Saved by My Blackguard (Linked Across Time Book 1) (7 page)

“I’m not relishing it either. We’ve been inactive for days now. Our muscles are sure to protest, but we can’t stay here forever.”

She sighed. “I know you’re right.”

Evelyn stood up and stretched her arms. Her muscles were achy and it felt good to move around a bit. She turned and saw Paul staring at her. What was he thinking? Did he feel the same things she did? As much as she wanted to ask she was equally afraid to discover the answers. For all she knew he had a love back home.

“I don’t know this island and I’m unsure what direction we should take.”

“I’m afraid I won’t be any help. Even on St. Kitts I wasn’t allowed to do anything on my own. Your guess is as good as mine.”

“I realized that when you reminded me you depended on servants for food.” He nodded and gestured toward her dress. “You probably should put that back on. If we run into anyone else they might get the wrong idea.”

She knew he was right. Society would immediately demand he marry her. In truth they would regardless. They’d spent too much time alone together for any other result. It still amazed her she’d gotten so comfortable around him to forego the dress for days. Evelyn strolled over and picked it up. Her dress was still slightly damp. The cave was dark, and without much sunlight it hadn’t given it a chance to fully dry. Without thinking too much about what their next steps were she slid the dress on. She wouldn’t be able to do all the laces herself though.

“Can you do up the back for me?”

Without a word he did as she asked. The feel of his hands against the bare flesh of her back sent shivers down her spine. She wanted to turn around and beg him to hold her, to never leave her, but most importantly to love her. Evelyn was afraid it was too late for her heart. It had taken one giant leap willingly and gave itself to him to have for always. She couldn’t look past the moment they were in. The future was too scary and unknown.

“There, you’re presentable now.”

She ran her hand through her hair. “Well, as presentable as I can manage.”

He smiled. “You’re beautiful.”

Evelyn’s lips tilted into a small smile at his words. “I’m glad you think so. It’s always nice to hear, even though I know how much of a mess I must look like.”

He lifted his hand and ran his fingers over her hair. Then he lifted his other hand and cupped her cheek. “You’ll always be beautiful to me.”

A stab of pain pierced her heart. His words hurt as much as they gave her joy. Why did everything have to be so complicated? She was tired of all the drama in her life. It would be nice for once to have something come easy. She fidgeted under his gaze and looked down. She didn’t know how to respond to his words. Did she admit she found him handsome? Maybe she should tell him how much he’d come to mean to her. This was uncharted territory for her, a situation she’d never found herself in before. One she couldn’t help but hoped she never found herself in again. Paul was the only man she wanted.

“Evelyn.” He brushed her cheek with one of his fingers. “Look at me.”

Slowly she lifted her head and let her gaze meet his. She sucked in a deep breath at the fire in his eyes. Was she reading him right? Her mouth fell open in anticipation. She didn’t know how she knew it, but she believed he was going to kiss her. The first time he did it had taken her by surprise. It was over before it had ever begun. A light sweet kiss that had left her wanting more, she’d enjoyed it and wanted to explore the feel of his lips against hers.

He leaned down and pressed his lips on hers. Heat filled her in places she didn’t know existed. They burned with each roll of his mouth over hers, and when he pushed his tongue inside her mouth she moaned in pleasure. The touch of his tongue on hers was simply bliss. She wrapped her arms around his waist and pulled him closer to her. The more she experienced the more she desired. Their kiss could go on forever and she still wouldn’t have enough. If she’d known a kiss could make her feel so much she’d have demanded he do it sooner.

He pulled back and stared down at her. His breath was uneven and his eyes alight with something she couldn’t identify. She wanted to hold him tight and never let go. So she did the next best thing, she leaned her head against him and sighed with contentment. Once they left the cave there was no turning back. She wanted to burn this memory into her mind so she’d never forget it.

“We need to go now.”

“I know.” She stepped back and smiled. “Let’s get off this island and figure out where and when we are.”

He pulled her hand in his and led her out of the cave.

***

Paul wished they could have stayed in the cave forever. He knew it wasn’t possible or even realistic, but he was afraid of what the real world might offer for them. They walked together, hand in hand toward the beach. He figured it was the best place to start. He could get a better idea of where they were from what he remembered of his brief stay on the island.

When they reached the beach they both stopped short, staring, stunned at the devastation that surrounded them. All they could see for the entire length of the beach was debris washed in from the ocean. Seaweed littered the beach from one end to the other. A tree had been uprooted near the edge of the forest and lay across the sand, stripped bare of any leaves. The wind had wreaked havoc on the area and the ocean hadn’t been any kinder. Seashells were mixed in with the vegetation and foliage that spread across the sand.

“I have never seen something so…” Evelyn paused and shook her head. “I have no words for this. It is horrible.”

