Journey in Time (Knights in Time) (9 page)

Alex worked the mixing board while she played. He asked about Beltane, curious about how they chose the songs they covered. What stimulated their interest the most, the words or the music? She told him each member brought different songs to rehearsals, the reasons varied.

"Sometimes, the turn of a phrase touches a chord in your psyche or a guitar riff resonates. A lyric in a foreign language can become crystal clear through the poignancy of the singer."
   

They stopped after a few hours and listened to the playbacks of the new arrangements. Some were ditched, their favorites they saved.

"Are you tired of electric guitar?" She slipped the strap from her neck and shook her hair out. Without waiting, she started for the door. "I’ll get my acoustic."

He caught her by the hand and pulled her back into his arms. "Why don’t we take a break? I’ll whip up a light meal. Are you hungry?"

"Ravenous."

"This won't be an elaborate meal." Alex wiggled an index finger in front of her nose. "A French chef, I'm not. I make simple fare that's filling and tasty, period."

"Sounds good. I’ll be your sous chef."
 

"I’d prefer you be under the chef, rather than my
under
chef
." He chuckled, amused with his play on words.

"Male humor is so sophomoric."

 
Alex shrugged and chuckled some more. "We are easily amused. It’s a gender flaw. Can you make a salad my sexy sous chef?"

"Of course." She thought for the span of a heartbeat. "Do you actually know someone who can’t make salad?"

"Yes." Alex spun her around and sent her off with a pat on the butt. "Meet you in the kitchen in five minutes."

***

     
Shakira came out of the bathroom. Alex had tucked the sheet into the sofa and about to spread the blanket out.

"I can finish this," she said.

"I only need a pillow from the other bed and I’m done. The bedroom is yours."

"Don’t be silly. You can’t sleep here. The sofa is way too short. You’ll never get comfortable."

"You’re my guest. I’m not-"

"Stop," Shakira folded her arms across her chest. "I either sleep on the sofa or at home. Your call."

"You know, there’s a way we both-"

"-Can enjoy the comfort of the bed."

"You read my mind."

"Oh--what an opening." Laughing, she leaned into him to kiss his cheek. “Sofa’s fine.”

He turned and cut her off with a kiss on the lips. One of those hot, no coming up for air, toe curling kisses. His hands slid up her sides, his thumbs grazed her ribs and skimmed across her nipples with a faint brush. As the last vestige of resistance began to fade, she flattened her palms against him as a halting gesture, she told herself. Her hands lingered on his waist instead and then progressed up his chest. Every indentation, every muscle, the cushion of hair under his shirt, every tactile change registered beneath her touch. Her thumbs teased his erect nipples. She smiled against his warm lips, pleased when he groaned.

He broke the kiss first. His hands caressed the length of her spine and then anchored at her waist. "Good night, Rocky." His lips skimmed hers, no tongues, no stealing of each others air, just the hint of heat, the warm pleasure of a steady tropical breeze rather than a hurricane’s humid tempest.

"Rocky?"

"Short for rock star, my personal rock and roller, the others are just clients I produce."

"I like it. Good night."

Alex opened the bedroom windows and breathed deep the night air. He ignored the little shiver that traveled over him as he undressed. It was only early September, yet a biting wind from the Bristol Channel drove its way inland. The wind signaled the onset of an early winter and the memory of the last winter Alex had spent at his family holding, Elysian Fields. One of the cottage's attractions was its close proximity to the ruins of the ancient stone fortress.

He shivered again and thought about the frosty season before he left on that last campaign. In spite of a constant blazing fire in the hearth and the glass he'd installed in the windows, the great hall stayed cold. Such a long, long time ago.
He was still intrigued how some memories endured, how the images remained as vivid today as the day they occurred. Too vivid. Alex shut the window and lay down.

Sleep eluded him. He lay awake evaluating what Shakira said about not becoming a mistress. What would it take to change her mind? She already had him considering a monogamous relationship, a concept dangerously close to being married.

Marriage. The idea drifted over him. He forced himself away from the notion. No. No marriage. What if...what if things went horribly wrong again? The haunting images flared.

Alex’s heart pounded and knife sharp pain radiated up from his jaw to his cheekbone, a side effect the recollection always brought. He concentrated on a circle of light the moon’s reflection made on the wall. The specter of mother and child from another age evaporated. His heart slowed and the physical pain stopped as fast as it came upon him. Mercifully, the visions crept up on him less and less over time.
 

He rubbed the heel of his hand over his chest and turned his thoughts to Shakira and bringing her to the cottage. He'd had more fun with her than he ever experienced with a woman out of bed. In another time and place, his friends would've said she bewitched him. Maybe she had.

Chapter Eleven

“What a handsome boy you are,” Shakira hugged Eclipse, cooing honeyed words.

"When you’re done making love to the horse we can get on our way," Alex said, swinging his leg over Thor’s saddle and adjusting the stirrups.

