STEEL: MC ROMANCE (Forsaken Riders MC Romance Book 3) (15 page)

Chapter 9

The next day was fair, and Andrea was awake and dressed early. She had found a selection of clothing in the large chest, including a long tunic dress of a beautiful red berry hue and long woolen stockings to match. A deep blue cloak would keep her warm in the early sea breeze and a pair of black leather slippers would protect her feet. They were not very practical, but perhaps women of a certain class were not expected to walk far. They were so different from her multipurpose sneakers she used to pound the streets of New York.

Andrea had to wait to be released from her bondage. She expected Helena, but when she heard the key in the lock and the door opened, she was half relieved to see the young nun from the day before with the beautiful smile. Silently, she brought in a tray containing bread, cheese, and a goblet of ale, laying it out on the bed before bowing her head and leaving the room.

As the footsteps died away down the corridor, Andrea realized that the door had been left unlocked. She was free to venture out on her own at last. Tying the bread and cheese into the large white square of material that had covered the food, she slipped silently out of the door and down the corridor to the outside door and was away.

Never had fresh air smelled so sweet, the rosemary and lavender from the garden filling the dewy air with their soft scents. It was the smell of freedom. Following a little worn path across the grass, she made her way down to the shore overlooking Mull. No ferry this time, just a few old fishing boats and the heathery purples of the distant hill of Ben More. The view was breathtaking and just the right thing to clear her head. Choosing a sheltered and secluded spot beneath a clump of apple trees, she spread her cloak across the ground to sit and eat her breakfast.

Today she would make a plan to get home. She just needed to think, to try and recall some of Grandma Betty’s words. She would convince Alex that all was well, and she would take away his worries. If that meant lying with him, then so be it; she did not want a man’s death on her conscience, whatever time or place. She had done much worse in her time and not necessarily for a noble end. There was something about Alex that drew her to him, and he seemed to be a good man. They were rare.

The sun was rising high, and the bread and cheese tasted good out in the open air. Leaning her back against the tree trunk, she closed her eyes against the warmth, still tired after her disturbed night.

“Andra.”

The voice was soft and low, and at first she wondered if she had really heard it, or if it was just the water lapping against the rocks.

“Andra!”

This time she opened her eyes to see Alex standing in front of her.

“Andra, I came out looking for you. Helena said you had gone walking?”

Helena’s prying eyes saw everything. Perhaps she had instructed the younger girl to leave the door open to see what she would do?

“I needed the fresh air and decided to eat my meal down here. It’s such a beautiful day.”

Alex sat next down next to her and the pair was silent for a few moments before Alex broke the peace.

“Andra, about last night, I—”

She interrupted before he could finish

“I said too much, Alex. I was just tired. I feel much better today.”

Picking up one of her small hands, he cradled it softly in his own much larger hands, looking her fully in the face.

“I believe you, Andra, all you said last night. I do not know how it can be true, but I believe it and I need to know more.”

His face was so trusting, yet she didn’t know where to start.

“Tell me about Andra, my Andra.”

For the next half an hour, Andrea told Alex all she knew about her grandma’s experience on the island in 1956, which was pretty patchy and scant at best. But the she told him about her marriage to Grandpa Joe, her children and grandchildren, and her happy and long life.

Her heart ached to watch his face as she talked about the woman he loved so much and her other life without him.

“And she is still well?”

Andrea had purposely left out the details of Betty’s recent death—it seemed too cruel and heartless—but she had to be honest.

“She died a few weeks ago, she was 93 years old.”

His eyes misted over as he looked across the water to the shoreline.

“I’m so sorry, Alex.”

Smiling softly, he squeezed her hand. “It is a lot to take in, to believe, but if I think my dearest one has had a good life, then I can be happy for her. From the way I look at it, if what you say is true, then she still has all of her life to live, long after I am dead. It seems that life is renewed, whether we are reborn from our ancestors or...”

Alex stopped short with a catch in his throat, and Andrea squeezed his hand for him to continue.

“Go on.”

His lips wavered and his eyes shone in the morning light. “I was just going to say that we live on in our children.” And with that, a giant sobbing sound rose from his throat as he struggled to maintain his composure, and a few heavy tears rolled from his eyes which he quickly brushed away.

“It is of no consequence.”

“You lost a son. That must have been a difficult time.”

Alex hung his head and deeply breathed in the morning air.

