Protecting Medusa

by Elizabeth Andrews

  “You know I missed you, too.” She caught sight of her mother coming in and gave her a strained smile. Her mother lifted one eyebrow, and Philomena shook her head. “How was school today, buddy?” She set him on his feet and unzipped his coat.

  He shrugged out of his superhero backpack and his coat, bouncing the whole time. “You know the hamster in our room? Harvey? He got out of his cage during recess today, so we had to crawl around looking for him till Nita found him hiding under the bookcase in the back corner. Oh, and we got a new girl in our class today. Her name is Rose, and she has red hair and a million billion freckles on her face. And Eddie brought a picture of his new German Shepherd puppy with him. Eddie’s gonna train him to be a guard dog an’ keep bad guys away. He said I should come see him this weekend. Can I go?”

  Philomena relaxed a bit more, listening to him while she heated some frozen vegetables and set the table.

  When Jason came up for air, he frowned at the table. “Hey, how comes there’s four plates, Aunt Phila?”

  Her spine stiffened, and she took a quick breath as she turned from the stove.

  “Because I came to visit, little guy,” Ryder said from the foot of the stairs.

  “Daddy!” Jason shrieked and met his father halfway across the room.

  Ryder’s grin was as big as Jason’s, and he swung his son around in a big hug while Jason clung tightly to him.

  Philomena watched as they greeted one another, doing silly guy stuff--funny handshakes and high-fives, and hugging again--and her heart squeezed in her chest, painfully. She’d never seen such naked delight on her nephew’s face. Or imagined it in his father’s.

  “What’s got you so uptight?” her mother asked quietly.

  “You should have told me he was coming.” She kept her voice low, too, and shot a sharp glance at her mom.

  Agatha Gregory smiled instead of looking abashed. “You needed to come anyway, and I couldn’t tell him ‘no’.” She shrugged with one shoulder. “You’ll have to deal.”

  Philomena opened her mouth to tell her mother what she thought of her suggestion, but Ryder crossed the floor to them, Jason at his side. “Supper’s ready,” she said instead.

  “Let me help.” Ryder winked at her.

  “I’ve got it.” She moved around Ryder to the stove, shutting the burner off and scooping the beef mixture into a bowl. When she turned around, he blocked her way, a dangerous glint in his brown eyes. “I’m fine, Ryder,” she said stiffly.

  “Yes, you are,” he breathed, leaning closer and cupping the bowl, his hands directly over hers, sending bolts of heat shooting along her arms. “But I’m going to help whether you like it or not.”

  “Here. Take it.” She slid her fingers free and let him have the bowl. Somehow, though, she didn’t think he just meant supper preparation, and that made her nervous.

  She sat across the table from her mother, as always, with Jason between them on her right, which meant Ryder sat to her left. Even though there was more than a foot of space between then, his nearness made her stomach do back flips. She answered Jason’s questions automatically, though tonight, unlike every other month when she’d been gone for three days, most of his attention was on his dad. She ate little, tension stealing her appetite.

  Between the Harvester and Ryder’s unexpected appearance, she thought she might prefer another three days of suffering through Athena’s infernal curse.

  It wouldn’t have been so bad, really, except he kept touching her.

  First, while she passed the buttered peas, he made certain to slide his fingers over hers when she handed him the bowl. Then he nudged her foot with his under the table while he talked to Aggie. Tiny, innocent things, really, except for their encounter earlier in the bathroom. That was far from innocent.

  By the time Jason shouted it was time for his favorite show, she wanted to jump from her chair and run out into the snow just to get away.

  Ryder caught her wrist when she started to push her chair back. “I want to talk to you and Aggie,” he said quietly when his son had left the room.

  Her mother linked her hands and rested her chin on them, concern lining her brow. “What’s wrong, Ryder?”

  “I’ve been following a Harvester.”

  Philomena tugged her hand free and clasped her fingers in her lap, looking at her half-empty plate. Her stomach squeezed, and she was grateful she’d hardly eaten.

  “Met him here earlier, right, Mena?”

