by Nina Bangs
Cap frowned. “What’s a newt?” His expression turned calculating. “Never mind. So, do you feel any different?”
“No. And I don’t intend to feel any different. Give it up, Cap.” She almost pushed him out the door.
Alone at last, she closed her eyes and looked within herself. Nope. She felt like her ordinary before-coffee sluggish self.
Ally cleaned up at the small sink, did the minimal-makeup thing so she wouldn’t scare all the fairies out of Ireland, then brushed her hair. She could have done a lot better job in the bathroom Brian had built, but she only used it when she had to. It still felt too . . . white for her.
Changing into her jeans and a sweatshirt, she poured herself a cup of coffee and went outside.
Ally stood beside the wagon, savoring the hot coffee and crisp sea air. She gave Katy a hard time about the castle, but there was something magical about this place.
She glanced toward the cliff and realized that the “something magical” was standing several yards from the edge staring out at the sea. His jeans showcased his long muscular legs and tight buns, and he had his hands jammed into the pockets of a short windbreaker. His long hair blew away from his shoulders. She wanted to bury her fingers in that hair and . . .
Hmm. Okay, so what she wanted was a normal, healthy female response. Nothing special about what she wanted to do. And it certainly had nothing to do with Cap’s cinnamon rolls. But she should really check her response out to make sure it wasn’t even the tiniest bit abnormal. No way did she want Cap to be able to claim her response was induced by his love potion.
Feeling supremely self-righteous, she strode over to join Brian. Glancing over the cliff edge, she felt the cinnamon roll churning in her stomach. “That’s a long way down.”
He turned to smile at her, and Ally drew a deep breath at the power of that smile. Its wicked slant spanned centuries, suggested dark secrets in hot places that needed no words, made her want to trace its shape, taste its sweetness, then wipe it from his face and replace his grin with serious desire.
Nope, Cap’s cinnamon roll wasn’t affecting her at all.
Brian turned toward the castle. “It doesn’t look so threatening in the bright light of day.”
You look threatening in any light. He was a threat to her promise to herself. The one that said she’d never again be the one to do things for a man. She wanted to do any number of things for Brian Byrne.
A threat to her newfound strength and selfdiscipline. She’d sworn the only contact she’d have with men would be on a need-to-have basis. She’d enjoy a physical relationship, but she wouldn’t care about any man’s life, his past, his future. Oh, she wanted the physical with Brian, but she also wanted, no needed, to crawl inside his heart, his head, and learn everything there was to know about him. There, she’d admitted it.
You’re a failure, Ally O’Neill. The first man who’d strode into her life since her divorce had made her forget all the vows wrenched from her heart during the endless tear-filled nights after Dave left her.
“Looks like Cap’s new car is here.” Brian nodded toward the road. “Let’s take a look.” His expression turned thoughtful. “I’d like to know what his first one looked like and if the sheep story is true.”
Something about Brian’s suspicions troubled Ally. “You can’t think Cap would really try to hurt us. The bottom line is that you play a team sport. We’re talking entertainment here, not mob hits.”
His expression told her he wasn’t quite sure what “mob hits” meant, but he got the general idea. “The game is everything to Cap. He might not show it, but he never got over how the Old One managed to lure me away from the Titans. And he never forgave me for taking her offer.”
His suspicion was an uncomfortable facet of Brian’s personality. “You really don’t trust anyone, do you?”
He shrugged. “I trust myself. And I trust my instincts. That’s all I had to trust until I was sixteen. And I survived.” He started walking toward where the car was parked. “I guess I don’t really think Cap is behind what’s happened, but I never close the door on possibilities.”
Possibilities. The word conjured other things for Ally that had nothing to do with Capricorn Wilson. “We need to talk about the book today. I can’t keep putting it off.”
Brian nodded but didn’t answer as they reached the car. Jupe, Nebula, Katy, and the Old One had gathered to listen to Cap. Ally only halflistened to what he was saying. She was busy trying to figure out how she could get some uninterrupted time with Brian to discuss the book.
