Time And Time Again (Out Of Time Book 1)

by Pandora Pine

  Carter looked up and saw nothing but blue sky and puffy white clouds. “It’s a perfect day. Why are you talking about the weather turning?”

  “Trust me, princess. You will be glad of our tent when the rains come. Help me spread out the canvas and I will show you how to set it up.”

  Carter looked up again at the gorgeous blue sky and decided to grumble inwardly while humoring Fionn. The tent was assembled and staked into the ground thirty minutes later. “Tent, sweet tent,” Carter cooed, pressing a kiss against Fionn’s lips.

  “Fire pit,” Fionn said, pulling his lips away from Carter’s.

  “I’m hot stuff, huh?” Carter waggled his eyebrows suggestively and slipped his hands under Fionn’s tunic, needing to touch his bare skin.

  Fionn burst out laughing. “We need to build a fire pit to cook our meals and heat water.”

  “Why can’t we start a fire here?” Carter stopped a foot down on the soft grass, crushing it beneath his boot.

  “And when the fire grows and spreads to the forest, then what?” Fionn raised an eyebrow in challenge.

  “Fine, Smokey The Bear. Where do we get rocks to build a fire pit?” This trip wasn’t going the way he had hoped. In his mind, he’d pictured lots of naked time and plenty of sex. So far, they were both dressed and Fionn hadn’t kissed him once.

  “What is Smokey The Bear?” Fionn asked perplexed.

  “He was this cartoon bear whose motto was, ‘Only you can prevent forest fires.’” Carter deepened his voice in perfect imitation of Smokey. His commercials ran during cartoons after school when he was a kid.

  Fionn’s eyes grew wide. “The bear could speak?”

  Carter opened his mouth to describe cartoons and realized he had no idea how to explain the idea of drawings coming to life. “Yes, he spoke,” Carter said. He wondered how Fionn would react to seeing cartoons. Would he be amazed or terrified by the technology of the future?

  “Your future must be a wondrous place if it boasts speaking animals.” Fionn wrapped his arms around Carter, pulling their bodies flush against each other.

  “There are some things you would definitely enjoy about the future,” Carter said with a grin, twining his arms around Fionn’s neck.

  “Tell me one wonder.” His sky-blue eyes glowed with curiosity.

  “Pizza,” Carter said, his stomach rumbling in agreement. What he would give for a pepperoni and bacon pie from his favorite place in Winthrop, Massachusetts. People came from all over New England to eat there. He’d bet Fionn would love it!

  “What is so wondrous about pizza?” He licked out over his full bottom lip.

  “Everything. It’s flat bread with crushed tomatoes, cheese and meats. It’s baked in an oven until the cheese melts and the bread gets crispy.”

  “It sounds delicious. Now come, we must gather stones for our fire pit.” Fionn pressed a kiss to Carter’s forehead and pulled away, grinning when Carter groaned.

  Carter followed Fionn to the river. The roar of rushing water filled his ears. It would be peaceful to fall asleep to the sound of the river winding its way to the sea.

  Carter was surprised Fionn didn’t have more questions about the future and had waited this long to ask about it at all. Most surprising of all was that Fionn hadn’t asked any questions about what the future held not only for himself but for Moone Castle. Maybe it wasn’t so surprising after all, if their roles were reversed, would Carter want to know what his future would hold? He shook his head and looked at Fionn who was crouched down inspecting rocks.

  “Here is a perfect stone,” Fionn called drawing Carter closer. The rock was round and worn smooth from the rushing waters of the river.

  “Okay, I’ll look for others like this one,” Carter said moving past Fionn, his eyes on the river bed looking for a stone of similar size and shape.

  “Where are you going? This rock is perfect.”

  “You can carry that one back. I’ll get the next one.” Carter turned his attention back to the riverbed.

  Fionn shook his head. “We need to build up your strength. You will carry all of the stones.”

  “Build my strength up?” Carter said, seeing red. “Are you saying you don’t like my body the way it is now?” He angrily whipped off his shirt, displaying his sculpted biceps and rock hard abs.

  “I love your body as it is now, princess.” He traced a finger around the lines of Carter’s abs. “You are slender but in good shape. I want you to build strength as well as adding muscle. Both will help you with endurance in battle.”

  Battle. Carter shivered. It was something he didn’t want to think about, but it was growing closer with every second that passed. He didn’t know how much muscle or strength he could gain in the next few days, but he owed it to Fionn to do everything possible to save his life. He shoved his arms back into his tunic and bent down to lift up the stone.

  “Remember to lift with your legs, my heart. I would not want you damaging yourself on our first day here.” He fisted his hands on his hips and watched Carter.

  “I’m not made of porcelain, you know,” Carter grumped, trying to figure out the best way to lift the stone.

  “Of what?”

  “Pottery,” Carter gritted out, heaving the rock into his arms while lifting with his legs. He headed back to the campsite knowing Fionn was behind him.

  An hour later the fire pit was finished. Carter’s tunic hung from a low branch of a nearby tree and Carter himself lay sprawled on his back in the soft grass, his shoulders ached from carrying the eight stones Fionn had used to construct the pit.

