Just in Time: Portals of Time (19 page)

He placed his hand between her thighs, found her clit and rubbed. She started to spiral quickly, so he plunged two fingers inside of her, and she went off like a shot. Her moans were the most beautiful thing he’d ever heard in his life.

DORIAN CAME BACK
to consciousness and found herself nestling into Luke. She’d never sat on a male’s lap, never burrowed into any man, but the reaction came naturally. Her mind was still spinning when he pressed his hand into her mound. Sensation slivered to every nerve ending.

“Now, how come you didn’t know about this?”

“Men have never done this to me. I mean, I’ve felt orgasms with a device when I’m alone, but…”

“So all climaxes with men come during intercourse?”

“In joining, yes.”

“Huh.” He held her even closer; she was awash with so many emotions she couldn’t identify all of them. “Huh,” he added, “one down three to go.” He glanced at his watch. “But we’ve already used up three minutes.”

She chuckled. “Stop. We’re not bound by the silly time frame.”

“Hey, you insulted my virility. You said I couldn’t satisfy you.”

Putting her mouth next to his ear, she whispered, “I was wrong. Very wrong.”

“Nope, you’re not getting out of this one. Even if I have to take some little blue pills, I’m gonna do this.”

Her whole body tensed. “No, don’t even say you’d do such a thing.” A thought assaulted her. “You haven’t used those drugs before, have you?”

A smile. “Not yet. But I would.”

“Oh, Luke, you have no idea what they can do.”

He stilled. “Does this have something to do with your fertility issues?”

“I can’t answer that. Just don’t use it. Ever.” She tugged at his shirt. “You need to undress.”

“Women and men of our time undress each other.”

“Earnestly?”

“Yeah. It’s fun.”

“I suppose I could try.” She slipped off his lap and stood before him. “Okay, stand.” When he did, she could feel an almost childish glee invade her. To be joking, teasing like this during the joining time was unthinkable in her society. She started with his white shirt. He’d already removed that awful neck thing he’d worn tonight, and she began to undo the fasteners. “We don’t have buttons in our time. Material is made to adhere and pulls apart easily when necessary.”

“I want to know all about how you make your clothes, but later. This is naughty-talk time.”

“Naughty? I don’t know that word.”

“You will, sweetheart, before the night’s over.”

He sounded so smug she decided it was time to take the reins. She’d seen this done on the video box programs Celeste liked to watch, and so she slid the material off him and pressed her lips to his skin when it was bared. His chest was sprinkled with dark hair, dear Nord, unlike any man of her time. She ran her fingers through it and over his nipples. He jolted, just as she had. Hmm. Leaning in, she tongued the spot, scraped it with her teeth. Grasping on to her shoulders, he said hoarsely, “You’re learning fast.”

“Oh, good.”

Her hands went to the crazy thing they called a belt. She unfastened that and the zipper, which she thought could do damage to his genital parts. Desire had returned, making her anxious, and she fumbled when she pushed his trousers down and was greeted with tight, black shorts. “Oh, my, those are…very appealing, very
cool
, I think you’d say.” She gently snapped the elastic band.

He took her hand and placed it on his groin. “What’s inside isn’t cool, sweetheart; it’s hot. Really hot. For you.”

The sensuous female in her took over and she knelt in front of him, pulling off his shoes, trousers and then the under garment. He sprang to life in front of her face and she jumped back. Luke guffawed. He managed to say, “I’m sorry, but you should have seen your reaction.”

“I’ve never had a genital part jump out at me like that.”

“Genital part?” His laughter increased.

“What do you call it? I saw it on the history chips, but I forget.”

“A penis.”

“Hmm.” She took his
penis
between her palms. “I know how to stimulate this penis of yours before joining.”

He grasped her shoulders, tugged her up. “I’m sure you do, but I want to be inside you first time.”

“That sounds so…intimate.”

“It is.” He brought her to the bed, pulled down the covers. “Slip inside,” he told her coaxingly, and Dorian knew in that moment she’d do just about anything he asked right now.

HE STRETCHED OUT
beside her and ran his hand over her neck. Her jaw. The hollows of her throat. He kissed her shoulders one at a time and licked her chest.