“Thanks for bringing the car out so early, Mr. Doyle.” Cap was all jovial goodwill as he turned to his audience. “I’ll have to drive Doyle back to town. I wouldn’t mind if someone wanted to go with me. We could stay a few hours and do some shopping.” Cap’s pointed glance at Ally said he was doing his best to make sure she had some time alone with Brian so the effects of his gypsy potion could play out.
Doyle smiled at everyone. “I’ll be wishing ye a fine day then.” He climbed into the rental car, slammed the door, rolled up all the windows, then cast Nebula a fearful glance.
Ally watched the by-play. Jupe glanced at the Old One, then nodded. “Guess I’ll tag along.”
She knew the Old One would stay here to make sure no contract breaching took place.
Katy nodded eagerly. “Sign me up. Shopping’s the second best thing in the world.” She frowned. “I used to know what the first thing was, but it’s been so many years since Padraic passed on that I can’t remember.”
Great. More souvenirs. After the terrible and very real haunting of last night, Katy’s plastic shamrocks and leprechauns seemed an insult to the memory of Ireland. But then, Katy didn’t know about last night.
Ally glanced at Nebula. Even at this early hour, she looked focused, a woman warrior planning the day’s battles.
“I will stay here. I must commune with my inner self.”
Ally figured that Nebula didn’t think there was anyone else worth communing with.
“Afterward, I will look at this ruin so I may tell everyone I saw something meaningful in this time.” She frowned. “Although I cannot see what interest a poorly built structure holds. I would have built it to last longer than a few puny centuries.”
Nebula had a certain fondness for the word “puny.”
She pinned Brian with her gaze. “Then I will work with you for several hours so that you may maintain your thrust power and lower-body strength.”
Katy couldn’t let that go. “My Padraic could’ve used some of that thrust power. Didn’t know there was anything you could do about it. I’d like to see how you get some of that. Maybe I could assist a nice granddaddy who’d like to be hot, but he’s not.” She glanced at Ally and thought better of what she’d said. “Guess Brian wouldn’t want anyone standing around and staring, so I’ll go shopping.” Her expression turned thoughtful. “Problem is, I’m still young and hot to trot inside. But all the men I know are old farts inside and out. It’s tough on someone who still has womanly needs.”
Ally’s inner self was aging rapidly. And she’d never admit it out loud, but she’d like to see Brian’s workout, too. “You’ll probably enjoy the shopping more.” Ha! “Besides, watching something like that would destroy the mystery of the sensual experience.”
Everyone stared at her like she’d gone crazy. They were right. That line sounded like something straight out of her Perfect Wife books.
Brian smiled. “No one will ever accuse Nebula of fostering sensual experiences, but it sounds intriguing to me.”
Ally cast Brian a grateful glance. Thank you for saving me from foot-in-mouth disease.
Nebula looked unconcerned. “Sex is an enjoyable bodily reaction, nothing more.”
Katy grinned. “What a woman.”
Nebula looked offended. “I am more than a woman. I have told you this before.”
“Sorry. I forgot.” Katy climbed into Cap’s car.
“Let’s get this
show on the road.”
Cap and Jupe climbed in after her.
Ally watched silently as the car bumped down the rocky path onto the paved road. Nebula had clarified something for her. Ally would die before she’d write a book where sex became a diverting but meaningless act. She had felt like squirming with distaste at Nebula’s words. Which reminded her . . . the book.
Nebula and the Old One wandered away as Ally turned to Brian. “I need to get some solid ideas for this book.”
He nodded. “Let’s go into the wagon.”
They climbed into the wagon, and Ally watched as Brian shut the door and locked it. He quickly pulled the scarlet-sin velvet curtains across both windows.
“That should keep out any unwanted visitors.” He sat on the bed and patted the space beside him. “This is more comfortable than the bench seat.”
Something about the closed-in feel of the wagon made Ally edgy. “Nebula could just rip the door off its hinges, you know.”
