Stars Across Time (23 page)

Theron snorted. “I don’t know. This is all new to us. We don’t have a lot of rules in place yet, but I’m more worried about not stealing people than in telling them about things that were going to happen anyway.” He glanced down at the page. “I think you’ll find this good news.”

“All right.”

“You’re going to have a son who will be a part of your space program, a commercial version of it, rather than NASA, it looks like. And he’ll make some inventions that will be crucial to, ah—well, they’ll disappear for a couple hundred years when things go downhill, but we’re using them now for our program. If they were never made, all of
our
hopes would be for naught.”

“A son?” Andie looked bemused. “I’d never thought of myself as motherly. Of course, I’ve never found someone I could imagine having children with.”

“It looks like you will.” Theron folded the note in half and stuck it in his pocket, trying not to let his disappointment show. He should be happy for her, even if this meant she couldn’t stay with him, and he couldn’t take her home to meet his mom. Perhaps it had been foolish to ever hope for that.

Andie laid her hand on his. “I’m here now,” she whispered.

He met her eyes.

“Wasn’t there something back at your house that you wanted to show me?” She smiled, letting her hand drop from the table to his lap again.

Thoughts of their kisses flooded back into his mind—and into his groin. “
That
wasn’t it,” he said, a slight croak to his voice, “but yes. I’d like to take you to my home.”

“Good,” she whispered and kissed him.

A
ndie and Theron clasped hands as he led her up the path toward a wooden bungalow on a quiet street in the back of the fort. It wouldn’t be appropriate to rush him, Andie supposed, though she believed he was as eager to jump into bed as she was. After sitting on his lap in the carriage, though he hadn’t kissed her so openly with his private up in the driver’s seat, she knew at least
part
of him was eager. But he had mentioned wanting to show her something, too, so she would restrain herself.

She watched him as they approached the door, noting the pensive look on his face. She preferred him when he was smiling, his eyes warm with humor, but she understood why his emotions might be mixed tonight, after all that he had told her. First, there had been the invitation to stay—her mind still boggled at the idea of
that
—and then the reason why she couldn’t—another mind-boggling revelation. Andie would think more about it all later, whenever there was time to decompress, but she wanted to be with him tonight, especially now that she realized how much he cared. She was still amazed that he had been thinking of her staying with him. Of bringing her home to meet his parents.

But if she couldn’t stay, they wouldn’t have time for any of that. If they didn’t enjoy tonight, would they get another chance?

Inside the door, Theron flipped a switch, and a lamp came on in an open living room, a tidy kitchen visible beyond it. Despite the comfortable-looking leather furniture and the decorations on the walls—an interesting mix of weapons and starry-night paintings—the place had a seldom-lived-in feel. Nothing was dusty, but there weren’t any half-started projects out or books left on the side table, nor did she spot any pizza boxes in the kitchen garbage can. Of course, they might not
have
pizza in this day and age. She remembered his blank look when she had asked what style of restaurant it was that they were going to. Judging by the greenhouse and the chickens, whatever was locally available went in the pot. Back home, that locally grown, organic fare would be trendy. Strange to think that it was all that they had here.

“You have electricity,” she said, waving at the lamp.

“Sometimes. Depends on the weather. There are panels on the roof. The heat for most of the base housing is geothermal, and that’s reliable. You don’t need it this time of year, but we get some cold storms coming in during the winter.” Theron clasped her hand, reaching with his other to brush his fingers down the side of her face. She shivered, sensations of pleasure streaking through her every time he touched her. “However, what I want to share with you is best done in the dark.”

“Oh? Are you shy?”

“No.” He kissed her, his lips lingering for long enough to make her want to melt against him, but then he squeezed her hand and led her toward a set of stairs. “This way.”

“Gladly.”

She watched his butt, which looked quite fine in his uniform, as he walked ahead of her. For most of the way, she resisted the urge to touch it, until she had to reach out and give him a squeeze before he stepped onto the landing.

“Are you going to be a naughty houseguest?” he asked, pulling her against him when she joined him at the top.

