Handfasted to You

by Ginny Sterling

  “Get in bed and put the blanket between us, please.” His voice taut with strain. “I would keep my word to you.”

  Nodding, she broke the moment and climbed into the bed quickly. She yanked up the thick quilt and wadded it into a makeshift wall between them. It felt completely erotic to be climbing into a man’s bed nearly naked.

  Don’t analyze it! she reminded herself. The shift she had been told to sleep in was thin material. The idea of him sleeping near her made her stomach clench with desire. What if she gave in to the temptation? What if she gave him permission to take her? What would it be like? Would she regret it?

  Emeline lay there, the blanket between where she would sleep and where William would lie down. She felt the bed give way as he lay down silently. Naked and delicious! Her heart thrummed in her chest as she felt his body heat emanating from him.

  “Goodnight, Mrs. Spencer,” he whispered huskily aloud, breaking the silence that was only disturbed by the hammering of her heart.

  “Are you covered?” she asked quickly. It surprised her and must have him as well. She needed reassurance that she was going to be okay here lying next to a stranger. This was the weirdest predicament she had ever been in. It felt like she was going to camp lying next to him and not touching at all. But if that was the case, this was one messed up camp! The temptation of him lying there waiting for earth-shattering sex was strange. Thrilling? Enchanting?

  “Give me a moment,” he said simply and she heard the rustling of the bedsheets. Emeline about swallowed her tongue when she realized he must have been lying there naked. “Now?” she asked.

  “Yes, I’m covered,” he mumbled. Emeline flipped over and stared at him in the dim light provided by the moon. He had blown out the single candle when he had gotten into the bed. His dark hair lay stark against the pillow. His eyes looked incredibly hot and almost tortured. She gave him a tentative smile and was surprised it was not returned. “Are you all right?” Was he angry with her for being so chicken?

  “I would keep my word to you,” he said tightly.

  “I know, I know. You keep saying that and I’m making it difficult,” she said apologetically. “May we talk?”

  “Emeline, I think we should try to sleep. Lying here with you nearby is making me wonder what you would taste like or feel like in my arms. I would keep my word, but I am not a saint by any means,” he practically growled, quickly looking away from her and staring up at the ceiling above.

  “You’re a good man, aren’t you?”

  “I try to be,” he said with a faint grin, staring at the ceiling in the darkness. If he was a decent guy that could treat her well, maybe this wouldn’t be so bad. He was gorgeous beyond belief. But she doubted he would turn out to be the stick in the mud Eve hinted at. There was tension between them and not addressing it would bring no relief to the desire she felt. No tasting, touching or playing with his beautiful body seemed like such a waste. While she was chicken, she was also infinitely aware of how electric her body was feeling. She was aching for him and opportunity was knocking!

  This was just not going to do for her. She would have to find a way to break through the wall, or blanket, between them. Right now, she was laying there wondering if maybe keeping her virginity was a really bad idea. Her mind pictured all sorts of decadent things and they all involved him being deep inside of her to relieve the pressure.

  Virginity would simply have to go. She had to have him. The desire was so strong, she likened it to a starving man being offered the choice to have spam or steak. Right now, she wanted her T-bone steak and he was lying there for the taking! She hungered for him and couldn’t explain it.

  “Could you kiss me goodnight?” she whispered shyly in the darkness.

  “I think that is a really poor suggestion right now,” he retorted with a small laugh of disbelief, still focused on the ceiling.

  “Well, I thought mayb…” she started and stopped as his head whipped towards her. His eyes were hard, boring into her. Emeline thought, for a moment, she should be afraid but realized that it wasn’t anger, but intensity.

  Lust.

  “I try to be a good man, but I am not without sin. I am tempted beyond all comprehension right now,” he ground out between clenched teeth. “I cannot touch you or talk to you because I feel like I am being boiled alive. My mind and my body is afire, Emeline. I have not been able to focus since you walked into my home. I’m starting to wonder if I am bewitched by you,” he bit out, frustrated.

