Chapter 7

The next morning, Reece awoke to the uncomfortable effects of his alcohol overindulgence. He covered his eyes with his forearm and groaned. Lara sighed in her sleep and cuddled up against his side. His heart thudded as her small hand rubbed across his belly and then curled to clutch the fabric of his shirt.

“Reece,” she whispered.

Was she calling his name in her sleep? Dreaming about him? This was a good sign. He grinned and covered her hand with his. He had to be careful not to pressure her. He had learned the hard way not to tell an independent-minded woman what to do, not to even give her the impression that he was attempting to gain her cooperation. It had to be her idea for them to be together, not his. But he couldn’t help wanting her. Just when they’d forged their future together, she had been taken from him. And now he had her back. A year younger and a having no memory of him because as far as she knew, they’d never even met. That year of them falling in love would never exist for her. But he’d get to live it twice. Reece smiled to himself and then grimaced as some invisible blacksmith used his head to pound horseshoes flat.

He and Lara probably had one more day here before they leaped again. He never knew exactly when Carl would show up. Somewhere between 60 and 84 hours after arrival. Reece needed to stay close to Lara today in preparation. He was pretty sure they had to be touching to leap together and there was no way he was leaving her here with an uncouth Viking.

A loud rattle at the window, which was made of a semi-transparent, stretched animal hide, drew Reece’s attention. It looked rather gray and foreboding outside. The wind blew against the window in abandon. A storm had hit sometime in the night. And it was a perfect excuse to waste the day in bed with Lara at his side.

She stirred, stretching languorously.

“Good morning, beautiful,” he murmured.

She started, glanced around nervously and then lifted her head to look at him. “I thought this was all a bad dream.”

“Sorry to disappoint you.”

She smiled. “I wouldn’t say I’m disappointed, just very overworked. I feel like I ran a marathon yesterday.”

“If we’re quiet, we can lay here all day and listen to the storm outside.”

“As if Thora, a.k.a. Slavedriver, will allow that,” she said, rolling her eyes.

“The whole house is quiet. I think everyone has the same idea,” he whispered.

Lara settled back beside him, gazing up at the ceiling. “What do we do with ourselves if we aren’t working our fingers to the bone?”

“We could get drunk. Tell stories. Make love.”

“All good for passing time.”

He rolled on his side and lifted onto one elbow, gazing down into her blue eyes. He winced at the jolt of pain that pulsated through his head.

“Hungover?” she asked.

“A little,” he admitted. “Are you hungry?”

“Starved.”

“Stay here. I’ll bring you some breakfast.”

She smiled. “That’s sweet of you.”

He rolled over her, and off the bed on the other side. “You know, I don’t even remember going to bed last night,” he said.

“You probably don’t remember what you said to me before you passed out then.”

He winced. Oh no, please, not that. Too soon for her to hear those words again. Please, not I love you. Anything but that. It will send her running in the opposite direction. Eyes closed, he asked, “What did I say?”

“You promised you’d milk the goat today.”

He chuckled. “I did? Are you sure? That doesn’t sound like something I’d promise.”

“Oh, I’m sure.”

“If you say so, but you’ll have to show me how.”

“The trick is to make sure your hands are warm before you grab the teats.”

He laughed. “I can see why cold hands might be a problem.”

“For their size, goats really pack a wallop.”

“I’ll keep that in mind.”

He crossed the room to the door and looked back at her before entering the main room of the longhouse. It was apparent why everyone was quiet. They were all nursing hangovers, and the storm that raged outside was of blizzard proportion, so there wouldn’t be much work getting done this morning. After a quick trip to the latrine, Reece grabbed a plate of cheese, bread, and smoked venison sausage, and a jug of water before he returned to the room. Lara was sitting on the edge of the bed, drawing a comb through her tangled curls.

He had a stirring of familiarity, as if he’d seen this before. Last night, perhaps? He wondered how much a fool he had proved himself to be while in his stupor. She was acting normally though. Surely, he hadn’t behaved too improperly.

He sat down next to her and cut a piece of cheese from the small block. She reached for the serving, but he hid it behind his back.

“Open,” he prompted.

“I can feed myself, Jericho.”

“A bit testy this morning?”

“I don’t do helpless female.”

