“How was your day, beautiful?” he asked, his normally intense features slack.
“Don’t talk to me,” she demanded.
“Don’t be that way,” he slurred and hiccupped loudly. “I’m sure you did a great job in your duties.” He wrapped an arm around her shoulders and tugged her closer. “Tell me allllll about it.”
“If you don’t get your hands off me right now, you’ll regret it.”
“Ah, how’s that for dampening the fun. Have some mead.”
He pressed the cup to her lips and lifted it, spilling the honey wine down her chin and the front of her dress. She shoved him, and he toppled over backwards, off the bench and onto the floor. His cup of mead tumbled out of his hand, liquid sloshing across the floor. He made things worse by laughing.
“I take it you don’t want any mead,” he said between chuckles.
She stood up from the table and flounced towards Eirick’s quarters.
Everyone in the room was laughing, rather at her expense or Reece’s she couldn’t be sure.
“You better get that woman under control, Eirick,” one of the warriors called. “She’ll have you wearing a dress before you know it.”
“I’ve tried, Sven, there ain’t no taming that one,” Reece claimed, right before Lara slammed the door.
A few moments later, Reece entered the room. Lara was sitting on the bed, tugging a comb through her hair. Apparently, Vikings combed their hair often. Few of them had naturally curly hair though. These combs were more like a torture device.
Reece sat down next to her on the bed and gave her a pitiful puppy dog look. “Are you mad at me?”
“You’re drunk,” she told him unnecessarily.
“That I am. Are you mad at me?”
“Yes.”
“I’m sorry.”
“Why are you sorry?”
“Because you’re mad at me.”
She breathed a frustrated sigh. “Typical male response.”
“Give me the comb, I’ll help you,” he offered, taking pity on her and her tangled curls.
“No thanks. Go drink some more with your buddies.”
“But I want to be with you, Lara. That’s why I came in here.”
“It doesn’t seem that way,” she said.
“I love you.”
Her heart skipped a beat. Mouth puckered, he closed his eyes and leaned closer. And closer. And then fell over onto the bed with a loud snore.
“How very romantic,” she said to her unconscious bedmate. She sighed heavily and moved to remove his boots.
He grumbled a thank you when she rolled him into a more comfortable position on the bed and covered him with a quilt. She didn’t bother going to share the evening meal in the main hall. Instead, she blew out the candles and crawled into bed beside Reece. He spooned up against her immediately. She lay there tense for a moment and. When his only movement was to nuzzle her hair, she took his arm and wrapped it around her waist. She stared into the darkness for quite a while, thinking about her reaction to him. She hadn’t been mad about the rabbits or even his drinking, she decided. She had been mad because he hadn’t seemed to miss her half as much as she’d missed him.
She breathed a frustrated sigh. “Typical female response,” she murmured to herself just before she drifted off to sleep.
Chapter 7
The next morning, Reece awoke to the uncomfortable effects of his alcohol overindulgence. He covered his eyes with his forearm and groaned. Lara sighed in her sleep and cuddled up against his side. His heart thudded as her small hand rubbed across his belly and then curled to clutch the fabric of his shirt.
“Reece,” she whispered.
Was she calling his name in her sleep? Dreaming about him? This was a good sign. He grinned and covered her hand with his. He had to be careful not to pressure her. He had learned the hard way not to tell an independent-minded woman what to do, not to even give her the impression that he was attempting to gain her cooperation. It had to be her idea for them to be together, not his. But he couldn’t help wanting her. Just when they’d forged their future together, she had been taken from him. And now he had her back. A year younger and a having no memory of him because as far as she knew, they’d never even met. That year of them falling in love would never exist for her. But he’d get to live it twice. Reece smiled to himself and then grimaced as some invisible blacksmith used his head to pound horseshoes flat.
He and Lara probably had one more day here before they leaped again. He never knew exactly when Carl would show up. Somewhere between 60 and 84 hours after arrival. Reece needed to stay close to Lara today in preparation. He was pretty sure they had to be touching to leap together and there was no way he was leaving her here with an uncouth Viking.
A loud rattle at the window, which was made of a semi-transparent, stretched animal hide, drew Reece’s attention. It looked rather gray and foreboding outside. The wind blew against the window in abandon. A storm had hit sometime in the night. And it was a perfect excuse to waste the day in bed with Lara at his side.
She stirred, stretching languorously.
“Good morning, beautiful,” he murmured.
She started, glanced around nervously and then lifted her head to look at him. “I thought this was all a bad dream.”
“Sorry to disappoint you.”
She smiled. “I wouldn’t say I’m disappointed, just very overworked. I feel like I ran a marathon yesterday.”
“If we’re quiet, we can lay here all day and listen to the storm outside.”
“As if Thora, a.k.a. Slavedriver, will allow that,” she said, rolling her eyes.
“The whole house is quiet. I think everyone has the same idea,” he whispered.
Lara settled back beside him, gazing up at the ceiling. “What do we do with ourselves if we aren’t working our fingers to the bone?”
“We could get drunk. Tell stories. Make love.”
“All good for passing time.”