She stuck out her tongue and mounted. "You sound jealous."

"He hasn’t anything I’m envious of. Wanna see?" Alex wiggled his brows.

"What an intriguing offer. Sadly, since you seem to be in a hurry, I’ll have to decline," she said and faked a sad face. "Ready when you are."
 

They took a different path than the previous day. This one led into a hilly area surrounded by a dense wood.

Thunder rumbled and lightning flashed in horizontal shockwaves in the distance. Above them, fluffy clouds passed in an otherwise blue sky, leaving a trail of wispy streaks.
 

"Think there’s a storm en-route this way?"

"I doubt it," Alex said.

"Good. I’d hate to cut our ride short." She scrutinized the rough terrain that bordered the road. "What a perfect place to lie in wait. If this were a hundred years ago, a highwayman would be a fat rat in no time."

Alex gave the woods a cursory scan. "To a stranger I guess the area seems pokey, lots of places to lurk. I know my land. A person would have to be pretty clever to go undiscovered by me."

“I bet I can hide where you won’t find me,” she challenged. “Close your eyes. Give me five minutes lead time and I’ll give you five minutes to search."

Alex’s brows lifted a notch, "Really?" He shifted and leaned closer. "What do I get when I find you, and I will find you?"

"I'll make dinner for you tonight."

"Not good enough. How about, if I win, you spend the rest of the week here, with me." She hadn’t anticipated the bold counter. He prodded further. "Or, are you afraid of losing?"

Tempted to take the bet and lose, she considered the pros and cons. A week with him here or anywhere to her besotted mind was a major pro. If she stayed, forget keeping things platonic. She’d live her Alex centric fantasy. But, Alex never indicated he wanted more than a short term affair, her logical self cautioned. Besides the obvious professional con, therein lay the other big con. If he dumped her afterward, she’d be crushed.

The low, constant growl of thunder continued and scarlet tinged the eastern sky. On the horizon, miles away, a lightning bolt crackled and exploded downward. The purplish streamer was almost white against the ruddy background. Smaller bolts branched out then faded.

She watched the display of nature’s power and continued to weigh her options. Her mind swam with the wager’s possibilities while Alex patiently waited for an answer. She chose the safe route and decided to blame her work, which served her well in the past. Today, the decision gave her no comfort.

"I'm not afraid of losing. But, on the off chance I do, I couldn't stay here. What about my job?"

"Tell them your client is demanding your full attention. After all, mine is a high profile case."

She ignored Alex’s “tic, tic, tic,” as she vacillated. If she thought about it too long, she'd make herself crazy.

Alex stopped his ticking. "Well, yes or no, no or yes? You did throw the gauntlet down first."

"All right, and when
I
win, you give me six more jousting lessons, in addition to todays."

"Agreed. Your five minutes starts now." He grinned and closed his eyes.

Out of sight and earshot, she crossed a small stream and descended a modest slope. Eyes on the ground, she picked a path over the wettest leaves so the damp cushion muffled her course.

The trunk of a large oak concealed her while she dismounted. His ears pricked high, Eclipse snorted in a rapid series, the heavy puffs interspersed with loud nickers.

"Shh," she scratched his withers and edged forward. She planned on using the natural cover of the forest to find the best spot to track Alex. She tugged on Eclipse’s reins. He snorted louder and refused to budge. She gritted her teeth and tugged again. He still wouldn’t obey. Instead, the big gelding jerked and tried to dance away. She shortened the reins and in the name of expediency used the bridle as a control technique. She slid the fingers of one hand under his cheek piece and pulled. Poor horsemanship she knew but at the moment didn’t care.

Eclipse obliged. They’d taken only a couple of steps when she cut off her reflexive scream. What would’ve been a horrified screech turned into a sad, high-pitched whimper. The strangled sound had no effect on the mottled brown and yellow grass snake that slithered over the toe of her boot.

"Ugh!"

The snake wriggled away, but Shakira’s thumping heart continued to race. She glanced up as one doe followed closely by another broke from a thicket. They ran past in the same direction as the snake and out of sight.

"Jeez, is there an ark parked nearby or what?"

Eclipse answered with a hard yank on the reins, resisting her attempts to force him forward. His front legs stamped in unison and he tossed his head and sought release. He pitched back harder and pulled her off balance. With one hand caught inside his bridle, he dragged her several feet before she managed to dig her heels in and regained control.

"Whoa, whoa, easy boy, easy, what has you so spooked?"

He struggled for another minute and then suddenly calmed.

She stroked his muzzle and tried to figure out what frightened him. She guessed the snake. Alex told her he rode all his horses on the trails as part of their training. Deer were abundant in these woods. Eclipse had to have seen them. That left the snake, although, he should’ve encountered them before too. She reached up to pick a leaf from his forelock and noticed ribbons of pink wove their way into the blue sky above her. A pretty mix.