Rock Hard (8 page)

Marduk and Enlil exchanged another glance, accompanied by shaking heads that at once had her frustration outmatching her pain. “You will, or I’ll tell the authorities that you both attacked me.”

Marduk noted that this was the strong Tess coming out, demanding and implacable. He felt a swell of pride. He knew Enlil felt the same way toward his great, great, great…how many greats?…granddaughter. Hell, if she was related to Enlil, it was a sure bet she was tough.

“Agreed,” Marduk spoke quickly, before Enlil could disagree. He knew Enlil wanted to keep Tess close, protect her, and beat the crap out of anyone who tried to touch her. That number included Marduk, paramedics…and Nergal, so it was time for Enlil to go before he complicated things even more. Marduk gave him in imperious gesture with his head. Enlil begrudgingly took the cue.

Enlil walked away, becoming invisible as soon as he was out of sight. Marduk walked the other way, toward the street, cradling Tess. He knew she was about to get a good dose of what-the-fuck.

“How does one call 911?” he asked sheepishly. Tess squinted up at him.

“Are you for real?” she wondered aloud, then sighed. “If you haven’t got a cell phone, use mine. It’s in my fanny pack.”

He knew what a cell phone was, but had never used one. As for fanny pack…he knew “pack” it rested at her back. But fanny? Moving his hands cautiously, he attempted to open the zippered compartment that rested above her shapely behind. Ah! He silently glowed, realization dawned. He gleaned what fanny meant and it was about to become his new favorite word!

Extracting the small screened device was the only thing he was able to do with the foolish contraption. He took a good, long look, then shook it a little. He put the blasted thing up to his ear, brought it back down, and turned it over…then over again. How did one start the damned thing, anyway?

Tess watched his antics, unable to keep her chin from dropping in disbelief. She obviously thought him an idiot that he couldn’t work the phone. He gave her a look that had once cowed millions, and all she asked was, “What planet are you from anyway? Give that to me before you break it.”

He drew his eyebrows together, handed it over and, within seconds, her fingers performed a magical tap-tap and she was speaking into the machine.

“…we’re actually coming down from the cemetery now, right across from the police station.” She paused. “Yes, yes…a mugger and we’re both a little banged up. I’ll probably need stitches.”

A police car was waiting for them at the bottom of the hill.

Chapter Seven

The officer who picked them up filled out his report as they waited in the emergency room, a cold pack pressed hard against Tess’s cheek. He seemed satisfied with their story and accepted the fact that Tess said Marduk lived with her. Marduk experienced a moment of confusion when asked for a last name and spit out the first thing that came to mind.

“Morton,” he sputtered, “Marduk Morton.” How freakin’ glib was that? The alliteration seemed ridiculously lame, but the officer hadn’t even flinched, and only asked how to spell “Marduk.” Gods, how the population has changed. At one time in the fledgling New World, you had to be named Josiah or Nathaniel or any of those milquetoast names if you were to have a chance of blending in. Apparently, these days, Marduk wasn’t even a blip on the screen.

The officer finally left, assuring them that they had cars patrolling the Sea Street neighborhoods for the mugger and, if they found him, they would call the pair in for identification. Tess thanked the policeman with a warm, if lopsided smile, and Marduk had to hold back his bellow of displeasure. Tess should not be smiling at anyone but him.

He picked up her hand and deliberately caused her chair to shake. When she turned incredulous gray eyes up to his, he felt a small stab of satisfaction. See if the officer in his fine uniform can do that! He managed to look innocent while she looked at him suspiciously.

Tess’s name was finally called and, rather than let her go, Marduk stood up and accompanied her and the efficient nurse down the hall. The woman went slightly pink after catching a good look at his yellow running shorts, but managed to remain professional, leading them through a set of double doors. They were shown into a small, curtained room.

“You can hop up onto the bed, Miss Abelard,” the nurse said. “I’m just going to take your temperature and blood pressure before the doctor comes in.”

Marduk had seen this done on one of his favorite television medical dramas, but he’d never witnessed it first-hand. He scootched as close as possible to see numbers flash across a monitor and watched the cuff inflate, as if by mind control, on Tess’s arm. The nurse caught her breath and gave him a warning glance that said “back off,” but Marduk ignored her and sat next to Tess on the bed.