He rolled on his side and lifted onto one elbow, gazing down into her blue eyes. He winced at the jolt of pain that pulsated through his head.
“Hungover?” she asked.
“A little,” he admitted. “Are you hungry?”
“Starved.”
“Stay here. I’ll bring you some breakfast.”
She smiled. “That’s sweet of you.”
He rolled over her, and off the bed on the other side. “You know, I don’t even remember going to bed last night,” he said.
“You probably don’t remember what you said to me before you passed out then.”
He winced. Oh no, please, not that. Too soon for her to hear those words again. Please, not I love you. Anything but that. It will send her running in the opposite direction. Eyes closed, he asked, “What did I say?”
“You promised you’d milk the goat today.”
He chuckled. “I did? Are you sure? That doesn’t sound like something I’d promise.”
“Oh, I’m sure.”
“If you say so, but you’ll have to show me how.”
“The trick is to make sure your hands are warm before you grab the teats.”
He laughed. “I can see why cold hands might be a problem.”
“For their size, goats really pack a wallop.”
“I’ll keep that in mind.”
He crossed the room to the door and looked back at her before entering the main room of the longhouse. It was apparent why everyone was quiet. They were all nursing hangovers, and the storm that raged outside was of blizzard proportion, so there wouldn’t be much work getting done this morning. After a quick trip to the latrine, Reece grabbed a plate of cheese, bread, and smoked venison sausage, and a jug of water before he returned to the room. Lara was sitting on the edge of the bed, drawing a comb through her tangled curls.
He had a stirring of familiarity, as if he’d seen this before. Last night, perhaps? He wondered how much a fool he had proved himself to be while in his stupor. She was acting normally
though. Surely, he hadn’t behaved too improperly.
He sat down next to her and cut a piece of cheese from the small block. She reached for the serving, but he hid it behind his back.
“Open,” he prompted.
“I can feed myself, Jericho.”
“A bit testy this morning?”
“I don’t do helpless female.”
He was well aware of this. “I was in no way implying that you were helpless or female. Though, you would have a difficult time hiding that you’re female.”
“Are you always this irritating?”
“You do bring out the best in me, sweetheart.”
He set the piece of cheese on the edge of the plate. She grabbed it and popped it in her mouth.
“You could feed me,” he offered. He cut off a slice of venison sausage. She snitched it from the plate and crammed it in her mouth as well. Something was obviously bothering her. “So what did I say or do last night that has you so up at arms?”
“Nothing.”
“Did I make a pass at you?”
“You tried, but you passed out.”
He drew a pained breath through his teeth. “I’m sure that was impressive to see. Did I tell you that I love you again?”
He met her eyes and didn’t need to hear her answer to know that he had. “Well…”
“I’m sorry. I’m sure that was the last thing in the world you wanted to hear.”
She bit her lip. “Not the very last thing,” she said. “I wouldn’t want to hear that this cheese is made from goat’s milk, for example. I’ve seen what that comes out of.”
He tried to smile at her joke, but failed. He’d give anything to hear her say she loved him.
Lara touched his face and he looked at her. Her expression was serious when she said, “Hearing those words from you wasn’t horrible.”
He leaned closer. She didn’t draw away. Instead, she closed her eyes. He closed his eyes, too, just before his lips brushed hers. Her kiss tasted of heaven and smoked venison. He concentrated on not taking the upper hand. He allowed her to kiss him, his hands clenching into fists rather than doing what they wanted to do—draw her closer, stroke her skin. She pulled away after a moment and leaned back to look at him.
“What I wouldn’t give for a toothbrush right about now,” she said.
Reece lifted his hand and huffed a breath into his palm, before giving it a hesitant sniff. “Do I offend?”
“I didn’t say that. You know, the things I miss most are all found in a bathroom.”
“I think they use teeth scraper things to clean their teeth. I’ll find you one after we eat.”
“How long will we be on the run?” She asked, looking weary.
“I don’t know. Until we come up with a better plan. If we could get the other half of the amulet, Carl couldn’t follow us anymore. We might also have control over our leaping. If you can decipher the hieroglyphics on the other half, that is.”
“I have some knowledge of Ancient Egyptian hieroglyphics, but I’d need access to my reference books to translate something complex.”
“You were the one who deciphered the symbols on this half,” he told her and lifted the amulet to look at the tiny symbols. The amulet was the reason Lara had been killed. He wished now that he’d never unearthed it. Wished he’d never involved Lara. But you can’t change the past. He was hoping it was possible to change her future, by living in the past.
Lara touched the flat stone, tracing the markings with her fingers. “Some of them are rather faded. I’m surprised I translated them correctly.”
“You’re brilliant,” he said, his eyes shifting to her face. She took his breath away. Always had, and undoubtedly always would. “And beautiful.”
“Thank you. You’ve got a pretty-boy, tough-guy thing going on. How do you pull that off?”
“Lots of practice.”
“I see. And least you forget, I’m starving. Cut some more cheese.”
“Trust me, sweetheart. You don’t want me to cut the cheese.”
She groaned. “When will you get better jokes?”