  “Enjoying your nap, princess?” Fionn’s deep voice drawled.

  When Carter cracked an eyeball open, Fionn was towering over him, his body casting a shadow on the ground shielding his eyes from the sun. “Why don’t you come join me?” He patted the soft grass next him, smiling up at Fionn in invitation.

  “We need wood for the fire.” Fionn’s tone was serious.

  Carter ran a hand over the growing bulge in his pants. “I have plenty of wood right here.”

  “Enough to cook our food before the rains come?” Fionn deadpanned.

  “You keep saying it’s going to rain, but there isn’t a cloud in sight.” Carter sighed and pulled himself back to his feet.

  “Go get wood for the fire,” Fionn commanded pointing over his shoulder to the edge of the forest.

  “What are you going to do in the meantime?” This wasn’t shaping up to be a great camping trip if all Fionn was going to do while they were here was boss him around.

  “I will be waiting here to inspect the wood.”

  He tried to remember Fionn had brought him into the woods to teach him survival skills, not so they could make love the entire time. He pressed a kiss to Fionn’s shoulder and grabbed his shirt from a branch before stomping off to look for wood.

  Walking through the woods brought Carter a peace he didn’t know was possible. Gone was the noise of the city with the airplanes and traffic. Here, he could hear birdsong and the sound of his own thoughts. He never imagined life in the fifteenth century could be so fulfilling.

  Fionn had scoffed over Carter not killing his own food or knowing how to survive off the land. But he was right. There was something satisfying about being able to take care of himself. He made up his mind to lose the attitude and pay attention to what Fionn taught as if it were a matter of life and death, which it very well could be.

  “What do you mean none of this wood is usable?” Carter cried. All of the confidence he had gained in the woods learning to care for himself evaporated the minute Fionn said the wood was no good.

  “The wood is still wet, princess. Wet wood makes for a smoky fire. You will not enjoy food cooked over this kind of flame.” He bent one of the pieces of wood until it broke apart. “Notice how the wood did not snap when I broke it? That means the wood is not fit for a fire.”

  At his wits end and worried he would only bring back more unusable wood, he tried another tactic. Sl
ipping his arms around Fionn, he pressed a kiss to the hollow of his collarbone. “Will you come with me and show me the dry wood to gather?”

  Fionn raised an eyebrow and wrapped his arms around Carter. “Did you miss me, princess?”

  Carter bit the inside of his cheeks trying not to smile along with his stubborn warrior. “Maybe,” he admitted grudgingly.

  Fionn laughed. “Maybe I missed you too.” He held a hand out to Carter, who threaded their fingers together.

  Working together, Fionn and Carter made quick work of gathering enough dry wood to last several days.

  “We will store it inside our tent, so the coming rain will not ruin it.”

  Carter looked up again at the clear blue sky in shook his head. “Fionn, there isn’t a cloud in the sky. How do you know rains are coming?”

  “Trust me, princess,” Fionn winked. “Now we shall set traps for our dinner.”

  Carter swallowed hard. He was sure he would have no trouble setting traps. What worried him is what would happen when they caught something in those traps. He had never been good with blood. Cadence was the one who tended his cuts and scrapes when they were growing up. How was he ever going to kill an animal?

  Fionn caught the nauseous look that overtook Carter’s face. It was not his fault his father did not teach him how to fend for himself. It amazed him that the future was a place where other men provided for families other than their own. “Do not fear. I will show you how to do it.” Fionn gently cupped his face and kissed him.

  “I need to learn, Fionn. Thank you for teaching me. It’s just blood makes me sick to my stomach.” Carter took a deep breath through his nose.

  “You are most welcome, Carter, but you are also wrong,” Fionn grinned at the look of disbelief on Carter’s face and kissed him again. Much more of this and they wouldn’t get any work done this afternoon.

  “Wrong? You weren’t there when I barfed all the way home after skinning my knee when I was nine years old.” His face scrunched up in a grimace.

  Patting Carter’s shoulder, Fionn continued, “When you helped deliver Patience you were covered in blood and other bodily fluids. You didn’t bat an eyelash over stepping in to help the mare give birth. The same instinct to survive will kick in and you will do what needs to be done to feed us.”

  “Well, maybe,” Carter agreed grudgingly. “What’s the first step in setting a snare?”

  Carter was a quick study. Fionn was pleased with how quickly he picked up how to tie and set snares. He had no doubt he would get the hang of the rest. Carter was kind-hearted and it was one of the things Fionn loved best about him, but when you’re starving there is no room for softer emotions.

  “We need to find good, sturdy poles, Carter.” Fionn said once all of their snares were set.

  “It’s about time. I’ve been trying to get you to pay attention to my good, sturdy pole all day.” Carter palmed himself through his breeches and watched Fionn’s eyes go wide, then darken.

  “I do not suppose it would matter much if we made fishing poles now or later.” He could feel his heart pounding in response to the monster erection growing in Carter’s pants.