There was no doubt in his mind what century he was in. If this were his time the debris would be much worse. The beach wouldn’t be this—clean—for lack of a better word. He didn’t need to go any further to know and accept he’d somehow traveled through time. When the doctor ordered him to take a vacation he was pretty sure this wasn’t what he had in mind. A person didn’t generally time travel to get away from their problems. There were much easier ways to get away from the day to day grind.

“It could be worse.” Paul sighed. “This beach is littered with natural debris. There isn’t anything man made to add to it. In 1987, and with the pollution that came with that time, it would be littered with items careless people throw into the ocean. There is also the possibility of boats being lifted out of the area they are docked in and finding a new home on a beach or road. The winds of a hurricane or tropical storm are not forgiving, no one or anything is safe from them. We’re lucky to have escaped with our lives.”

“I can’t picture what it must be like for you. To live so far in the future, there must be many wondrous things that you could tell me about.”

Paul wanted to tell her anything she wished to know. He wasn’t so sure it was prudent to fill her head with tales of the twentieth century. There had been too many advances made and it would take too long to explain them all. If she came back with him then he could show her everything and give her books to educate herself with.

He was already thinking of what he could do for her if she came with him. It wasn’t a foregone conclusion, but he wanted it to be. If they got back to 1987, after he figured out how to get there, he knew how to get her the proper paperwork to live in his time. It was to their benefit he was so filthy rich and had a wide array of contacts. Once they got all the little details out of the way, then they could get married and truly begin their life together.

“One day I will share it all with you. For now, I think we have bigger problems.”

“I know. We have to find a way off this island.”

She wasn’t wrong. They did need to get off the island as fast as they possibly could. For more reasons than he dared to count. They couldn’t live on the island for long without going crazy. What kind of life would they have? They had other issues to deal with as well. One being the band of pirates that seemed to be heading in their general direction and Paul had no urge to deal with the blood thirsty lot.

“You’re right, sweetheart. But for now, I think we need to go back and hide in our cave.”

“Why?” She lifted an eyebrow. “I thought we needed to find civilization.”

“We do.” He nodded. “But I think that I figured out what happened to the pirate ship you were on.”

“You did?”

He spun her around and pointed. The pirate ship appeared to have been run aground on the other side of the island. The masts were visible over the trees. At least two miles in the distance he could see people walking toward them. It had to be some of the pirates who survived the storm.

“Oh my.” Her hand flew to her mouth. “Captain Jack was trying to use the wind to make it into the harbor before the storm hit. It looks like it didn’t work. I hope he made it.”

He squashed down the instant jealousy that flooded him at her words. Why did she have sympathy for a pirate who’d kidnapped her? She should wish him dead. It wasn’t the time to argue about it, and he didn’t really want to hear what she thought of the pirate captain. As far as he was concerned, she should never mention the man’s name again.

“I don’t want to find out one way or the other. Let’s move toward the cave. I don’t want them to realize where we are or what direction we took. From what little I know of pirates they aren’t the most congenial sort.”

“They aren’t very nice,” she agreed.

He laughed. “That’s putting things mildly.”

He reached over and placed her hand in his and led her back into the forest. The lush vegetation would give them enough cover. He hoped the pirates hadn’t noticed them on the beach. If their luck held, they’d remain safe until they passed by them again. It would also give him a little bit more time to figure out how he’d traveled through time. If he could recreate the scenario and take them both back to 1987, they’d be safe from any harm.

SAVED BY MY BLACKGUARD

CHAPTER SEVEN

They had been
back in the cave for a few days. Paul handed Evelyn a coconut. She took a drink from the tiny hole he drilled into it with his tool. They’d settled back into the cave without much ado. It had become a home for them over the past week. Afraid the smoke might attract the pirates, Paul hadn’t lit a fire. At least she was no longer cold. Her clothes were dry and didn’t add to the chill air. The wind had died down somewhat, but the sky was still cloudy. The temperature had yet to rise to the normal temperature of a tropical island.

She handed him the coconut and he took a quick drink, and then gave it back to her. He was always doing that. Making sure she had her fill first. But, as idyllic as their time had been, she was starting to get irritable. Her skin itched, and her hair was too dirty to describe.

“I really wish I could take a bath. I’m so grimy from sand and salt water. I miss home.”

He glanced at her. He wasn’t looking any better than she felt. Perhaps they both could use a good washing. Too bad they didn’t have anything to bathe with. She missed her rose scented bath soap.

“I saw a waterfall when I was out earlier. At the base of it is a large pool. It is probably safe enough to go use it. I didn’t see any signs of the pirates. Tomorrow I think we should leave the cave for good.”

One more night without facing the real world, she was relieved. They could get to the business of resuming their lives. It was terrifying, but she knew they couldn’t remain where they were forever. It was time to move on and see how they interacted with each other without the safety of their self-made paradise. “Can we? I would love to at least rinse the salt and sand out of my hair.”