Time Travel Romances Boxed Set (10 page)

They typically had retired to their chambers
after such exchanges. Much laughter had carried from those rooms
throughout the night, as well as various mysterious thumps and
bumps.

Of course, all that had changed when Gemma
died.

Tears blurred Aurelia’s vision and she
suddenly felt very much alone. She folded her arms around herself,
unable to deny the chilly fingers of the wind any longer.

“
Do not cry, Gemdelovely
Gemdelee,” the old crone advised with a gentle tap on Aurelia’s
arm. “What you seek is closer than you might see.”

She knew something, that much Aurelia could
read in the eyes so disconcertingly like her dame’s. “Will you not
tell me whether you have seen my father? Was he brought to the
caves? Did he escape the new king’s vengeful hand?”

The woman shook her head slowly, then turned
away to finish her ascent. “Do you not already know the answer,
Gemdelovely Gemdelee? It lies before you, as clearly as can
be.”

Ha! Aurelia’s heart skipped a beat. The
woman had helped Hekod escape! It was only natural that she was
circumspect, for the new king would not be amused by this
development.

“
Then, he has not died!”
Aurelia whispered with delight. “He escaped! Do you know where I
might find him?”

The woman reached the summit and turned to
watch Aurelia scramble impatiently in her wake. The wind lifted a
strand of her silver hair free and the lock waved over her head
like an unruly ribbon. She took the pose of a warrior, her ancient
hands braced on the cane like a man’s on the hilt of a blade, her
shoulders square and her stare unflinching.

She arched a silver brow. “Oh, you will find
him, Gemdelovely Gemdelee, of that I am certain as can be. Though
you will find nothing as you believe it should be - ‘tis always
thus for the seeker and for thee.”

“
Then, where shall I find
him?”

The crone smiled. She looked toward Bard’s
castle and lifted her cane to point in that direction. “The seeker
comes for you, Gemdelovely Gemdelee. Mind he sees what you want him
to see.”

Aurelia pivoted just as Bard’s outraged cry
rang out across Dunhelm.

“
Princess! What in the hell
are you doing out here?”

Aurelia glanced back but the crone was
already a goodly distance away, the sound of her tapping cane
swallowed by the bellow of the sea. The woman’s words echoed in her
mind.

Bard must not realize that her father had
escaped!

Well, Aurelia was no witless fool who would
betray her own sire’s plans to regain his holding! She had to
intercept Bard before he drew near the sea cells and guessed where
she had been.

Aurelia recalled suddenly how Bard had
turned in revulsion when she had kissed him in the well. And he had
beaten a retreat out of that place, without looking back.

Aurelia squared her shoulders and strode
towards the self-proclaimed king, knowing exactly what she had to
do.

*

“
Are you out of your mind?”
Baird stalked across the wet green turf, stunned to find Aurelia on
the edge of the cliff. She wore no more than his sweater and was
obviously soaked to the skin, but her expression was mild as she
walked toward him.

They might have been meeting for tea on the
lawn, on a sunny Sunday afternoon, not braving the elements on the
edge of a damn cliff! Baird was more angry than he could ever
remember being, though he was sure that was because Julian’s
dreaded liability had been narrowly averted.

Of course, he had never felt so relieved at
avoiding liability before.

“
Are you nuts or what?”
Baird planted his feet against the mud when they were only a few
steps apart. “No, don’t answer that.” He flung out his hands, more
than ready to vent his frustration. But Aurelia walked toward him
silently, the mud sliding between her bare toes. Baird caught his
breath at the sight.

“
You could catch your death
of cold out here in that sweater!” he raged. “Why couldn’t you just
stay warm and dry in your room?”

His arguments fell silent when Aurelia came
to a halt directly before him. The rain beat down on him with
newfound intensity, the sea churned and he thought he could see the
ruddy pink of her nipples through the lattice stitches of his
sodden sweater.

Her eyes were so very blue that a man could
drown in their depths. As Baird stared at her, his heart
clenched.