Brian nodded. “She won’t, though, because she works for the Boss, and the Boss is a little more circumspect.” He smiled, remembering the Boss’s last two confrontations with Cap. “Most of the time, anyway.”
Ally retrieved a pad of paper and a pen, then sat down beside him. She raked her fingers through her hair. “Where do we start?”
He thought about that. Brian had always been a realist. He wouldn’t pretend to have expertise that wasn’t his. “Your book will have to deal with foreplay. I don’t do foreplay.” He smiled and suspected his hunger showed through. “But I can fantasize with the best of them.”
Ally glanced down and fiddled with her pen. “I wrote a book, The Perfect Wife in Bed, while I was still married to Dave. It was pretty tame and dealt with sex in the context of a loving relationship. The relationship was the main focus.” She looked up. “This book has to be different. I want the emphasis to be on the sensual enjoyment, the complete pleasure sex can bring. But I can’t divorce it completely from what I am. On some level I have to care about the imagined man in my book.”
Imagined. Brian knew his gaze was mocking. “Don’t play games, sweetheart. We both know I’ll be the man in your book. And when I’m fantasizing, I’ll sure as hell be picturing you.”
He watched her cheeks turn pink.
“Fine. Now that the gloves are off, I’d like to suggest something else. I’d like to actually try the foreplay stuff, to get a clear focus on my feelings. I can do a lot better job with the emotions in my book if I’ve really experienced them.”
“You must have a lot of faith in my self-control, babe.” He hoped it wasn’t misplaced.
She cocked her head to study him. “From what I’ve heard, your control is legendary. But one thing puzzles me. I’m playing devil’s advocate here, but what would be so terrible about breaking that one clause in your contract? No real harm would be done, and I don’t think the Old One would throw you off her team. You’re too valuable. In fact, she wouldn’t have any way of knowing if you broke the clause unless you told her.”
“The contract is a promise. I never break promises.” Leave it alone. Brian knew he shouldn’t say anything else, but something drove him on. “My mother left me in a spaceport when I was a little kid. The last thing she said to me was that she’d be right back. She broke her promise. I lived on the streets until I was sixteen. I lied, stole, and did things you don’t need to know, but I never broke a promise.” Except for that one time. And I’ve paid for it. God, how I’ve paid for it. He felt a moment of despair. How could she understand where he was coming from? Now she’d ask a lot of questions he didn’t want to answer.
She glanced down at her pen again, hiding her expression. “Is there anything that would make you break a promise?”
“It would have to be something more important than anything else that’s ever happened in my life.” And nothing had ever been more important than what happened in that spaceport so many years ago. Except for his one broken promise.
Ally nodded, but she didn’t ask another question. When she raised her head he saw tears glittering in her eyes.
“Hell.” His comment was succinct and expressed his feelings exactly.
Her smile was a little watery. “Okay. Blinking madly so I won’t embarrass you any more than I have already.” Her smile faded. “Look, if you think acting out the foreplay will threaten your control, we don’t have to do it.”
Brian’s face relaxed into a smile. He had enough male ego to reject her doubts about his self-control. “My control is in good shape, babe.” And he’d prove it even if it killed him. “Maybe we could start with a sensual massage.”
Ally nodded. “Sounds good, but I want it within the context of a sexual fantasy.” She bit her lip as she thought. Then her expression brightened. “A harem. That’s it. Harems have sensual connotations.”
Brian lowered his lids on his mental picture. He smiled. “You’re sure you really want to act it out?” He didn’t want to think about his disappointment if she said no. He’d never given a massage, but anything that got his hands on Ally’s bare body had to be good. He stopped smiling. Painful, but good.
“Yes. This is something I need to do. I’ll write down my impressions as soon as we’re finished.” She glanced around the wagon. “I guess the bed’s the only place with enough room. We—”
She was interrupted by wild scratching on the door accompanied by feline yowls that began as guttural expressions of outrage and climbed the scale to screams that threatened eardrum damage.
It was now Brian’s turn to drag his fingers through his hair. “She won’t give up. I’ll have to talk to her.”
