by Mari Carr
“Good God.” Alex visibly paled. “How did the earl respond?”
“Can’t you imagine?” Ben said hotly. “He was so furious he could barely speak. When he did, Christ, when he did—”
“He made the same lame threat he made before,” Hayley finished for him, anxious to bring this discussion to an end. The earl’s threats had terrified her and she desperately wanted to escape to her bedroom before her outside began shaking as violently as her inside.
“His threats aren’t lame.” Erin said before doing a double take. It seemed she’d noticed Hayley’s distress. “Why don’t you go up and change out of those clothes, Hayley? We’ll figure out how to deal with the earl over dinner.”
Alex looked like he wanted to continue the discussion now, but Hayley caught sight of Erin’s discreet headshake. She was grateful for her friend’s help.
She offered a quick apology for upsetting everyone before dashing upstairs to her room.
“What the hell is wrong with that woman?” Ben asked when Hayley was out of earshot. “He threatened to kill her, and he meant it, Erin. You heard him. His whole being was totally focused on her. I’ve never seen him so angry, not even with Jack. He’s out of his mind with Helena’s death and Julia’s desertion and now Hayley has become the target of his unsavory attention.”
“I’ll send a note to Jack,” Alex said. “He needs to be informed the earl knows for sure it was Hayley who helped Julia escape.”
“Jack will want to kill her himself,” Ben replied. “I’ve never seen such an impassioned put-down. Remind me never to get on her bad side.” Ben, obviously shaken by the events of the morning, excused himself and retired to his room.
“What should we do?” Erin asked.
“I’ll put the servants on alert. Hire a couple extra men to guard her. Pray the earl forgets about her.” Alex held little hope the conflict between the earl, Jack and Hayley would end in anything good.
“Feels like a volcano poised and ready to erupt at any minute,” Erin replied.
Jack arrived at the Grange, shortly before dinner the next night—one week earlier than he had planned. By the grim expression on his face, Hayley had no doubt he’d heard about her argument with his uncle. She expected him to corner her and give her hell for her actions, but as the night progressed, he’d made no attempt to draw her aside. He treated her courteously and even joined in on the dance lessons. He taught her how to waltz and—just as she suspected—being in his arms had left her overheated and breathless.
As everyone retired for the night, Jack bid her good night and went to his room. Confused, she wondered if her unwise words to the earl had changed Jack’s intentions toward her. Maybe she’d gone too far and pushed him away. Disheartened by the thought, she climbed the stairs, debating whether she should go to Jack’s room to clear the air. She dismissed the thought; upset he would forget her and his promise to her so easily.
Upon returning to her bedroom, she crossed to the fire, depressed. Jack’s distance bothered her more than she cared to admit. She’d been looking forward to his return. Staring at the flames, her depression quickly turned to anger. To hell with him. If he’d changed his mind after only a few short days, then he obviously wasn’t the man she thought he was. She should have known better. In the long run, didn’t most men disappoint women? Weren’t they all frauds?
She walked to her bed, but as she sat down, a note on the pillow caught her attention. Heart racing, she snatched it up. The clear, brisk handwriting caused her heart to race.
Our Bench…Midnight
J
Forgetting her damning thoughts, Hayley—suddenly thrilled—looked at the clock. It was half past eleven.
Our bench. She recalled the night Jack caught her returning from the cabin. Walking to the mirror, she ran her fingers through her hair, shed her dress and donned her comfortable green blouse and jeans. It was the outfit she’d worn on her trip through time and the only one she truly felt comfortable in.
At five minutes to twelve, she snuck down the servant’s staircase. As she approached the garden, she spotted Jack sitting with his back to her, looking out into the woods and seemingly lost in thought.
She paused to watch him and get her feelings under control. She couldn’t help but admire his strong back and broad shoulders in his tight-fitting shirt. He’d gotten a haircut since she’d last seen him and his dark locks barely brushed his collar. Breathlessly, took in all of him—relaxed, calm, perhaps a bit brooding. She’d expected him to return to the Grange angry and prepared to do battle. She was slightly uneasy with this quiet, unemotional Jack.