Aurelia reached up and cupped his face in
the delicacy of her hands. Her fingers were light against his jaw,
her room key pressed wetly against one cheek, and Baird was
powerless to step away from her. One pale toe landed on Baird’s
boot, and he tried to swallow the lump that rose in his throat.

If she kissed him again, Baird wouldn’t be
able to stop so easily this time.

“
Did you desire me after
all, King Bard?” she whispered, then stretched against him without
waiting for his response.

Baird closed his eyes as her breasts pressed
against his chest for the second time in short order. An achingly
long moment later, the soft sweetness of her lips landed on
his.

And desire took the reins, kicking anger out
in the cold.

She tasted so good. Baird tried to resist
her siren’s call and failed so quickly that he knew resistance was
futile. He made a sound in the back of his throat that was halfway
between a groan and a growl, then slanted his lips possessively
over Aurelia’s. She arched against him, as though helpless against
an answering tide of passion, and Baird hauled her even closer.

Vaguely, he heard her room key clatter to
the ground.

The sea spray mingled with the sweetness of
her own taste, the combination intoxicating. Baird wanted more, he
wanted all she could give. He wanted to meld their bodies together,
right here and now.

It felt so right and for once, Baird
Beauforte didn’t question his instincts. He cupped Aurelia’s tight
buttocks in his hands and lifted her closer as he slid his tongue
between her teeth.

Aurelia sighed and arched her back
bewitchingly, the sound of her pleasure firing Baird’s need as
nothing else could have done. Her tongue danced boldly with his,
and her fingers latched into his hair to pull him closer. They
kissed hungrily, greedily, as though they had both awakened from a
long slumber to find the world brighter and better than imagined.
The fever between them was all-consuming, as though they had found
a treasure long lost.

The cold rain sluiced over them and Baird’s
hand slid beneath Aurelia’s sweater. His fingers cupped the ripe
perfection of her breast and he marveled at the softness of her
skin.

Her nipple instantly became a hard bead
beneath his caressing thumb. Baird ducked his head and nudged the
neck of the sweater aside, running a row of kisses across her flesh
and capturing the nipple between his teeth.

Aurelia moaned. She slid her foot up his leg
and Baird’s blood fired. He suckled her until the nipple was taut,
then Aurelia rolled her hips against his raging erection in a
silent demand. Baird captured her lips beneath his own once more,
sampling her deeply and leisurely, trying to tell her with his kiss
what he could not explain in words.

This was not lust. This was something more,
some connection on a deeper level, some recognition of a passion
that had been between them before. A legendary passion, a desire
for which he sensed he had paid a heavy price not once, but many
times.

A passion that Baird could not remember.

When Baird lifted his head, Aurelia’s azure
eyes were drowsy with desire and her lips were softened. Baird
cupped her head in his heads as he caught his breath, knowing he
had come within a hair of making love to this stranger in the
rain.

He was still thinking about it.

But she couldn’t really be a stranger. It
would be crazy to feel such a strong attraction to someone he had
never met. They must have been together before, even though Baird
couldn’t remember it.

But he never forgot anything or anyone.
Baird’s photographic memory was legendary.

It made no sense. How could Aurelia turn him
inside out, remind him that they had been together, yet slip out of
his memory as elusively as a ghost? Baird stared down into
Aurelia’s fathomless eyes as though he would will the truth out of
her.

“
Who are you?” His voice
was unexpectedly hoarse, even to his own ears. “Who are you
really?”

*

Aurelia raised a hand to her burning lips,
shocked by her own response to the kiss she had initiated. Oh, the
man had a dangerous allure!

And contrary to expectation, this time he
had more than responded to her kiss. What had changed? A dangerous
heat flared deep within Aurelia and she was unaccountably grateful
that he had stopped their embrace.

She was honest enough to admit that she
could never have done so.

Had her wits abandoned her? This man had
killed her only brother! And even though Hekod had escaped the sea
cells, it had been no kindly gesture to abandon him there.

Aurelia forced herself to step away from the
villain and proudly lifted her chin. “I have told you that I am the
Princess Aurelia.”

