by Leela Ash
Callista looked at him for a long moment, then shook her head.
“Sorry, but I fear I’ll have to decline,” she told him as she turned away. “We have a game of croquet scheduled this morning—after, of course, we have a proper English breakfast.” She paused here, adding with a defined smirk, “And do allow me to assure you once again that it will be a proper English breakfast; otherwise, you probably wouldn’t be bothered to eat it.”
Wincing at these words, Alexander fell silent as he completed his descent down the brass-railed staircase; following Callista into the main dining room as he folded his hands before him.
So she’d far prefer a game of croquet to a promised passionate interlude with me, he mused in silence. As the people in her time might say, Ouch!
Yet he smiled moments later as he saw his brother and their hostess kissing and cuddling at the table.
“Good morn to you, my brother,” Nathaniel nodded, though he couldn’t seem to tear his gaze away from the glowing woman whose hand he held across the table.
A hand, Alexander couldn’t help but notice, that now came adorned with a shiny diamond ring.
“Blimey!” he exclaimed. “So tell me, dear brother. Did you finally come to your senses and ask this wondrous woman to marry you?”
“Did you finally put a ring on it?” Callista translated, rushing forward to engage her longtime friend in a warm, affirming hug.
“Yes,” Jasmin affirmed, choking back tears as she held her hand up to the light; putting her gleaming diamond on full display for all to admire. “Nathaniel and I are getting hitched!”
In the wake of a celebratory breakfast that featured eggs, pastries, cinnamon tea, as well as biscuits topped with fresh churned butter and strawberry jam, the happy foursome ventured out onto the sprawling front lawn of their host’s emerald grassed estate; starting the day off by engaging in a spirited match of the time-honored game of croquet.
Alexander watched in obvious admiration as Callista took her croquet mallet firmly in hand and knocked a round ruby red ball through the center of the shiny semicircular hoops that stood upright from the ground.
“Have you played croquet before?” he asked her, feathered eyebrows arched in a show of keen curiosity.
Callista shook her head.
“Never,” she admitted. “I just seem to take to any and all kinds of sports,” she paused here, arching her shoulders to proud effect. “In high school, in fact, I was the only girl who played on the Townley High Baseball Team. Softball and tee ball, I figured, were strictly for wussies! I wanted to play with the big boys—and in doing so, I helped us win three county baseball tournaments. They even named me MVP my senior year.”
“MVP?” Alex repeated, blue eyes flying wide as he considered these words. “Most Valuable Princess?”
Callista guffawed outright.
“Player,” she corrected him, planting her hands on two strong hips as she clarified, “I was never anybody’s princess.”
Alexander grinned.
“Ah Callista, you’re such a breath of fresh air,” he praised her. “Many ladies of my time would faint at the sight of a sports field, let alone at the idea of actually exerting themselves through the playing of a game.”
Callista arched her eyebrows.
“So I take it that their idea of a triathlon would consist of a chess muscle challenge, supercharged swooning and coquettish croquet?” she clarified.
Alex guffawed outright.
“My lady, you are a delight!” he praised her, adding through the pursing of his full soft lips, “And just so you know, Nathaniel and I are sportsmen as well. We excelled at equestrian sports in finishing school, and at university.” He paused here, softening his voice and narrowing his eyes seductive in her direction, “If you would care to see a demonstration of my particular physical skills, then I’d love to take you for a ride this noon on the grounds of the estate.”
Callista looked at him for a long moment, then nodded.
“Okay, so only a dude as hot and British as you could get away with such a cheesy line,” she asserted. “But coming out of your mouth, well, somehow it works. Yes, I will go for a ride with you.”
Later that afternoon, Callista found herself riding high astride a sleek coated ivory charger through the vast expanse of an emerald leaved meadow; in a seeming race with the azure skyline as the horse trotted hard and free through the daisy lined grasses beneath her.
Riding by her side was a gorgeous companion who rode tall and proud in the polished English saddle of his signature black stallion; his lustrous mane of golden hair flying like a flag behind him as he rode as one with his glorious mount.
Callista loved the way that his muscles bulged and rippled beneath the fabric of his high necked shirt; also admiring the poised position of his planed back and sculpted derriere in the seat of his elegant saddle.
“I haven’t been riding in forever,” she struggled to maintain a steady tone as a raw, highly sensual sense of intrigue threatened to overcome her (Translation: She wanted this dude. And bad).
Alexander nodded.
“Have you been racing in forever?” he asked her, raising his strong arm to ceremonious effect as he declared in a bellowing, stately tone, “Miss Callista Vale, I hereby challenge you to a race this day!”
Callista shrugged.
“It’s Ms.,” she corrected him, digging her heels gently but purposefully into the sides of her regal mount, “And providing that you allow me to win, of course, I will indeed accept your challenge.”
Alex thought a moment, then nodded.
“Sounds fair enough,” he agreed.
Letting loose with a joyful whoop that delighted her tour guide, Callista launched her mount into a frenetic trot as they charged far ahead of their lagging competitors; and, Callista couldn’t help but notice an abiding Alex was reining in his mount in a deliberate effort to remain far behind her.
