Time Travel Romances Boxed Set (13 page)

Firmly but gently.

This, after all, was the woman who had
landed two soul-searing kisses on him, without any preamble. This
was the woman who had turned his day upside down, forced an
evacuation of the hotel, and denied having met him before even
though Baird recognized her. He didn’t know who she was, he didn’t
know what she wanted, but letting Baird guide her by the elbow was
peanuts in exchange.

And besides, Baird liked having the supple
strength of Aurelia’s arm in his grip. He told himself it was
because that was the only way he would know exactly where she was.
Princess Aurelia was already showing a marked ability to find
trouble when she wasn’t watched.

It certainly had nothing to do with the
tingle of awareness Baird felt in her proximity.

“
Bullying me is not going
to solve anything,” Aurelia declared with bravado.

“
I’m not bullying you,
princess. I’m just escorting you to your room, in a most expedient
fashion.”

What Baird had meant as a gruff assurance
only seemed to agitate Aurelia more. She twisted and wriggled,
trying to pull her elbow free from his fingers.

“
You’ll bruise
me!”

“
I will not, unless you
keep fidgeting,” Baird retorted.

She inhaled sharply. “If you mean to torture
me, I have to tell you right now that I will never betray my
father.”

“
Torture you?” Baird arched
a brow and marched her up the stairs. “We gave that up in the
States long before you people did.”

“
Ha! A likely story.”
Aurelia glared up at Baird and he was surprised by the intensity of
her obvious distrust. Then her eyes widened and she changed to the
high voice that grated on Baird’s nerves. “You already are bullying
me, and I have to tell you that this is not the way I expect to be
treated - “

“
Don’t you think you’re
over-reacting?” Baird dryly interrupted her tirade. “We’re just
going to go up to your room and - “

“
Ha!”

Baird’s calm words seemed to infuriate his
guest so much that she couldn’t keep her high voice any longer.

“
And I can guess what will
happen after that! Will rape be part of your torture? Even if you
cannot bear to touch me yourself, I am sure you’ll find some
underling to do the deed! Either way, I will not make it easy for
you!”

Before Baird could make sense of that
bizarre volley, Aurelia kicked him in the shin.

Hard. Baird’s eyes widened in shock, then
Aurelia bent and bit at his fingers where they still grasped her
elbow.

Baird bellowed in pain. He muttered a curse
as his hand flew open.

“
What in the hell is that
all about?” he roared, but Aurelia was gone.

She had turned and fled like a doe, straight
back down the stairs. A hoot of laughter rose from the workmen, but
Baird was concerned for his tiny charge. She was running wildly,
without care for her own safety, taking the steps three at a
time.

And in outright fear of him.

That was not a good feeling. Baird had never
sent a woman fleeing before, but this seemed to be a day of firsts.
Baird was determined to set Aurelia straight.

But first, he had to catch her. Baird
bounded after his resort’s first guest. Aurelia glanced over her
shoulder and ran faster.

She’d kill herself!

Aurelia leapt down the last four steps like
a bird taking flight. She just brushed the floor with one bare toe
before Baird snatched her up from behind. She was light, but fought
like a tigress.

Baird tossed her over his shoulder, hoping
it looked effortless, and turned in one smooth move to begin up the
stairs again. The workmen cheered, but Aurelia seemed less than
impressed.

“
No! I will not permit you
to do this!” Aurelia struggled and squirmed, she pounded her fists
against his back and kicked him as hard as she could, but Baird
marched impassively towards her room.

“
Quit your fighting! You
wanted a bath,” he growled as they gained the summit. “And by God,
you’ll get one.”

Aurelia froze, then struggled with renewed
vigor. Baird clamped his arm over her knees and held on tight. It
was high time that he and Aurelia got a few things sorted out
between them.

And there was no time like the present.

*

The way Aurelia wriggled against him was not
helping Baird collect his jumbled thoughts in the least. Even
through her robe, he could tell that the buttock bumping against
his jaw was round and firm, that the breasts that brushed
periodically against his back were temptingly full.