“It was only ten days ago that it happened. Everything had been going so well. Andra was blooming, and then suddenly she became very sick and the child was born too soon. He was perfect in every way. Andra held on to him and wouldn’t let the little body out of her arms. Her grief was almost too much to bear. So was mine, but I had to be strong. We named him after me and buried him in the grounds of the little chapel. Andra got weaker and weaker and refused to eat and eventually lay unconscious. We thought she would die, and after a long and sleepless night, I headed for the Abbey to pray for her soul, not expecting her to live, and that was when I saw you.”

Andra remembered the grave of Alexhander MacDonald; it was where she had stood that first morning, just before she found herself part of this strange experience. The death of the child had been significant.

“Maybe Andra did die, and that was the trigger for Grandma Betty to return back to her own time?”

“But what brought her here in the first place? She was found like you in the graveyard of St. Oran. Anyway, Andra did not die, not exactly, and you seem to have taken her place?”

Andrea looked at Alex. A picture was forming, but the significance still wasn’t clear.

“The ancient rune seems to have played a part, but now Helena has that.”

Reaching into his pocket, Alex brought out the small, pale stone. “I have it now. Here, take it back.”

Shaking her head, Andrea refused the offering.

“I think it’s safer with you, Alex. I have nowhere to hide it in my room, and Helena will find it.”

“Surely you are not afraid of my sister?”

His blue eyes were honest and open. She did not trust Helena, but she did not know why. Call it a hunch, but it was nothing she could verbalize, especially not to such a loyal brother.

“I just think it would be safer if you kept it for now.”

“But you do want to return to your own time?” His voice was sad.

Reaching across to him, she laid her hand softly on his. Of course she needed to return to her own time, but it would be hard to leave him. It was a tender act, and she could feel her fingers tremble with emotion. His hand brushed her arm, so delicately that it was hard to imagine those strong hands fighting and killing in battle.

Her heart began to beat wildly, and it was as if she had always loved him. Part of her had always known it, deep inside. Bringing his face towards her, his lips lightly touched hers. A ripple of electricity passed through her at his touch, as the soft, full lips met hers. She had never felt so heady.

The weight of his body pushed her against the ground, and she felt helpless against his passion, not wanting it any other way. His kisses became more fervent, his mouth hard against hers as their lips slipped together in passion.

His hands moved up her body, finding her small, pert breasts and started to fondle them gently. Never had she abandoned herself so freely to passion. She moaned gently, arching her back towards him, feeling his hardness pushing against her.

The sound of voices approaching brought their lovemaking to a sharp halt. Alex sat up quickly, his face flushed and his breathing heavy.

“Tonight is my last night before I ride away. I must come to you.”

“Yes.” Her voice was weak with longing.

“Come, we will visit the grave together.”

Taking her hand and pulling her up, he fixed the cloak around her and proceeded to brush away the pieces of twig and grass. He was so attentive, so chivalrous, so unlike the men she had met in her life so far. Steve wouldn’t have even contemplated sitting on the grass in case he ruined his designer jeans.

It was quiet in the graveyard and the pair held each other close for support. The headstone had yet to be carved, and in its place as a temporary measure was a small wooden cross.

The grave was so small and so simple that Andrea felt a wealth of grief overcome her. She, too, had wanted children and if she wasn’t careful, time would run out for her. Steve had made it clear that he didn’t want any children, and she thought she had been happy with that decision, his decision. Now she realized how deeply she longed for a child, to feel a new life warm inside her.

Alex removed the stone from his pocket and held it out to her. They were at the place where it had all started, and it could be her passage home. He gently pressed the rune into her hand as he tenderly kissed her forehead. She closed her eyes and waited. Nothing happened, and she was half relieved. As much as she wanted to return to her own time, she had unfinished business with this man, this kind and unselfish man.

Chapter 10

Andrea spent the rest of the day in the nunnery garden, sitting among the sweet smelling herbs and late roses. Alex had another meeting with his men about the preparation for the battle, but she would be seeing him later. She wished she knew more about history and this battle he was riding to.

Maybe it was better that she did not. How could you tell a man that he was riding to certain death or victory without changing the course of history?

She was confused about her feelings, too. How could she fall in love with a man from the past? She needed to return to her own time, but it would be difficult to leave him. She wondered how Grandma Betty had coped. Her relationship seemed to have lasted for several years, even though it was a blink of an eye back in her own time. The diary entries seemed to suggest that she thought it all a dream, yet slowly the details had started to emerge. Why had she kept the secret for so long?

She seemed to have stepped into her grandma’s shoes, but could she ever get back home, even if she wanted to? Andrea was convinced that the death of the child and even the death of Andra herself had been pivotal.

