“I could happily do that all night,” she cooed softly while firmly caressing his body.
Kane groaned his pleasure to her comment and kissed her warmly. “Be careful, I may take you up on that offer.” The thought was arousing.
“I’d be disappointed if you didn’t,” she remarked softly then giggled.
Kane’s entire body twitched to the comment, and after a small breather, he intended to test her on that. He moved off her and immediately pulled her into his arms. Riley was nestled against Kane beneath the sheets while clinging to him. He held her to his chest and remained out of breath but smiling. Riley appeared pleasantly rumpled and pleased while running her hand firmly along his chest. He attempted to look at her while hiding his boyish grin. It almost didn’t seem possible for sex to be that exhilarating, especially considering she was--
Kane’s brows knitted as he looked at her while she nuzzled against him. “Are you sure you were a virgin?”
“I don’t have a doctor’s note, if that’s what you mean,” she teased.
“No, I’ll take your word for it. I just wasn’t expecting you to be quite so aggressive.”
“I may be guilty of watching one or two training videos,” she teased. “A girl should come prepared.”
Kane was surprised by the comment then laughed softly and shook his head. He held her firmly against his naked body. “You’re nothing like I expected.”
“What were you expecting?”
He considered her question then chuckled almost humored by it. “Someone else.”
Kane only allowed his thoughts to stray for a moment. As Selena entered his mind, he easily dismissed any thoughts of her, rolled Riley onto her back, and lovingly kissed her.
†
Selena walked along the second floor hallway just a little before ten o’clock that evening. She appeared disgusted as she approached Riley’s bedroom door. It was obvious her evening hadn’t gone according to her plans. She was about to knock when she heard voices within the room. Riley’s giggles were followed by Kane’s low, soft voice. Selena lowered her hand from the door and stared at it with apparent surprise.
“I don’t believe it,” Selena gasped softly.
Her look conveyed her irritation and possible embarrassment after offering herself to Kane. She stormed away from the room and hurried down the stairs. Selena nearly collided with Hayes at the bottom of the stairs, startling both.
“You’re certainly in a hurry,” Hayes announced then grinned teasingly. “Are they serving margaritas on the promenade deck?” He’d obviously had a few drinks and was feeling little pain.
Selena appeared flustered, hesitated only a moment, and then held her head proudly. “No, I just had a near embarrassing moment,” she informed him. “I went to Riley’s room to see if she wanted to soak in the hot tub tonight. Thank God, I didn’t knock. She’s entertaining someone.”
Hayes’ expression shattered as he stared at Selena and the strange smirk on her face. She seemed a little too eager to share her findings with him.
“She’s with someone?” he asked as his voice cracked. The look on his face was wildly unpredictable and most certainly conveyed jealousy.
“I can only assume it was Kane,” Selena informed him. “I’ve seen the way she’s been looking at him lately. She was just telling me about his successful antique store.”
Hayes didn’t even appear to be paying attention to her now. He stared blankly at the floor with his brows heavily knitted. She studied him with concern.
“Are you okay, Hayes?”
He suddenly looked up at her and fumbled for something to say. “Uh, yes, I’m fine.”
Selena placed her hand on his lower arm and smiled sweetly. “I’m sorry I said anything. I wasn’t thinking. You’re obviously upset,” she said gently. “Why don’t we have a drink? We can talk about it.”
He stared at her a moment, snapped out of his trance, and shook his head. “No, thank you. I think I’m just going to go to my room and read a little. Good night, Selena.”
Hayes hurried up the stairs. Only a moment passed before his door was heard slamming. Selena frowned with disgust and folded her arms across her chest. Collin appeared on the stairs and approached her on the first floor. He pointed up the stairs with a dumbfounded expression.
“What was that about?” Collin asked.
Selena shrugged. “Beats me,” she said with a sigh. “Seems like everyone is turning in early tonight. Not even any television. I’m already bored out of my mind.”
“Yeah, me too,” Collin replied with a defeated sigh. “Want to join me for a drink?”