He was well aware of this. “I was in no way implying that you were helpless or female. Though, you would have a difficult time hiding that you’re female.”

“Are you always this irritating?”

“You do bring out the best in me, sweetheart.”

He set the piece of cheese on the edge of the plate. She grabbed it and popped it in her mouth.

“You could feed me,” he offered. He cut off a slice of venison sausage. She snitched it from the plate and crammed it in her mouth as well. Something was obviously bothering her. “So what did I say or do last night that has you so up at arms?”

“Nothing.”

“Did I make a pass at you?”

“You tried, but you passed out.”

He drew a pained breath through his teeth. “I’m sure that was impressive to see. Did I tell you that I love you again?”

He met her eyes and didn’t need to hear her answer to know that he had. “Well…”

“I’m sorry. I’m sure that was the last thing in the world you wanted to hear.”

She bit her lip. “Not the very last thing,” she said. “I wouldn’t want to hear that this cheese is made from goat’s milk, for example. I’ve seen what that comes out of.”

He tried to smile at her joke, but failed. He’d give anything to hear her say she loved him.

Lara touched his face and he looked at her. Her expression was serious when she said, “Hearing those words from you wasn’t horrible.”

He leaned closer. She didn’t draw away. Instead, she closed her eyes. He closed his eyes, too, just before his lips brushed hers. Her kiss tasted of heaven and smoked venison. He concentrated on not taking the upper hand. He allowed her to kiss him, his hands clenching into fists rather than doing what they wanted to do—draw her closer, stroke her skin. She pulled away after a moment and leaned back to look at him.

“What I wouldn’t give for a toothbrush right about now,” she said.

Reece lifted his hand and huffed a breath into his palm, before giving it a hesitant sniff. “Do I offend?”

“I didn’t say that. You know, the things I miss most are all found in a bathroom.”

“I think they use teeth scraper things to clean their teeth. I’ll find you one after we eat.”

“How long will we be on the run?” She asked, looking weary.

“I don’t know. Until we come up with a better plan. If we could get the other half of the amulet, Carl couldn’t follow us anymore. We might also have control over our leaping. If you can decipher the hieroglyphics on the other half, that is.”

“I have some knowledge of Ancient Egyptian hieroglyphics, but I’d need access to my reference books to translate something complex.”

“You were the one who deciphered the symbols on this half,” he told her and lifted the amulet to look at the tiny symbols. The amulet was the reason Lara had been killed. He wished now that he’d never unearthed it. Wished he’d never involved Lara. But you can’t change the past. He was hoping it was possible to change her future, by living in the past.

Lara touched the flat stone, tracing the markings with her fingers. “Some of them are rather faded. I’m surprised I translated them correctly.”

“You’re brilliant,” he said, his eyes shifting to her face. She took his breath away. Always had, and undoubtedly always would. “And beautiful.”

“Thank you. You’ve got a pretty-boy, tough-guy thing going on. How do you pull that off?”

“Lots of practice.”

“I see. And least you forget, I’m starving. Cut some more cheese.”

“Trust me, sweetheart. You don’t want me to cut the cheese.”

She groaned. “When will you get better jokes?”

“What do you mean? That was a good one.”

She quirked an eyebrow at him. “Juvenile and corny,” she assured him.

“I suppose you could do better.”

“Not on an empty stomach.”

He cut the cheese into several bite-sized chunks, then carved up the sausage as well. He tore the bread in half and then sat lotus style on the bed with the plate between them. They ate in silence for several moments.

“So we just need to get the other half of the amulet and we can stop running? We can go home?”

“I don’t think we can ever go back to our own time,” he told her. “Despite what the newspaper says, your death wasn’t a random murder. Someone is after you.”

“Do you know who it is?”

“Sort of,” he admitted. He didn’t want to say too much. “The wrong people found out about the power of the amulet.”

“Like who?”

He probably shouldn’t lie to her, but the truth was too terrifying to share. “Some religious fanatics. They want the amulet to shift the flow of power in the world. We vowed to keep it away from them. Imagine the amount of damage those kind of people could do with this artifact.”

“So why did they kill me?”

He shrugged. “I wish I knew. Probably to get to me. I didn’t stick around long enough to find out. I just wanted to go back in time, find you, and make you safe. Carl wanted to find me and keep me from changing your future. He’s convinced it will lead to the end of the world.”

