Time And Time Again (Out Of Time Book 1)

by Pandora Pine

  “I’m close. Touch me,” Carter begged.

  Fionn released his left knee and took his leaking cock in hand. He jacked it with the same punishing rhythm his cock was setting.

  “Harder,” Carter gritted out, his grip tightening on Fionn’s sweat-slicked shoulders.

  Fionn growled and began snapping his hips faster and faster. He could feel his release drawing closer with every thrust of his hips. He couldn’t last much longer.

  “Fionn!” Carter cried out, his cock jerking hard, sending a rope of sticky come splattering across his stomach and chest. He yelled for Fionn until he felt his lover’s cock jerk inside of him. His voice cracked and he settled instead for whimpering while Fionn’s cock continued to empty itself into his body.

  Fionn’s eyes were locked on Carter’s as they came together. His heart was pounding so hard in his chest his vision started to gray out at the sides. He lowered himself on to Carter when the last tremor of release stole through his body.

  “I love you, Fionn. My soulmate.”

  “I love you as well, my heart.”

  “Tell me about your sister.” Fionn said much later. The last embers of the fire cast a weak, pinkish light over the tent. Carter was cuddled against Fionn’s chest while Fionn’s hands played over his back and through his dark hair.

  Carter sighed and rubbed the heel of his hand against his heart, which until Fionn spoke had been full to overflowing. He missed his sister more than he thought was possible. “Her name is Cadence. My mother loved the lyrical sound of that name.”

  “Cadence,” Fionn said, his Irish brogue making her name sound the way it had when his mother said it.

  Carter snuggled closer to his lover. “She has green eyes and strawberry blond hair like our mother.”

  “She has a bit of Ireland in her, has she?” Fionn carded his hands through Carter’s dark locks.

  “I take after my father with my dark hair and eyes. Cadence was born almost 2 years after me. We did everything together, including falling in love with you.”

  “Falling in love with me? How is that possible?” He rolled Carter to his back, carefully watching his eyes.

  Carter struggled over how much of the future to reveal. “Our parents met on an archaeological dig at Moone Castle and fell in love. My father raised my sister and me on stories about you and your heroism in battle.”

  “A what?” Fionn whispered, uncertainly.

  Carter shivered. How did he tell Fionn his beloved home was nothing more than a historical site on a tour map in 2015? “Have you ever found an old arrowhead or relics of people who lived here in the distant past?”

  Fionn nodded. “Donnall and I used to dig for buried treasure when we were lads.”

  “That is what my parents were doing when they met and fell in love with each other on the grounds of Moone Castle.”

  It had been on the tip of Fionn’s tongue to ask Carter about Moone and his family from the moment Carter said he was from the year 2015, but he held back, not sure he wanted to know, but now… “Do I die in battle, my heart?” he asked softly.

  Carter took a deep, shaky breath. “Yes, you died a hero.”

  He expected nothing less, yet his heart pinched in his chest. “And what of Moone Castle?”

  “She still stands in 2015.” Carter said honestly.

  “Do you miss your sister and your time?” Fionn trembled, wondering what would become of him if Carter went back home.

  “I do,” he said softly, rolling over to straddle Fionn. “But not as much as I would miss you, stubborn warrior.”

  Fionn pulled Carter down to lie across his chest, holding him tight, afraid to let him go. “Do you wish to return home?” he asked cautiously.

  “I am home,” Carter whispered.

  31

  “I have a surprise for you,” Fionn announced the next morning after they had broken their fast with some apples Carter had brought with him from Moone’s kitchens.

  “Bet I can guess what it is.” Carter winked.

  “Not that kind of a surprise Carter,” Fionn laughed, rolling his eyes. “Close your eyes for me.” Carter obeyed and heard Fionn walk away from him. “Ready for your surprise?” Fionn whispered moments later.

  Carter opened his eyes and smiled. “Yes, please.”

  Fionn took a step away from Carter and brought something forward from behind his back. It was a scabbard and sword. “For you.”

  Carter’s eyes shot wide and his hands shook a bit as he took the sword from Fionn. He pulled the hilt and marveled at the craftsmanship, noticing the heart entwined with a Celtic knot design repeated all the way down to the start of the blade. “This is the sword Padraig made for me?”

  Fionn nodded. “He gave it to me yesterday as I was making ready to leave. What do you think?”

  “It’s absolutely gorgeous.” Carter held it away from his body, moving his arm easily as the sword was neither too light nor too heavy. “Perfectly balanced too.”

  “Now do you understand why Padraig had to take measurements before crafting the sword?” Fionn was enchanted by the awed look in Carter’s eyes.

  Carter nodded, his focus on the way the blade was glinting in the morning sunshine.

  “Carter, you must understand, a man’s relationship with his blade is as deeply personal as his relationship with his horse. You must take time to get accustomed to the way it feels in your hand.” His sword had been a gift from his father when he turned seventeen summers. The sword tasted blood for the first time a month later in the battle that cost his father his life.