“What do you mean? That was a good one.”
She quirked an eyebrow at him. “Juvenile and corny,” she assured him.
“I suppose you could do better.”
“Not on an empty stomach.”
He cut the cheese into several bite-sized chunks, then carved up the sausage as well. He tore the bread in half and then sat lotus style on the bed with the plate between them. They ate in silence for several moments.
“So we just need to get the other half of the amulet and we can stop running? We can go home?”
“I don’t think we can ever go back to our own time,” he told her. “Despite what the newspaper says, your death wasn’t a random murder. Someone is after you.”
“Do you know who it is?”
“Sort of,” he admitted. He didn’t want to say too much. “The wrong people found out about the power of the amulet.”
“Like who?”
He probably shouldn’t lie to her, but the truth was too terrifying to share. “Some religious fanatics. They want the amulet to shift the flow of power in the world. We vowed to keep it away from them. Imagine the amount of damage those kind of people could do with this artifact.”
“So why did they kill me?”
He shrugged. “I wish I knew. Probably to get to me. I didn’t stick around long enough to find out. I just wanted to go back in time, find you, and make you safe. Carl wanted to find me and keep me from changing your future. He’s convinced it will lead to the end of the world.”
“Is Carl one of the fanatics?”
Reece shook his head. “They don’t even know about Carl, or the other half of the amulet. Carl is my partner. He and I discovered the amulet together. We each took a half and you deciphered the hieroglyphics on my half. You said something about the other half being a control element.”
“How did I know that?”
“I’m not sure. You read something about the amulet in an ancient script, I think. You warned me not to use it, even though we knew how. You said the Egyptians were afraid of it. Said it was cursed.”
“Egyptians thought a lot of things were cursed. And why did you use it, when I told you not to?”
“To find you.”
“Did I ask you to?”
Reece stared at her, his heart lodged in his throat. She simply didn’t get it. He wondered if she would ever love him like she once did. Circumstances were different this time. Maybe she wouldn’t fall in love with him at all. He didn’t know what had caused her to start looking at him differently in their previous relationship. She’d thought of him as an amusing guy, never to be taken seriously, then one day it was as if she’d seen him in a totally different light and she’d allowed him to get close. It had been the greatest gift he’d ever received. She loved fiercely, deeply, unconditionally. But getting her to initially open up to him had been next to impossible. I have to be patient. She’ll fall in love with me again. Just keep it together, Reece.
“No, you didn’t ask, but I had to save you, Lara. It’s the only thing I could think to do in that situation.”
“Maybe I didn’t want to be saved.”
“Maybe I didn’t care what you wanted,” he countered. “Maybe I really saved you for me.”
Her eyes narrowed dangerously. “Maybe I should thank you for saving me,” she snapped.
“Maybe you should. I risked a lot to save you, you know,” his voice raised in anger. “I gave up my entire life for you.”
She touched his cheek and his temper was instantly placated. “Thank you,” she said. “I owe you one.”
“You would have done the same for me,” he said. “I know you would have.”
She smiled. “I must have thought you were something pretty special, then.”
She leaned towards him and kissed him. She pulled away and gazed up at him shyly. For an instant, Reece saw her as Eirick saw her. As Helga. Reece felt
what Eirick felt. Unbridled lust. He toppled her onto the bed, pushed her skirt up and pulled her underdrawers from her body with a vicious yank. Eirick struggled with the fly of his pants, holding Helga to the bed with his weight while he unleashed his cock.
“No,” Helga cried. Reece couldn’t sense Lara anymore at all. This had happened before. When a situation got particularly tense, he lost his battle with his vessel’s consciousness and was taken along for the ride. Reece couldn’t stomach the thought of being witness to a rape, however. He struggled to regain the upper hand over Eirick’s lust and actions.
Helga’s image faded and Lara was suddenly gazing up at him with a horrified expression. “She’s a virgin, Reece, and she’s terrified. Don’t let him hurt her like this.”
“I’m trying, Lara. But this event is important. It has to happen. There are things we cannot change.”
“What do you mean?”
“If something has to happen in the past, it has to happen. We can’t stop it. There is something necessary about this moment. A reason they have to consummate this relationship.”
“They have to have sex or he has to rape her?”
“How should I know? All I know is that when events shape the future, I can’t change them. I’ve never been able to. I’ve tried more than once. I thought I could stop Lincoln’s assassination, but no, I just had to sit there and watch.”
“I feel it too, Reece. That this is important. Maybe she gets pregnant or something and the child can only be conceived on this morning. Just don’t let him rape her. Please.”
“I don’t know how to stop this.”
“We won’t stop it. Just make it easier. Reece, make love to me.”
As soon as she said it, Eirick’s pull over Reece’s actions lessened. “Are you sure?”
“Yes.”
Reece regained total control. So they just needed to have sex. He didn’t have to rape her. Thank God.
And then it hit him. He was going to make love to Lara. This was his chance to show her how well they fit together. How they were made for each other. How great their sex life was. Or had been.
Loving on Borrowed Time - Lovers Leap 1 Page 5