  Witch stuff, bad! Bad! Bad! Danger Will Robinson! Danger! Eve screamed in her head. Don’t let him think you are a witch of any sort. If he is thinking that, it’s time to put up or shut up, little titmouse!

  I thought you were giving me privacy? Where have you been?

  Not if you are going to get yourself killed. Don’t bait the tiger, Emeline – feed it or leave it alone and give it distance! Salem wasn’t too long ago and you do NOT want him thinking anything remotely witchy!

  Bait the tiger, huh? I wonder if he purrs when touched? she questioned and swallowed hard. I’m going to find out, dammit.

  Language!

  I suggested you go back to wherever you were hiding at, because I think I have made my decision.

  I’m out!

  Emeline heard Eve cackling with glee as the woman’s laughter faded away in her head. Swallowing hard, she reached out a hand to touch William’s arm. She was glad of the darkness around them and the fact that, maybe, he couldn’t see how badly her hands were trembling.

  “I’m scared of how you make me feel when you look at me or touch me. Desire and temptation,” Emeline admitted softly, seeing a tight, sympathetic smile appear on his face as if he understood. She clutched the blanket to her, as if it were a safety measure. Her heartbeat thrummed at what she was about to do.

  “I’m untouched,” she answered, thinking of the word that might be used in this time period. “And the feelings scare me because I haven’t felt them before, either. I am not trying to bother you. I’m just trying to get to know you better.”

  “But?” he prompted. His eyes were heated, and flared at her admission of desire.

  “But I am scared,” she repeated. Scared that she was making a mistake. Scared I will enjoy the heck out of him. Scared that it would be an acceptance of her new life and a final goodbye to the life from which she had just exited.

  “Frightened that you will want me the way I want you?”

  “Maybe,” she admitted quietly and squeaked when he rolled over, pinning her.

  “Maybe I should just make you my wife and show you how I won’t hurt you,” he whispered heatedly against her lips. “I vowed to cherish you and I will do so in many ways.”

  His tongue tasted hers. Strong, warm lips teased her silently, melting away her fears and doubts instantly. His heated hands were everywhere, yanking up her shift and skimming across her cool skin causing her to gasp against his mouth. Emeline broke the kiss, desperate for oxygen as she felt her body bursting into fire. It was like a match flaring the moment his hands touched her. She understood perfectly what he meant when he said he felt like he was being boiled alive. Her blood was burning in her veins and her heart was hammering. Her body arched off the bed and she mindlessly grasped his hair as his teeth grazed her exposed nipple.

  “Such sweet buds! Who knew I would want them more than the air I breathe?” she heard him whisper and felt her loins practically quiver in excitement. Panting at the desire raging through her, she clenched the sheets as he continued his exploration of her body. Tasting, teasing and tickling her as her head thrashed against the pillow.

  “Trust me,” she heard William whisper against the inside of her thigh. “Let me take you and make you mine forever.” At the touch of his mouth, she shook with ferocity as her body quaked with desire. Her body exploded in relief as she came against him. A cry of ecstasy and relief was torn from her throat as he drove himself deep inside of her, sealing their vows between them.

  “You’r
e mine,” he claimed, fervently taking her lips. He pushed himself into her willing body again and again, to make sure there was no question of his possession. “Forever and always,” he whispered against her cheek, making her want to weep at the tender admission that seemed to be torn from his soul. She didn’t think that he knew what he was saying. He was driven by need that was so strong. So, very desperate.

  Maybe for a week, she echoed in her mind randomly. That is what Eve had said, but she was almost certain it would be permanent. The woman had a very broad definition of what reality was. Apparently, reality was simply what suited Eve at the time. There was no guarantee she was staying here, but there was nowhere else to go… was there?

  The idea pushed from her head quickly as she felt him grab her hips, his motions frantic and ragged. “Will,” she begged, feeling that burning in her body returning. Flames of desire flickered along the nerves that seemed to center in her pelvis.

