jeans were too constricting. A man of his size — and good God, he was huge — needed more room.

  When she got his jeans undone, she released him and pushed them down as far as she could reach from her position. Her eyes went wide at the sight. The burn Felix had eased between her legs pulsed to life. She cupped him again and worked him with her hands.

  He braced a hand on either side of her, as if it were a labor just to keep himself upright, which she guessed it was considering how tight his body was and how hard he was breathing.

  She could feel his tension rising.

  “Are you going to come for me, Felix?” She slanted her lips over his and swallowed his cry as his body slammed forward with his orgasm. Warmth covered her hands, but she continued to pump, wanting every last drop.

  “Fuck.” Felix dropped his head into the crook of her neck.

  Nothing could have satisfied her more.

  Chapter 13

  The next day Cali practically skipped into the kitchen for her brunch. Technically it was her breakfast, but Felix called it brunch because she usually had it around noon.

  She went straight for the white paper bag on the counter. Cali blushed when she realized what counter Felix had placed the bag on.

  He’s never going to let you forget yesterday.

  Her body hummed just thinking about it. And there was a lot to think about. Or more likely a lot to remember and fantasize about.

  And she was determined not to over-think the whole situation. What she and Felix did had been done between two adults. She damn well wasn’t going to start getting attached. No sir.

  She took a bite out of her cherry pastry and walked over to where she’d left her purse on the table. She dug around for her apartment keys and left them out. She needed to go back to her apartment and pick out some clothes fitting for an interview. She doubted her jean shorts and T-shirt combos would be very impressive to someone like Vander Donahughe. The only problem was that she’d left her car at her parents’ house. She could always ask Felix to take her or ask to borrow the Hummer.

  She sat at the table and finished her breakfast in quiet contemplation as she weighed her options. As she got her glass of milk out of the fridge, she decided to risk asking Felix to borrow the Hummer. Sure, she’d never driven a huge SUV, but how hard could it be?

  “Do you even know how to drive one of these?” Felix gave her a skeptical look as he held the keys out to her fifteen minutes later.

  She went to grab for them, and like every other time, he pulled them out of reach at the last minute. “Sure. I’ll be fine.”

  “I want you to call as soon as you get there.”

  “Who are you, my dad?” She lived twenty minutes away.

  The heated look he gave her had her eating her words. Felix was most definitely not her dad.

  “Fine, I’ll call you when I get there. Now give me the damn keys. I can’t be late for this interview.”

  He handed them over and she opened the driver’s side.

  “Oh, Cali?”

  She paused, one leg in, one leg out.

  He held up two fingers, grinning. “Borrowing my Hummer, that’s two.”

  Her mouth slacked open. The nerve! She slammed the Hummer door and grumbled angrily all the way to her apartment.

  She had to sneak past Mrs. Deder’s office. The last thing she wanted was for her landlady to see her and want to talk. Cali really didn’t feel like talking to her. In fact, she never felt like talking to the woman. Though maybe if she told Mrs. Deder she had a job interview, the landlady would prolong her missed month of rent.

  She threw the idea out as soon as it crossed her mind.

  If she told Mrs. Deder she had a job interview, the woman would probably think she was going to be involved with drug cartel.

  She took the stairs two at a time and jimmied her key to get her front door open. With all the drapes pulled shut the place was nearly pitch black. She put her arms out in front of her as she made her way inside and felt for the light switch on the left.

  Once she made it to her room she threw open her closet to scout for anything she might own that would look interview worthy. There wasn’t much. She found an old black skirt she’d worn to Garnet’s college graduation a few years ago, as well as a dark purple pencil skirt she’d bought on the spur of the moment.

  She laid both pieces out on her bed and fumbled around for a shirt that wouldn’t show her bra straps. She came across a reasonable cute shirt. It was black. Of course. And had delicate lace trimmings. She paired it with the purple skirt.

  She studied the ensemble and shrugged. “Good enough.”

  Her only pair of black heels completed the outfit. Now it was time to really impress. She took out a manila folder from her stack of supplies and gently took down her best work from her wall of license plates.

  A knock at her door stopped her halfway through.

  Mrs. Deder?

  Cali put the folder down with a curse. How the hell had she known she was up here?

  She looked through her peephole. Her heart stopped. It wasn’t Mrs. Deder. It was Officer Jacobs.

  Her first instinct was to shut off the lights and run. What the hell was he doing here? Did he still think she was responsible for the break-in at her parents’?