Tonight Alex would come to her bed chamber, and she felt apprehensive. Already she was falling for the man, and after tonight, they would be as one. Her head ached with the possible scenarios. What if Alex could return with her to 2015? Surely if she had traveled back in time, he could travel forward... Were there any rules? There was so much she didn’t know. And would a man like Alex want to live in 2015? With its noise and pollution and terrorist threats, you wouldn’t wish it on your worst enemy, let alone somebody you loved. It was hard enough to cope with traveling back 400 odd years, but to travel forward! The shock of the modern world would probably be too much to bear.

She managed to keep her distance from Helena. Only the silent nun with the twinkling eyes worked quietly alone in the garden. She seemed happy in her work and smiled occasionally over to Andrea.

The warmth of the sun and the sweet, quiet air made her drowsy, and she shut her eyes and tried to blot out her thoughts. Soon she drifted away and it was only the chill of the approaching evening that brought her out of her sleep.

Helena was waiting for her back in the small bed chamber, and Andrea wondered if she had been watching her throughout the day. The bed had been made and a fire was already blazing in the grate.

“You have seen my brother today?”

Andrea didn’t know if it was a statement of fact or a question. She was sure Helena already knew the answer.

“Yes, we met this morning and went down to the chapel. We had a good talk.”

“And you will allow him into your bed tonight.”

Andrea felt like telling her to mind her own bloody business, but this was not her time, and she couldn’t afford to get on the wrong side of the Abbess. Soon she would be left alone under her care, and she wasn’t sure how long it would take to get back home.

“Yes, he will be with me tonight.”

At least that seemed to satisfy the woman, and she nodded in acknowledgment.

“Geraldina will bring you hot water to wash and your supper before Alex arrives. He will be with his men until late.”

Soon the quiet nun brought in the water and laid out her supper on the bed. Once Andrea had washed and dressed in the long nightgown, she returned to have her hair brushed in preparation for her husband. As the young woman combed through the curls, Andrea was surprised to hear her humming. It was a tuneful melody and one that she had heard before, not some old medieval madrigal, but something modern from the twentieth century. Andrea was sure she knew the words, and then they came to her:

Long ago and far away
I dreamed a dream one day
And now that dream is here beside me.

It was one of her Gran’s favorite tunes, and as a child she had heard the Frank Sinatra version many times on the old gramophone.

Before she had chance to quiz the nun, there was a knock at the door and Alex stood in the doorway, awaiting her greeting.

The nun bowed out of the room, leaving the pair alone and Alex closed and locked the door behind him.

“Alex, what do you know of the little nun?”

His mind was on other things, but he humored her for a moment.

“I believe she has been at the nunnery for several years. She arrived here just after Andra came, and they soon became good friends.”

“And now she has taken a vow of silence?”

“I believe so. After we lost the baby. Somehow she seemed to think it was her fault.”

“Yet just now she was humming a tune...”

Alex walked over to her and silenced her with a kiss. There were other, more pressing things on his mind. This would be his last night with her, maybe his last night on earth. Who knew what would happen, except God himself?

Andrea responded quickly to his kisses, bending her head slightly towards him and wrapping her soft body against his firm and strong torso. He started to kiss her face, gently at first, with soft, light kisses that skimmed over the soft skin of her cheeks and made her body weaken before him, so much so that she had to lean further into his arms for support. His strong arms pulled her tightly to him, and she could taste the salt on his skin, the rosemary and lavender oils in his hair. His kisses became more ardent as he found her mouth and her soft lips yielded to his fierce passion, his tongue exploring and pressing down into the soft cushion of her mouth.

His strong hands pulled at the white cotton of her nightgown. He was eager to remove it and pulled at the material, his fingers soon finding the soft flesh beneath. Andrea moaned quietly to herself as his fingers skimmed her flat stomach, slowly stroking her skin until he reached the soft flesh of her pert breasts, the nipples hard and firm between his fingers. She had never been touched so tenderly before. Steve’s love-making had been quick and mechanical, and foreplay was just a word. Yet this was something so magical, so tender.

As he gently squeezed her yielding breasts, a quiver of delight spread throughout her body.

“Am I pleasing you?” His voice was low and lustful as he whispered softly into her ear.

Andrea nodded, her eyes closed in ecstasy as his mouth covered the soft skin of her neck. He continued kissing down towards her collar bone as his hands found the hem of her nightgown and pulled it up and over her head.

Now she was fully naked on the bed before him. Alex stood by the window, his eyes ablaze in the candlelight as he admired her naked form. She looked exactly like Andra in this light, and his heart almost stopped with sheer joy. Part of this girl was his beloved wife—that he was certain of. He could feel it deep down in his soul, and so could she.