  Her mother’s gasp made her shoot a glare at him.

  “I think you should take Jason to Mena’s tonight, Aggie. Just in case.”

  “I think you’re right,” her mother said after a moment. “How did he find us?”

  One of his big shoulders lifted. “I wish I could say for sure, Aggie, but I imagine they’re just tracing families like when Kallan was still hunting. But this guy seems to know, or at least to believe, that Mena’s the Medusa. He’s been in town for two days, checking out the lay of the land, driving by the house.” His dark gaze slid to Philomena’s face. “I’m going after him again.”

  She swallowed, feeling a little guilty for wishing he’d leave, and averted her gaze.

  “Will you go right away, Aggie?”

  “Well, yes. But what about the two of you?” Her mother got to her feet, her frown deepening as she looked from one of them to the other.

  “We’ll be fine here for tonight,” he said. He rose and caught one of Aggie’s hands. “I’ve got a buddy coming tomorrow to upgrade your alarm system, though. Everything needs to be sensored, not just the first floor. This guy came in upstairs.”

  Her mother shut her eyes, no doubt imagining what would have happened if she and Jason had been home, or if the Harvester had come in the middle of the night. “Whatever you think is best, Ryder.” She squeezed his hand. “Let me get some things together.”

  That left Philomena alone with him, and the tension ratcheted a few degrees higher.

  “You don’t think he’ll come back, do you? Tonight, I mean?” She remained seated, not wanting to bump into him while she cleared away the remains of their meal, keeping her gaze on the table. Flitting from her plate to the leftover peas and sloppy joes. The open bag of rolls. Jason’s empty plate.

  “I don’t know. He seems to believe this is your primary residence, which means your mother and Jason need to be out for now. But I winged him earlier, so he’ll have to patch himself up first.” He inhaled deeply. “We’ll be fine until my buddy gets here.”

  She arched one eyebrow. “‘We’?”

  His lips curved into a cocky smile that made goosebumps lift on her arms. “Yeah. I think I can protect you.”

  “Who’ll protect me from you?” It was out before she could stop it, and she colored again.

  “If you need protection from me, I’m sure you’ll do fine. You wear your knife all the time, right?”

  “Not to bed.” Dammit, what is wrong with my mouth? More heat crawled up her throat to her face.

  “Well, that’s reassuring,” he drawled, his eyes darkening. “Why don’t you let me help you clean up?”

  “Why don’t you go sit with Jason?” she countered, pushing to her feet. Standing made her feel slightly better, though he still towered over her by a good six inches. “I’m sure he’ll be happy to catch you up on his show.” She carried her plate to the sink and scraped the remains of her meal into the disposal, turning it on and drowning out any response he might have made.

  When she turned around, she saw his back as he went into the living room, where Jason greeted him enthusiastically. The back looked as good as the front, she admitted, faded jeans clinging to a tight ass, strong thighs and calves.

  “Gods,” she muttered, shutting her eyes. Her hormones ought to have settled since her three days of exile were over till next month.

  She very deliberately didn’t think about him while she put away the leftovers and started the dishwasher. Or about the intent look in his eyes earlier, right before he kissed
her. Instead, she focused on the website she was creating for a new client. She’d nearly finished tweaking the design, and in another day or two, it would go live, and a nice fat check would deposit into her bank account.

  “Philomena.”

  She glanced over her shoulder at the strained sound of her mother’s voice. “Are you okay, Mom?”

  Aggie nodded. “I’m worried about you.”

  “I’ll be fine. You know I’m armed,” she joked, patting her thigh.

  Her mother didn’t smile back. “If he’s tracked you here, it’s only a matter of time before he finds your house, too.”

  She couldn’t disagree. She’d thought it herself while poking at her dinner–what if he’d arrived at her house in the past three days while she was alone and bed-ridden? “Looks like I need to add to the protection here,” she said instead of responding to her mother’s last comment. “Aside from Ryder boosting the alarm system, that is. Do you mind?”

  Her mother shook her head. “Of course not. We have to make sure Jason is safe. I should have thought of refreshing the wards sooner.”