  “It’s amazing, Fionn. I will cherish it always.” Carter’s dark eyes twinkled in the early morning sunshine.

  “It is not enough to cherish it, Carter. You must learn to become one with it and use it as an extension of your arm, of yourself.” Fionn smiled at the wonder in Carter’s eyes.

  “When do I have my first lesson?” Carter wanted to master the basics as soon as possible. He needed to become adept enough with his sword so Fionn would allow him to fight when the Battle of Boyne Bog began. He wouldn’t be able to save Fionn’s life if he were left behind the castle wall to guard the women and children.

  “Right now. We can sword train for a few hours this morning before we move on to an archery lesson.”

  “Archery?” Carter asked. He had never before held a bow and arrow.

  “Yes, archery can be used as a method of defense as well as a means of hunting food. I want you to learn as many things as we can fit into these few days.”

  Carter was onboard with a crash course in weapons training. Still a little shaken up over Fionn asking how he died, he needed something to focus on to keep his mind from replaying what he had seen on Fairy Hill. “I’m ready. Let’s do it.”

  “You seem somehow different this morning, my heart. You are more eager to learn new skills.”

  This was different. Learning to fish and set traps were all well and good, but wouldn’t help Carter save Fionn’s life. He knew the real work started now. Carter was startled when Fionn bent down and pressed a sweet kiss to his lips. “Are you gonna show me how to use that sword? Or are we going to spend all day kissing?” Carter teased.

  Two hours into the lesson, Carter was finally getting the hang of the basics. He was sweaty and his arm was aching so much he was afraid it was going to drop off. Fionn was kicking his ass.

  “You are holding on too tightly, Carter. You must ease your grip.”

  “That makes no sense, why shouldn’t I hold on to the handle as tightly as possible?” He knew Fionn was the expert here but also knew he learned best by understanding the hows and whys of something.

  “It is not a handle but a grip. Secondly, you hold on loosely so you are easily able to readjust your hand’s position as the battle situation changes. Let us try again.” Fionn brought his sword back up.

  Raising his sword arm again, Carter marveled over Fionn’s strength and stamina. His stubborn warrior never got tired. It seemed Fionn could
raise his sword arm all day. Not only could he fight like hell on wheels with his right hand, he could also fight with his left. “Shouldn’t I learn how to fight left handed too?”

  “Let us focus on one thing at a time, Carter.” Carter’s technique was coming along well. Fionn was impressed not only with how quickly Carter picked up the physical movements involved but with how hard he worked at his craft. Carter seemed tireless and would want to repeat movements again and again even past the point of the movements becoming rote.

  Dancing backward anticipating Carter’s next move, Fionn swung his sword forward at the exact moment Carter advanced, engaging their blades together. Throwing his full strength behind his blade, Fionn left Carter nowhere to go.

  Carter’s feet were dug in as he danced Fionn around in a circle, not giving an inch of ground. He was using all of his power to hold Fionn’s blade against his own.

  Wondering if Carter would remember the lesson from the training yard, Fionn swung out his leg and hooked Carter’s ankle, yanking him off his feet. Carter hit the ground hard landing on his ass. “Carter you must remember to use all of the weapons at hand when your sword is engaged. You must strike out with your fist or your legs in order to gain the advantage over your foe.”

  “Yeah, that was the move you used in the training yard.” Carter said from his position on the ground.

  “Yet you fell for it just as Thomas did.” Now that he had fallen victim to the move, Fionn knew it would not happen again.

  Carter’s sword had flown from his hand when he hit the ground. He rolled forward onto his feet in a crouch and made like he was looking around for it in the grass when he launched himself forward and caught Fionn around the middle with his shoulder. Both men crashed to the ground in a heap, which knocked the breath out of Fionn, who seemed to be trying to laugh.

  “Something funny?” Carter grinned down at him from his position atop his chest.

  “You never cease to surprise me Carter. That was an interesting maneuver; however I still have my sword.”

  “I know it’s poking into my hip.” Carter smirked.

  Fionn threw his weight to his left and flipped them over so he lay on top of Carter. “Is this how you plan to defeat the enemy in battle, Carter? By batting your beautiful eyes and making suggestive comments?”

  “Hey, you said to use whatever weapons I had at hand, remember?”

  32

  “Dammit Fionn, I’ll never get the hang of it. Can’t I just use my sword?” The frustration Carter was feeling was obvious in the tone of his voice. It was hot, he was sweating and he didn’t seem to be making any measurable progress.

  “If you are fleet enough of foot to catch a running deer, Carter, then by all means, use your sword.” Fionn had to bite his tongue and take a deep breath before he continued. “However, my heart, I have seen you run, and let us say it is best to keep practicing with your bow and arrow.”

  “What is that supposed to mean, that you’ve seen me run?” Carter asked, narrowing his eyes.

  Fionn ducked his head. “I believe a wounded turtle could outpace you, Carter.” Fionn tried to keep a straight face, but burst out laughing.