“Are you going to stand there all night or come take your punishment like a man?” His voice sounded more like a growl, his back still turned.
She restrained a giddy laugh. Jack was back. Elated, she approached and stood before him, struggling to keep her face impassive.
“Hello, Jack,” she said with a mischievous grin.
His scowl was short-lived as for the first time since his return, he seemed truly pleased to see her. “Come here. What are you wearing?” His voice was so low she could barely hear him.
She took one step closer and was quickly swept onto his lap. His lips landed on hers—hard and hot. He kissed her as if he’d been away for years, not merely a few days. She relished the passion behind it. Each of them battled for control—sucking, licking, biting. Jack winced as her teeth nipped his lips, drawing blood.
“Hellcat,” he whispered against her mouth. After several moments, he broke the kiss abruptly. “Dammit, firebrand, I meant to take you over my knee, not kiss you.”
“Over your knee?” She was still dazed by the power of his kisses.
“Yes, over my knee,” he replied louder, as if suddenly recalling his reason for being at the Grange a week earlier than planned. “What the hell is wrong with you? How many times do I have to tell you not to—”
“I know,” Hayley interrupted. “I was wrong.”
“—speak to my uncle. You were foolish, impulsive, and—what did you say?”
“I was wrong,” she admitted. “I was stupid to taunt your uncle. I knew better. I sunk to his level and I’m really sorry about it.”
He was surprised by her quick acquiescence. “I don’t think you realize the danger you’ve submitted yourself to.”
“You’re wrong,” she replied. “I do understand. He was furious. I don’t know what got into me.” She shrugged before continuing to explain. “It’s always the same. I hear these horrible, stupid words coming out of my mouth, but I can’t stop. All I saw when I looked at the earl was Julia’s labored breathing, her bruised face, and the pure terror in her eyes when I first found her. It’s always the same—no matter who the abuser is. I see the victim and my words take on a life of their own. I’m not an idiot, Jack. I know my words only incite more violence, but I was just so angry.”
What she didn’t admit was she also pictured Jack as a young boy, tied to a whipping post, his back bleeding. It was that image—more than Julia’s face—which spurred her to speak up against the earl.
Jack listened to her admission, awed by her fire, her passion, her unwavering desire to right every wrong she encountered. He’d often felt the same way on the battlefield. At times it had felt like his sole mission in life was to save the scores of innocent faces he saw from a ruthless dictator. He fought against Napoleon until the end despite the fact there was money, security and family waiting for him in England. It was the same after the war as he hired one injured soldier after another, wanting to save them from poverty, starvation and humiliation.
Hayley’s cause was no less important, no less vital than his. It was her bravery and pluck that had first drawn him to her. How could he try to extinguish that fire? Why would he want to?
“Hayley,” he whispered against her soft hair, drawing her into his embrace. “I don’t think you’re an idiot. You’re remarkable.”
With gentle lips, he set out to show her his feelings. Holdi
ng her face between his hands, he worshipped her mouth, ears, forehead and cheeks. His lips trailed down her pale throat as her head fell back. He stroked her shoulders, drawing his hands along her sides, her waist, pulling her even closer. Breast to chest, she wrapped her arms tightly around his neck, offering herself to him without fear or trepidation.
He made short work of the buttons on her blouse, quickly freeing her breasts to his touch and mouth. He suckled her nipples as she moaned. Jack grinned before his own overwhelming feelings of desire swamped him. She was no longer shy or scared. Her hands seemed to have taken on a life of their own. They touched him everywhere—chest, shoulders, back. He reveled in the feeling of her fingers—no longer tentative, but confident and sure, as she drove his arousal to fever pitch.
He’d intended to go slow, to ease her into this passion, not wanting to frighten her, but she had her own agenda.