She shrugged while frowning. “Why not? I don’t have anything else to do tonight.”
†
Later that night, sometime after midnight, Collin walked along the second floor hallway while playing with his old-fashioned, brass room key. He appeared intoxicated and proud of it. A guestroom door opened behind him and raised voices were heard. Collin turned and looked back down the hall. Albert shoved a partially dressed Chrissie into the hallway. She clung to her clothes while arguing with him.
“What the hell--?” she exploded. “That’s it?”
“What were you expecting?” Albert demanded. “I’m tired, and I want to sleep.”
“But I don’t have a room--”
“Too bad,” Albert replied and hid his smirk. “You’re not sleeping here.”
The door shut almost in her face. Chrissie stared at the closed door with a look of astonishment and possible horror. She then looked down the hall and saw Collin staring at her in her undergarments while clinging to her bundled clothing. She frowned shamefully and approached him.
“Sorry, Chrissie,” he announced while shaking his head. “You made your bed.” He then grinned drunkenly. “Pity you don’t have one to lie in.”
Collin snickered and headed for his room, leaving Chrissie alone and half-naked in the hallway.
Chapter Thirty
Casper stood before the small check in desk within the lobby the following morning and handed his brass room key to Bessie, who sat behind the desk. She smiled warmly at him, and they exchanged a few pleasantries.
“I enjoyed your company,” Bessie said to Casper. “I get a lot of guests, but none quite like you.”
“Yeah, I’m one of a kind,” he teased. “One of me is enough.”
“Well, I think you’re sweet,” she said warmly. “Don’t ever change.”
“I doubt I ever will,” he replied.
Kane suddenly approached and pulled him away from the desk with amazing force, startling the large man. Bessie watched with surprise as well.
“Dude!”
Kane pulled Casper across the room out of earshot of the innkeeper and forced him to face him. The look on Kane’s face was desperate. “I need your help. I’m in big trouble.”
Casper’s eyes widened with horror. “You didn’t kill anyone, did you?”
“What? No!” Kane fidgeted and was unable to stand still. “I sort of slept with Riley last night.”
“Dude!” he exclaimed with a grin.
Kane quickly looked around the room with embarrassment. “Will you keep it down!”
“Relax,” Casper announced while chuckling. “I already told you it doesn’t matter. You’ll be returned to the future like it never happened.” He then appeared to consider and was less convinced. “On the other hand, Riley may be a little pissed when you start dating Selena in three years, and the you that I know won’t remember having slept with her. That might be a little awkward. Women tend to get upset by things like that.”
“That’s not the problem, Casper.”
“Sounds like one to me,” Casper muttered and thought about the situation. “That girl could put a serious hurting on you. You know, the you that’s here.” He groaned while rolling his eyes and shook his head. “Man, the you here has no idea what sort of trouble you’re causing for him.”
Kane couldn’t take much more of Casper’s
mindless chatter. “Casper, I want to be with Riley,” he said firmly then tensed. “I think I’m falling in love with her.”
Casper appeared excited. “Dude!” He suddenly frowned and reconsidered his initial enthusiasm. “There’s no way to make that work. If Riley doesn’t kill Selena, you don’t time travel, and you’ll return to the future and marry Selena. The only way you can stay here is if Riley kills Selena, in which case she becomes a snarling, nasty beast.”
“There has to be a way,” Kane protested. “What if I come clean with Riley?”
“Providing she doesn’t think you’re totally insane, you’re still going to return to the future if Selena doesn’t die. There’s no way for you to be with Riley.” Casper placed a hand on Kane’s shoulder. “The only practical solution is for you to keep Hayes from being killed and return to your life. Trust me, you won’t even remember Riley,” he gently informed him. “In three years, you’ll fall in love with Selena. It’ll all work out.”
“That’s not the answer I was looking for,” Kane muttered while frowning.
“Sorry, dude,” Casper replied. “It’s not possible.”
Kane felt defeated, groaned with disgust, and walked away from his friend. “I need some air.”
