“Good.”
He wondered if she knew her hand was still on his. He sat as still as he possibly could, relishing in the warmth her hand offered him. The feel of her pushed all of his bad memories away, and he believed that if he could just hold on long enough, then maybe he could erase hers as well.
Not all of them, though, he noted as he watched Fergus play. As horrible as what had happened to her was, Fergus had come from it. He knew that she would never regret that, no matter how painful it had been.
He turned his hand over underneath hers, but before she could pull hers away, he laced his fingers through hers and looked into her eyes. He saw the same attraction he felt reflected on her face, and he felt the hope blossoming in his heart.
Chloe looked down at their joined hands. She felt the connection, and butterflies stirred in her stomach. She was dangerously close to acting on her feelings, so she pulled her hand carefully out of his. She wanted so badly to ask him to take her to bed, to show her that men could be kind. But she believed that would be a bad idea. She knew she would get attached, and who knew how long he was here for? What if he wanted to find a way to return to his own time? Or go back with Carissa to Castle McKinley?
“Wade!” Wade turned his head at the sound of his name.
“Carissa!” he yelled and jumped to his feet. He pulled her in for a big hug and then smiled at her daughter, Gabby.
“Hi, sweetheart.”
She smiled but shied away into the arms of the man that held her.
“You must be Garrett.” Wade held his hand out. “Chloe has told me a lot of good things about you. It’s nice to meet you.”
“Carissa has told me of you as well, Detective. I am grateful for everything you did for her and our daughter.” He shook his hand, and Wade knew he would get along with Garrett McKinley. The second he had referred to Gabby as ‘theirs’ had sealed that. It’s how he thought of Fergus, although he couldn’t tell Chloe that just yet.
“How did you get here?” Carissa asked as she took a seat next to Chloe on the ground.
Wade watched as Gabby ran to play with Fergus.
“Mrs. Kinley.”
Carissa laughed. “She sent me here, too.”
“She told me. I was at your house because, ” he hesitated, should he tell her? He decided honesty was best. “I was worried that I might have missed something or that you and Gabby may have come back. We found Parker.”
“He was missing?” she asked cautiously.
Wade nodded. “We thought he had taken you two, or worse, and so we were searching, but there was no trace. Ashleigh reported you guys missing when you didn’t show for dinner.”
“How is she?” Carissa’s face saddened slightly.
“Worried, but she’s okay.”
“I wish I could let her know I’m okay. Why did Mrs. Kinley send you here?”
“She told me that she would send me to you, but I had to protect Chloe in return.”
“Protect Chloe? Are you in danger?” Garrett tensed, and his eyes locked on her face.
“We haven’t seen anything yet,” Wade responded. “Mrs. Kinley told me that she didn’t know she was in danger, but that I needed to protect her.” Wade couldn’t help it if the ‘I’ in that came out a little more pronounced than he had planned.
Garrett nodded, seeming to understand the undertones in Wade’s response. “Let me know if you need anything.”
“We will,” he responded curtly.
“So you found Parker,” Carissa said, putting the conversation back on track.
“Yes, he was killed.”
“What?” Shock crossed over Carissa’s face. “How?”
“I honestly couldn’t tell you. We hadn’t figured it out before I was sent here.”
“Is it bad that I am not sad?” Carissa asked them.
“Not at all,” Chloe answered. “He would have killed you given the chance.”
“True,” Carissa agreed. “Well, I’m glad I got to see you again, Wade, I never had the chance to thank you.”
“Thank me for what?”
“For trying to save us. You pushed for me to refile the charges, and although I refused, I know you still watched out for us.”
“You don’t have to thank me, Carissa.” He saw that for the first time since he had met her, she looked genuinely happy. There were no dark circles under her now clear eyes.
“I do, you are a good man, Wade Cahill.”
Garrett cleared his throat, and Carissa laughed. Wade didn’t think he had ever heard her laugh before.
“You are a wonderful man as well, Laird McKinley.” She kissed him loudly.
Wade watched Chloe blush. How he wished he could pull her into his arms and kiss her full lips. He imagined what she might taste like more often than he cared to admit.
Her eyes met his as if his thoughts had somehow reached her, and he held her gaze. Couldn’t she see how he cared for her?
“Will you be staying with us?” Chloe asked as they walked back to the castle.
“If that wouldn’t be too much trouble? I am exhausted these days and don’t want to take another trip just yet.”
“Are you carrying?” Chloe asked, her eyes widening.
Carissa grinned. “I am. Only about two months, by my guess.”
“That’s fantastic! Congratulations!” Chloe exclaimed, and Wade smiled. He wondered if she knew how much of her own future dreams she gave away.
“You will absolutely be staying with us, as long as you need.”
“Thank you, Chloe, you have always been so kind.”
Chloe smiled softly. “How’s Leon?”
“Leon?” Wade wondered.
“He is second in command at Castle McKinley and head of my guard. He was injured when the late McLaughlin kidnapped he and Carissa. Chloe healed him.” He turned back to Chloe. “He healed perfectly, we left him to run things while we were away.”
