“You were a beautiful bride,” Julian whispered in her ear.
“How do you know I’m not still asleep?” she whispered in return.
He chuckled. “I don’t.” He kissed the side of her neck and caressed her thigh. “Your legs are much better without stockings on them.”
She opened her eyes and rolled onto her other side so that she was facing him. She thought to ask him how he liked the rest of her, but he brought his mouth to hers and the question fled far from her mind.
She groaned and wrapped her leg around his waist so that she could roll on top of him. His erection pressed against her sensitive nub, but she resisted the urge to rub against him. Instead, she gave into the thrill of exploring his mouth intimately with her tongue.
One would think after making love to him the first time, her desire for him would have been somewhat sated, but it turned out the opposite was true. She wanted to be consumed by him. He must have felt the same way since his hands roamed along her body in a way that excited her all the more.
The patience she’d had their first time was long gone. She simply didn’t have what it took to wait for him to advance their lovemaking. And honestly, she didn’t think he would mind it if she took a more leading role this time.
She kissed his jaw and then his neck and decided to proceed further down. He had done most of the exploring the first time. This time, she wanted to learn him more intimately. She kissed his nipples and traced them with her tongue, and judging by the moan that escaped his lips, he liked what she was doing.
Feeling a bit wicked, she lifted her head and said, “If you like that, you’re really going to enjoy what comes next.”
Before he could ask what she was going to do, she left a trail of kisses down his chest and then down his abdomen. She brought her hand to his penis and let her fingers trace it. He murmured that he wanted her to continue, and a part of her felt triumphant about her ability to excite him.
She spent time learning him. This part of him fascinated her. It had felt wonderful inside her, touching places deep within her that made her aware of how sensitive her core was. She wrapped her hand around the base of his shaft and gently brought it to his tip. She noted the bead of moisture at the slit and bent down to taste it.
He moaned and wiggled beneath her. “That feels heavenly,” he whispered.
Encouraged, she brought her tongue back to his tip and traced it. After a few seconds, she took more of him into her mouth and sucked lightly while using her hand to squeeze the base of his shaft. A part of her had to fight back the shyness that rose up within her. She wanted to do this. She wanted to bring him pleasure during their foreplay as much as she wanted to explore him. And there was no doubt he was enjoying this. The fact that he was vocal in expressing just how much he wanted her to keep doing this gave her more courage, and her actions eventually grew bolder.
She had no way of knowing how long she spent studying him, but he wasn’t the only one who found this whole thing arousing. Her core ached with the need to take him into her. She wanted him inside her. Needed him inside her.
She moved back on top of him and took him into her. She let out a groan as he filled her. She leaned over so she could grasp his shoulders and then began rocking her hips.
He cupped her breasts in his hands, an action that only served to bring her closer to the peak. Before today, she’d had no idea of just how sexual she was, and giving into that part of her personality emboldened her to take the pleasure this act offered her. Her actions grew faster and urgent. And then, finally, just when she thought she couldn’t take it anymore, pleasure erupted deep inside her.
She cried out and grew still. She couldn’t move. All she could do was take in the waves of pleasure as they crashed into her. It was so intense she could hardly bear it. After several long moments, her body relaxed, and she could, once more, focus on the world around her.
She lowered her head to kiss him. He put his arms around her waist and rolled her onto her back. Still weak, all she could do was let him complete what they had started. His actions were determined and focused, and her core responded by taking him deeper into her. She let out a contented sigh as he pursued his climax. And when it came, she held him tightly to her as he filled her with his seed. Spent, he collapsed in her arms. She kissed his cheek and then pressed her cheek against his. She’d never felt more complete in her entire life.
“I love you, Willow,” Julian whispered.
“I love you, too,” she softly said.
He gave her a lingering kiss then settled beside her in the bed. She snuggled against him, and he wrapped the gold-colored blanket around them.
“If it was up to me, I’d never sleep again,” he whispered.
“Everyone needs to sleep. You can’t stay awake forever.” She took his hand in hers. “When you wake up, I’ll be here with you.”
He squeezed her hand and set it over his heart. They fell into a comfortable silence, and before long, she fell asleep.
***
After breakfast, Willow sipped cider in the drawing room as Julian saw the vicar to the carriage. She had sat in this room quite a bit before she’d crossed over into this time. She recalled reading her book and glancing up at Julian’s portrait once in a while.
Now, as her gaze went to the portrait, she didn’t know if it should alarm her that the portrait was one of the few things she remembered with exact precision from her time. She could barely remember the contents of the book she’d been reading. She also had trouble remembering if it’d been raining that day. She thought that it might have been. She was sure the rain had prompted her to spend the day inside instead of taking a walk. But she couldn’t be sure. And considering it really hadn’t been that long ago, she thought the memory should be an easy one to dig up from the recesses of her mind.
But whether or not it’d been raining that day wasn’t the only thing that seemed to be slipping from focus. Other aspects of her past seemed to be slipping from her, too. Her childhood, her parents, her friends, her schooling, her work… All of it was still there in her mind, but they were beginning to seem more like people and events she’d read about in a book or perhaps dreamed about.