And those feet. As Aurelia struggled, her
delicate feet danced before Baird, challenging every scrap of his
self control. He half-wished he was the uncivilized barbarian these
Brits expected Americans to be.

Instead, Baird used his passkey, then shoved
open the door to her room. He stalked into the bathroom, flicked on
the light and dumped the lady on her feet.

Before she could start to make wild
accusations, Baird sat on the side of the tub, locked the drain and
turned on the water. Steam rose from the cascade of water spilling
into the tub, and only then did Baird look to the woman who had
fought him tooth and nail.

She was backed against the far wall, her
arms folded across her chest. Her eyes were narrowed with suspicion
and she held her room card out between them as though it would ward
him off.

So much for hoping she wasn’t nuts.

Baird shoved one hand through his hair and
let a smile quirk his lips as he watched Aurelia, hoping he could
reassure her. “See? Bath right on cue.”

“
You stay away from me,”
was all she said.

Trust him to have a chivalrous impulse to
help the first lunatic who came along. This would have been a lot
easier if there wasn’t something about Aurelia that reached right
into the core of Baird.

And twisted hard.

Baird kept his tone low and even to reassure
her. “Don’t worry. I’ll stay right here.”

But Aurelia did not step forward. “Save your
lies! You brought me here to torture me!”

“
I brought you here to show
you how the bath works,” Baird corrected matter-of-factly. “You
wanted a bath, didn’t you?”

Aurelia’s gaze flicked to the running water
as though she couldn’t control her curiosity any longer. Baird
watched amazement cross her expression, then her wary gaze flicked
back to him. “How did you do that?”

And suddenly, her argument made sense.

Aurelia just didn’t know about indoor
plumbing. She must have thought that someone would have to haul
buckets of water from a well, then heat it on the stove for her
bath. And haul it up the stairs from the foyer.

No wonder she had been so annoyed when he
told her to do it herself!

There were people at home who had never seen
indoor plumbing - why should he be surprised that someone who had
lived on these remote islands might be similarly amazed?

The irritation slid out of Baird like magic
and he pushed one hand through his hair. He found himself oddly
relieved that Aurelia’s thinking was really very logical, now that
he knew her assumptions.

Maybe she wasn’t crazy, after all. Baird
found that possibility more encouraging than he thought he should
have.

“
You just turn the knob.”
He demonstrated with one hand and beckoned to her with the
other.

Aurelia recoiled. “I will fight your foul
intent with every fiber of my being!” She waved the room key at him
wildly. “Do not imagine that I will easily surrender to the likes
of you!”

Right. Torture and rape were on the agenda,
though not necessarily in that order. How could Baird have
forgotten such pertinent details?

It must only be his injured pride that
insisted he make sure Aurelia recognized his sterling
character.

Baird deliberately kept his tone even. “I’m
just here to show you how the bath works.” Aurelia eyed Baird and
clearly did not believe him. “The knob was a bit tight, probably
because it’s new, but you should be able to manage it now. Come
here and see.”

“
I will not make your rape
easier!”

“
I’m not going to rape
you.”

Aurelia arched a dubious brow. “Torture,
then!”

Baird shook his head. “Nope. No torture
either. Wouldn’t know where to start.”

She chewed her lip and lowered the room key
a little. Her voice was low and her eyes narrowed. “You swear that
you have no intent to rape or torture me?”

This was far from the most flattering
exchange Baird had ever had. “I swear it. Not now or ever.”

She still didn’t look convinced. “Your word
of honor?”

Well, she didn’t give up easily, did she?
Annoyance swept through Baird. Had there ever been a woman who
found him more offensive than a three-inch cockroach?

Baird gritted his teeth. “I give you my most
solemn word of honor.”

To his relief, that seemed to satisfy
her.

Aurelia kept the room key steadfastly
between them as she came closer, though Baird couldn’t imagine why.
Those little feet with their delectable toes halted uneasily just
an arm’s length away from Baird’s boots.