“Is Carl one of the fanatics?”

Reece shook his head. “They don’t even know about Carl, or the other half of the amulet. Carl is my partner. He and I discovered the amulet together. We each took a half and you deciphered the hieroglyphics on my half. You said something about the other half being a control element.”

“How did I know that?”

“I’m not sure. You read something about the amulet in an ancient script, I think. You warned me not to use it, even though we knew how. You said the Egyptians were afraid of it. Said it was cursed.”

“Egyptians thought a lot of things were cursed. And why did you use it, when I told you not to?”

“To find you.”

“Did I ask you to?”

Reece stared at her, his heart lodged in his throat. She simply didn’t get it. He wondered if she would ever love him like she once did. Circumstances were different this time. Maybe she wouldn’t fall in love with him at all. He didn’t know what had caused her to start looking at him differently in their previous relationship. She’d thought of him as an amusing guy, never to be taken seriously, then one day it was as if she’d seen him in a totally different light and she’d allowed him to get close. It had been the greatest gift he’d ever received. She loved fiercely, deeply, unconditionally. But getting her to initially open up to him had been next to impossible. I have to be patient. She’ll fall in love with me again. Just keep it together, Reece.

“No, you didn’t ask, but I had to save you, Lara. It’s the only thing I could think to do in that situation.”

“Maybe I didn’t want to be saved.”

“Maybe I didn’t care what you wanted,” he countered. “Maybe I really saved you for me.”

Her eyes narrowed dangerously. “Maybe I should thank you for saving me,” she snapped.

“Maybe you should. I risked a lot to save you, you know,” his voice raised in anger. “I gave up my entire life for you.”

She touched his cheek and his temper was instantly placated. “Thank you,” she said. “I owe you one.”

“You would have done the same for me,” he said. “I know you would have.”

She smiled. “I must have thought you were something pretty special, then.”

She leaned towards him and kissed him. She pulled away and gazed up at him shyly. For an instant, Reece saw her as Eirick saw her. As Helga. Reece felt what Eirick felt. Unbridled lust. He toppled her onto the bed, pushed her skirt up and pulled her underdrawers from her body with a vicious yank. Eirick struggled with the fly of his pants, holding Helga to the bed with his weight while he unleashed his cock.

“No,” Helga cried. Reece couldn’t sense Lara anymore at all. This had happened before. When a situation got particularly tense, he lost his battle with his vessel’s consciousness and was taken along for the ride. Reece couldn’t stomach the thought of being witness to a rape, however. He struggled to regain the upper hand over Eirick’s lust and actions.

Helga’s image faded and Lara was suddenly gazing up at him with a horrified expression. “She’s a virgin, Reece, and she’s terrified. Don’t let him hurt her like this.”

“I’m trying, Lara. But this event is important. It has to happen. There are things we cannot change.”

“What do you mean?”

“If something has to happen in the past, it has to happen. We can’t stop it. There is something necessary about this moment. A reason they have to consummate this relationship.”

“They have to have sex or he has to rape her?”

“How should I know? All I know is that when events shape the future, I can’t change them. I’ve never been able to. I’ve tried more than once. I thought I could stop Lincoln’s assassination, but no, I just had to sit there and watch.”

“I feel it too, Reece. That this is important. Maybe she gets pregnant or something and the child can only be conceived on this morning. Just don’t let him rape her. Please.”

“I don’t know how to stop this.”

“We won’t stop it. Just make it easier. Reece, make love to me.”

As soon as she said it, Eirick’s pull over Reece’s actions lessened. “Are you sure?”

“Yes.”

Reece regained total control. So they just needed to have sex. He didn’t have to rape her. Thank God.

And then it hit him. He was going to make love to Lara. This was his chance to show her how well they fit together. How they were made for each other. How great their sex life was. Or had been.

Reece buried his fingers in her thick curls and tilted her head back so he could trail kisses down her throat. He found the spot beneath her ear that always turned her to willing mush in his arms. As he suckled spot number one, she groaned, her back arching to press her breasts into his chest. His only regret was that they weren’t yet naked.

“Reece,” she whispered. “Reece. I want you.”

Not quite I love you, but it was a start. He struggled to remove her tangled night shirt and his own sleeping attire to leave them both naked. He kissed a trail down her chest and drew her nipple into his mouth. He sucked spot number two hard and then soothed it with the flat of his tongue before sucking hard again.