It was such a strange thing that seemed to be happening to her. It was as if the magic that had brought her here was slowly removing all attachments she had to her past. Only the things in connection with this time period felt real.
Her gaze went to the desk. She’d sat in the chair behind it that day Mr. Thompson had given her the papers she’d been unable to sign. That, she did remember. She remembered Violet and the three men. She recalled the white streak in the black hair of the one who was now a horse. She recalled the bright green eyes of the one who was now a cat. She recalled the short, rounded-faced one with a smushed nose who was now a barn owl.
She looked at the portrait. She also remembered feeling guilty for her willingness to sign those papers. She’d felt as if she was betraying the person in that portrait who must have intended for the estate to stay in the family line forever.
Thank goodness she hadn’t been able to sign them. If Greg or any of the others before her had known Julian, there was no way they could have been willing to sell the estate.
She took another sip of the cider then put the cup down. She went to the nearest window and saw Julian and the vicar. They were talking as the footman patiently waited at the carriage. Her gaze went to the sky. The clouds threatened rain. It was good the vicar was leaving now. She had no idea how long it would take him to get home, but she suspected it would be raining by the time the footman returned.
Her attention went back to Julian, and a warmth swept over her. She’d been attracted to him from the moment she’d seen the portrait. She remembered thinking it was a shame he wasn’t still alive because he was attractive.
She’d much rather feel the warmth of his touch and the softness of his lips on her skin than look at his portrait in a future time. Her thoughts went to the previous night and the
dawn when he’d made love to her again. She used to think love was something soft and gentle. She hadn’t known it could come with a sweeping passion that threatened to consume her. She could have credited it to magic, just as magic was wiping out her past, but, deep down, she knew there was no other reason for the passion she experienced than Julian himself.
Their pasts might have been separate, but their futures were entwined. There would never be anyone else. Her heart was his forevermore, and she knew his heart would always belong to her.
She touched the window as if she might be able to feel him through the pane of glass. She couldn’t, of course. It was fanciful thinking. But he glanced over at her as if he was aware of her longing to be with him. She couldn’t be sure, but she thought she saw a flash of red and gold colors swirl between them. She blinked, and the image was gone.
The vicar said something, and Julian’s attention was drawn back to him.
She blinked again, as if coming out of a daze. She lowered her hand and stepped away from the window. She had to have imagined that flash of colors. Nothing like that was possible unless they were in the gazebo or at the bridge.
But there was probably magic all over this property. It wasn’t just confined to the gazebo. It surrounded the entire place. That was why she and Julian couldn’t leave. Magic had been in the time portal that had allowed her to come here. Magic was why she hadn’t been able to sign the contract selling the estate. Magic was in the three animals that remembered her from the future. Who was to say that there wasn’t magic flowing between her and Julian?
But why hadn’t that red and gold thread appeared before? She and Julian had looked at each other plenty of times without her seeing anything between them. And this time they hadn’t even been touching. At the bridge, they had to touch the invisible barrier at the same time to see red and gold, and at the gazebo, they had to touch each other in order to see the colors. Why was it different now?
You’re married now. Marriage is a union where two become one.
Her eyebrows furrowed. Could that be possible? Could something as simple as marriage cause the magic to work in a new way?
In a place where magic was all across the place, anything was possible. She had to suspend the rules of the “normal” world. Those rules didn’t apply here.
She returned to the settee and turned her gaze back to the portrait. She stared at it with the same longing she’d just experienced while looking at Julian. She spent a couple of minutes trying to get some form of magic to present itself, but nothing happened.
Then she heard Julian’s voice from the entryway, and a sliver of red and gold flashed from her to the doorway of the room. She blinked in surprise, and the colors vanished.
The footsteps grew louder, and her heartbeat picked up in anticipation. She stood up from the settee and turned toward the doorway. Another sliver of red and gold shimmered in the air. Julian came into the room. In her excitement, she forgot about it and ran over to him.
He chuckled as he brought her into his arms. “It’s nice to know you missed me while I was gone.”
“I did,” she whispered. “I missed you terribly.” She cupped the back of his neck and urged him to bring his mouth to hers.
He wrapped her more firmly in his embrace and deepened the kiss.
She let out a contented sigh and gave into the thrill of being with him. It was such a heady experience. A lady could get used to this kind of thing.
When the kiss ended, he whispered, “If you keep this up, I might never give you a moment alone.”
“What if I don’t want to be alone?” She kissed his neck.
He groaned. “I won’t be but a moment.”
He released her, and it was on the tip of her tongue to protest until she realized he went to shut the door. This time she saw the red and gold colors shimmering between them more clearly. The thread continued to glow between them as Julian pulled the drapes shut in order to give them their privacy.
Her skin tingled, eager for him to kiss and touch her again. He returned to her arms, and she forgot all about the red and gold colors as he made love to her.
Chapter Twenty-Two
That evening, rain pelted down on the windows of Julian’s bedchamber, but he barely heard it as he reread the missive.
