Time Travel Romances Boxed Set (161 page)

As delusions went, this one was pretty
thorough. Mitch tried to find something good in all of this drama.
“But, in the end, your
kumpania
sheltered you, right? You
all stuck together?”

Lilith’s lips twisted and her tears welled
again. “Of course not! They could not. They cast me out.”

“
What?”

“
I was declared
mahrime
. Unclean.” Lilith’s words were flat, although Mitch
guessed her tone hid a wealth of emotion. “It was bad enough that I
had lost my maidenhead to a
gadjo
, but the fact that he did
not pay the bride price was an insult that could not be endured. No
Rom
man would have me, then. A
mahrime
person can
infect others with their pollution. I could not be permitted to
remain. My presence was a risk to the cleanliness of
all.”

Okay, things had gotten even more medieval
in her mind.

But the truth was clear to see, at least to
anyone who looked. Mitch heartily disapproved of what he perceived
Lilith’s family had done. So, she had been caught as a young woman
in a compromising position - her family had no right chucking her
out into the world.

Suddenly, a lot of puzzle pieces surrounding
Lilith fell into place - Mitch would bet that all those missing
records were registered in her real name, whatever that might
be.

And she had simply taken another name for
the purposes of day to day living - Lilith for the Old Testament
woman who could not control her passions. That would be a result of
whatever nonsense her parents had dumped on her. And Romano,
perfectly fitting with this whole Gypsy thing she had concocted as
an alternative to the truth and now ardently believed
was
the truth.

It wasn’t that Lilith didn’t exist - it was
that Mitch had been looking for her in the wrong places.

Mitch didn’t really care about such
practicalities right now. It made him damned mad to think of what
Lilith had endured at her family’s behest. He couldn’t imagine that
either of his kids could anything bad enough that he would just
toss them out the door to fend for themselves. It was wrong. It was
unfair.

It was not in the parental job
description.

Mitch didn’t want to frighten Lilith with
his anger, but he couldn’t just say nothing at all. He wanted her
to know that he was on her side. Mitch forcibly kept his tone even.
“It’s pretty cruel to leave a young girl alone like that,” he
confined himself to saying.

To Mitch’s surprise, Lilith smiled thinly.
“I wasn’t destined to be alone. You swore to return to me and
repeated your vow on the gallows. I knew you would find me.” Her
eyes saddened again. “Even though I never imagined it would take so
long.”

Mitch saw the full weight of the loneliness
he had only glimpsed in Lilith earlier. She seemed to be wrung out
emotionally by sharing this story, even in its disguised version,
though Mitch supposed that made sense. It hadn’t been easy for her,
and she had said she refused to even think about it any more.

He was humbled that she trusted him enough
to share this with him. Lilith leaned against Mitch, her cheek
against his heartbeat and Mitch felt her tears dampen his T-shirt
again. This time, though, they ran silently.

“
I’m so glad,” she
whispered softly and unevenly, “that you’re finally
here.”

There was an ache in Lilith’s voice that
made Mitch want to make everything come right in her lopsided
little world. Someone was hurting, someone expected him to make it
all better, someone was counting on him.

Mitch was securely back on familiar
ground.

He wanted to apologize for taking so long,
even though he knew Lilith wasn’t talking about him or maybe even
aware of the truth anymore. But he wouldn’t lie to her, at any
cost. So, the only way to reassure her without uttering a lie was
with his touch. It seemed the most natural thing in the world to
do, the one thing his heart had urged him to do all along.

The difference was that Mitch had finally
decided to listen to its urgings. Whatever the cause, whether it
was the lady’s own allure, her vulnerability or her concoction,
Mitch was completely enchanted by his neighbor.

And he couldn’t bear her tears. Mitch
gathered Lilith into his arms, cupped her chin and gently touched
his lips to hers. He gave her plenty of latitude to pull away, but
she immediately parted her lips beneath his own.

She still wanted him. Mitch’s heart thumped.
But that wasn’t what this was about. He wanted to reassure her, to
ease away her fears, to make sure she slept without nightmares
tonight.