“Oh,” she gasped, clinging to his hair with both hands. “That feels so good.”

And his cock was so hard. He wasn’t sure how long he could put off thrusting into her. He shifted his mouth to her other breast, sucking hard, soothing with his tongue, sucking hard again. He moved his trembling hand between her thighs and sought spot number fifteen buried within a nest of curls. He was too impatient for spots three through fourteen this time. He just needed to be inside her. He’d like to blame the Viking for his lustful urges, but it was all him. He’d missed everything about Lara these past eight months, including her body.

The dampness between her thighs hinted her readiness, but he wanted her first time with him to be special, even if it wasn’t his first time with her. He massaged her swollen clit with two fingers. Her body tensed and it took several moments for her to relax again. He remembered their original first time being much the same. It had taken Lara time to get over her reservations, but boy, when she had.

He shifted his mouth to her other breast again and increased the pressure on her clit with his fingers. He rubbed faster. Harder. More gently. Harder again.

“Reece?” she gasped.

He slid his fingers inside her slick pussy and then shifted them back to her clit.

“Oh!” She tensed again, trying to regain her senses instead of giving herself over to them.

This was going to take some work, he realized. He kissed a trail down her belly, pausing to nibble on spot number eleven along the crest of her left hip. His fingers never stopped rubbing at her clit as he kissed lower. Lower.

“Reece? Reece!”

He wouldn’t tell her to let go. Wouldn’t tell her to just relax. Or let it happen. She would fight climax even more then. He knew how she reacted when he tried to tell her what to do. While he liked to think they had all day together, his cock was complaining by throbbing incessantly. He had to make her come. Quickly.

Reece slid his fingers back inside her and pressed his tongue against her clit, writhing it in repetitive circles until she grabbed his hair in both hands and her back arched. He slowly thrust his fingers in and out of her pussy, sucking and licking at her clit until she cried out. “Reece, Reece. I’m going to come,” she sputtered as if surprised by this realization.

Yeah, baby. That’s the idea.

“Wait. Don’t. Stop. I’m going to...”

Her pussy clenched around his fingers and her hips buckled. She cried out, bucking against his hand to draw his fingers in and out of her body. He flicked his tongue over her clit to keep her writhing in ecstasy for as long as possible. When her body went limp, he kissed his way up her belly. Reece removed his fingers from her hot sheath and settled on his side beside her, propping himself on one elbow to watch her face as his fingers found her clit again.

She twitched in involuntary spasms as he continued to tease her most sensitive spot.

“That feels wonderful,” she whispered and opened unfocused eyes to try to look at him.

He smiled gently and kissed her lips. Her fingers gently rubbed over his chest, exploring its hard contours shyly. She found a ticklish spot on his rib cage and he squirmed.

“Doesn’t seem quite fair,” she said.

“What’s that?”

“You know what I like, but I have no idea how to please you.”

“You don’t think I’m going to tell you all my secrets, do you?”

“I think it will be more fun to discover them for myself.”

Her hand moved lower, bumping over the muscles of his abdomen. When her palm rubbed the sensitive skin between his hipbone and straining cock, he sucked an excited breath between his teeth.

“Found one,” she whispered.

Her hand moved closer to his cock. It twitch. Lord, he was so turned on, he wasn’t sure how much of her curious exploration he could take. Her fingers brushed his sac and his belly tightened. She cradled his nuts gently in one hand and he gasped.

“Another one.”

He stopped stroking her clit long enough to position her hand on his cock and then returned to giving her pleasure. She trailed her fingertips up his length and he squeezed his eyes shut. When she reached the rim of his cock head, she wrapped her hand around his shaft and massaged the head with her thumb, spreading the slick bead of pre-cum over his flesh.

“Lara.”

Her hand began to move, stroking his length slowly. If it hadn’t been eight months since he last had sex, he’d have found the motion pleasurable. As it was, he would reach climax much too soon if she kept that up. Her hand stopped and she squeezed him a bit too hard for his liking.

“Easy, sweetheart,” he breathed.

“Reece, I want you. Now.” She tugged at his cock and spread her legs wider.

She wanted him? Inside her? He figured it would take hours before she was ready to accept him into her body. The first time they’d made love— He’d almost died from lack of fulfillment.

