“I tried to put out the flames. But I couldn’t,” Jessica told him, wheezing slightly, still struggling to catch her breath. “And then I became so petrified that—” Embarrassed by her bout of pyrophobia, Jessica stopped speaking mid-sentence. She’d always been a bit nervous around fire, but she’d never before experienced a panic so severe that it left her completely debilitated.
“You’re safe, Jessica. No harm can come to you,” Gideon assured her as he pulled the blanket up to her knees and inspected her lower legs. Both had turned a vivid shade of pink. “Your calves appear to be slightly burned. Do you have any laudanum in the house? It will help to ease the pain.”
“I’m afraid they outlawed that decades ago,” she said, smiling weakly.
“Then perhaps a tincture of willow tree bark?”
Shaking her head, Jessica said, “There’s none of that in the medicine chest either. But I do have some aspirin in the kitchen cupboard where I keep my vitamins.”
“I’ll be right back,” Gideon said before he hurriedly left the room.
“It’s in the yellow bottle,” she called after him, just in case he didn’t know what aspirin was.
Moments later, hearing the clang of metal pans, Jessica wondered what Gideon was up to. She soon had her answer when he returned bearing a large stock pot. In addition to the two towels that were slung over his shoulder, he had a bottle of spring water and the Bayer aspirin tucked under his arm.
“The cold water will hopefully prevent any swelling,” Gideon told her as he set the stainless steel pot on the side table.
Jessica glanced into the pot; there were a dozen or so ice cubes bobbing in the water.
Muttering “push and turn” under his breath, Gideon opened the bottle of aspirin. “How many of these should you take?”
“Two ought to do it, I think.”
Shaking out two caplets, he handed them to her, along with the spring water. Then, reading from the front of the aspirin bottle, he said, “This is reputed to be a wonder drug.”
“Let’s hope there’s truth in advertising,” Jessica said before she popped the aspirin into her mouth and washed them down with a gulp of water.
Setting the bottle of Bayer aside, Gideon stuck his index finger into the pot. “I think this has chilled enough,” he said as he squatted beside her chair.
With a true economy of motion, he dunked both towels into the water. After wringing them out, he lifted the tartan blanket to her knees. He then gently wrapped a wet towel around each of her calves. Even though he didn’t touch her skin directly, Jessica immediately felt an electric tingle, one that had nothing to do with her burned skin.
“Thank you. That feels much better,” she told him. Fixing her gaze on Gideon’s bent head, she resisted the urge to run a hand through his hair.
“I apologize for having tossed your frock into the fireplace,” Gideon said as he peered up at her.
“There’s no need to apologize. It was just an old frock—er, I mean skirt,” she amended.
“That doesn’t detract from the fact that you looked quite lovely in it.” Still looking deeply into her eyes, Gideon gave her the sort of heated glance that made Jessica’s heart thump and her stomach flip-flop.
“You appear to have a bit of experience with this sort of injury,” she remarked, hoping she didn’t sound as nervous as she felt.
“There was more than one man under my command who rolled too close to a nighttime campfire.” No sooner was the remark made than one side of Gideon’s mouth turned down at the corner. “Although I suspect you’d prefer that I not speak of such things, given that my wartime service is a forbidden topic.”
Recognizing Gideon’s last remark as the perfect segue, Jessica said, “Actually, I’m glad that you mentioned the war because I’ve had a change of heart. About the time travel thing,” she added a split second later.
“Pray continue. You have my full attention,” Gideon said as he seated himself in the wingback chair opposite hers.
“While I need to do more research, I now have reason to believe that time travel might very well be possible.”
“Alas, only a mere possibility.”
Ignoring Gideon’s sardonic rejoinder, Jessica said, “Possible because it has to do with the theory of general relativity and the fact that you somehow got tossed across the space-time continuum.”
Hearing that, Gideon raised a quizzical brow.
“Space-time has to do with different dimensions on subatomic and super-galactic levels,” she elaborated. “And while I’m still grappling with the how of it, the important thing is that time travel is scientifically possible.”