“Glad to hear he is doing well,” Chloe offered and smiled inside at the jealousy she had heard in Wade’s voice. She wasn’t quite ready to admit how it thrilled her to have someone care enough to be jealous.
They sat and ate dinner much like friends do, and then watched the children play together. Once Carissa couldn’t keep her eyes open anymore, she and Garrett took Gabby and retired to their guest room.
Chloe put the exhausted Fergus to bed, aware that Wade watched her from the doorway the entire time.
“He tires himself out, doesn’t he?” he asked amused.
“He does. Has ever since he started walking. He will go until he falls asleep where he stands, if I let him.” She kissed her son’s cheek softly and closed the door gently behind her.
With her room just across the hall from Fergus’s, she turned to say goodnight to Wade. The look in his eyes had her catching her breath.
“You have to know how I feel about you.”
“Wade, I—”
“I know you’ve been through a lot, Chloe. I know it must be hard on you to even think about me that way, but I need to know, is there even a chance you might feel the same way?”
He looked scared, Chloe noted. The expression in his eyes told her that she could break him if she answered wrong. Of course she had noticed how he watched her, only a fool could miss it. But the feelings she had developed for him had surprised her. After all, what did she have to offer him? He was a man who had probably been with a lot of women and was experienced. She had only been with one man, and that hadn’t been consensual. She knew absolutely nothing.
“Please, Chloe,” he begged her. “Just tell me.”
She smiled and cupped his face gently. He leaned into her palm and sighed as if her touch were the only thing that could cure whatever ailed him, and it made her heart ache.
“I care very much for you, Wade. But I don’t have anything to offer you.”
Wade felt the jab at his heart. He knew he was in love with her, it was something he could no longer deny admitting. He had hoped that she would hav
e felt the same, believed that she did even if she refused to admit it.
“You’re wrong,” he said and pulled away from her.
Chloe felt her heart break as her hand fell away and she watched Wade leave. What had she done? He had possibly been her future, and she had pushed him away out of fear.
“Wade,” she said just barely loud enough to make him stop and turn around. “I do feel the same, I’m just afraid.”
She watched as Wade began to walk back toward her. “You don’t need to be afraid of me, Chloe. I will never hurt you or Fergus.”
“It’s not you that I’m afraid of. It’s what I feel for you. I have never given myself to anyone before,” she whispered and looked down at her gown. She smoothed invisible creases, not wanting to look into his eyes.
She felt his finger on her chin as he lifted her face, and when she looked into his eyes, she knew things would never be the same for them.
“Let me show you what it’s like to have a man love you the way you deserve to be loved, Chloe.”
Chloe nodded and felt the tug of lust in her belly. She closed her eyes as Wade leaned down slowly. When his lips gently touched hers, she felt her world change, shifting to something completely new, and it thrilled her.
He was so kind, moved so slowly as if he were afraid she might pull away and disappear. Had he not realized she wasn’t going anywhere? She parted her lips on a soft moan and gasped when his tongue touched hers. The second it did, the pace of the kiss changed. He backed her against the door, and after fumbling for the latch, pushed it open and lifted her into his arms.
He set her gently on her bed and stepped back to look at her. “You are so damn perfect, Chloe.”
Chloe stood, doing her best to look confident, and began slowly removing her dress. Her fingers fumbled with the laces, but if he noticed, Wade didn’t say anything. He watched her patiently, and she heard his breath catch when she dropped her gown to the floor.
“Oh, Chloe,” he groaned and moved toward her. He took her mouth again. His tongue danced with hers, and his fingers skimmed the sides of her naked body.
Desperate to feel him as well, Chloe undid the belt around his tunic and pulled it over his head. She ran her fingers through the light brushing of hair over his chest. Her hand stopped when it reached his heart, and she felt the steady beat under her palm.
The taut muscles underneath her palm were tense, and she knew he was doing his best to hold back and not scare her. What an amazing man her Wade Cahill was.
Chloe arched back and moaned when his hands gently massaged her breasts. She felt the jolt when he lightly pinched her nipples, and the surge of pleasure that soared through her nearly knocked her to her knees.
Wade lifted her and laid her back onto the bed and then covered her with his body. She gripped his hair and pulled him back down to her mouth. This time, she took control of the kiss. She pushed him past the slow savor and urged him to move faster.
When his hand cupped her between her legs, she gasped. The light touch caused whatever was building inside of her to grow more intense, and she arched up into him, wanting more.
“Chloe, I’m trying to go slow.” He chuckled softly. “You keep pushing up into me like that, and this is going to be over far too quickly.”
Wade bent his head and took one of the peaks of her breasts into his mouth. He pulled at it gently and began moving his fingers against her. The pressure continued building, and just when Chloe wasn’t sure she could take anymore, she felt herself explode. She cried out at the pleasure, and Wade took her mouth again before he climbed off the bed and removed his pants.
When he was nude and stood in front of her, Chloe very nearly panicked. He was huge. She had never seen a man completely naked before, and the sight of him had her body heating in anticipation.
“Are you okay?” he asked her as he knelt in front of her. “We can stop now, if you want. Take this slower.”
Chloe placed her hands on his shoulders. She knew that if she told him no, if she asked him to stop, he would. She lifted her hands and leaned back on the bed.