“
There are no princesses
anymore,” he growled.

Aurelia inhaled sharply at his obvious
dismissal of her parentage. She was right - he intended to have
everyone forget about her sire!

Well, Aurelia was not prepared to
comply.

“
Then, I shall be only
Aurelia,” she retorted and headed back to his hall. She hoped
desperately that he would not be able to discern the effect his
kiss had on her own ability to walk. Her knees were quivering and
she had a hard time marking a straight path. This was not a good
time to realize that her will was more feeble than she
knew.

Bard swore under his breath behind her but
Aurelia did not look back. She heard his footfalls, but
determinedly headed for the palace. “Don’t forget your key,
princess.”

Aurelia glanced back to find him offering
her the magical square, though now it was dark with mud. They
certainly took such powerful witchery for granted in his domain!
Aurelia snatched it back and wiped it pointedly on the front of his
sweater.

Bard did not seem to notice. He gripped her
elbow and fairly lifted Aurelia to her toes. “Let’s hurry it up,
then. Julian will have my head if you catch pneumonia out
here.”

Aurelia was more than happy to quicken her
pace. The heat he had awakened beneath her skin was sliding away,
leaving her feeling chilled in its wake. “It is you who has
insisted on lingering in the rain for no good reason,” she
retorted.

Bard rolled his eyes. “And you had nothing
to do with that?”

Aurelia shrugged deliberately. “What can I
do when a warrior so much larger than myself forces his attentions
on me?”

“
Forces!” The word exploded
from Bard’s lips. “You were the one who started it!”

Aurelia tossed her hair. “And you were the
one to prolong it.”

Bard shook his head and rubbed his brow with
his free hand. “I’m sure I’d remember a woman as troublesome as
you. Where have we met before?”

Aurelia glared at him, not liking his choice
of words in the least. “We have never met.”

His green gaze locked assessingly with hers,
the heat in his eyes sending an answering shiver over her flesh.
Aurelia again had the uncanny sense that he could read her
thoughts.

Oh no! She had forgotten to pretend to be
simple!

Aurelia summoned an elaborate shiver and
rubbed her arms. She batted her eyelashes and contrived to look
stupid beyond all. “Why, look at the foul weather! Hasten yourself!
Do you not have the sense to come out of the rain?”

Bard eyed her skeptically. “I went out in
the rain to get you,” he observed.

Aurelia giggled and danced a few steps ahead
of a newly wary Bard. “And now we are all wet!” She spun and wagged
a playful finger at him. “I shall want a bath now, a very hot one,
if you please!”

Bard shook his head and looked puzzled.
“Then, have one.” He seemed to notice his own wet clothes for the
first time. “It doesn’t sound like a bad idea, actually.”

“
But I am your guest, so I
must have mine first!” He levelled a glance at Aurelia that she
chose to ignore. “I will have mine now!”

They were near the hall now, and before Bard
could say anything more, Aurelia turned and darted into the
building. She was up the stairs in the blink of an eye, fumbling
with Julian’s token as she raced down the corridor.

To her astonishment and relief, the light
glowed red thrice as soon as she shoved the square into the narrow
slot.

And she was safely inside. Aurelia closed
her eyes and leaned her back against the door, her heart pounding
in her ears. She had nearly ruined any chance of being
underestimated by this wily conqueror. Bard had nearly guessed that
she was clever and even now, she had left him wondering.

Curse her unruly tongue! Aurelia shoved a
hand through her wet hair and shivered, hoping her bath would come
very soon.

*

But time passed and no bath came.

The heady scent of masculinity teased her
nostrils and Aurelia realized suddenly that she still wore Bard’s
tunic. She hauled the garment over her head in disgust and cast it
across the room, not wanting anything that had graced his
treacherous hide against her flesh longer than necessary.

But his scent clung to her own skin in most
troubling way. Aurelia scrubbed at upper arms, but Bard’s musk rose
even stronger, as though it would taunt her with her unhealthy
attraction to him.