He groaned when she untucked his shirttails, sliding her hands beneath to stroke his chest, to tease his nipples as he was hers. She offered him a quick grin of satisfaction. He set about to bring yet another sound from her lovely lips. With his lips and tongue, he drew her taut nipples into his mouth, biting lightly, eliciting a sharp gasp from her. While his lips played at her breasts, he slowly dragged his hands down her waist and stomach to tackle the button and strange fastener of her breeches.
Without hesitation, Hayley reached down to assist him. Jack celebrated her uninhibited act. Then, he cursed his luck when he realized her pants were too tight to allow him much access. He was determined to bring her pleasure, to show her the touch of a man didn’t have to be hurtful or frightening. Spreading open the front of her pants, he slid one finger into her cleft, lightly touching the delicate button hidden inside. He moved slowly, giving her the opportunity to halt his actions if she wanted.
“Tell me to stop if you’re frightened.” His finger continued to torment and tease her wet warmth until she was breathless, her breasts rising and falling rapidly.
“I like it,” she replied. “Don’t stop.”
Thrilled with her progress, he removed his finger to advance their play. Lifting her, he moved one of her legs over his, so she was straddling his hips on the bench. In her new position, she could feel the very hard evidence of his desire for her. Her hips rubbed against his erection and he practically fell off the bench at her innocent, yet intensely sensual, movement.
“Hayley, you don’t know what you do to me.” His lips found hers again in a blazing kiss. With his hands on her waist, he encouraged her gyrations and wished he could remove the bothersome clothing that was keeping him from the heaven he so desperately wanted to explore. “I want you,” he whispered. “Can you feel it?”
“I want you too,” she replied, breathless from the sensations he was creating in her untried body. Her fingers moved down his chest and over his stomach to the fastening on his breeches. Jack grasped her hands to stop her. “Hayley, we shouldn’t do this.”
“I want to touch you, Jack. Please.”
Lacking the will to fight her, he said a quick silent prayer that no one would venture outside tonight. He let go of her hands, as she moved back to gain better access. She struggled to loosen his pants. After several attempts, she finally freed the object of her desire. Shyly, she looked at him as she wrapped her fingers around his hard member, caressing it lightly.
“Show me what you like,” she whispered.
Gritting his teeth, Jack was only able to mutter, “That’s good.”
Laughing softly at his anguished reply, she stroked him as Jack reached for her. She sucked in a harsh breath as his finger found her clit again, applying more pressure, increasing the pace. She wriggled, thrusting her hips toward his as she sought more. Jack wrapped his free hand around her back to hold her on his lap. To keep her from tumbling to the ground.
As that thought crossed his mind, he imagined pushing her to the grass, stripping off her blasted pants and shoving himself inside her wet heat. God. Had he ever wanted a woman before now? Lust took on new meaning. He’d never be satisfied until he was buried deep inside her.
“Oh, Jack,” she whispered as they touched, kissed, explored. Hayley’s hand stroked him faster.
He was afraid he would explode into a million pieces before he could show her the pleasures that lay ahead.
“I can’t take any more,” she said. “It feels too good.”
“You can take it.” Jack increased the pressure and speed of his finger on her clit, resisting the temptation to push it inside her. There was so much he wanted to show her, teach her. Give her.
Struggling to catch his breath, he watched her slip further into herself and the sensations he was creating in her body.
“Oh my God, Jack, please.” She didn’t realize what she was asking for, but she soon would. Jack wouldn’t rest until he’d seen her close her eyes with the orgasm he wanted to give her.
Then, he hissed in pain as her grip on his erection tightened. Out of her mind with the unfamiliar ecstasy, she’d obviously forgotten what she was holding on to. He gently pried her off of him, privately amused by her strength. Sex with this woman was likely to be rough, exciting and downright powerful. The thought of it caused him to get harder.
Gripping his shoulders, her head fell back when he pressed her clit once more. One stroke. Two. Her climax shook her long and hard. Jack pulled her mouth toward his in an attempt to stifle the loud cry that escaped her lips, silencing her with a kiss. He’d been a fool to ask her to meet him in the middle of the night so close to the house. His intention had been to give her a lecture she would not forget regarding his uncle, before sending her back to her room. Past experience should have warned him that two minutes in her presence would leave him on his knees, desperate and begging for a single touch.