A year before you were born, your father killed your uncle in a duel. That uncle was his older brother, and that brother was about to marry me. I conceived a son before your uncle died, but because of your father, the child could not be the heir. Instead, you are. Know this, Julian Azazel: your uncle’s death doesn’t mean you’re safe. I will be coming for you. When the clock chimes midnight, you will be bound to the same day until the requirements of my curse are satisfied. Then, and only then, will time move forward for you again.
He set it on the dresser next to the candelabra. The missive implied the lady who’d written it intended to come here, and she was specifically coming for him. What did his uncle’s death or the fact that her child hadn’t been the heir have to do with him? What did this have to do with Willow? Why set up an object to allow Willow to pass into this time? Why did she need to keep a fairy prisoner here? This lady who went by the names Rose and Violet obviously had evil intentions.
He needed to get back to his grandfather’s journals. His future was tied to Willow’s now. If the writer of the missive meant him harm, she might very well harm Willow simply because she was his wife.
He couldn’t let that happen. He’d rather go through eternity alone than see any harm come to her. It was no wonder Francis had been so happy when Lady Kimberly accepted his proposal. Now that Julian knew what it was like to be enraptured by a lady’s love, he would never be the same.
Julian glanced at the doorway separating his bedchamber from Willow’s. She had left the door open when she went to take her bath. His gaze went to one of the windows. It was late. The sun had already set for the evening. After all the days that had passed on in agonizing slowness, each day since Willow’s arrival seemed to go much too fast.
He went to Willow’s bedchamber and was surprised to see that she was still in the tub. Her legs were pulled up to her chest, and her head was resting on her knees.
“Isn’t the water cold?” he asked as he approached her.
She looked up at him, and his gaze inadvertently went to her breasts. His body responded to her on its own accord. One would think making love to her last night and twice today would have diminished some of the need he had to be with her, but if anything, it seemed to have only heightened his desire for her. Maybe this was what happened when a gentleman discovered the pleasures of the flesh. Or perhaps it was the fact that he’d been alone for two centuries. He had been deprived of any meaningful companionship for such a long time. Willow was the perfect companion. She completed him in every way. What gentleman could resist making love to someone as lovely as her?
He leaned forward and touched her arm. “You’re chilly.” He retrieved her towel and urged her to stand up so he could wrap it around her.
“I’m forgetting things,” she said as he helped her out of the tub. “Like the tub. It seems like in my time, tubs were bigger than this, and there weren’t buckets of hot water that went into them. They were filled another way. And I’m sure there was a specific room where a tub is supposed to be. I think this room had something other than a chamber pot in it, too.”
It took him a moment to recall the thing she had mentioned the day she had come into his time. “I think it was a toilet.”
“Toilet! Yes, that’s it.” She frowned. “I don’t remember how it worked. I’m forgetting a lot of things about the inventions that were in my time.”
“Things like the moving stairs?” he asked.
“Moving stairs.” She looked up at the ceiling as if the answer was going to be there.
Though he knew it wouldn’t be, he glanced up.
“I remember telling you about moving stairs. I remember that I came to England on something that could fly in
the air. I know I didn’t come by ship. Then when I was here, I came in something that wasn’t a horse, but the details of how the thing worked is slipping from my mind.” She frowned. “I think the magic is erasing my memories from my time. The only things I seem to remember are things that are attached to this time.”
“Do you feel all right?” He touched her forehead. She didn’t feel hot, so she didn’t have a fever.
“I feel like I’m waking up from a dream. I think it’s the transition from coming into this time.”
“Has it been happening all the time that you’ve been here?”
“No. I just noticed it this morning. It’s been getting stronger through the day.”
“Maybe I should summon a doctor.”
“I’m not sick.” She pulled the towel closer around herself. “I feel wonderful.”
“How can you say that when you’re forgetting things?”
“Because I don’t think there’s anything wrong. I think this is the magic doing its work. Our marriage has changed something.”
“Your coming into this time has changed something. I don’t see how our marriage affects anything.”
“When we married, it changed everything. Our lives are now permanently joined together. There’s no undoing it.”
He cupped her face in his hands. “Willow, I would never do anything to hurt you.”
“I know you wouldn’t. I love you, Julian. I want to be here with you. I want to be your wife. I don’t think the changes are bad. I think they’re necessary. I don’t know how the timeline works, but things have adjusted.”
“I know that. It’s why Francis won’t come here and find that I’ve disappeared along with the servants. He’ll be able to marry Lady Kimberly. He might go on to have children.”
“Yes, and we might, too. Think of it. We have changed things. I don’t know if it’s for better or worse, but things are going to be different in the future. The inventions will stay the same, and historical events will happen as they’re supposed to. But our future has been changed. We might not always be under a curse. This magic might not always be here.” She paused. “If we are able to leave this property, it would probably disturb something in the timeline if I were to inadvertently mention an invention that hasn’t been created yet. I think I have to forget some things in order to keep things the way they’re meant to be.”
An Earl In Time Page 20