Good move, she thought, enjoying the speed and pounding rhythm of the ride as she and her majestic mount careened in the direction of an invisible finish line.
Finally, both skidded to a smooth stop at the side of a sparkling pond that sported the presence of pure ivory swans flowing free across its crystalline surface; one that formed the glittery centerpiece of this 100-acre estate.
Arriving beside her—eventually—was her defeated companion; one who slid in a smooth flourish from the back of his horse and came to stand tall and proud before her.
“I declare you, Callista Vale, as the grand victor of this day’s race,” Alexander declared, accenting his words with a downright wicked white-toothed smile. “Now I invite you to claim your trophy.”
With these words, he unbuttoned his crisp white shirt with slow, deliberate moves; searing her with a brazen look of narrow-eyed seduction as he revealed his body to her.
Even as her eyes flew wide at the vision of his massive bronzed chest, one that came complete with sculpted pectorals and fine chiseled abs, Callista shook her head in response to his advances.
“Now Alex,” she told him in a guarded tone, even as her unruly gaze devoured his toned, chiseled physique, “You don’t have to accommodate me now, just because you rejected me last night.”
Alex shook his head.
“It wasn’t me that rejected you, Love. It was a ridiculous, staunch code of Victoria’s morals that—thank the fates—has apparently disappeared by the time of your birth,” he assured her, stripping his shirt off in a slow, teasing motion over one muscled shoulder at a time.
Slipping off of her horse as she returned his wicked smile, Callista shook her head from side to side as she approached him with deliberate, catlike strides.
“Oh, the code of morals to which you refer still exists in my time,” she admitted, continuing through gritted teeth, “Only if you dare to break it, you’re not guillotined or emblazoned with the scarlet letter A. You’re just branded as a slut.”
Sweeping her up in two muscled arms as his rock hard chest
pressed tight against hers, an impassioned Alexander stared deep into her eyes as he whispered, “Well, on this day, Love, do allow me to be your prince—and/or your slut. Whichever you so prefer.”
Seizing her lips in a passionate kiss, Alexander swept her, most literally, off her feet and lowered her softly and gently to the grasses beneath them, kneeling at her feet as he freed them from the bounds of her tight, confining riding boots.
Callista sighed contentedly as he suckled her toes and licked the pads of her feet; reaching his sturdy hands upward to strip off her cumbersome petticoats before stealing beneath her skirt.
Alex licked his way up her legs before arriving with a wicked chuckle at the juncture of her trim thighs; lapping open her feminine folds as she invited him inward with a lusty moan.
“Relax, my darling,” he released on a growl. “Just lie back and allow me to do everything—everything, for your pleasure.”
He put these poetic lips to equally good use moments later, gracing his lady with the intimate kiss.
Sealing his full soft lips onto the surface of her hard, throbbing clit, Alexander kissed and suckled her hungry nub as she tossed her head back, letting loose with an aroused growl as shards of pure erotic ecstasy raced upward through every fiber of her being.
Shifting his head from side to side to intensify the sensation, Alex massaged her hips with loving hands as he continued to lick and suckle her; relishing her elated moans as she trembled outright beneath him.
Bucking her hips upward to encourage his advances, an enchanted Callista reveled in a tender rain of sheer orgasmic sparks, ecstasy overcoming her as she reached down to stroke the silken locks of his brilliant golden hair.
Finally and with a long last lick, he sent her careening across the bounds of an incredible clitoral orgasm; one that immersed her in waves of pleasure as she opened her arms to him.
“Come to me,” Callista gasped out, her heart pounding and her pussy gushing in a single divine accord. “I want you inside of me.”
“All in good time, Love,” Alex assured her, crawling like a cat up the length of her body until finally he stared deep into her eyes. “Rest assured that I well plan to take my time with you.”
Accenting these words with a good dose of action moments later, Alexander unbuttoned her satin jacket with agonizing slowness and peeled it away from her sweat-lined skin; also relieving her of her skin tight corset as he licked and suckled her breasts.
Long and languorously, he kissed the skin of her exposed breasts and licked her nipples to hard erect points; his hands running like warm water down the base of her spine as she wriggled and slithered in his arms.
“You are so friggin’ beautiful,” she breathed, her hungry hands massaging and caressing the surface of his rock hard pecs before lowering to tickle his abs.
Then, in a brash and daring move, she unbuttoned and stripped off the taupe fabrics of his long thick pantaloons; releasing as she did a hard erect shaft that seemed to salute her presence.
Soon, her billowy satin skirt joined the rest of their clothes on the emerald crest of a nearby grassy knoll; immersing themselves in a loving embrace as his hard trim hips gyrated playful against her own.
Their joined bodies rolled wild in the grasses beneath them as the song of sweet nightingales christened their passion; their lips again colliding in an intense kiss as the balmy winds of an English afternoon soothed and caressed them.
Wrapping her legs around his trim waist and thrusting herself against him, an aroused Callista ran her fingernails down his planed back as she parted her hard trim thighs before him.
Acting immediate on the lady’s invitation, Alexander fully and finally surged his long hard member to the very depths of her soaking wet pussy; their hips finding an immediate motion as the couple united as one.
