Arabella sighed softly mid-giggle at his lips on her skin. That he was inside her was delicious. That such a simple kiss could make her tingle all over made her giddy. She could not remember the last time, or if ever she had tingled.
"First of all you have nothing to prove to me, Master Robillard, when it comes to masculinity. I am yours for the taking. And if you were as wounded as you make out you would immediately withdraw from me offended.” Yet the squelching and thrusting still continued.
"Are you mine, Arabella?” Garrett whispered in her ear.
The hairs on her neck stood up and she shivered. Of course she was but not in this century.
"Until I have to go.” She arched her back into Garrett to make sure every thrust counted. If this was their last time together she wanted to remember the feel of him inside her forever. She giggled again. “I'm sorry but it sounds weird and it feels weird.” Not that she wanted Garrett to stop for a second.
"Again not something a man wants to hear when he's deep inside a woman doing his best."
"Not you,” Arabella gasped out as he started to thrust faster. “It's that lump of rubber over your cock. I just prefer you and nothing else.” She ground her arse back into him. “And Master Robillard, you are doing better than your best."
Garrett turned her head to meet his lips and kissed her lingeringly.
"God how I love you, Arabella Smith."
* * * *
The man lit his cigar and watched the two lovers. The woman was fiery and exquisite. To his knowledge only harlots in the nineteenth century dropped to their knees and sucked a man's cock or eagerly had sex out in the open up against a wall where anyone could see. The woman had passion and that passion overrode common sense. She could be very useful to him. He knew who she was. She was from his time and that meant she would not play by 1888 rules. Could she be manipulated to suit his own plans?
He smiled as the woman whimpered loudly in unsuppressed pleasure as the man kept thrusting harder and she excitedly pushed back against him taking everything he had to offer. The man felt his own cock harden in response as he watched her back arch and breasts bounce enticingly as she accommodated her lover.
The women shrieked loud and long as she came as if not caring who heard her. He loved women who enjoyed sex and showed it uninhibitedly. Her lover slumped against her as he gave one last thrust and held her close as he came. He could see they were in love. It was in the way the man held her, his hands gently caressing as the women turned to him and buried herself close against his body. That they were in love would be useful. He knew who her lover was. Robillard might be a problem as he had heard the local land owner's son was not a man to be taken lightly. But then neither was he.
He had one last lingering look at the woman and licked his lips in anticipation. What would she do if she thought her lover was in peril?
* * * *
Garrett escorted Arabella back into the room solicitously.
"Is everything smoothed down the back?” She had relied on Garrett to help her dress as she was not expert at contorting her arms around to her back to straighten the yards of fabric that were in the dress.
"Everything is fine, honey."
"Do you think they'll notice I don't have a corset on?"
"Yes,” responded Garrett with a chuckle as he looked down at her unrestrained breasts. The fabric was thick but not enough to hide her nipples that jutted out. “However I am sure you will work out some way to get around that."
Arabella smiled innocently as Maud came over to her.
"Are you trying to create a stir?” Maud whispered as her eyes roamed the younger woman. She shook her head in fond exasperation.
"Why? Did someone hear me scream out in the greenhouse?” Arabella asked. “I can explain that I was frightened by a snake.” A big, hard, hot one and I would like to scream because of it again.
Garrett laughed at her words and caressed her hand as it rested on his forearm.
"Your hair is all over the place and you're missing your corset again.” Maud looked at Garrett pointedly. “And no, I don't want to hear about the specifics or about supposed snakes. I was young once and I can remember what it was like to be in love."
"With Wild Bill?” Arabella pulled her hand from Garrett's arm and made a vague attempt at re-pinning her hair into some semblance of order.
Maud flushed at her words and sighed in exasperation.
"Aggie told you."
"Wild Bill?” Garrett looked at the two women quizzically.
"Nothing you need to concern yourself over.” But Arabella was concerned over it. Before she was thrust back into 2008 she wanted to have a go at getting Wild Bill and Maud together. Arabella had considered herself one of the least romantic people on the planet. But suddenly here she was playing cosmic matchmaker.
"Garrett, I know you love Arabella but you need to leave us alone for a moment.” Maud's eyes scanned the room casually. “Too many people are watching you."
"I don't care what people think.” Arabella didn't. Okay so she wasn't wearing a corset and it would not take a genius to work out she had been thoroughly and delightfully shagged. And maybe she wasn't sure about the whole thing with Garrett and whether it was some cosmic plot to throw the man of her dreams into her path only to make it impossible to have him—but that was her business. Let ‘em look and wonder.
Maud pulled her gently to her side.
"Neither do I normally but we don't know how long you will be in 1888 so you have to try to fit in."
Garrett sighed and nodded in agreement.