“Reece, Reece. Now, before I come again.”

He was still rubbing her clit. She moved with his hand, close to tumbling over the edge again.

He rolled on top of her and settled between her thighs. He looked down at Lara’s beautiful face and for a moment he saw Helga, blonde hair sticking to her flushed cheeks, skin slick with sweat. She gazed up at him, her blue eyes passion-glazed and trusting.

“It will be over quickly, dear one,” Eirick said, kissing Helga’s trembling lips.

Reece wondered if Lara would feel the pain of Helga losing her virginity. This was a much better way for Helga to lose it than Eirick losing his temper and forcing himself on the little Norsewoman, but still, it would not be pleasant.

“Reece, Reece, hurry,” Lara demanded.

“Shhh, sweetheart, I’m going to take it slow at first.”

“I want it hard, Reece. Hard and fast.”

Yeah, him too, actually, but he was controlling a body not his own, in a time not his own, under circumstances he was not meant to participate in. Reece reached between their bodies and grabbed his cock, seeking her opening. When he found her, he eased forward an inch, allowing her to become accustomed to his size. Helga’s body resisted Eirick’s, but Lara’s engulfed Reece’s cock head in slick, molten pleasure. It took every shred of Reece’s willpower not to thrust into her like a man possessed. The barrier to Eirick’s penetration gave way and Helga cried out in pain. He sank an inch deeper.

“You’re being careful and slow for them,” Lara said, staring up into Reece’s eyes.

“I’m sorry. I knew it would hurt her, and—”

His words were silenced by Lara’s passionate kiss. She wrapped her arms and legs around him, relaxing, opening herself to him, and he slid deeper. She was thinking of Helga’s comfort, too. Reece sank deeper. Deeper, until at last, Lara had accepted all of him. He tugged his mouth from hers and buried his face against her throat, trying to maintain a smidgen of control when every nerve ending in his body demanded he thrust into her as hard and as fast as he could.

For a long moment, he just inhaled and exhaled, his belly trembling, his balls tight and heavy. Every muscle in his body taut, Reece began to move within her, gyrating his hips to open her to his possession. She moved with him, grinding against his pubis, sighing with delight as he added gentle thrusting to his gyrations. Reece forced himself to think about her pleasure and drew gentle hands over her skin, pressed butterfly kisses to her jaw, throat and lips. Lara clung to his shoulders, her head tilted back in surrender, and it was all he could do not to repeatedly tell her how much he loved her. As their excitement built, they moved together and apart faster. The urgency in his groin had gotten the better of him. All he could think about was finding merciful release and pumping his cum deep inside her body. Lara cried out, her back arching in delight, her pussy clenching around his cock in hard spasms. It sent him flying over the edge into a realm of pure bliss. He erupted inside her, pleasurable spasms gripping the base of his cock, offering him release. He couldn’t help calling her name in the throes of ecstasy. She called his name in return as they shuddered against each other.

Their bodies went limp and though Reece knew he was probably crushing her, he couldn’t have moved even if he wanted to, and frankly, he didn’t. She trailed one hand up and down his back, drawing goose-bumps to the surface of his skin. He delighted in the feel of her beneath him—soft breasts pressed into his chest, smooth legs tangled with his, warm pussy gripping his softening cock. This is where he belonged. The time didn’t matter. The place didn’t matter. Only the woman mattered.

“That was amazing,” she whispered.

He smiled against her shoulder and lifted his head so he could stare into her eyes.

“I’ve never had an orgasm with a man inside me before,” she whispered. Her face flamed as she looked up at him in wonder.

“Oh, did you have an orgasm?” he teased. “I wasn’t sure.”

She chuckled. “I thought it was fairly obvious. What with the moaning and uncontrollable convulsions.”

“You could have been faking.”

She was quiet for a long moment. “Actually, I was totally faking, Reece. I think you need to start over and try again. Get it right this time.”

He grinned at her. “Yeah, I am a little out of practice. We should probably try that again. It’s not in me to leave you unsatisfied.”

“I’m guessing future me really liked that about you,” she said.

“Couldn’t get enough.”

“I’m starting to believe that.”

Lara’s beautiful, smiling face melted into Helga’s bewildered expression. “Eirick?”