“Since I have no recollection whatsoever of the event, I’m unable to verify what precisely occurred,” Gideon acknowledged. “Additionally, I am at a loss to understand what the cursed beast Draygan has to do with any of this.”
“I’m not sure either,” Jessica confessed with a shrug. “However, according to Darlene Malone, Draygan not only exists on a different plane of existence from us, but he has the ability to cross through the veil of time. Which I’m guessing is a quaint expression for the space-time continuum.” Because she’d already plunged into uncharted waters, Jessica decided to go ahead and dive into the deep end. “So if Draygan can cross through time, what’s to stop him from bringing a human passenger along for the ride?”
Gideon took a moment to digest that before he said, “But why then is the beast bedeviling me?”
It was a good question, one for which Jessica didn’t have a ready answer. Earlier in the day, John Henry Burdette had informed her that, as a young boy, he’d been under the influence of Draygan for “nigh on six weeks” before his so-called fits finally abated. Granted, she wasn’t keen on Gideon going to Shepherdstown; however, putting physical distance between him and his nemesis might diminish, if not completely alleviate, his painful symptoms.
“I honestly don’t know why Draygan is bedeviling you. Or why he ushered you across the veil of time.” Then, hoping to put a happy spin on things, she smiled and said, “But whatever the reason, it’s brought the two of us together. So while I could never replace your wife Sarah, I hope that, um…” Finding it difficult to articulate her feelings, Jessica paused a moment to collect her thoughts.
“It is true that you could never replace Sarah.”
The rebuff stung. Jessica instantly shifted from high gear to low. Sandbagged, she struggled to get a grip on her emotions. “Gee, did you have to be so agreeably blunt?”
“Forgive me. I’ve done this badly,” Gideon apologized as he reached for her hand.
A noticeable silence ensued as he stared at their entwined fingers.
“Whenever I am with you, I’m reminded of that time before the war when Highland House was filled with love and laughter,” Gideon said at last, raising his gaze to peer directly into her eyes.
“After witnessing so much horror during the war years, it’s only natural that you’d want to remember more pleasant times,” Jessica said tentatively, uncertain where the conversation was leading.
“It is more than that,” Gideon clarified, a pensive frown having worked its way onto his face. “Since traveling forward in time, I’ve sensed Sarah’s presence at Highland House.”
The admission took Jessica by complete surprise. “Are you saying that the house is haunted by Sarah’s ghost?”
He shook his head, disavowing her of the notion. “What I’m trying to say is that I sense Sarah’s presence when I’m with you. Indeed, there are times when I’m unable to differentiate where one woman ends and the other begins.”
“Oh my god, tell me I’m not hearing this!” Forcefully yanking her hand free of Gideon’s grasp, Jessica covered her ears and closed her eyes, refusing to look at him.
In the next instant, she felt, rather than saw, Gideon move toward her, going down on bent knee beside her chair.
“Please look at me, Jessica,” he urged as he pried her hands away from her ears.
 
; Jessica reluctantly opened her eyes. “Well, at least you got my name right.”
“Do you think that I don’t know who you are?”
“I’m beginning to wonder,” she told him as she removed the towels from her lower legs and set them on top of the stock pot.
“Above all else, I know you to be your own unique woman,” Gideon said, holding her gaze as he spoke. “And it is that unique woman who has touched my heart so deeply these past ten days.”
Certain that he was about to lower the boom—and wanting to get it over with as soon as possible—Jessica said, “But…?”
“But I’ve had reason to wonder if you and Sarah are not kindred in some way.”
“You just want me to be a replacement for Sarah,” she said sullenly. His explanation certainly did little to assuage her hurt feelings.
“Nothing could be further from the truth.” Gideon emphasized the point by raising her right hand to his lips and placing a soft kiss on her knuckles. “Furthermore, it is the differences, rather than the similarities with Sarah, that I find so compelling.”