  “Shhh, my lovely bride,” he murmured against her throat. He sat back on his legs and pulled her body against his, upright, causing a different friction where their bodies met.

  “I can’t,” she begged brokenly at the new sensations filling her as he touched her most intimate areas. His warm arms wrapped around her torso, his lips hungry for her breasts. If he hadn’t been holding her, she was certain she would collapse.

  “I’ve got you,” he crooned tenderly, cradling his head against her chest. “Emeline, I want you to find your release again. Take me with you.” She felt his body surge against hers repeatedly, lost in a primal dance of lust. “Now, Emeline!” he ordered as he lost himself in her.

  “Will!” she screamed brokenly, locking her legs around his waist. Her arms shaking as she clenched at his shoulders, feeling him tremble. She was afraid to let go, else her body disappear once again under the waves of passion that swamped her. She felt like she was drowning once again. This time, instead of breathing in saltwater and the impending feeling of death swamping over her, Emeline felt like she was coming alive. Blossoming. Breathing in his passion and filling her body with his aura.

  It was the craziest sensation. She felt like she was floating. Bodiless. There was no Emeline, no Boston, no William. It was like two dancing flames in the darkness, twin beams of light, two stars that suddenly fit into one. Linked.

  We call it finding your match, your soulmate. He is your matching puzzle piece, Eve said happily. I’m glad you didn’t fight the calling between you two.

  Privacy! Emeline roared in her head as she clung to his strong shoulders. Her body felt like it was made of Jell-O. There was a distinct possibility she could simply slide into one big puddle of happiness onto the bed they shared.

  Yep! Get out of here for a while… and wow! she told Eve a bit more gently as she sighed peacefully. Feeling her new husband holding her gently in his strong arms was amazing. She lay her head upon his shoulder as they both caught their breaths. Reaching up, he smoothed away her hair from her face and kissed her tenderly.

  Eve’s laughter faded away.

  Chapter 6

  Emeline felt herself being cradled as she and William lay down together. Neither said a word for quite some time as they recovered from their lovemaking. She was mentally shaken, almost as much as her hands shook from the intensity between them. Blown away by the bonding between them that Eve had suggested, she lay silently thinking about the day’s events leading up to what just happened. She was married. Married and stuck in colonial New England. Disrupting her thoughts, she heard William apologize softly as he kissed her neck.

  “Why did you say you were sorry?”

  “I broke my promise to you. We haven’t been married a day. I feel pretty regretful that I did, however…” he broke off suddenly, grinning. He gave a light squeeze as she lay there.

  “Yeah, it was pretty awesome. Wasn’t it?” Emeline giggled.

  “Pretty awesome doesn’t describe it,” William agreed, sounding a bit odd using the terms she just used.

  “Thank you,” Emeline whispered. She was embarrassed as she reflected on her yanking his hair, panting like a dog and then yelling like a banshee. “I’m sorry I pulled your hair.”

  His laughter shook them both as he held her tightly. “I’m not. I hope I give you cause every night to pull my hair like that repeatedly,” he teased.

  “Well I don’t want you to end up bald either,” she teased, locking her fingers with his.

  “True,” he admitted chuckling and kissed her cheek. “I like that we can laugh. This is a good start in our life together, Mrs. Spencer.”

  “It’s a great start, Mr. Spencer.”

  Emeline lay there for some time in the dark, listening to the silence around them and his even breathing. There were so many thoughts whirling around in her mind, it was keeping her awake. The idea that Eve had been listening to them bothered her tremendously. Actually, that downright freaked her out for some reason. It wasn’t enough to have her popping into a different time period. But the fact that she listened when they had nookie? That was wrong on so many levels!

  She wondered just how far into the American Revolution they actually were. It seemed pretty peaceful right now, even with the soldiers earlier in the night. She guessed it was pretty early in, but how do you ask that question? How good was her memory from high school history? Had any battles started? Didn’t they tar and feather people? What about the tea party? While it might be fascinating to witness history in the making before her very eyes, the idea of going anywhere near the harbor held absolutely no appeal after being yanked under the ocean’s water. Honestly, she was a little “gun shy” if you could call it that. Were they in danger?