Eirick took Helga’s hand and kissed her wrist. “Yes, dear one?”

“I enjoyed that rather a lot,” she said. “I thank you for not hurting me.”

“I did hurt you,” he said, and kissed her cheeks, then her nose, “but never will again.”

“That was a necessary pain. It was over quickly. And then I felt such pleasure. Oh Eirick, it was wonderful.”

Eirick stared down at his captive bride, somewhat perplexed. He’d never given a woman pleasure like that before. He wasn’t exactly sure how he’d come up with those motions in his hips or how he’d known to rub and suckle that little bump between a Helga’s legs to delight her. Making love to Helga brought him much more satisfaction than his usual thrust, come, roll over and fall asleep routine.

“I think... I think that I love you, Helga. My wife.”

She smiled and stroked his cheek lovingly. “And I you, Eirick.”

“We will have many strong sons and beautiful daughters.”

“That means more pleasure, doesn’t it? Should we start now?”

“Yes. Children should appease my mother. You will quickly win her favor as you have won mine.”

Lara’s face drifted back into focus. She smiled at Reece. “I think we helped them a little,” she said.

Reece chuckled. “Eirick is wondering how he came up with such smooth moves in the bedroom. Maybe we should show him a few more tricks, so he can keep his woman happy for years to come.”

Lara grinned. “I’m game if you are.”

A vibration hummed against Reece’s chest. “Shit, could his timing be any worse?” He pulled the amulet from between their bodies and felt the physical tug he always felt when Carl’s half of the amulet was near. “Almost time to go,” he said to Lara.

Lara reached for her clothes and Reece chuckled at her. “You don’t take those with you anyway.”

Lara flushed. “I arrived naked the last time. I was hoping to avoid that this time.”

“I prefer you this way.” He kissed her chin. “Naked looks good on you.” The amulet hummed louder. Reece stared into Lara’s eyes as he waited for the right moment to begin to recite the words that would send them to another time. He wrapped her hands around the stone half-circle and covered her hands with his. Outside the room, there was a crackle. Reece began to recite the inscription. The bedroom door burst open. A Viking/Carl appeared in the doorframe. Reece didn’t need to look at Carl to know it was him. He knew he would be there. He always was.

“Damn it, Reece,” Carl bellowed. “I just want to talk to you. Don’t leap again.”

“Maybe we should hear what he has to say,” Lara said, turning to look at the man stalking across the room.

There was another loud crack, and Reece and Lara floated sideways through time. Lara squeezed her eyes shut, emitting a little squeak of terror. Reece was used to this by now. It was still amazing to watch the scenes of time blend together and rush past at a dizzying rate. And then they touched down.

Instead of lying in bed between Lara’s silky thighs, Reece found himself mounted on an enormous horse. He was fully bedecked in heavy armor, his view limited by the visor of his helmet. Reece held a sword in his right hand. His other hand controlled the reins of his steed. The person in front of him clung to his forearm for dear life. He couldn’t see her, but knew it was Lara seated before him on the horse. She was trembling so hard she was making his armor rattle, but she seemed unharmed. Before Reece could even orient himself to his surroundings, a large black object came at him, aimed directly for his head. He deflected it with his sword, his shoulder screaming in protest as the heavy mace ricocheted off his weapon.

Reece spun his horse around and found that it wasn’t just one menacing soldier trying to kill him, but a whole calvary of them.

“I think this is our cue to make a run for it, sweetheart,” he called to Lara.

Reece spun his horse around again and kicked the animal into a canter. Something hit him in the side with enough force to knock him to the ground. He hadn’t seen what had happened, but he was on flat on his back and Lara was being carried off by one of Reece’s foes. Naked, Lara kicked her captor, screaming at the top of her lungs, but to no avail. Apparently, they were after the girl, but that didn’t mean they planned to leave Reece alone now that they had their prize.

Reece rolled to his feet, cursing his armor for slowing him, but blessing it for taking the brunt of that mace and his jarring tumble from his horse.

“Are you going to stand there gawking, Ferguson, or are you going to fight with honor?” one of the remaining soldiers asked him.

“Do I really have a choice?” Reece asked, lifting his sword. Reece had to fight and he had to win. Some crazy medieval knight had kidnapped Lara and Reece had no intention of letting her go. Ever.