Mitch tilted Lilith’s face upward, he
brushed away her tears with his fingertips. He kissed her brow, her
temple, her eyelids, he tasted the salt on her flesh. He nuzzled
her earlobe, he swallowed every last tear as though he would take
her hurt into himself and wipe it away forever. Lilith sighed and
leaned against Mitch, her fingers found their way into his
hair.

She caught the back of his neck and deepened
their kiss, her need firing Mitch’s desire. He let his hand slid
down her throat, he cradled the ripe curve of her breast in his
palm. His thumb moved surely across her breast and her nipple
tightened beneath his touch in silent demand. Lilith made a tiny
cry of surrender and Mitch knew then that mere kisses wouldn’t
do.

She needed more reassurance than that - and
Mitch knew just what that would be. He scooped the lady up and
headed into the house, having no desire to entertain his new
neighbors more than he already had.

*

Lilith’s heart sang when Mitch swept her
into his arms and strode into the kitchen. His gentleness was more
than reassuring, his touch made the pain of recollection fade to
nothing. Everything had been so vivid in her mind, Lilith felt as
though she was standing in that square again. She could smell the
flames, she had seen Sebastian go limp and felt the wave of loss
roll through her.

It was wonderful to be able to clung to the
solid strength of his shoulders, to know that they were together
again, to be certain that all had come right in the end.

Mitch kissed her and Lilith forgot
everything except the feel and the taste of him, the here-and-now
of him. She locked her arms around Mitch’s neck and kissed him
back, willing him to understand her fear and her relief. Lilith
couldn’t wait, she wanted to make love with him immediately, again
and again and again.

They had waited long enough.

She had waited too long. She needed his
touch this night the way a fish needed water and a bird needed air.
Lilith needed her one true love.

Mitch’s arms tightened around her and he
halted beside the kitchen counter. When he put her down there,
Lilith was delighted that their thoughts were as one. She shivered
when his hand roamed down her back. She twisted to face him,
wrapped her legs around his hips, and found that the height of the
counter was absolutely perfect.

Lilith pressed herself against Mitch’s
chest, snuggled herself closer to his erection, and tangled her
fingers in his hair. He was warm and muscular, solid and strong.
Mitch groaned, then slanted his mouth possessively over her own.
His hands slid beneath her skirt and clenched her buttocks. He
lifted her closer as he kissed her deeply.

Perfect bliss. Lilith closed her eyes and
enjoyed the heat of his kiss.

When his fingers slid into her underwear,
Lilith caught her breath. She reached for the fly of his shorts,
but Mitch caught at her hand. He lifted his lips away from hers,
his eyes blazing like stars, and kissed her fingertips.

“
Not that,” he said with
quiet assurance and put her hand back on his shoulder. Lilith would
have protested in confusion, but Mitch brushed his thumb across her
lips to silence her.

“
not tonight,” he murmured,
resolve in his gaze. “If we ever make love again, Lilith, it’ll be
because we’ve both decided that that’s what we want, not because
one of us is hurting, not because we make a choice in the heat of
the moment. It will be right, and we’ll both be sure of that before
anything happens.

Lilith frowned. “Aren’t you sure now?”

Mitch smiled crookedly. “I’m sure I want you
more than I’ve ever wanted a woman before,” he confessed and her
heart skipped a beat. “But that’s not nearly good enough. I’m not
like Kurt. I never wanted to just “get lucky,’” Mitch leaned down
to touch the tip of his nose to hers, his gaze intent. “I only ever
wanted to make love.”

And his somber expression told Lilith that
Mitch wasn’t certain he’d ever had the good fortune to make love
with a partner who was making love to him.

Her heart twisted in sympathy at the
evidence of his wife’s doings, whatever they were. Despite her own
raging desire, her own need to feel his strength within her, Lilith
wanted to give Mitch the certainty he craved.

She wanted the next time they made love to
be everything he ever imagined lovemaking could be. She wanted it
to be as magickal as that night they had once shared. If he could
wait, then so could she.

Even if it wasn’t going to be easy.

Lilith wriggled a little, but Mitch didn’t
loosen his hold on her. “I should go home, then,” she
whispered.

