Guild of Truth 02 - Shield from the Heart Read Online Free

from some pre-rescue mission anxiety. It was natural. Totally and completely understandable.
    Joel visibly sighed in relief. He trailed his hand down her arm. “I’ll get the water running.”
    Sydney got up to strip, her hands shaking as she folded her clothes neatly into her dirty laundry bag.
    She clenched her fingers into fists to stop the trembles.
    What was wrong with her?
    It was just a shower.
    Just. A. Shower.
    Then why was her stomach knotted and her dinner threatening to come up?
    “Syd? Are you — ?” Joel stopped short when he saw her standing there naked. His Adam’s apple bobbed and his navy blue eyes roved over her hungrily.
    Sydney felt the ridiculous urge to cover herself.
    Joel was only clad in his jeans, his sun tanned chest seeming even darker in the poor hotel room lighting. He drew closer. His hand reached out and rested on her shoulder. “The shower can wait.” His voice was rough. His other hand slid along her lower back to bring her closer to his body so that her small breasts pressed firmly into the hard warmth of his chest.
    He kissed her. A slow, gentle kiss with a delicate swipe of tongue. His hands started to wander. Sydney pushed back. Her hand shook where it rested on his skin and she snatched it back before he could notice. “Joel.” She cleared her throat. “We really should shower.”
    He stared down at her in confusion, the bulge in his jeans painstakingly obvious. “What’s going on, Syd?”
    She went to push away but his hands tightened, keeping her close.
    “I know this is really going to sound bad, but we haven’t had sex in three months. Ever since we helped rescued Felix and Cali from the Kratos building you’ve been acting differently. You’re keeping me at arm’s length and I don’t fucking know why.” His eyes pleaded for her to confide in him.
    She looked away.
    Joel cursed and dropped his arms from around her. “What’s gotten into you? Is it me? Are you getting a three-year itch or something?”
    Sydney whirled back to face him. “What? No. Joel, I … I want you.” She cupped his cheek and forced herself to kiss him. He clutched her to him as if she’d disappear any second. Their tongues twined; the familiar flavor and feel of him after nearly three years together was like returning to the comfort and safety of home after a long trip away. Joel had been the longest relationship she’d ever had. She didn’t want anyone else. No one knew her like he did. Fate had to have missed the memo where Joel was supposed to be her Mirror Mate.
    When they broke apart they were both breathing heavily. “Then what’s been bothering you?” He tucked a strand of hair behind her ear.
    She’d been trying to analyze the answer to that question for months. And the only thing she kept coming back to was her brother. He’d died of cancer at age seven. She’d been able to do nothing but watch as he withered away, as he suffered through treatment after treatment. She had been nine. It had been her job to protect him and there wasn’t a single thing she could’ve done.
    No one in the guild knew.
    She kept the memory of Aaron locked away like she had his possessions locked away in her closet.
    She stared Joel in the eye and answered as honestly as possible. “I can’t stand by and do nothing if I know I can prevent someone from dying.”
    Sometimes she wondered why she never majored as a doctor or oncologist to deal with her brother’s loss. It would have made more sense than becoming a veterinarian, but she’d never forget the proud look on Aaron’s face when she told him that she wanted to take care of animals. He’d always wanted a ton of pets but with his disease they were never allowed to have them. Sydney had promised that when she became a vet and when he got better, she’d take care of all the animals he could fit into his house. She’d pinky promised him.
    Joel brought her back to the present. “You’re too good of a person, you know that.”
    She