Soon, the immaculate back and forth motion of their joined tongues mirrored the thrust of his rod inside her; surging forth to her very core as he plunged full and deep within her.
Suddenly, their eyes flew open and the couple broke their kiss; their bodies still moving together as a single radiant unit and their passion struck gazes met and held.
In a single glance, their disparate worlds seemed to unite in a single smooth flourish; the many centuries and cultural differences that served to separate them dissolving in the scope of a solitary heartbeat.
The couple shared a secret, all knowing smile as—with a long final stroke—Alexander’s shaft surged forth to touch and kiss her very core; sending them careening into the realm of a blissful shared climax.
Callista trembled with pleasure moments later, as she collapsed exhausted in the arms of Alexander and rested her head on his massive muscled chest.
“That was amazing,” she sighed contented, wrapping her arms around his strong muscled shoulders and hugging her lover to her.
“You’re amazing,” he told her, cradling her tenderly in his hard muscled arms as the two continued to cuddle and kiss. “I never want this day to end, Callista. And I yearn never to let you go.”
Chapter eight
“Marco!”
“Polo!”
“Marco!”
“Polo!”
“May I pause our activity just long enough to pose a query, Darling?”
“Of course, my dear!”
“What in the blazes are we doing?”
“I have no earthly idea.”
Opting to enjoy a brief cooling off period in the wake of their heated encounter, Alex and Callista dove headfirst into the crystalline lake that bordered Nathaniel’s property; swimming laps and splashing one another as they enjoyed a cleansing afternoon dip.
Between challenging one another to impromptu water races and splashing each other full in the face, the couple frolicked like kids as they swam with the swans and basked in the breezes of a warm English afternoon.
“I must say it, Callista.” Alexander said her name like the sweetest poetry.
“I do not recall the last time that I have so enjoyed the company of a lady. Please tell me, do you plan to stay on here at Nathaniel’s estate?”
Callista shrugged.
“Well, I’m not so sure that I have much of a choice,” she admitted. “Considering the fact that Jasmin does not have the foggiest idea as to how she brought me back in time, and even less idea as to how to send me back, I’m kinda thinkin’ that I just may have to stick around this joint a while. This extremely elaborate, obscenely corniced, embossed and embellished, I don’t even want to know the market value joint.”
Alex chuckled.
“Well, if there does indeed exist a magical time machine just waiting to take you home, I fully intend to rip it apart with my bare hands,” he asserted, adding as he made the oh-so-romantic gesture of splashing her full in the face, “I want to keep you here with me.”
Callista nodded.
“So I take it, then, that you pretty much plan to stay put yourself?” she pressed him, inclining her head sharp in his direction. “You’ll be staying with your brother for a bit?”
It was Alexander’s turn to shrug as he stroked his sculpted chin in an apparent show of thought.
“Well, during my time in the Royal Army, I planned upon discharge to take a brief sojourn at the home of my brother, then retire to my own modest manor house in the heart of Birmingham,” he explained, ducking his head in a rare show of self-consciousness. “Only I fear that my own, more modest homestead may prove unsuitable for an elegant lady such as yourself.”
Callista rolled her eyes.
“Well, seeing that I reside in the architectural equivalence of a dilapidated shoebox, and considering the fact that my entire apartment building likely would fit in the confines of your drawing room, mayhap even your water closet, I somehow feel that your modest domicile would suffice to meet my residential needs,” she asserted, tone more dry and caustic than usual—and that was a feat.
Alex chuckled.
“Although I do hope that you would enjoy my h
ome, I think that I may indeed build a new one—a house located on this very estate, so that I can spend more time with my brother and his bride,” he paused here, aiming a meaningful look in Callista’s direction, “As well as with his bride’s best friend. Perhaps I could secure a job as a palace guard in service of Queen Victoria, or at one of my brother’s many corporate entities.”
Callista nodded.
“And surely there exists a restaurant in London in search of a chef,” she reasoned, adding with a smirk, “I have more than enough experience fixing up all manner of Victorian delicacies—which in this day and age, I suppose would qualify as nouveau cuisine.”
Alex smiled, clapping his hands together as he considered this prospect.
“So there we have it,” he declared. “The origins of a future together. Got any other ideas, Love, to make it even better?”
Callista thought a moment, then snapped her fingers.
“Hey, I know!” she declared. “We could just chuck it all and make love again!”
Pinning her with a wolfish grin that showed her he quite liked this concept, Alexander tossed the length of his long wet mane feverish over one bulging shoulder, crooking his finger teasing in her direction as he invited, “Come to me, my lady.”
Chapter nine
Alexander, Callista couldn’t help but notice, was one of those people who looked annoyingly good wet.
She took a moment to admire the glisten of water droplets across the broad surface of his hard golden chest and chiseled washboard abs, before leaning forward to lick these droplets from his bronzed skin.
The couple floated in a circle at the center of the pond; their arms and legs entangling as her breasts crushed his chest.
Moving and floating with the skilled grace of trained professional dancers, their lips collided next in a passionate kiss; their fingers and tongues entwining tight as they immersed themselves in the soothing waves.