Out of Time: A Time Travel Mystery (Out of Time #1)
Page 30
Her hand gripped his arm.
“It’s all right,” he said as he stroked her cheek. “I thought I’d lost you.”
“Gonna have to try harder than that.” Her voice was soft and hoarse, and the most beautiful thing he’d ever heard.
He gave a short laugh that made his ribs scream in protest. She closed her eyes and let out a breath.
“Did we make it? Or is this a dream?”
“No,” he said, brushing his fingers below the cut on her forehead. “Not a dream. Are you hurt badly?”
She shook her head and tried to sit up.
“You shouldn’t move,” he said, pushing back gently on her shoulders.
She wrinkled her forehead, grimacing in pain and bringing a shaky hand to touch the cut. He gripped her hand in his, reminded of a time a few weeks, or was it decades ago when he’d done the same thing.
“You look like hell,” she said, touching the bruise on his head.
Her clothes were soaked and sand covered her side. Blood trickled down her cheek and stained the collar of her dress.
“You’re one to talk,” he said. “You should go to hospital.”
She shook her head. “I hate hospitals.”
“Elizabeth—”
“I’m too pooped to be prodded.”
“You’ll have a scar.”
“Give me character,” she mumbled.
“Elizabeth.”
She closed her eyes. “Can’t you kiss it and make it better?”
“You’re impossible.”
“And inclined to stay that way,” she said. “But if you don’t help me up, I’m gonna fall asleep on your floor.”
“No sleeping. Not yet. Take it slowly,” he said as he helped her sit up. “Good. We’ll move to the sofa now, all right?”
“I’m not an invalid,” she said, but swayed on her feet and gripped his arm. “Except for now.”
He maneuvered them to the sofa, and she sank down into the cushions with a groan. She nodded toward the coffee table. “I’d feel better if that thing were locked up.”
Following her gaze, he saw the watch resting on the floor under the table. “Agreed.”
Painfully, he leaned over and picked it up and quickly put it inside the box. He slammed the lid closed. If he never saw the damned thing again, it would be too soon.
“Much better,” she said and leaned her head back against the cushions.
“Right,” he said, turning his full attention back to her. Gently, he pulled her matted hair away from the cut.
“Is it really over?” she asked, wincing as he checked the depth of her wound.
“It seems so,” he said. The cut on her forehead continued to bleed. “You really should have that tended to.”
“I know.”
It felt surreal to be back in the quiet of his house. The stormy beach and the fight for their lives seemed like a dream fading from reality into memory. The abrupt shift back to normalcy left him oddly ill at ease. The once familiar surroundings felt more foreign than comforting.
They sat in silence for a few moments. Elizabeth’s small fingers played over his, slowly tracing the tarnished band of gold on his ring finger. “What happens now?”
“We take you to hospital.”
“No, I meant, with us,” she said, her expression so endearingly unsure. “Everything’s different here.”
He covered her hand with his. “Not everything,” he said, gently cupping her cheek. “As far as I’m concerned, there’s only one thing that matters. Elizabeth, if I have you, the rest of the world can hang. It doesn’t matter what place, what time. 1929, 2029, nothing can change the way I feel.”
She smiled and wiped the tears from her eyes. “Simon.”
“Welcome home, love.”
She leaned in to kiss him. He put his arms around her and gladly obliged.
The End
NOTE TO READERS
Thank you for reading Out of Time; I hope you enjoyed reading it as much as I enjoyed writing it. Look for another adventure coming soon!
If you enjoyed this book, please consider posting a short review at http://www.amazon.com/author/moniquemartin
Thanks again for reading!
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Have an idea for a time and/or location you’d like to see Simon & Elizabeth visit? Drop me a line or come on by Facebook and let me know. I have quite a few ideas for future adventures, but would love to hear from you!
ALSO BY MONIQUE MARTIN
Out of Time: A Time Travel Mystery (Out of Time #1)
When the Walls Fell (Out of Time #2)
Fragments (Out of Time #3)
The Devil’s Due (Out of Time #4)
Thursday’s Child (Out of Time #5)
Sands of Time (Out of Time #6)
Coming soon - Out of Time #7
ABOUT THE AUTHOR
Monique was born in Houston, Texas, but her family soon moved to Southern California. She grew up on both coasts, living in Connecticut and California. She currently resides in Southern California with her naughty Siamese cat, Monkey.
She’s currently working on an adaptation of one of her screenplays, several short stories and novels and the next book in the Out of Time series.
For news and information about Monique and upcoming releases, please visit: http://moniquemartin.weebly.com/
Follow Monique on Twitter: http://twitter.com/_MoniqueMartin_
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Table of Contents
Acknowledgements
Chapter One
Chapter Two
Chapter Three
Chapter Four
Chapter Five
Chapter Six
Chapter Seven
Chapter Eight
Chapter Nine
Chapter Ten
Chapter Eleven
Chapter Twelve
Chapter Thirteen
Chapter Fourteen
Chapter Fifteen
Chapter Sixteen
Chapter Seventeen
Chapter Eighteen
Chapter Nineteen
Chapter Twenty
Chapter Twenty-One
Chapter Twenty-Two
Chapter Twenty-Three
Chapter Twenty-Four
Chapter Twenty-Five
Chapter Twenty-Six
Chapter Twenty-Seven
Chapter Twenty-Eight
Chapter Twenty-Nine
Chapter Thirty
NOTE TO READERS
ALSO BY MONIQUE MARTIN
ABOUT THE AUTHOR