“I sure hope so.”

Theron gave her another kiss, and this time she was able to lean into him, getting more of a taste. She lifted her fingers to the top button of his shirt. In the restaurant, she had wanted so badly to tear open all of his buttons, to slide her hands across his chest, over his shoulders, around to his back... She wanted to kiss each of his scars, to lick his warm skin, to have the freedom to touch all that she had only been able to look at during that long day of marching.

“This way,” Theron murmured, withdrawing his lips. “It’s almost time.”

“I’ll agree with that.” She gave him another squeeze on the butt, this time letting her hand linger, daring to explore the contours of his tight cheek. She needed to get him out of his clothes, so she could truly explore.

Theron kept her other hand and led her down a short hallway. She peered through the first doorway, expecting him to be taking her to his bedroom. They passed a study with star charts on the wall, along with nautical and astronomical devices that would have been antiques even in her time. She smiled. He really was a space nut. What would he have been if he had been born in her day? Would a soldier’s duty still have called to him? Or had he only joined out of necessity? To protect his people?

There was so much she didn’t know about him that she wished to know. It weighed on her to realize that they wouldn’t get the opportunity to truly get to know each other.

Through the next doorway lay a bedroom, with a large, comfortable bed, the blankets tidy, the pillows fluffed invitingly. It was waiting for them. Or so she thought. But he walked to a ladder at the end of the hall, one that blocked a linen closet because it was pulled down. What could he have up in the attic that he wanted to show her?

He climbed, sliding a ceiling panel aside, then disappeared into the darkness. Andie followed gamely, through a small attic, then up to what turned out to be a flat section of the roof that had been built into a deck with railings on all sides. Though they couldn’t see to the water, not with the fort walls and taller buildings rising in that direction, the elevated spot offered a beautiful view of the mountains, as well as a starry sky that stretched over them like a blanket. These were the same stars that existed in her time, but they were far brighter and more vibrant. Fewer big city lights affecting the sky.

A single wooden chair suggested Theron usually sat by himself when he came up here. A lonely thought. She envisioned herself sitting up here with him, drinking coffee in the mornings or stargazing at night.

“Just a couple of minutes, if the base weatherman can be trusted. There’s a blanket in that trunk if you get cold. I sleep up here sometimes in the summers when it’s hot in the house.” Theron removed a tarp from what she had guessed covered a barbecue. It turned out to be a telescope.

Even though she was delighted, she also thought of Min-ji and felt guilty for having this night with Theron when her friend was in some “pen” or worse. Just because the market wasn’t until tomorrow night didn’t mean she wasn’t fending off the attacks of potential buyers who came groping. Or maybe someone had already tried her. Andie grimaced.

“For your viewing pleasure,” Theron said, “I’ve arranged for a comet to pass through.” He bent over the eyepiece and adjusted the direction of the telescope.

“That’s thoughtful of you.” Andie pushed aside the unpleasant thoughts—she could dwell on them tomorrow. Instead, she wondered if fate had played a hand in all of this. It wouldn’t be the same comet visiting the sky—Lovejoy had something like an eight-thousand-year orbit—but what were the odds of another one being visible? She snorted softly. The odds couldn’t possibly apply in this situation. Fate, indeed.

Andie joined Theron at the telescope, slipping an arm around his waist. She wondered how naughty of a houseguest he would consider her if she unbuckled his pants while he was searching for the comet. That had crossed her mind back in the restaurant. It wasn’t as if they’d had an audience out there, aside from the plants and the fountain. They might have wandered back into the shadows of that greenhouse and—

“It’s coming in from the west,” Theron murmured.

“Which comet is it?” She decided to wait for naughtiness. She wanted to see the comet, too, and he might think less of her proclaimed fondness for space if she opted to play with his
other
telescope when there was something in the sky to look at.

“Halley. It will be visible to the naked eye, too, but this is even better.”

“Oh? I was a baby the last time that one came around. I’m told I was out there with my parents, looking at it, but I don’t remember it. My dad is kind of disappointed about that.” Andie looked toward the heavens over the dark mountains. With all of the stars out there, it took a few moments to spot, but once it came over the hills, the smudgy white tail made it distinctive. “Ah, there it is.”