“That’s funny,” the nurse said after a minute. “The machine’s gone haywire.” She watched the numbers scrambling, unable to get a fix. “Not to worry. It’s probably just a bad cuff. I’ll go get another. Be right back.” She smiled reassuringly before heading around the curtain. “If you could just put that gown on while I’m gone. Ties in the back…” She breezed from the room.

Tess looked at the offending gown. Marduk knew there was no way was she going to strip down in front of him, but she had to be realistic about her chances of removing the spandex top without creating havoc with her wound. The god heard her sigh, then saw the thoughts in her head, clear as day. She’d worn a sports bra today, and had just convinced herself that it didn’t reveal any more than a bikini top.

“I’ll need your help getting my shirt off…” she paused as his eyebrows raised. “Not the bra,” she groused. “Just the shirt.”

Marduk’s heart went crazy at the thought of removing clothing from Tess, being able to touch her soft skin. The blood pressure machine went nuts all on its own. Hmm. So he’d been responsible for the malfunction. He was going to have to move away from the contrary thing next time the nurse used it.

Tess had begun struggling with her shirt. Marduk couldn’t help his sudden arousal. Blood pooled in his groin, hardening his cock at the inopportune moment when he stood and faced Tess. He could have sworn her face lost more color than it already had. Damn him for being a horny bastard. She was hurt. How could his mind even go there?

He shifted the offending member by turning his hips away. Neither spoke as she placed her ice pack on the bed and pulled her arms from the sleeves, cocooning herself inside the shirt.

“If you could just hold the neck open, I can probably slip out without too much damage.” Her wound oozed anew without pressure, and he acted fast.

His cool fingers moved over the sides of her neck and down into the material. Did the room actually move? He caught a peek in and saw her nipples harden under the thin material of her chest covering. Cold, he thought, his cold hands must be responsible, but that wouldn’t explain her sudden shortness of breath.

Keep your mind on the task at hand,
Marduk admonished himself. With soft skin under his fingers, the blood pressure machine seemed in danger of flipping out again. Was it Tess setting it off this time? Could she be aroused?

Her body signs would say yes and as much as he’d tried to avoid it, Tess had surely caught a look at what was in his shorts, up close and personal. Maybe she liked what she saw…at least she wasn’t quaking in her sneakers this time. That was good. He didn’t want her to be scared. He was richly endowed, even for a god.

As he lifted the neck of the shirt and stretched it wide over her head, the smoothness of her flat stomach was revealed. He hadn’t seen anything that beautiful in…uhh…had he ever seen anything that beautiful? As the shirt continued its ascent, the small strip of lycra lying against her breasts was uncovered, showing hardened nubs straining at the material. Oh, to reach out and caress those tender buds. He had to force his eyes away as her face became visible, knowing she would not appreciate his….umm…appreciation.

“The gown,” she rasped, pointing toward the bottom of the bed. “Could you hand me the gown?”

He had to do that right away, or he’d have her back on that mattress before he could control himself. When in doubt, resort to humor. “Your caboose, my lady.” He draped the piece of material across his arm and handed it over, doing his best Jimmy Stewart impression. The tension was broken.

“Oh! That’s one of my favorite movies!” Tess grinned up at him, as much as she could with her swelling cheek. “You do a great Jimmy Stewart.”

He preened that it pleased her, and was happy that thousands of hours of television had finally come in handy. Marduk could hardly wait to share all his other impressions. He was really good at Pee Wee Herman!

The nurse entered as Tess was about to slip off her pants.

“You can leave those on, hon. I just needed the top off in case we spilled any Betadyne or…” She didn’t say blood, but they both knew that’s where she had been going. “Let’s get this new pressure cuff on, and then the doctor will be in.”

With Marduk on the opposite side of the room, the device behaved itself, and the nurse seemed satisfied with the reading.

It wasn’t long before the doctor arrived, perusing the clipboard in her hands before looking up at her patient. “I’m Doctor Whitehill, and I’ll be doing your stitches today.” She raised long, copper lashes to assess the damage to Tess’s cheek and let out a long whistle. “I’m impressed! How is it that you’re not out cold, or at least wailing in pain?” Her gaze flicked momentarily to Marduk. “And you, big boy, go find some ice to put on that jaw.”