"Miss Maud is right. As much as I would like to hoist you over my shoulder and carry you off somewhere to make love to you until you never wanted to leave me, now is not the time or place.” Garrett inclined his head politely to the two ladies. “I will see you later."
Make love to you until you never wanted to leave me. Arabella was so close to that it was only her own fears that were holding her from teetering over the edge. Fear of living without the mod cons versus fear of living without Garrett Robillard. How could knowing someone for a mere heartbeat make her even want to consider changing her ideas?
"I thought you weren't going to pursue anything with Garrett,” Maud said as she watched him walk away.
Arabella blew out a long sigh. Lust, love and need. Three emotions that were not part of her repertoire and they were screwing with her mind.
"Yeah well, things happen.” Hot, yummy things that a girl could not walk away from.
"Uh-huh,” Maud murmured skeptically.
"It was just sex, Maud.” It was not like it was illegal.
"Shhh ... I am open-minded but many aren't. You have to remember that unmarried women do not go around making love to unmarried men without being forced to marry them."
There was the marrying Garrett thing again. The thought was both bizarre and strangely appealing—that was if she was living a normal existence which she wasn't. Where would marrying the man of her dreams get her but stuck in 1888? Man of her dreams?
"Do they serve alcohol here?” Arabella felt the need for a strong drink to steady her nerves and clear her senses.
"Only sherry."
"Bugger that,” Arabella muttered softly. She watched as Maud shook her head at her again. The woman was going to have a severe neck problem by the time Arabella left. She would have to make an attempt to be less of a burden to Maud.
"Try and be good, dear. They are about to give out prizes."
Arabella did her best to stand meekly and watch the prize giving. She stiffened with excitement when Amy Louisa was handed The Border Shepherdess.
"So that's how Amy Louisa got the book to write her name in."
"This will be interesting,” murmured Maud as she watched a man come up to them. She turned to her guest. “Arabella, this is Frank Black."
Even if she hadn't heard anything about him before she would have known just by looking at him that this was the other time traveler. He just did not look right.
Maybe it was the shape of his face, the cut of his dark brown hair or maybe the flashy tailoring of his clothes but he looked too modern to fit in. He stood out as she stood out. Arabella looked into the man's light blue eyes and felt that there was more to him than met the eye and a lot of it was not necessarily good. Some people just gave you that feeling when you met them. Arabella relied on her instincts and they were telling her to be careful. Why was he at a church social when he was dressed as if he should be holed up in a saloon bar playing cards? The fact that his name had not been mentioned in the newspaper cutting was also interesting. An oversight or was this man here for his own reasons?
Arabella nodded absently as Maud excused herself when called to help Angelene.
"So I see I am not the only one from the twenty-first century,” Frank Black said, his eyes on Arabella, his voice low so only she could hear him.
Bingo! She was right. And no polite small talk. Interesting.
"Angelene is from 2007.”And why do I feel you are after something?
Frank Black waved his hand dismissively in Angelene's direction.
"I don't count Mrs. King as she has become one of them."
"One of them?” Arabella wondered, not liking the idea of being an ‘us’ with this man. Warning, Will Robinson.
"Yes, she has slotted herself in 1888 without a care.” He said it like it was a bad thing.
What the hell had this Frank person been brought back to 1888 for? Making friends did not seem to be it if the contemptuous way he looked at everyone was any indication.
"Angelene has been here a year, naturally she would have accustomed herself to her surroundings.” Could I do that ? Garrett's face came to mind.
"And Mrs. King has accomplished nothing other than to get married."
"What was she supposed to accomplish?” Arabella made up her mind. She would not waste time. She would start disliking him now. The creepy sneer on his thin upper lip was enough to convince her.
"We come from the twenty-first century, Arabella. We know things and we should utilize our knowledge."
Ah, now the penny drops.
"You want to profit from what you know?” Did he even give a rat's arse why he had been sent back in time? Arabella was pretty certain the cosmos had not sent him back for selfish purposes. “You can't use your knowledge of the twentieth and twenty-first centuries for reasons of greed."
"Why not?"
"Well, Frank, it's Time Travel 101. Do not change the past as it will affect the future.” Had the man not watched Star Trek or Time Tunnel?
"I don't care about the future as I am not in it.” His words were simple and to the point.
"But you will be going back to it.” Surely he could not take money back with him?
"How do you know?” Frank Black inquired mockingly.
That was a good point. Arabella did not know she was going back for sure. She just assumed, maybe hoped and was now suddenly scared this was not an option she had considered before.
"I plan to utilize what I know to make money here."
"That's wrong.” It was kind of weird to hear her own voice say those words. Normally Arabella wasn't one to be a moral compass for anyone as rules worked for her on a sliding scale.
"It's not my problem, Arabella. I plan to make this time worthwhile for me."