At a loss for words, her thoughts and emotions in a jumble, Jessica stared at him. Could there possibly be some sort of kindred connection between me and Sarah MacAllister? Truth be told, she’d felt the connection in her dreams, the bond so close, she’d been under the delusion that it was her, Jessica, wearing the hoop skirt, riding the horse, and making love to him.
Gideon traced the curve of her cheek with his finger. Even though his touch was sweetly demonstrative, it caused a tingly sensation to course along her spine, a tingly sensation that quickly turned into a full-blown, passionate pulse between her hips.
“Yesterday evening when you kissed me, I wanted you to—” Hit with a sudden burst of timidity, Jessica had to take a deep, fortifying breath. Then, mustering her courage, she said, “I wanted you to make love to me.”
The flash of uncensored emotion that Jessica saw reflected in Gideon’s blue eyes completely disarmed her. No man had ever looked at her with such passion. Such longing. With perfect clarity, she knew that she and Gideon were meant to be together.
Maybe that’s why Draygan brought Gideon across the veil of time.
“When we kissed, I, too, longed for a deeper communion,” Gideon told her, his voice tinged with a husky drawl.
Jessica’s lips curved in a flirtatious smile. “I believe this is the part where you’re supposed to whisk me off to the boudoir.”
“I would be only too happy to oblige.” Taking hold of her hand, Gideon urged Jessica to her feet… just before he swept her into his arms.
* * *
“My room,” Jessica whispered as Gideon carried her up the flight of steps, hoping the more familiar surroundings would alleviate her sudden attack of first-night jitters.
At least I’m wearing a matching bra and panties.
Nudging the bedroom door open with his boot tip, Gideon stepped across the threshold.
Because of the moonlight that streamed through the windows, Jessica could see that her bedroom had a lived-in look, with various articles of clothing strewn over the backs of chairs and door knobs. Not wanting to spoil the mood, she decided not to switch on any lights.
Easing her out of his arms, Gideon set Jessica on her feet. The moment her toes touched the wood floor, he cradled her head between his hands, his mouth capturing hers in a soulful kiss that completely reassured her that they were doing the right thing.
In no time at all, sweet tenderness gave way to a passionate fervor, with Gideon stoking the fire as his tongue boldly slid in and out of her mouth. Up to the challenge, Jessica met each thrust with an equally sensuous parry, and their lips glided in perfect concert with one another.
With a groan of pleasure, Gideon wrapped an arm around her lower back, pulling her closer to him. In turn, Jessica clutched the front of his tunic. When the incredible kiss finally came to an end, both of them were left panting softly in its wake.
“May I?” Gideon asked, taking hold of the hem of her jewel-neck sweater. When she nodded her consent, he pulled the garment over her head, tossing it onto the nearby chair.
Cupping his hands around her lace-covered breasts, Gideon traced feathery circles around her nipples with his thumbs before he reached behind Jessica and unhooked her bra.
The muscles in Jessica’s legs tightened as she felt a sudden, unanticipated spasm between her hips. “I’ll give you this: for a man born in the nineteenth century, you’re a quick study in the women’s lingerie department,” she said breathlessly, finding it more and more difficult to pull air into her lungs.
“It’s much easier than unlacing a corset,” Gideon said as he slowly dragged the bra across her distended nipples before consigning it to the chair.
As he slid his hands down her bare back, the leisurely caress incited a trail of puckering gooseflesh. Smiling, Gideon snagged two fingers under the plaid blanket that was still wrapped around her waist, removing it from Jessica with one quick twist of the wrist before flinging it aside. His smile broadened as he gently held Jessica’s arms out to the side, enabling him to fully appraise her nearly naked body.
“This isn’t fair. You’re wearing way too many clothes,” she complained, seized with an urgent desire to see, to taste, to feel his bare skin. Pulling her hands free from his grasp, she shoved Gideon’s uniform jacket off his shoulders, carelessly tossing it onto the growing pile of discarded clothing.
“I am overdressed,” Gideon agreed as he undid the top four buttons of his shirt. “A situation that I will gladly rectify.” Tugging at the garment, he freed the tails from the waistband of his trousers. That done, he reached behind his neck and yanked the shirt over his head in one sure motion.