“I want you,” she whispered to him, and he smiled.
Wade covered her body, and she cried out when she felt him begin to push slowly into her. He took her mouth and slid the rest of the way inside of her, pausing to give her body time to adjust.
“Oh,” she said, surprised. She had expected pain, roughness, and instead, she felt as if they were made of silk the way they glided gently together. There had been a mild ache at first, but as her body expanded to fit him, she felt it replaced quickly with pleasure.
Chloe wrapped her legs around him and urged him to move.
“You feel amazing, Chloe. Damn,” he growled as he moved slowly.
She felt her body climbing to the peak again and began thrusting her hips up to meet him. She pushed him to go faster as her orgasm built, and when she reached the edge this time, they fell together.
“How are you?” he asked her as he pulled her into his arms.
“I feel wonderful. I didn’t know it could be like that.”
“When you are with the right person, there is nothing better. I am now with the right person.”
“It was good for you, then?” she asked and turned to face him.
“Chloe, you have no idea how amazing it was for me. But don’t worry, I plan on showing you many more times before the night is over.”
Chloe grinned, and her heart began to thud in her chest again. What a wonderful feeling it was.
Chapter Seven
At the sound of the scream, they both shot out of bed.
“Fergus!” Chloe yelled, wrapping herself in the sheet and bolting for the door. Wade pulled his pants on and followed her.
They pushed open the door to Fergus’s room, and Chloe let out a sigh of relief to see her son sitting up in bed, looking at them wide eyed.
“Momma!” Fergus started to get out of bed, but Chloe rushed over.
“It’s okay, Fergus. Shhh.” She pet her son’s hair and held him closely, thankful that he hadn’t been the one in trouble.
“You two stay here, I’m going to go see what’s going on. Latch this door and stay inside.” Barefoot and wearing nothing but pants, Wade crept down the hall toward where he believed the scream had come from.
Garrett came out of his room, bare-chested with his sword in hand. “Do you know where it came from?” he asked Wade, and then cursed when Wade shook his head. The two men broke into a run when they heard another wail.
They burst into the kitchen, and Wade sucked in a breath when he saw the body on the floor. The man lay sprawled out, soaking in a pool of his own blood. His eyes were frozen open in an expression Wade had unfortunately seen one too many times.
A woman was on her knees beside him, and two guards flanked her.
“What happened?” he asked as he checked for a pulse he knew wouldn’t be there. The man was still warm, so Wade knew he hadn’t been killed that long ago. He guessed it had been about ten minutes.
“I don’t know.” The woman sobbed into her blood-covered hands. “I came in to make sure the cleaning had been finished, and I nearly tripped over him.”
“Do you know who this is?” Wade asked one of the guards.
The woman nodded. “‘Tis Bartley, the stable hand.” She started crying again, and Wade helped her to her feet.
“Go get cleaned up. I can handle the rest of this. Did he have any family?”
The maid shook her head and turned to leave the room.
“Did either of you see anything?”
“We came in as soon as we heard the screams. Bartley was a good man. I don’t know why anyone would want him dead.”
“What are your names?” Wade asked them.
“I’m Odran, this is Hugh.”
“Odran, we need to find out if anyone else saw anything.”
Odran nodded, and he and Hugh left the room.
“We need to look for a weapon.” Wade began to walk the
room, looking for anything that might have been used in an attack, and Garrett followed his lead. It was possible the murderer still had it on him, probable even. But Wade wanted to rule out a crime of passion. If it had been, the weapon would more than likely have been tossed aside out of fear.
They found nothing. From where the body lay, it appeared that he had walked in on someone by accident, and that person didn’t want to be seen doing whatever it was he was doing. Bartley was a good-sized man, either his killer had been bigger than he was, or he had known them.
There was no blood trail, or any splatter anywhere else in the room, so Wade assumed Bartley had been killed and then fallen to the ground, he hadn’t been dragged. Unfortunately, Wade had no way of testing for any DNA evidence or even fingerprints.
The two guards returned within minutes, wearing grim faces.
“It appears as though there is no one else in the castle.”
“Go up and check on Chloe and Carissa,” Garrett ordered them. “Stand guard until we get back.”
“You think someone is after them?” Wade asked him.
“You said today that Chloe was in danger. I wonder if this isn’t the danger you were warned about.”
Wade nodded. It was something he hadn’t considered but should have. Could this have all been a distraction?
“Son of a bitch!” Wade yelled and ran for the stairs when a shriek of pure terror was released into the silent castle.
Chapter Eight
They bounded up the stairs and saw the guards on the floor, each with their own mortal wound. Wade felt his stomach twist in knots as they came up on the open door leading into Fergus’s room.
“Give me the boy!” A large man with a short sword lunged toward Chloe, who stood guarding Carissa and the kids.
“No!” Chloe yelled and pointed her dagger toward him. “I vow I will run you through before I let you anywhere near him,” she growled, and the part of Wade that wasn’t twisted into rage had to admit he was impressed by her courage.
“You had best be putting that blade away.” Garrett pressed the tip of his sword into the man’s back, and Wade saw the man straighten.
Their Own Time Page 11