Mitch’s slow smile caught her off-guard,
although the way her belly tingled in response to the sight didn’t.
“Not yet.”

Lilith knew her surprise showed, because his
grin widened.

“
There’s something I have
to do first.” There was a twinkle in Mitch’s eyes that Lilith
wasn’t quite sure she should trust, but she was
intrigued.

Mitch brushed his lips across the tip of her
nose, her cheekbone, then he placed a gentle kiss in her ear.
Lilith shivered at his murmured words. ‘I want to make sure you
have sweet dreams tonight.”

Lilith felt a tingle of anticipation, but
that was nothing compared to the thrill Mitch’s kisses left as he
blazed a trail down her neck. Lilith sighed and surrendered to
whatever scheme he had in mind. Mitch turned her as if she weighed
no more than a feather and cradled her against his chest. His warm
fingers worked the buttons open at the front of her dress and his
kisses slipped over the curve of her breast.

Lilith gasped when his mouth closed over her
nipple. Her back arched with pleasure when Mitch’s fingers slid
inside her panties. He touched her with a persuasiveness that made
her dizzy; he flicked his tongue across that nipple until it
throbbed. He ran his teeth gently across the peak, even as his
fingers caressed her without cease. As the desire already simmering
within Lilith came rapidly to a boil, she clutched Mitch’s
shoulders, certain she would explode at any moment.

But he kept her just shy of the summit,
teasing and touching, tempting a little more, then a little less.
Lilith writhed in his embrace. She was certain she couldn’t stand
the tension any longer and whispered his name urgently.

Mitch claimed Lilith’s lips in a triumphant
kiss, one that demanded her participation. His tongue tangled with
hers; his scent surrounded her. His arm held her fast against his
chest; his fingers dove and danced and flicked. Lilith felt a
tremor begin in her belly. She twisted but Mitch granted her no
quarter. If anything, he intensified his kiss, his lips and his
caress becoming even more demanding – until suddenly, his fingers
slid deep inside Lilith’s heat.

One last flick of his thumb and the
earthquake erupted within her. Lilith shook right to her toes with
the force of her orgasm. Mitch urged her on and on, long past the
moment Lilith thought there could be no more.

Finally, she sagged against him, languid and
sated as she’d never been before. Lilith closed her eyes, more
exhausted than she was after mixing the most demanding brew. She
was ready to curl up in a little ball and sleep in the sun for a
week.

“
Okay?”

Lilith opened her eyes and met Mitch’s
questioning gaze. She smiled sleepily. “More than okay, thank you.”
She looped her arms around his neck and leaned her cheek against
his chest. His heart thundered beneath her ear, the sound making
her smile.

Lilith sighed with contentment.

“
Good.” Mitch rubbed the
back of her neck. “Now you can safely go home to bed.” He wrapped
his hands around Lilith’s waist and lifted her off the counter,
kissing the tip of her nose just before setting her on her
feet.

She yawned and leaned against him as he
buttoned her dress again. They strolled the length of his hall,
wrapped around each other, out the front door, and over to her own
porch.

Lilith supposed it was sensible for them not
to sleep together, at least until the children were used to her,
although she would have been perfectly willing to do so. She smiled
to herself in recollection of Mitch’s old-fashioned goals, then
sobered when she recalled the woman who had made him less likely to
believe they could be his.

On her own porch, Lilith pivoted to face
Mitch. The newly rising moon cast its silvery light over his
features, making him look resolute, yet mysterious. There was so
much of him that she didn’t yet know. Mitch’s eyes, though, shone
with warmth, and his firm lips curved in an affectionate smile.
Lilith wanted to know everything about him, all his secrets, all
his woes, all the tests he had endured.

“
What happened to the
mother of your children?” Lilith asked before she could reconsider
the wisdom of the question.

Mitch’s smile was wiped away as cleanly as
if it had never been. “Janice left,” he said flatly. “Right after
Jen was born.” He paused and frowned at his feet. “She never wanted
kids.”

That brought Lilith wide awake again. It
seemed to her that this Janice had a funny way of showing any such
conviction. How did anyone in a world full of birth control methods
end up with
two
kids she didn’t want?