Slowly easing back, Jack held her at the waist, his eyes trailing down her body, drinking in the sight of her breasts through her open shirt. Her hair was a tangled mass of red curls, hanging over her shoulders, partially hiding her big, brown eyes. Her face was flushed in the aftermath of her orgasm and she blushed even deeper at his intense scrutiny.
“Jack,” she began, but he cut her off.
“No, let me look at you.”
She raised her arms as if to pull her blouse together, but Jack stilled her hands.
“Wait,” he whispered. “You’re the most beautiful woman I’ve ever seen.”
She stopped protesting, grinning at the look of absolute adoration in his eyes. Had anyone ever looked at her with such naked desire? He was shocked the men of her time were blind to her undeniable beauty. As painful as it was, Jack refastened his pants. He wanted her, but before he took her, they needed to talk.
“Have you thought about me this week?” he asked.
“Yes.”
“And have you considered what I said?”
“Yes.”
“And?” He grew impatient with her monosyllabic answers.
“And,” she replied, “I want you, too.”
Elated, he flashed the biggest, most attractive smile she’d ever seen. His entire face seemed to explode with light and joy and happiness. He bent to give her the sweetest kiss she’d ever received. In all her life, this was the kiss she would always remember and when she died, she was sure the memory of his lips on hers as they were in that instant would be the last thought she ever had.
“I’m going to spend everyday of the rest of my life making you happy, Hayley. I promise.”
Confused, she pulled her lips away. “Rest of my life?”
“You won’t regret your decision. Not one minute of it.” He tried to pull her closer, but her hands on his chest stopped him.
“What are you talking about?” She felt an uncomfortable churning in her stomach.
“Your decision to stay here with me.” Jack suddenly looked wary of the look on her face. “What did you think I meant?”
Shaking her head, she rose from his lap, hastily buttoning her shirt and fastening her jeans. “Sta
y here? In this time? Forever?”
Angry at her retreat, Jack stood quickly. “Of course—here—forever. What did you think?”
“I thought you meant sex.” She started to become angry.
“Sex?” he shouted. “What I want from you, firebrand, has very little to do with sex.”
“You could have fooled me,” she yelled back. “And be quiet before you wake the whole house up.”
Jack’s jaw tightened. “I don’t want to just make love to you, Hayley. Christ, what kind of man do you think I am? I want to marry you. I want you to be my wife.”
Her body went numb. “Married?”
“Don’t look so horrified,” he responded. “Marriage isn’t fatal, contrary to what you may believe. A few people are actually able to be married and happy at the same time.” His words were sarcastic and he was clearly angry and hurt that she would view marriage to him with such horror.
“A few people,” Hayley repeated, “but not me. Oh no, Jack. Never me. I can’t marry you. Good God, I don’t even belong here. I told you about my parent’s marriage. Why would you think…” She began to stumble over her words, her fear of marriage so palpable, she could almost reach out and touch it.
“So you’ve found me acceptable to sleep with, but not to marry, is that it?” Jack’s question was hard, his eyes blazing.
“No,” she replied. “I mean, maybe. Dammit, Jack, why are you doing this? Why can’t we let this be what it is until I leave? I want you and you want me. No strings attached. Why ruin it?”
“Ruin it?” Jack asked, his temper boiling over. “Amazing. You’re the only woman I know who thinks marriage would ruin a relationship. I happen to be in love with you, Hayley. For some unfathomable reason, I want to spend the rest of my life with you. And only you. God help me for it. I’m not a wife beater, child abuser or whatever other type of villain you may want to paint me. I would think in the last few weeks you would have begun to realize that about me.”
“I never said you were any of those things.”
“Then what is it? Because I sure as hell can’t figure it out. We’re perfect for each other.”