"I see, Frank. You are a greedy bastard.” Arabella smiled politely at a woman nearby who looked at her oddly. Mental note to self—women do not say ‘bastard’ in 1888. “That was not the reason you were sent back."
"I don't care what the reason is. This will work out nicely for me.” Frank Black smiled at her calculatingly. “Why did you come back?"
Smarmy smile alert.
"I am still working on that one.” The answer was pretty obvious but she was inclined to go with the next obvious answer because it was easier.
"So how do you know you're not here to profit as well?"
"I just know.” Arabella was pleased she sounded more certain than she felt. She knew, despite her fondness for money, she would never profit from this situation. Although she had only been in 1888 for such a very short time, Arabella was already fond of the people here. She would not allow them to be conned by this greedy bastard.
"We would be a good team, Arabella."
Just the way he said her name set her teeth on edge.
"I'm not interested in playing on your side."
He smiled at her knowingly.
"Come on, Arabella. We have something in common."
"Like what?” They might come from the same century but they were worlds apart in their beliefs.
"I am going to marry the daughter of the wealthiest man in the district."
From what Maud and Aggie had indicated that was Garrett's father, William Robillard. He might think he was going to marry Amy Louisa, but...
"In a pigs ear you are. I will not let this happen.” How she wasn't sure.
"There is not a damn thing you can do about it, Arabella.” Frank Black smiled smugly at her. “Besides I know you have designs on his son."
"I do bloody not!” Arabella spat the words out angrily. Like she would have ‘designs’ on Garrett! Sex was one thing but anything else was out of the question. Added to that, he seemed to indicate she would use Garrett for selfish reason. That Garrett wanted to marry her she did not doubt. But she would never use someone's feelings against them like that to profit.
"Oh come on, Arabella, I've seen you together,” murmured Frank Black, leaning in close enough for only Arabella to hear. “I saw you in the greenhouse on your knees and then later with your arse pressed against Robillard as he fucked you hard.” He let his eyes trail lasciviously down her body. “I heard you scream in pleasure."
Slimy bastard!
"You shouldn't have been watching."
"You shouldn't have been naked in a public place,” he countered back. “I will marry Amy Louisa. So take your high moral stance and pedal it elsewhere."
"Not if I have anything to do with it."
"You won't as you're just a woman and they don't count in 1888.” Frank Black looked like a man who knew he had the edge. “I happen to know William Robillard does not like his daughter's choice of husband and he likes me because I have money. This is the nineteenth century and women have no say in what happens to them."
"I will make sure Amy Louisa does.” Even as she said the words Arabella remembered Aggie's conversation about Robillard senior marrying where he was told to. Surely he would not put his own daughter through that?
"Who's trying to change the past now?"
"But I am not going to profit from it, you sleazebag.” That he had seen her naked with Garrett making love made her want to puke. Making love ? Where did that come from? It was sex—mighty good sex with unresolved feelings. It sounded like a midday talk show—Woman deals with denial while enjoying orgasm.
"You will profit because Robillard junior wants you and you seem to have no problems giving yourself to him.” His eyes lingered on her breasts. “He will be so happy with you he will give you whatever you want. Don't tell me your life is without struggle in the future?"
"Despite what my life may or may not be like I don't use people."
Frank Black laughed in amusement at her words.
"Come and visit me tomorrow, Arabella Smith."
"Get stuffed!” The less she had to do with this Frank Black person the better.
"You'll come because you won't be able to help yourself."
Chapter Seven
Garrett Robillard wanted Arabella Smith in his life for good. He loved everything about her from her stubborn refusal to accept that they were meant to be together whatever the century to the way she made love to him—and it was love regardless of what she said. Garrett grinned as he slid down from his horse and walked the short distance to the Raineys’ home. That moment in the greenhouse would be forever etched on his mind. Any time he touched Arabella was memorable and he wanted to do so much more touching. He longed
to make love to her for hours in a big soft bed, he wanted to lie entwined with her as they talked about everything and nothing and he wanted her to stay.
Garrett was more than aware that despite her bravado Arabella was scared of the situation she found herself in. Scared that she was in a time she could not contemplate living in and scared to find herself in love with a man whom she believed was only a dream.
"But dreams come true,” murmured Garrett determinedly to himself. Arabella Smith was his dream and his reality. He wanted to marry, have children and grow old and wrinkled with her. Garrett just had to convince her she wanted that too. He did not doubt that Arabella had been sent back in time for a reason. Although he was no man of science Garrett believed that some things happened that could not be explained easily but that did not mean there was no rationale behind them. He had no idea what her life was like one hundred and twenty years in the future but he planned to assure her that staying with him was what she was meant to do. The only thing that worried Garrett was Arabella could be thrown forward in time as easily as she had been back without any notice and that would kill him.
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