“Got it. It’s beautiful.” Theron watched it through the telescope for a moment, then leaned back so she could have a look.

She admired the tail, the clumps and knots of cometary material now visible. It was strange to think that she had already witnessed two viewings of a comet that visited Earth every seventy-five years and that she might catch it again in her old age. Assuming she lived to her old age. Theron’s warning of a problematic future wasn’t far enough ahead for her to be guaranteed to miss it. In knowing, could she plan ahead? Protect herself? Protect the son she didn’t yet have?

Theron rested his hand against the small of her back, and she pushed the grim thoughts aside. She took in the view for a few more minutes, then leaned back against his chest.

“Thank you for sharing that with me.” Andie gazed up at him, the comet visible in the sky beyond his head.

“You’re welcome. I’d been waiting for this one for a while and wondered if I would be home for it. I’d assumed I would be here alone if I was home. This is better.”

“Good.”

She laid her palm against his jaw. This late in the day, a hint of stubble scraped her skin, and she rubbed her hand against it, enjoying the sensation. He closed his eyes, leaning into her touch. She preferred him clean-shaven to the beard, the soldier to the wild-haired kidnapper, but a little stubble wasn’t unappealing. Nothing about him was unappealing. She swallowed, wishing she had met him in her world instead of here, where she could not stay. Would she even remember him when she returned to her own time? What if she forgot everything that happened? Or convinced herself it had all been a dream? That would be... unacceptable.

She forgot the telescope and the comet and stepped closer to him, brushing her fingers over his ear, then slipping them behind his head. He must have guessed her intent, because he leaned down first, his lips meeting hers.

In the restaurant, she had sensed his restraint, his intent to keep their kissing light, a promise and nothing more. But now that restraint slipped away, his passions boiling over. For the first time, he kissed her hungrily, his desire engulfing her as his arms wrapped around her waist, pulling her close. She kissed him back with just as much urgency, surges of heat spiraling through her body, magnifying at her core. She welcomed every touch of his tongue, some slow and languorous, some quick and darting. They stroked each other back and forth, feinting and thrusting, like sparring opponents. No, like dancers. Each move complemented the other, amplifying the desire burning inside of her.

She brought her fingers to the buttons of his uniform shirt, as she had longed to do earlier. They were stiff and stubborn, and she grew frustrated and finally tore them open. He either didn’t notice or didn’t care. Or felt the same impatience. She shoved his shirt back from his shoulders, revealing the strong sinews of his body. She ran her hands over his heated flesh, enjoying the topography of his terrain, but touching him with her fingers wasn’t enough. No, she pulled her mouth from his so she could kiss his chest, sliding her tongue over the rounded muscles and through the dips between them, tasting the warmth of his skin, the salty sweetness.

A breeze whispered across her bare shoulders. Only then did she realize that he had thwarted her own buttons, peeling her blouse away from her body. His touch had been far more nimble than hers. Since her lips were busy, he bent his head and kissed her throat instead of her mouth, sucking, tasting, issuing soft notes of desire. He must be enjoying this every bit as much as she. One of his hands found her bare waist, his short nails raising gooseflesh as he dragged them up her side to her bra. For a moment, he stroked her through the material, stirring the most exquisite sensations within her body. Then he slid his hand around to her back and, with a deft twist of his fingers, unclasped her bra.

She’d
had trouble with that clasp when she had put on the borrowed garment, but he obviously had more experience with undergarment designs of this century. The thought drifted away on the breeze as her own explorations distracted her. While her fingers ran up and down his back, enjoying his hard, sleek contours, she traced the curve of one pectoral muscle with her tongue until the skin changed and she brushed across a tight nipple.

“Andie,” he groaned in her ear as she laved it, then suckled. When she gave him a soft nip, a shudder went through him, a testament to the pleasure he felt. Good. She wanted to remember him, and she wanted to make sure he remembered her too.