†
Kane walked along the well-groomed path in the woods and remained completely distracted. He wasn’t sure how long he’d been walking, but it had to be an hour or more. Life seemed so unfair. He knew he was being ridiculous. Casper was right. In three years, he was going to fall in love with Selena and the world would be as it should. He’d never even remember his feelings for Riley. He’d never remember that he loved. The thought made his stomach tie in knots. He attempted to collect his thoughts and focus on what he could control. Right now, today, Hayes was still in danger, and that needed to be his first priority. Thoughts of Riley continued to haunt him. Last night was possibly the greatest sex of his life. He cursed himself for even thinking something like that. It was disrespectful to Selena. He attempted to think about how wonderful life was going to be once he saved Selena from certain death. They were going to be married; and life would be wonderful. Kane suddenly cursed himself. It was no use; he just couldn’t keep Riley out of his head! Why did sex have to be so incredible with her last night? He stopped by the washed out trail and stared at the rocky crevice. It took him a few seconds to realize he was staring at the exact spot where Hayes was supposed to have died yesterday. He looked up then down the slope. The rocks hadn’t fallen! How was that possible? Kane appeared puzzled then alarmed. It wasn’t an accident! The rocks hadn’t fallen because Hayes hadn’t made the hike! He turned and ran back toward the inn. Kane ran for what seemed a long time before finally appearing in the clearing surrounding the inn. He ran for the porch where Casper impatiently sat on one of the rocking chairs and waited for him with an annoyed look on his face.
“Where have you been?” Casper demanded. “Everyone else left.”
“We need to talk,” Kane announced while out of breath and drenched in sweat. “I’m going to take a quick shower, grab my bag, and meet you here in thirty minutes.”
“Sure, why not?” Casper scoffed. “I have nothing better to do.”
Kane hurried inside.
Casper casually rocked in the chair and made a face. “It’s not as if I have a job or a boss who’s going to fire my ass,” he muttered and propped his chin on his fist.
Chapter Thirty-one
Kane appeared from the bathroom freshly showered in his green boxer briefs while carrying his travel kit. He was in the process of hurriedly packing between getting dressed. A thousand thoughts rushed through his mind. The rockslide that didn’t happen was top on his list. Despite his attempts to focus, his dilemma with Riley kept creeping back in his mind to haunt him. There was a knock on the door, which wasn’t surprising. He was late checking out and would probably be socked with a late checkout fee. He tossed his travel kit into his bag.
“Yeah, I’m checking out in ten minutes,” Kane called to the door. It was the last thing on his mind, and he didn’t feel like being bothered with something so trivial.
“Kane, it’s me,” Riley announced through the door.
Kane appeared surprised to hear her voice. His heart immediately skipped a beat. He grinned lustfully and hurried for the door. She hadn’t left! She’d waited for him! He couldn’t believe how excited just hearing her voice made him. As he bounded for the door, he wondered how inappropriate suggesting a quickie would be. He opened the door to reveal Scarred Riley from the future. His expression suddenly dropped. She kicked him in the chest with her black booted foot, harshly throwing him backwards and across the room. Scarred Riley entered the room and casually locked the door behind her. Kane caught his balance, rubbed his sore bare chest, and stared at her with horror. His horror immediately turned to anger as he stared at the woman in the black stalking outfit.
“You!”
Scarred Riley spun into a kick and struck him in the abdomen. She kicked again and hit him in the shoulder. He was thrown backward onto the bed with a bounce. Scarred Riley jumped on top of him, pinned both his wrists to the bed, and roughly planted her knee between his legs against his crotch. The fact that he only wore his boxer briefs allowed the firmness of her knee to be easily felt against his sensitive areas. She hovered over him while he stared at her scarred face and blind eye with horror. Any anger he’d felt was quickly replaced with fear. The location of her knee assured that. Her look was enraged.
“You son-of-a-bitch!” she growled with a harsh look he couldn’t describe. “Do you have any idea what you’ve done?”