  So many questions, so many different outcomes. What if she said something that caused an alternate path in the timeline and they ended up British instead of the United States? How deep entrenched was William in the rebellion? Eve said she had a purpose. However, she didn’t tell her what that purpose was. She mentioned rules, but the only one she informed her of was the cursing. Who made a rule like that anyways? Seriously, it was kinda petty to be upset about curse words. Personally, she was more upset that indoor plumbing wasn’t a thing yet. How’d they take baths? They must because William seemed pretty darned clean.

  So, if her history served her correctly, there was a good chance she could meet up with a lot of famous people. She could turn the tide with a carefully dropped word or idea. That was intimidating. She would have to be careful in what she did or said so she didn’t screw up her future.

  Her future in the past?

  Or her future in the future?

  Whoa, she thought with a contented smile and shut her eyes. Don’t think on it too hard or your brain will hurt. Enjoy the moment and the gorgeous guy that is spooning you. Letting out a sigh, she allowed herself to fall asleep.

  Emeline awoke the next morning to find the sun streaming in the window and the bed empty. Stretching her arms above her head, she gave a little squeak at how good it felt to be relaxed and in the warm sunlight on a winter’s day. It had been a long time since she got to sleep in and while she didn’t expect it to happen very often, it was treasured none the less.

  Sniffing, she smelled food and the faint aroma of coffee. Getting up, she padded barefoot around the room for a moment looking for anything to serve as a robe. Finding nothing, she thought about trying to dress herself and gave up when she saw all the laces gaping open and the dreaded stays on the wooden plank floor. Grinning at the reminder, she, instead, decided to go downstairs in her shift.

  The stairs were daunting to say the least! While she thought they were steep going up, they looked perfectly dreadful coming down. I never realized I was scared of heights before, she contemplated with amusement. Sitting down at the top of the stairs, she slowly made her way down, step by step, on her bottom. Halfway down, she peeked through the rail to see William’s beaming face.

  “I will make the stairs easier on you immediately,” William promised with a laugh. “Although, seeing
you come down in nothing but your shift does have its appeal,” he admitted as he put down the saw and came over to greet Emeline for the day.

  The playful look in his warm eyes was enchanting as he scooped her up off the stair steps. She wrapped her legs around his bare waist, just over the ties of his pants. He looked so very happy and it made her soul sing.

  “You know,” Emeline teased, lightly tracing his lips with her fingers. “If you fix the stairs for me, I can come down in absolutely nothing, if I am tempted enough to do so,” she promised huskily as he nipped at her fingertip.

  “The stairs are of utmost importance then,” he announced in agreement. And instead of carrying her down the stairs, he began carrying her up them.

  “Where are you going?”

  “Well, I’m thinking that my wife has something she wants to show me.”

  “Oh?”

  “Her delectable naked body that she just so sweetly offered.”

  Laughing, she said, “But that was just a teaser to fix the stairs.”

  “You shouldn’t say what you aren’t prepared to do,” he taunted.

  “Well, I said I’d come down the stairs naked… and I am upstairs now.”

  “Practice that for my eyes alone,” he whispered heatedly, taking off his shirt.

  “With pleasure,” she replied easily, removing her shift and standing in the sunlight streaming through the window. “Do you need to lock the door downstairs so no one comes into your shop?”

  “I never unlocked it this morning,” he said kissing her.

  “How come?”

  “I have something a bit more important than my work, right now.”

  “Just a bit?” she asked, fishing for compliments.

  “Actually,” he said tenderly. “I find that my life hangs in the balance of keeping my new wife happy.”

  “Your new wife sounds positively dreadful if your life ‘hangs in the balance’,” she teased.

  “Well, after meeting her, I have discovered that she is pretty demanding,” he teased, pulling her to him.