Andrea suddenly felt shy in his gaze, like it was her very first time, and she wrapped her arms around her waist as she gazed up at the handsome lover standing before her.

“You are the most beautiful thing that I have ever seen.”

His eyes never left hers as he crossed the room to join her on the bed. Stretching out beside her, he cupped her breasts with his hands before moving his lips over the soft flesh, sucking on her small nipples until they were hard and erect. She could hardly bear the pleasure and thought she would explode with sheer delight. Andrea wanted Alex as much as he needed her. His long fingers slid up towards the soft and lean flesh of her inner thigh and instinctively she opened her legs slightly, allowing him access. As he brushed over her soft mound, she let out a small cry of delight as his fingers slid quickly within her soft, moist flesh. Andrea moaned with sheer bliss as his deft fingers pleasured her in a way she had never been pleasured before. He was an expert in his craft.

His face was a mask of desire as he sat up and started to slowly part her legs before lowering his mouth onto her, his deft tongue licking lightly over her wetness and into the soft and intimate folds. A wave of pleasure caused her to arch her back towards him, pushing herself towards his mouth and desperate for more. Alex didn’t want her pleasure to be over, not until he was inside her, so he stopped suddenly, kneeling before her on the bed.

Now it was time to remove his clothing, for them to be together, skin on skin. His hands were shaking with pent up desire as he removed his tunic and stood before her to unfasten his undergarments. His fervor was already discernible in the shape of his large and erect manhood, pushing through the thin material of his undershirt.

His physique was incredible, so much more than the muscular guys down at the gym. They were only posturing at being real men with their designer suits and cocktails whereas Alex was the real thing, from his rippling biceps to his taut, muscle-bound thighs. He was the perfect Adonis stripped naked before her, and she could not take her eyes of his magnificent body. He was well endowed too, his thick cock quivering against his belly, and she ached to have him inside her. Now undressed, he lay beside her on the bed, covering her with his lean body. She could feel his hard and muscular cock, hot and throbbing against her leg. Opening her legs, he knelt between them, and taking his thick cock in his hands, placed the end at her entrance and pushed gently. The head of his penis entered her easily; she could feel it throb against her aching walls and squeezed against him. Alex gasped and pushed even further into her. She had never taken anyone so big before, and as he pushed further inside, she caught her breath and arched her back towards him, angling herself for full penetration.

Andrea braced herself, and with one final push, he was inside her. She felt a dull ache as his girth stretched against her, and he lay there without moving, except for the beating of his heart and his cock, throbbing away inside of her. After several moments, he began to move, thrusting gently to begin with, but soon more urgently. He pummeled in and out of her, lost in the oblivion of his own lust. Andrea closed her eyes as a wave of pure pleasure ripped through her at the same time his cries reached a climax, and he exploded into her with a cry that came from the pit of his soul.

Collapsing at her side, he gathered her to him as their soft bodies molded to one another until they were one. She was soon asleep in his arms, gently sighing in the depths of night, and he hoped that her dreams were pleasant. Alex wanted to hold her forever, for the night to never end. He could not sleep but watched over her sleeping form until the day began to break and the sun rose in the heavens. The day had dawned when he would have to leave her, and perhaps it was the last time he would hold her like this. She may not be his Andra in the flesh, but they were bound by their spirits. His love had returned, of that he was certain.

All too soon it was the morning, and Andrea stirred. There was a hollow space where Alex’s warm body had been, and her arm stretched across the bed to reach out for him. The bed was empty. She sat up with a start and looked around her. There was no sign of him, only the lingering notes of basil and rosemary clinging to the pillow.

Rosemary for remembrance.

Before she had chance to get out of bed, the door opened and in stepped Helena, her eyes red and swollen as if she had been crying.

Her body was tense and she spoke in a cold and throaty whisper. “There is no need to rush, he has gone. He left early with his men this morning. You must pray for his safe return, for if he does not, I do not know what will happen here.”

She felt exposed and threatened. Andrea had not expected that Alex would leave her without saying goodbye. Perhaps their farewells would have been too much to bear?

He had to focus on the task ahead and could not allow his thoughts to wander back to her. Yet she must wait for him before she returned, that was the least she could do. Not only that, he had the rune, and she didn’t have any other options.

Her one ally seemed to be the young nun, Geraldina, but once again she seemed sworn to her silent vow. Andrea had tried to question her about the old song she had been humming, but she had only smiled and held a conspiratorial finger to her quiet lips.