There was still a vestige of mud in between
them.

Baird’s pulse accelerated as his imagination
supplied the possibility of his thoroughly cleaning each toe in
succession. They were so tiny and soft, so perfectly shaped. Her
foot would fit snugly in his hand, he just knew it. Baird’s pleated
cords got a little tighter and he forced himself to examine the
wall tiles.

He really could pick them, that was for
sure.

“
I do not understand,”
Aurelia confessed, her fair brows drawing together in a
frown.

“
Hot, cold.” Baird seized
on practical matters. He gestured to the brass knobs in question,
then turned the hot one. “On, off. Same as everywhere
else.”

But Aurelia’s expression revealed that she
had never seen anything like it. Baird slid towards the base of the
tub and gestured to the taps in his most non-threatening
manner.

“
Try it,” he
encouraged.

Aurelia fired a glance at Baird. “I will not
interfere with your magic,” she hissed.

“
Then, the water will
overflow.” Baird’s tone was matter-of-fact. Her gaze darted between
him and the rising water as though she wasn’t sure whether to
believe him.

But then, people were always suspicious of
new technology - or old technology that was new to them.

“
Come on. It won’t bite.
Adjust the temperature.” Baird stood and put even more distance
between them. He shoved his hands into his pockets.

Aurelia crept towards the tub, one wary eye
on Baird’s precise location as she sidled past him. Aurelia flashed
a glance to him - just checking! - and her eyes were so wide that
he could see the silver gray perimeter around the intensely blue
iris of her eyes.

There certainly had never been a woman who
was outright terrified of him.

That must be what was bothering him. Baird
must just want to see the record set straight. He knew he had never
done anything to inspire a woman’s fear, especially this one’s.

Or had he? Could he have met Aurelia, hurt
her feelings in some way contrary to how he always treated women,
and then forgotten her? That was too much to believe.

But how could he have recognized her if they
hadn’t met? The hair on the back of Baird’s neck stood at attention
and he had a very uneasy feeling that he wouldn’t like the
truth.

Aurelia tentatively turned the hot knob as
he had done, her tiny fingers barely making their way around the
knob. The strength of the water coursing from the tap changed and
she gasped.

But before Baird could show her, Aurelia
reached forward again. She certainly wasn’t shy, once she had the
hang of things. Baird smiled to himself, liking the way this woman
seemed to grab life with both hands. Aurelia adjusted the
temperature with dawning confidence and grinned like a child with a
new toy.

Baird put the lid down on the toilet and sat
there, bracing his elbows on his knees as he watched her play.

“
So, you see, you can draw
your bath alone.”

Aurelia turned a bright gaze on Baird and an
enchanting flush rose over her cheeks. “I am sorry,” she admitted.
“I did not know such marvels existed.”

Her heartfelt apology made a part of Baird
melt like butter in the sun. He cleared his throat, unaccustomed to
such a feeling, and arched a brow that he hoped looked skeptical.
“Perhaps the next time, you might give me the benefit of the
doubt.”

She said nothing, but again Baird had the
impression that she was thinking furiously. What was in her mind?
And why was she so determined to distrust him? He wasn’t that bad
of a guy!

Hoping to encourage Aurelia’s trust, Baird
dared to smile at her.

She flushed scarlet and dropped her gaze in
obvious discomfort.

So much for his charm. Baird cleared his
throat. “Could you tell me where we’ve met before?”

Aurelia frowned. “We have never met
before.”

“
But we must have! I feel
as though I know you, as though I recognize you…” Baird’s voice
faded before her steady gaze.

She looked as though she thought he was
crazy.

Now there was irony.

“
Never,” she repeated with
quiet determination.

Then, how had Baird recognized her? It made
no sense!

But Aurelia stared steadily back at him, her
wide blue eyes all innocence. The rushing water made the bathroom
humid and unexpectedly intimate.