  As if he could read Fionn’s mind, Carter started taking down his pants. “I don’t suppose it will.” He pushed them all the way down to his feet. When he stood back up, Fionn’s eyes were trained on his bobbing cock and he looked ravenous. “Sturdy enough?” Carter teased, running a hand down his cock.

  Fionn strode to Carter and fell to his knees in front of his lover and inhaled Carter to the root.

  “What, I don’t get a kiss at least?” He felt Fionn smile around his cock.

  Carter moaned when the head of his cock hit the back of Fionn’s throat.

  Fionn’s eyes locked onto Carter’s and he felt a bolt of desire shoot straight to his cock. Instead of palming himself he reached around Carter to grab the globes of his ass to pull him closer, urging Carter to fuck his mouth.

  Carter felt his cock jerk in Fionn’s mouth as he yanked him forward. He loved it when Fionn urged him on like this. He knew what Fionn was asking. He wanted Carter to fuck his face and fuck it hard. Carter reached into Fionn’s hair and held onto his head. He began slowly fucking his cock past Fionn’s plush, swollen lips, across his tongue and into his throat. “Oh, it’s hard when you don’t get what you want, isn’t it, Fionn?”

  He groaned in response, the vibrations his voice made around Carter’s cock almost made him come right then and there.

  “This is for all those times today when all I wanted to do was suck your cock and you pushed me off with, ‘There is much work yet to do, my heart.’ It’s not much fun to be pushed off, is it Fionn?”

  Fionn shook his head to the side and Carter gasped at the way Fionn was swinging his tongue along Carter’s cock as his head moved.

  Carter could see a fire light in his blue eyes. He kept fucking slowly into Fionn’s mouth, but using a bit more force now. Fionn groaned in delight.

  “What was that, I didn’t hear you?” Carter thrust deep into his throat and stayed where he was, his cock lodged in Fionn’s throat. Carter felt Fionn surrender around his cock, felt himself slip deeper inside. He felt Fionn moaning around him. “Like that, huh?” Carter smirked down at him.

  Fionn nodded, not breaking eye contact with Carter.

  “Me too.” Carter’s smile was lethal, beautiful. He slowly pulled back from Fionn’s throat, with Fionn trying to follow, not wanting to let him go. “You ready for me?” Carter whispered.

  Fionn groaned loudly and Carter began to fuck his face, with quick deep thrusts. “So fucking good, just like that.” Carter pleaded as he continued to drill Fionn’s throat with his cock. “That’s it Fionn, take it all for me. So good, gonna come, but don’t swallow, hear me, don’t-” Carter backed up enough that he started to spurt in Fionn’s mouth and not down his throat. He shouted his way through his orgasm as Fionn continued to lick and suck him through it.

  When Carter’s last aftershock had passed, he hit his knees in front of his warrior. He had a bemused, blissful look on his face and all he wanted to do was kiss Fionn, who kept his mouth closed not understanding what Carter wanted. Carter finally got his intent through when he began to lick at the seam of Fionn’s lips. Carter moaned into Fionn’s mouth when he finally opened up to Carter and he was able to taste himself on Fionn’s tongue.

  Realizing why Carter wanted to kiss him, Fionn lost control. His hand moved to palm his cock through his pants as he continued to share Carter’s come.

  Carter noticed the movement of Fionn’s hand and placed one of his over Fionn’s. He cried out into Carter’s mouth as he came and Carter kissed him through it. They kissed each other long after Fionn stopped trembling from the force of his climax.

  Carter smiled at him, love shining in his eyes. “What were you saying about needing a good, sturdy pole?”

  They were standing barefoot in the river. Each man has his pants rolled up to his knees. Carter thought Fionn looked like Huck Finn and was going to tell him that, but at the last minute he realized Fionn wouldn’t know who that was. It might make for a good story to tell him when they were cuddled together in front of the fire come winter. If Fionn survives to see the winter. Carter sighed, hating the dark turn his thoughts had taken.

  “Carter, the smallest sound will frighten the fish, you must be still.” Fionn went back to watching his fishing line.

  They had been standing in the water for what felt like hours but according to the position of the sun had only been about forty-five minutes. During that time he thought of a million things he wanted to share with Fionn, but had to bite his tongue in hopes his silence would entice the fish to bite his bait.

  So far, they had not caught anything and Carter knew this was their only chance of a hot meal tonight, unless they got lucky with the snares.

  Fionn felt a slight tug on his line and he whipped his fishing pole backward. A fish flew out of the water and through the air to land on the sandy ban
k of the pond. Fionn charged after it, pulling his knife from his belt as he moved forward. When he reached it, he quickly cut its head off.

  Carter watched his handsome barbarian gut and clean the fish with his mouth hanging open. “What’s so funny?” he asked when he looked up to see Fionn laughing at him.

  “You, my heart. You never cease to amaze me. You look at me now as if I am some fiend, yet your mouth will sing later when I fill it with my delicious meat.” At least they would have a hot meal tonight which was the most important thing with the damp, rainy weather he knew was on the way.

  “You’re gonna fill my mouth with delicious meat, huh?”

  Fionn was staring past Carter and into the water. “Pull, Carter,” he ordered.