That she was not the least bit intimidated or awed by Marduk earned her instant points in his book, but had Tess snorting again. When he didn’t move, the doctor’s voice turned from velvet to steel.

“I’m not kidding, here. I’m going to do some serious injecting and stitching and the last thing I need to worry about is peeling you off the floor.”

“I have no inclination to pass out,” Marduk matched her unyielding tone. “Nor do I have any intention of leaving my woman.”

“Your what?” Both females spoke in unison and looked at him as if he had two heads.

The doctor was the first to laugh. “Right on, Ms. Abelard!” She stuck her hand up for a high five that Tess returned with vigor. “Where did you get this caveman?”

“He’s not my caveman, and you’re welcome to him if you want to club him over the head and drag him off.”

Marduk smirked. The picture in Tess’s head didn’t match her words. He could see it as plain as day. In her imagination, Tess was the one doing the dragging. Marduk perused the imagery and liked what he saw. With a grin, he moved closer and picked up Tess’s hand. She scowled up at him, but then curled her cold fingers inside his large, warm ones and left them there. Marduk was more than satisfied.

“Well, the call is yours, Miss Abelard.” Dr. Whitehill had obviously noted the exchange. “I’ll let him stay if you want, but at the first sign there might be a nosedive,” she gave Marduk another sharp look with her gold flecked eyes, “he’s out of here.”

Marduk reached up with the compress from the bedside table and gently wiped away the blood that had begun to trickle again.

“It looks like he’ll be okay with it,” Tess must have sensed the resolve in his touch, and relented to his presence.

“What did you say your name was,” Marduk asked the doctor as he looked deep into her eyes. “Your first name…” he compelled.

“Dani-Lee.”

Marduk sensed that she was astounded at her sudden lapse in professionalism. He’d never personally known a medical doctor before, but had a feeling they were supposed to keep their personal lives separate from their patients, including giving their first names. This doctor had a great bedside manner, but seemed a little prickly beyond the doctor/patient boundaries she set.

“Doctor Dani-Lee…” Marduk’s voice softened. “Well, Dr. Dani-Lee, should we get this started?”

Tess narrowed her eyes in Marduk’s direction, wondering what he was up to. Was he attracted to the good doctor? Tess assessed the other woman who stood easily five foot ten with legs that apparently never ended. She sported a glorious cap of coppery red curls and was blessed—or cursed—with a smattering of freckles across her cheeks and nose.

She could be Marduk’s type. Tess didn’t know. Marduk squeezed her hand to catch her attention. He shook his head slightly, angling it at the doctor, and raised his eyebrows. If she didn’t know better, she would have sworn Marduk had just read her mind. His eyes blinked innocently at her.

The awkwardness of the moment was broken when the nurse rolled in the cart that held everything necessary for stitches. Tess filed her thoughts about telepathy away for later and steeled herself as she watched Dr. Dani-Lee fill a syringe.

“This will numb the area, but it’s going to sting as it goes in.”

Tess had sustained a number of injuries over the years and was well used to “the sting” as the doctor called it. It was more like a burn and wasn’t her favorite way to spend an afternoon. Her hand shook slightly in Marduk’s grip, and he caressed her skin soothingly.

“Shit!” The expletive escaped from Tess as the needle made contact. “Shit, shit, shit, shit,” she chanted as her eyes stung with tears. The syringe was withdrawn and reinserted again and again, down the length of the wound.

“You’re lucky I’m on duty today,” the doctor said warmly, trying to distract Tess from the pain. “I’m a trauma surgeon, but I specialize in reconstructive surgery, and I make really lovely stitches. That’s not to say that you won’t have a scar, but over time it will fade until you hardly see anything at all.” She was through with the anesthetic, and gave Tess a small poke. “Can you feel that?”

Tess felt pressure but no pain. “No. I think I’m good.”

“Excellent! Let’s stitch you up.”

Tess gave a quick look at Marduk and saw that, although a little pale, he wasn’t headed for a tumble. As a matter of fact, he watched closely as Dani-Lee closed the tear.

Marduk would have done anything to be the one on the receiving end of the needle, but since his body healed itself, he had never experienced what Tess was going through now. The closest incident would have been several thousand years ago. He had pissed off some major god and been punished by being staked out in the desert with his chest sliced open and fire ants tormenting the gaping hole.