“What I’ve done?”
Scarred Riley’s knee pressed firmly against his crotch. Kane gasped with surprise and discomfort. He attempted to relax her enough to ease pressure on his crotch.
“Okay!” he cried out in a higher pitch than he had been shooting for. “Just relax your knee, please!”
Scarred Riley released pressure from his crotch but kept her knee snug against him. Her knee against his private parts didn’t comfort him any but at least his life stopped flashing before his eyes. She maintained her harsh glare while hovering over him only inches from his face.
“I don’t know what you’re up to, but if you screw things up,” she snarled, “I’m going to put you in the ground right alongside your bitch of a girlfriend.”
Kane appeared momentarily angered, accessed his situation, and quickly collected himself. Having his nuts bashed in wasn’t going to accomplish anything. Even the thought hurt.
“I was only trying to keep Hayes alive,” he protested while unable to look away from the woman he loathed.
“Don’t play stupid, Kane,” she snarled. “I’m talking about what you did to me last night.”
Kane was suddenly horrified while staring at her. “Oh, God,” he gasped and nearly choked on his own words. “Please don’t tell me you have those memories.”
“What? No!” she snarled.
Scarred Riley gracefully jumped off him and the bed. His heart finally stopped pounding, although his testicles had apparently vacated the scene.
“You are so pathetic, you know that?” she scoffed and paced the room like a panther.
Kane quickly sat up and attempted to stand. She glared sharply at him, instantly forcing him back into a sitting position with just a look.
“Yes, I’m probably almost as pathetic as you are,” he snapped then immediately regretted saying it aloud.
Kane needed to save the macho talk for when he had the means to back it up. And sitting there in his underwear didn’t qualify. Scarred Riley glared at him. Kane tensed but didn’t look away. For some reason, he couldn’t look away. Scarred Riley groaned softly and shook her head.
“Why did you do it? Some sick revenge on me?” she snarled lowly.
“No, of course not. You--she--” He groaned softly and raked his fingers through his hair. “I doubt I can say anything that won’t get my nuts cracked.”
&nb
sp; Scarred Riley sat on the bed alongside Kane. He jumped with surprise and placed his hand over his crotch. Oddly enough, he was now suddenly aware he was sitting next to her in nothing but his underwear. The fact that they were emerald green didn’t make him feel any better.
“I saw you. I saw you standing over me--over Riley with that knife the other night,” she informed him. “You intended to kill her.”
“You saw that? How--?” Kane took a deep breath and attempted to remain calm in his current predicament. He didn’t need to prolong her visit by asking too many questions. “Then you also know I couldn’t do it.”
“Yes, and if you had tried, you’d be dead,” she remarked without emotion. “I was standing in the closet not five feet from you. I could’ve snapped your neck without even waking my younger counterpart.”
Her comment sent a chill down his spine. “I made a mistake, and I’m sorry. I shouldn’t have slept with you, uh, her. I just wanted to keep Hayes from dying so you wouldn’t kill Selena. I never meant to fall in love--” Kane groaned and held his head. “God, I really screwed things up.”
“Yes, and once I figure out what the hell you did, I’ll fix it,” she informed him with detest in her eyes. “We’ll both be returned to the future, and you can marry that whore, Selena.”
Scarred Riley abruptly stood and walked toward the door. Kane watched her, allowing his eyes to fall to her backside in the black, slinking outfit she wore. His mind momentarily strayed. Technically, he had his way with that last night and thoughts of a lustful position flooded his mind. He suddenly cursed himself for even thinking such thoughts with that horrible woman. She wasn’t Riley. Scarred Riley paused by the door and hesitated with her back turned to him. Kane watched her closely and tried to assess her mood. Was it possible that she somehow had access to those memories? For a moment, he was positive he was dead.
“You can’t trust her,” she said softly. For a moment, she sounded less like the ‘she devil’ and more like Riley. “She’s not the woman you think she is.”
Death Displacement: A time travel romantic thriller Page 15