“Luke, please, touch me more. Deeper.”

“Whatever you say.” He’d only suckled her breasts for a few seconds, when she breathed out harshly, “I’m ready to join now.
Right
now.”

“Nope. I’m not ready.”

She slid her hand in between them. “I don’t understand. You’re like rock.”

“I haven’t gotten my emotional satisfaction yet.”

She said again, “I don’t understand.”

“You will.”

He moved his mouth over her stomach, tickled her behind her knees, kissed her ankles. She was squirming when he crawled back up her body and braced himself over her. “All right,” he said. “I’m ready now.”

“Thank the godheads.”

He drew her up so she faced him. “What…what are you doing
now?”
Her tone was totally exasperated.

“This is one of my favorite ways.”

“Ways for what?”

Oh, God. “How do you make love?”

“Make love?”

“Join.”

“We join in two ways, either the man or woman on top.”

“Shit. You don’t do anything but the missionary position?”

“Luke, I don’t know what that means. But I really don’t care right now. Just—”

“I’ll show you.” He sat back on his haunches, then spread out each leg. “Now come and do what you did on the chair.”

She looked wary but did as he asked. After she seated herself on him, he added, “Go up on your knees.” She did. He took his cock in his hands. “Now settle down gently on me.”

Grasping his shoulders, she slowly began to impale herself on him. So goddamned slowly, he thought he might explode before she even finished.

When she finally had him fully inside her, he murmured, “Look at me, love.” His gaze captured hers. “There. Isn’t that nice?”

“More than. But Luke…”

He placed his hands on her hips and moved her up and down.

Spontaneously, she participated. “Oh, dear, oh, Luke, I never, honestly. Oh, megadamn.”

Then she stopped talking and, after a few thrusts, she spiraled out of control.

Watching her face as she came destroyed his control. Even before she was done, he began to push harder into her. The sensations came one on top of the other until they eclipsed everything else.

THEY STAYED PLASTERED
to each other, which never happened during joining in her time. He smelled of sweat and sex, and the combination drove her crazy. Dorian whispered against his shoulder, “I can’t believe I’m still alive.”

She felt him grin against her skin. “I know. Me, too.”

Moving back, she looked at him to see he was smiling. “Is sex always this intense in your time period?”

He brushed locks of her dark hair from her forehead. “No, not always. What happened between us was very special.”

“It was totally different from anything I’ve ever done.”

“Because of the position?”

“No, not just that. Luke, it was so intimate. I allowed you into me. And not just physically.”

“I know, sweetheart. I did the same with you.”

Shaking her head, she ran a hand through his chest hair. “No wonder you don’t have multiple partners as a rule. You could never share so much of yourself with several others.”

“I’m glad to hear you say that.” He brushed a hand down her cheek, then eased her back to a lying position. Again, he stretched out beside her, slid his arm around her and pulled a sheet over them because of the chilled air coming through the open window.

“I like this, too,” she whispered after a while.

“What, cuddling?”

“Cud-dul-ing?” She tried the word out.

“Yep.”

“I feel very close to you.”

He glanced down at her. “Then, why are you frowning?”

“I don’t like you sometimes. I was very angry at you earlier tonight.”

“And I was angry at you. We need to keep everybody safe, Dorian. It was necessary to call in more people.”

She was quiet. “That concerns me, Luke. I’ve come here to protect Jess. At all costs.”

“I know. But you getting hurt is just not acceptable anymore.”

“Can we discuss this later? I don’t want to fight with you. It’s diminishing the closeness I feel to you. Let’s sleep this way.”

“Sleep?” he said, and she could hear the humor in his voice. “Not on your life. We got two more go-arounds left.”

She giggled. “I have no desire for two more. I want to rest.”

“Hmm,” he said thoughtfully. “Maybe just once.”

Leaning over her, he crawled his way down her body. She spread her legs and he knelt between them. And started to lower his head.

Dumbfounded she bolted up. “Are you going to do what I think you are?”

“Yep. Never done this either?”

“Never.”

“Hallelujah. You’re in for a treat.”