  What if he’s here because of what you did at the station?

  Would he be able to arrest her for that?

  Of course not. Stay cool. If he asks about it, act confused.

  With trembling hands she opened the door.

  “Officer Jacobs.” She tried for pleasant but her voice came out squeaky. “What can I do for you?”

  “You can extend some common courtesy and invite me into your trash hole of a home.”

  Her fingers tightened around the doorknob. She was this close to slamming the door in his fucking face but at the last minute he seemed to pull a warrant out of nowhere.

  He waved the slip of paper in front of her face before tucking it back into his pocket. “Now,” he said.

  She forced herself to step back and held her arm out for him to pass through.

  Behind his back she mouthed, “Asshole.”

  “With all due respect,” she said after she shut the door. “I’m kind of in a hurry. So you want to tell me what it is you have a warrant for?” Please nothing serious. And where was Officer Collins? She’d assumed the two were partners. Didn’t cops always travel in twos? At least when they were going to a house with a warrant?

  Jacobs stopped a scant foot in front of her and grinned. Cali frowned when his whole body seemed to shimmer. “I came for a little girl-on-girl time.”

  His voice turned feminine, sounding very familiar. “Wha — ?”

  Faster than she could blink, his hand shot out. Pain exploded on the side of her face. She didn’t even remember moving. One second she was standing in the middle of her living area, the next, she was propped up against the wall for support.

  She blinked away the stars dancing in front of her eyes and tried to focus on Jacobs. He wasn’t there. Standing where he’d been seconds ago was Collette. Her cheeks were more pronounced, her eyes sunken. Wherever she’d been for the past week,
it hadn’t been Hawaii.

  She’d finally made her move, and she’d caught Cali all alone.

  “What the hell do you want?” Maybe if she kept Collette talking she’d think of some way to get out of this. The door was to her back — she could make a run for it, but that left her wide open for an attack. Besides, Cali didn’t run. Especially from perfectly dressed little bitches.

  Collette gave a polite smile, taking in Cali’s poorly furnished home. “No Felix to come and save the day?”

  “Leave Felix the hell alone,” she growled.

  Cali knew there was a history between them, but she’d never been brave enough to ask Felix about it. A part of her didn’t want to know it.

  Collette rested her hands on her hips. “Aren’t you a defensive one? Don’t tell me he’s gotten to you already.”

  Cali ground her teeth and kept her mouth shut. She would not fall for the bait.

  “He’s good like that,” Collette said in a breathy voice. Cali’s blood roared in her ears. “But I should warn you, he’ll reel you in and then leave you in the dust like so much parchment.”

  Her eyes grew distant, glazed, as if she weren’t quite all there. Then just like that, she was focused again. The clarity in her eyes belied the insanity Cali had witnessed seconds ago. She didn’t want to believe a word Collette said. This was the enemy, dammit! But she couldn’t help herself. When she’d dated Tyson, she’d ignored the warnings and look how that had turned out.

  Felix is nothing like Tyson.

  “He’ll use you, Cali,” Collette continued. “He’ll get your hopes up and then walk away without so much as a backward glance.” Her face darkened in remembrance.

  Cali’s stomach sank, a chill creeping down her spine. Her words played on the one fear Cali’d been unable to overcome. To care for someone and then have them stab her in the back. Or worse, to have them use her and then leave.

  “Leave Felix out of it,” she bit out. “They told me you’ve found your Mirror Mate so why the hell are you so fixated on him?”

  The darkness in her face grew at the mention of her Mirror Mate. “I take it your defensive tone of voice is because you believe Felix to be your soul mate? Did they tell you he was? That you two would fall desperately in love with each other with just one glance, like star-crossed lovers?” She sighed in dramatic effect. “Did they make you believe you have to love your ‘Mirror Mate?’” She sneered at the word. “You see Cali, love is a fickle thing — always has been, always will be. To love or not to love is up to the person. I don’t believe in destiny. The man meant for me wasn’t the one that would unlock my powers.” She looked genuinely disappointed by that fact, and jealousy reared its ugly head. Collette obvious was not over Felix or their relationship. Whatever it had been. “You’ll always feel for them, but there doesn’t have to be love. Did they tell you that? Did they get you to believe there is a single love for you out there? Waiting?” She scoffed. “Only fools wait for their destiny to unfold. I waited. For a long time I waited, and you want to know something, Cali? I was never good enough. I never felt good enough until I met Felix.” A warm smile bloomed across her face.