  “So you are saying a turtle with a limp could outrun me. Is that it?”

  Fionn nodded and continued to laugh. He ought not to be laughing at all in light of all the progress Carter had made this day. After nearly three solid hours of sword training, they had broken for lunch. He knew Carter’s arm must have been throbbing, but he never complained once and was eager to learn how to use the bow and arrow.

  “Fine, I see how it is. I’ll become the best bowman Moone has ever seen and it’ll be because I’ll see your laughing face on every target I aim at.”

  “So that is why you are hitting trees three feet from your target, because you see my face on all of them?” Fionn collapsed on the ground and continued to howl with laughter.

  Carter switched to biting his tongue so he wouldn’t burst out laughing too. He stomped to where Fionn was lying on the ground. The warrior was so overcome with laughter he was rolling back and forth, fighting for breath. He spotted Carter, and could only point weakly and shake his head no.

  Carter assumed this was an apology and moved to straddle Fionn’s thighs. He grabbed both of Fionn’s hands in one of his own and held them over his head. “You think it’s funny, huh?”

  Carter asked with a grin. Fionn nodded, laughing so hard, tears were streaming back from his eyes soaking into his golden hair.

  “I’ll give you something to laugh about.” Carter used his free hand to slip under Fionn’s shirt to tickle him. Fionn’s eyes went wide and he howled with laughter. “That’s it Fionn, laugh it up, pretty boy.” Carter continued to tickle him while Fionn tried to free himself.

  Fionn managed to wriggle one hand free and flipped them over. “You think me pretty, Carter?” he asked shyly, still gasping for breath.

  Carter framed his face. “I do. You are pretty, with all this blond hair, your killer blue eyes and that smile.” Carter poked him in the side to make him laugh again and when he smiled he traced his fingers across Fionn’s full lips. “You’re beautiful, inside and out. Never forget that.”

  “Thank you my heart. I will never forget.”

  After Carter lost his last arrow in the forest, Fionn led him back to check their snares. There was a nice fat squirrel in the first one.

  “Damn,” Carter muttered.

  “Look at our bounty. We will eat well this night.” Fionn knew why Carter was upset. It meant having to kill this animal. “Come Carter, I will show you how to prepare the squirrel for the roasting spit and the next one is yours.” He looked up at Carter who nodded. Fionn quickly showed Carter how to kill, gut and skin the animal.

  Carter managed to keep his cool and his lunch in his belly, a major victory, Fionn told himself. The point of this trip was to teach Carter the skills he would need to survive and so far, he had been a star pupil. The next two snares were empty, but the third held another squirrel. Not wanting to force the issue, Fionn held back and waited to see how Carter would handle himself.

  Carter took a deep breath, strode to the squirrel and repeated every step Fionn had taught him flawlessly. So what if he was blinking back tears as he worked. He had done it and they would eat tonight.

  “I have one last surprise for you,” Fionn said, once he and Carter finished cleaning up the remains of dinner.

  Fionn had spent the last two days teaching him everything he needed to know not only to survive outside the gates of Moone Castle, but also how to protect his back in the battle to come. What more could Fionn possibly have to give him? “Fionn, you’ve given me so much already.”

  Leaning his head against Carter’s shoulder, Fionn took a deep breath and stared off into the fire. “Let me say that it is more of a gift and less of a surprise.”

  “Tell me, Fionn. I have no idea what you could possibly mean.”

  “Does it not strike you as odd that in all of the times that we have lain together, I have never asked you to penetrate me?”

  Carter would be lying to himself if he said making love to Fionn hadn’t crossed his mind. He chalked it up to Fionn being a natural top. “I wondered about that, but what we have together is so good, I didn’t want to risk it by asking for something you might not be comfortable giving to me.”

  “Well, the thing of it is Carter,” Fionn took a deep breath. “I did not think I would be this nervous in the telling.” He cleared his throat. “I have not been with another man in that manner, my heart. I was hoping you would be my first.”

  Carter couldn’t believe what he had just heard. Did Fionn just tell him that he was a virgin? “Fionn, you’re saying that no other man has ever made love to you before, that you’re a bottom virgin?”

  “Yes, Carter. I am a virgin. There has never been anyone that I trusted enough to want to give myself to, until you.”

  Carter felt his cock jerk in his pants. On the one hand, he had never been more
turned on in his life. On the other hand, no one had ever said anything like this to him before. Carter could feel tears prick the corners of his eyes and he took a deep breath to fight for control. “This is an incredible gift you are offering me. I didn’t think it was possible to love you any more than I already do, but I was wrong.” Tears started to fall down Carter’s cheeks and when he looked up at his warrior he could see tears shining in his eyes as well. “I just fell in love with you all over again,” Carter whispered and Fionn pulled him close.

  “It is an amazing feeling, my heart. I find new reasons to fall in love with you every day.” Fionn wrapped his arms around Carter and held him tight under a blanket of newly awoken stars.