  Ryder came into the kitchen, Jason clinging to his back like a little monkey and giggling all the while. “I told Jason he’s going to stay at your place tonight, Mena.”

  She frowned. “It’s Philomena,” she said, realizing he’d been calling her Mena since his arrival. He did the same thing when they spoke on the phone, too, no matter how many times she’d corrected him over the years.

  The grin returned in a flash, and heat curled into her belly once more.

  So much for not thinking about that.

  He squatted so Jason could climb off. “Okay, sport, time to get your coat on.” Still, his gaze stayed on Philomena’s face.

  She shifted her weight from one foot to the other, feeling the heat sink lower, spread. It was a very good thing he hadn’t arrived right before her period last week, when her hormones were amped up about ten thousand percent, thanks to Athena’s curse if she was reacting to him like this now. Even her panties were damp. If he’d been here last week, she might’ve done something regrettable.

  She swallowed and forced her gaze away from him as he rose to his full height again. “Can I help, Jason?”

  “Nah, I got it.” His fingers fumbled a bit on the zipper, but then he slid it to his chin.

  She smiled and knelt in front of him. “I’ll see you tomorrow, okay, buddy?”

  He nodded and flung his arms around her neck. “I hope you have the best dreams.”

  She shut her eyes. She loved their bedtime ritual, established when he was barely speaking yet as a baby. “I hope you have even better dreams.”

  “No, you have the bestest.” He hugged her tighter.

  “Sleep great, baby.” She kissed him, a big, smacking kiss and released him, getting to her feet. “And you have the bestest, bestest dreams ever.”

  He laughed and took Aggie’s hand at the door.

  Philomena kept the smile on her face while she watched them go, though worry niggled into her chest. They needed to be safe.

  The heavy weight of Ryder’s arm settled on her shoulder. “They’ll be fine for tonight,” he murmured near her ear while outside a car started.

  She nodded, biting her lower lip. They had to be. If anything happened to them, it was on her head.

  “And I have to go.” He stepped away and took his coat from the hook behind the door.

  She grabbed the nearest jacket, which was too light for the brisk winter night, but she pulled it on anyway, then walked outside with him, noting her mother’s headlights leading away from the house. “You’re going to be careful, aren’t you?”

  “I’m always careful.” He shot her a bad boy grin that had her heart racing as they made their way along the sidewalk to the front of the house, where she saw his truck parked out front now beside the mailbox.

  “Nothing can happen to you, Ryder. You have Jason to worry about.”

  He kept walking.

  “Are you listening to me?” She glared up at him when he came to a stop beside the truck.

  He put his arm around her shoulders. “Are you more worried about Jason? Or me?”

  She blinked. “I’m worried about what will happen to Jason if something happens to you.” He smelled really good. Her pounding heart sped up still more. He stood too close. She needed a distraction. “You know Desi is a lousy parent. Might as well not even be a parent.”

  “What if something did happen to me? Would you miss me?” He bent nearer, his mouth almost grazing her temple.

  She tried to concentrate on his words, but the awareness rushing through her made it difficult. And dammit, she couldn’t even blame it on pre-curse hormones.

  “Would you be upset if I were hurt?” His open mouth slid down her cheek, hot, damp. Tempting.

  Desire raced along her veins. Under her sweater, her nipples tightened in anticipation.

  “Mena?” He licked the corner of her mouth.

  She gasped, and he swooped in, covering her open mouth with his, and pressed her against the side of the truck, his warmth compensating for the cold metal at her back.

  He was aroused again. The heavy erection nudging her belly made her panties wetter.

  Shocked by her reaction, she couldn’t resist anyway, lifting into his kiss.

  “Wrap your legs around me, Mena,” he whispered against her lips.

  She forced her eyes open, trying hard to distract herself from the temptation of Ryder.

  “I bet you’re wet for me. Is your pussy slick enough for me to slide deep yet?” One of his hard hands cupped her bottom, pulling her tighter to him.

  She didn’t want to be so aroused by his explicit words. Or by the scent and feel of him all around her, but clearly, her brain had ceded control to her hormones.