It was all Jessica could do not to lick her lips. The sight of his broad, well-muscled chest made her go weak in the knees. With her heart pounding like a jackhammer, she plopped down on the edge of the bed, unable to take her eyes off Gideon as he seated himself on the arm of the chair. Bending at the waist, he removed first one boot, then the other, tossing both aside with a dull plunk. Her attention was completely focused on him as he stood up and unbuttoned his trousers, shoving them, along with his boxers, off his hips.
Hurrying to play catch up, Jessica wiggled out of her panties. In the beam of pale moonlight that slashed across the room, she could see that Gideon was fully aroused, his penis proudly springing upright from a thatch of tawny curls. As she unabashedly stared at him, her breath caught in her throat.
Now that’s what I call a well-hung man. “And if it feels half as good as it looks, this is gonna be an unforgettable night.” Too late, Jessica realized that she’d actually given voice to the brazen thought.
Approaching the bed, Gideon came to a standstill directly in front of her. “I shall do everything in my power to accommodate your desires.”
“Likewise,” she murmured.
Eager to explore Gideon’s firmly muscled torso, Jessica extended a hand in his direction. To her astonishment, everything about his naked body, from the crinkly feel of the hair on his chest to the smooth texture of his sculpted pectoral muscles, was so uncannily familiar that it was as if she were rediscovering something that she’d once known all too well, but had long since forgotten. And though the electrical sparks that had been so keenly felt when he first arrived at Highland House more than a week ago had greatly diminished in intensity, Jessica could still feel a tingly sensation in the palm of her hand as she continued to caress his body.
Moving her hand lower, Jessica squeezed a sinewy thigh muscle before fanning her hand to the side of Gideon’s hip. Quite intentionally, she bypassed the swollen flesh between his legs, secretly pleased when she observed his erect organ anxiously twitch against his lower belly.
“I suspect you’ll be the death of me before this night is finished,” Gideon rasped as he placed his hands on her shoulders and gently nudged Jessica against the mattress. “But then, le petit mort is the desired outcome, is it not?”
> “I wouldn’t know,” Jessica confessed, sighing contentedly as Gideon settled himself beside her. “Although I’m anxious to find out,” she told him, hoping that, for the first time in her life, she’d actually experience the big O.
“Do you mean to say that you’ve never been with a man?” Gideon propped himself on his forearm as he trailed a finger down the middle of her chest.
“No. It’s just that—” The last thing Jessica wanted to think about, let alone discuss, was her and Richard’s pathetic sex life. This wasn’t the time or place to dwell on such unpleasant memories. “Without going into any detail, let’s just say that I’ve never been able to finish the race.”
“Then tonight shall be a first,” Gideon assured her, nuzzling the crook of her neck with his lips. Sliding a hand under her back, he lifted her several inches off the mattress, his warm breath caressing a pert nipple before he ever so gently began to suckle her.
“So… so wonderful,” Jessica whimpered as she arched her back, enabling her to thrust her breast more fully into his mouth.
Just when she thought she might actually fall into an old-fashioned swoon—it felt that good—Gideon’s lips roamed to the other breast. Switching gears, he plucked the nipple between his teeth, the pleasure so intense that it bordered on pain.
Needing, wanting, more, Jessica spread her legs, silently imploring Gideon to touch her in that most intimate of places. Seemingly attuned to her every desire, he stroked her damp folds with his fingertips, causing Jessica to gasp aloud from the sheer pleasure of it.
“You’re like a camellia in full bloom,” Gideon said in a lowered voice.
Sexual inhibitions thrown to the wayside, Jessica writhed against his palm. “Call me a wanton hussy, but I don’t think it can get any better than this.”
As if to prove her wrong, Gideon brushed the pad of his finger over her clitoris.
Blindsided, Jessica frantically grabbed hold of Gideon’s wrist, if for no other reason than to ensure that he didn’t stop, that he continued to administer the most exquisite pleasure she’d ever experienced.
Our Time Is Now Page 17