She tugged on his hair. “All right, on one condition.”

“What?”

“That you show me how to do it back to you.”

Oh, God. Luke thought he’d probably died and gone to heaven. “You’re on, babe.”

DORIAN AWOKE WRAPPED
up in strong masculine arms. She was overcome by a sense of well-being so powerful it caused her to
cuddle
into the chest where her cheek lay. Slowly, though, anxiety set in.

By the godheads, what had she done? She’d never, ever spent the night in a bed with a man. And the early hours of the morning with Luke had been one of the best times of her life. She’d experienced pleasure like none other before. But there was a downside to the high of all that. Fear tinged it. She’d given so much of herself to a male. How did people walk away from their partners after doing what she and Luke had done together? All she wanted was to be with him again, experience the pleasure again. That was different enough, but it wasn’t only the need for sex she felt; she needed to be in his company.

“Good morning.”

She eased back. Nord, his beard had grown overnight and she longed to touch it. Taste it. Taste him all over as she’d done during the early hours of the day. “Hello.”

Raising his arm—his scent was still of sweat and sex and not at all unpleasant, though he should clean his teeth soon—he rubbed his thumb between her brows. “Frowning again, sweetheart?”

“You alternated calling me
sweetheart
and
babe
last night.” The frown deepened. “I like them both, though I find them extremely strange.”

“Terms of endearment. You’ll get used to them.”

So he was planning to be with her again. Some of the tightness in her chest loosened. How did people react when the response from someone they’d just shared themselves with was negative?

“So, answer my question.”

There was only one way to deal with this—to be honest. “My feelings this morning for you are compelling and something else. Needy, maybe.”

He tipped up her chin. “That’s how you’re supposed to feel. We didn’t have meaningless sex.”

She hesitated, suddenly afraid to question him. But, no, she wouldn’t be the shy, retiring female in this relationship. “Do you feel the same?”

The corners of his mouth lifted. Even that was endearing. “Ah, I can see there’s not going to be any coyness here.” She held his gaze steadily. “Yeah, I do. I want to be with you and not only for sex.”

“I was thinking the same thing.”

“Good.” His hands snaked under the covers. “Because I want you again.”

“And I—”

The door burst open and in rushed Alisha. She was fully dressed and appeared hassled. “Dorian, get up, quick—” Her mouth fell open.

“Jesus, Alisha, you have to stop interrupting us!” Luke was clearly irritated.

Alisha’s eyes widened. “Oh, no, Dorian. What have you done?”

Feeling like a scolded youngling, Dorian wanted to sneak under the bed coverings but fought the urge.

“I think that’s obvious,” Luke said dryly.

“No, I mean, this is a terrible path to take. You can’t trust men.”

“Now, wait just a minute…”

Alisha stalked over to the bed. “I must insist you don’t do this again.”

“Good luck with that,” Luke said, drawing Dorian close. “Now will you please leave? We’re busy.”

“No, I will not leave.”

Luke stared hard at her, then shrugged. “Then, I might as well get up.” Rolling out of bed, naked and beautiful, with a perfectly aroused genital part…penis, he stood in front of her friend.

Alisha’s face reddened. Dorian had never seen her in such an awkward state. “The sight of that thing does not offend me.” He didn’t move. “Fine, I’ll leave.” She marched out, slamming the door.

“Busted,” Luke said, turning to the bed with a big grin.

Dorian laughed. ”I can figure out what that means.”

“So, do you want to get up and get dressed?”

“Hellor, no.” She reached out her hand.

“That’s my girl.” And Luke dove back into bed.

CELESTE’S STOMACH WAS
churning and not because of anything she’d eaten or drunk. As she climbed the steps to the main part of the house, she was thinking about their unsuccessful attempt to find evidence of Craig Krueger’s role in Jess’s demise.
Botched
, Luke had called it.

She was also upset by the fact that such greed and longing for power existed in people today. She’d only told the others half the truth. Krueger wasn’t an evil man, he just had pathological motivations, rooted in his childhood.

At the kitchen table, surrounded by the scent of coffee, she found a fuming Alisha and a more calm, but clearly unhappy, Jess and Helen.