“Sure.” Ally glanced at him, then let her gaze skitter away.
No wonder Ally looked uncertain. He was steamed, and he didn’t bother hiding it. Striding to the door, he flung it open.
“We need to talk.” Without breaking stride, he scooped the angry calico fur ball into his arms and leaped to the ground. Brian stopped when he got far enough away from the wagon so Ally wouldn’t have to listen to a grown man yelling at a cat. He plunked Her Bossiness onto a rock wall, then sat beside her so they could communicate eye to eye. “When Jupe comes back, I’m having him add something to that incentive clause he’s negotiating.”
The Old One’s gaze turned cautious.
What the hell had he said? He exhaled sharply. Fine. Time for complete honesty. He wanted to have sex with Ally O’Neill. And the only way his personal code of honor would allow it was if he changed the no-sex clause in his contract. What about your other reasons for not having sex while you’re here? Brian pushed the thought aside. He wanted Ally enough to ignore anything that would stop him. And that was scary because he’d never wanted a woman so badly.
“Here’s the deal, Boss. I’m taking the no-sex clause from my contract and putting it into the incentive deal. If I have sex outside the game, then you don’t have to pay me any bonuses. It’s a win-win situation for you.”
The Old One blinked her big yellow eyes at him. He could almost read her mind. She liked the idea of not having to pay him, but still feared that sex with someone from this time could lead to him wanting to stay here.
“Don’t worry. I give you my word I’ll be back with the Monarchs next season. I don’t belong here.” Then why did he feel so at ease, so alive in this time?
But he really wasn’t considering staying here. He had too much going on in 2502. Like what? His kids. The wealth he channeled into supporting his kids was important, but he liked touching their lives in other ways. A placement in a loving home, a start in a good career . . .
Why was he even having these thoughts? He just wanted to have sex with Ally, get her out of his system, then move on. “Accept this, Boss. It’s the way things are going to be.”
She turned her head to study a bird that showed really bad judgment in landing on the rock wall not far from her. Brian knew she wasn’t thinking about the bird, but his ultimatum. He didn’t underestimate the Old One for a secon
d. She’d accept his terms because she wanted to hang on to him, but that wouldn’t stop her from trying to make sure he didn’t stay here. He’d leave, all right, only not before he had sex with Ally.
But that wouldn’t happen today. First, he wanted to work through her foreplay fantasies. Slowly. Savoring all the senses, the things he’d never allowed himself to enjoy before. Right now he felt freer than he had in years. But if he wanted to move slowly, he would need to do something physically draining. If he went back to the wagon now, he might rush Ally into something she wasn’t ready for.
Glancing toward the castle, he spotted Nebula seated lotus fashion doing her communing. She’d just have to finish later because he was ready for his workout.
Ally watched Brian walk toward the keep. Why hadn’t he come back to the wagon? What had he said to the Old One?
The Old One turned her head to study Ally, then leaped from the wall and padded over to look up at her. The cat turned toward the spaceage bathroom, then glanced over her shoulder. When Ally only blinked, she walked a few feet then stared back again.
“Okay, you want me to follow you. I get that. But why?”
The Old One wasn’t answering questions.
Curious, Ally followed her into the bathroom. Ally used the bathroom when necessary, but she’d controlled any urge to explore. She felt like a coward, but she didn’t want to face any more evidence of Brian’s life in 2502.
The Old One led her to a corner where there was something that looked like a waterbed enclosed in glass. Even as Ally watched, she could see the surface of the bed undulate. She forced her gaze away . . . and saw the sign. Reality experience: Sex Super Bowl.
Drawing a startled breath, Ally glanced at the Old One. The cat’s yellow eyes gleamed with a challenge Ally knew she didn’t want to accept. Where had this come from? It hadn’t been here the last time she’d visited. She couldn’t have missed this.
Jupe? Of course. He had a Constructor and could modify this building if he chose. But why?
The Old One fixed her with one last hard stare, then padded from the room. The door swung shut behind her.