  “Maybe not yet.” His other hand slipped under her sweater, and his thumb stroked around the tip of her breast, once, twice, three times before he rubbed it over her aching nipple. “You smell delicious.” He nipped at her lower lip. “I bet you taste even better. If I put my mouth on you, it wouldn’t take long before you were wet enough for me.” He pinched her nipple, lightly, making her hips jolt toward his.

  “Yeah,” he continued, sliding his mouth along her jaw, “lick your clit, make you moan, make you scream.” His fingers dug into her ass, lifting her nearer. “Wrap your legs around me, Mena.” He nipped at her earlobe.

  Her body obeyed the command in his voice this time, raising one leg, then the other to wrap around his waist. That let him slide his hand from her ass to the hem of her skirt, pushing it out of his way, up her thigh. She shivered, grabbing his shoulders.

  When his fingers skimmed the wet crotch of her panties, he hummed his approval. “So wet for me, baby.” He slipped one finger underneath, along slick folds until he reached her clit, startling a cry out of her.

  “It’s going to be so good,” he whispered against her ear as he plunged two fingers into her quivering sheath. “Deep and slow. It’ll be like nothing else for either of us.” His fingers stroked over a sensitive spot deep inside, and her body contracted, hard, around his fingers.

  She opened her eyes. She should put a stop to this. But...oh, Gods. His thumb pressed on her clit, sending fire racing into her belly.

  “Later, I’m going to fuck you from behind, and it’s going to be even more incredible. Deeper, harder. But right now, I have to be inside you.”

  She realized he’d freed his erection, his skin searing hot and silky between her thighs. Oh, he felt good.

  “Mena.” He caught her gaze. “Tell me now.”

  It took her a moment to comprehend that he was giving her a chance to opt out. Instead of doing the smart thing, though, as she always did, she slid her hands up into his silky hair, guiding his mouth back to hers.

  He groaned and eased inside her, slowly filling her, stretching her. It seemed forever before his hips were finally snugged tight against hers.

  She couldn’t catch her br
eath, and he shared his with her, his weight pinning her to the truck when she would have rocked her hips.

  “Nn-nn,” he breathed against her mouth. “Don’t move yet, baby.”

  Gods, she needed to move. Her inner muscles clenched on him, tight.

  He groaned, and inside her, his cock jerked.

  This time, she tightened those muscles intentionally.

  His low chuckle vibrated from her lips, into her belly and aching breasts. “Impatient, are we?” His hips rolled in a slow circle against hers.

  “Please.” It had been so long.

  He licked her lower lip, sucked on it lightly. “You’re going go have to develop some patience, smart girl.” As he withdrew, slowly.

  Her whimpered protest cut off when he slammed deep again. Over and over and over, until her body exploded into a million pieces.

  He swallowed her hoarse scream in his rough kiss while his release jetted into her.

  Her legs shook around his waist, as did her fingers at his nape. If he hadn’t been holding her between his hard body and the truck, she’d be a steaming puddle on the snowy ground.

  He kissed her more gently now, one hand still beneath her, the other sliding through her hair, fingers grazing her scalp, her nape, her throat, warm, feeling much too good.

  Dear Gods, what had she just done?

  “Is that amazing brain of yours starting to reform?” he whispered along her lips.

  She blushed, grateful for the darkness. How could he know?

  “It’s okay, Mena. But it’s definitely only the beginning.” He inhaled deeply. “I’m going to hate this part,” he muttered, then eased his hips away from hers, just as slowly as he’d joined their bodies earlier.

  She bit her lip to keep in her whimper at the loss of him inside her. Clearly, it had been far too long since she’d indulged in the real thing.

  He lowered her to her feet, steadying her when she wobbled a little. He tipped her chin up and planted another brain-melting kiss on her. When he lifted his head, it took her a few seconds to re-focus her gaze on his grinning face.

  He adjusted his clothing, smoothed her skirt down, tugged her jacket closed.

  Some part of her loved the protective, possessive gesture, and that scared her. A lot.